Sony's upcoming DualSense controller could help you beat games with the power of AI

So far, the only Sony DualSense variant on the market is the DualSense Edge (US$199 on Amazon). Its prohibitively expensive price tag is justified by the plethora of "pro" features and accessories one gets. A newly discovered patent listing (via GameRant) says Sony is planning to launch an entirely new DualSense version soon.

Its most radical change would be to its touchpad, which will now double up as a display. The new DualSense will use the said display to help players out via button prompts, with the actual buttons (analogue sticks and triggers included) lighting up when necessary. Sony will supposedly use the "power of machine learning and AI" to determine the best course of action for a player after monitoring their inputs.

This should, in theory, help make difficult games accessible to more players. Ideally, it should be disabled by default lest it run the risk of ruining the challenge of a game. On the flip side, a poorly trained AI could result in incorrect prompts from the DualSense, further deteriorating the player's experience. One might also argue that the controller could end up as veritable "easy mode" for games that don't have the option. 

It is also worth noting that companies are known to file patents and sit on them for decades. The new DualSense require a full redesign due to the AI and likely touch-enabled display. Additionally, both features will require an on-device processor, further driving up costs and overall complexity. Hence, it might not see the light of day anytime soon and could even debut alongside the PlayStation 6.