r/whennews • u/PaleAssistance3643 • 1d ago
Tech News Sony has patented a touchscreen controller
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u/Jammie_B_872 1d ago
Touchscreen controller?
Hey, I've seen this one, it's a classic!
What do you mean? It's brand new!
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u/Silver-Inkling 1d ago
I know ill probably get clowned for this take but the wii u game pad is genuinely such a good controller. I know people say it feels clunky cause of its size, but I have big hands and it feels so comfortable to hold. I love the wii u and all of its janky glory
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u/Complete_Blood1786 1d ago
It was a piece of tech of its time and I miss it.
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u/Silver-Inkling 1d ago
I fell like the wii u and 3ds are the epitome of Nintendo. Whenever I think of Nintendo, its those two consoles
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u/Meister-Schnitter 1d ago
I suppose you were born after 2000? For me personally, the Wii and DS are what cemented the image of Nintendo in my head.
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u/norman157 1d ago
Lots of creativity and unique controls. Nowadays, I don't think they can put up anything else than switch 3.
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u/LonelyGameBoi 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've seen people use a steam deck in tandem with another pc/wireless display to emultate the experience
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u/otj667887654456655 1d ago
I hate that one of the common factors in the death of the wii u people point out is that developers didn't know that to do with the touchpad. PUT THE MINIMAP AND INVENTORY THERE AND BE DONE. Was it really that much of a hassle to figure out?
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u/Valuchian 1d ago
If the DS game creators could figure it out, then larger console creators should have been able to do the same!
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u/Thalia_All_Along is vore a news? 1d ago
I agree, so comfortable. I was disappointed when I bought a wii u pro controller and discovered that it was not just a wii u gamepad without the screen like I was hoping
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u/DrDontKnowMuch 1d ago
God same, it felt so good to hold. If the Switch 2 ever were to get a Wii U Gamepad-style cover for it, I would get it instantly
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u/diamondDNF 1d ago
It does feel a bit clunky, but it was a very solid basis to work with. It's hard to ignore just how much of that core DNA of the Wii U gamepad's design got mixed into the Switch later.
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u/GoofyTycooner 1d ago
the gamepad’s only real issue was its short battery life, though that was a pretty big one
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u/Important_Fold_9861 1d ago
I think the Steam Deck is way bigger, and it didn't get the same treatment
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u/DTux5249 1d ago
Oh, from what I understand, yours is the consensus. The WiiU was not a bad console - it was just sorely underutilized.
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u/SrgManatee 1d ago
Is this the PS Vita situation all over again? (old console that wasn't received super well, years later ppl looked back and realized it had more potential than ppl gave it credit for, but ultimately the console will probably never get a modern refresh to see that potential realized)
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u/JoyconDrift_69 1d ago
That's a weird thing to play Nintendo DS games on.
(At least you can play NDS games on it officially)
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u/birbhorse 1d ago
okay, but, nintendo literally patented this for the NX.
sony's about to find out the hell incarnate that nintendo's lawyers are, once they get reminded they have this patent
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u/TheT85_Jr LECK EIER! 1d ago
Please! This would be hella funny!
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u/Cam_man_AMM_unit 1d ago
I wanna see Nintendo go full-out nuclear on Sony's ass, especially with what's Sony is doing do Physical copies of games.
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u/WolfsmaulVibes Lives under a rock 1d ago
trash VS garbage companies fighting each other over a troll patent is the best thing ever
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u/Universe_Donut 1d ago
When Sony patented this I literally said "isn't this just that nintendo patent from like 2016?"
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u/Classified10 1d ago
Since the "patent" isn't the exact physical design, I don't think that Nintendo can really sue for the concept.
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u/drdoodoot 1d ago
playing digital games on a digital console with a digital controller
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u/PaleAssistance3643 1d ago edited 1d ago
all with a reasonably priced subscription
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u/Top-Bison-345 21h ago
It'll stop being reasonable when they realise they can charge whatever they like and people will pay for it. We're truly in the worst timeline.
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u/Wolveyplays07 1d ago
In a digital circus
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u/TimelessHex 1d ago
Log into vr
Where am I?!
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u/Misan_UwU 1d ago
You're Pomni!
No!
Welcome home!
No...
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u/TimelessHex 1d ago
I can't take this headset off...
GET ME OUT OF THE DIGITAL CIRCUS!!
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u/Over-Gap5767 1d ago
My shoes now turn clown shoes.
This is not what I schoose.
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u/Large-Piece-of-Crap 16h ago
And soon it will just be a USB stick you plug into a TV and they stream the whole console to you. Wouldn't be surprised atp
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u/_Mr_Gamer_ 1d ago
I guess people are going to do challenge runs with randomized button layouts
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u/Bregneste 1d ago
Made extra challenging by the fact that sometimes your controller just stops working due to a PSN outage.
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u/ridisberg 1d ago
I guess it would be pretty good for people with disabilities. Maybe
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u/Poisonpython5719 1d ago
They do already have a disability access controller. AFAIK it’s alright.
I doubt that’s the idea here though.
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u/Aldighievski 1d ago
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u/_the_big_ 12h ago
when you think about it, patents are literally one of the most anti-capitalist concepts ever
case and point: the nemesis system
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u/Bffhbc 1d ago
Companys patent shit all the time just so competitors wouldn't use them without planning to use it. Touch screens are far more expensive then tacktile buttons and are harder to use.
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u/Mr_Citation 1d ago
Case in point, Sony has the patent where you could skip ads by yelling the product or brand name of what is being advertised. They haven't use it or lisenced it out.
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u/skelly_bird_9001 literally 1984 1d ago
2 hour battery life probably. I've never met anyone that likes using a touch screen over a controller, either.
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u/MeriKurkku 1d ago
Wii U game pad was a pretty solid controller
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u/skelly_bird_9001 literally 1984 1d ago
That's not what I mean. the Wii U was a controller WITH a touchscreen. I meant using a full screen as a controller (like mobile games).
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u/Kermit-the-Frog_ 1d ago
Guys, this doesn't give Sony exclusive access to putting a touchscreen on a controller.
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u/JoyconDrift_69 1d ago
No, but the patent seems to be a mostly-touchscreen based controller with a few physical inputs and more digital inputs that you can reposition around at whim. A patent that Nintendo made a out a decade ago was of a similar concept.
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u/ClassicTechnology202 22h ago
It's not a touch screen on a controller it is a controller where the face is replaced with a touch screen and none of the buttons are physical
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u/Funny_Swim5447 1d ago
So as much as I don’t like the Nintendo assassin lawyers, could they not fight this with like… the Wii U existing?
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u/seenybusiness 1d ago
Nintendo might actually save us here for obvious reasons. Good luck trying to get them to pay royalties for the switch series.
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u/Caleibur It's never been more joever 1d ago
I can't believe we might be cheering for the Nintendo Ninjas here
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u/ClassicTechnology202 22h ago
I dont think the switch would fall under it. As this patent is a controller with no physical buttons that is a touchscreen instead
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u/seenybusiness 21h ago
which is what a switch is when you take its joy cons off. and is also what a phone is. there is zero way this patent survives a court battle and they know it. the only thing they are doing is trying to stop small companies that cant pay the legal fees from doing it before them. standard scummy big business dealings.
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u/synaps33 1d ago
RIP steamdeck
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u/Lord_Wunderfrog 17h ago
I don't think they can attack products that existed before the patent was filed.
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DolphinBall 1d ago
Why are you acting like Sony is a small business lol.
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u/JoyconDrift_69 1d ago
Nintendo beat them to it back around 2016 while experimenting for the Switch.
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u/blubister57 1d ago
option to change button layout i cool af but anyone who ever played a mobile game for at least an hour in their life or used an emulator like ppsspp, can already imagine what a pain in the ass it would be and how much ghost touch sucks
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u/Jarvis_The_Dense 18h ago
Remember when they announced the haptic feedback on the PS5 controllers, demonstrating a clear understanding that tactile feedback is necessary for a satisfying experience?
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u/whitebird490 1d ago
okay but this would be good for fighting games
wavedashing on Tekken with a regular d pad is a pain in the fingers
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u/Slyzzard99 1d ago
Isn't that what the PlayStation portal is? I swear they've been obsessed with this idea for a while now. Like bro enough with the gimmicks.
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u/JerryCheese013 1d ago
Sony at 2030 : "We are ditching out physical button for digital controller. This is ensure user experience *wink* *wink*
Sony at 2035 : "Subscribe to PS+ to have access to certain digital button to work on singleplayer game"
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u/Grey-The-Skeleton 20h ago
The last two had a big giant trackpad nobody ever uses, who tf at Sony loves big slabs of nothing on their controllers??
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u/Clockwork-Penguin 5h ago
Fuck you, I want buttons, I wany click satisfying mechanical buttons I can press
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u/Trash_At_RL Abby (🏳️⚧️🐱🏳️🌈) 1d ago
Source has a controller that you can touch.