New PlayStation controller patent suggests PS5 will pivot to cloud gaming in a big way

Just last week, Sony announced the PS5's official name and release date, but stopped short of offering details about the console's new controller, aside from the fact it'll incorporate cutting edge "haptic technology."

A new patent discovered by German website Techtastic, however, suggests the Dualshock 5 (or whatever it ends up being called) could signify a huge shift to cloud gaming for the PS4's upcoming successor, revealing a controller that connects directly over the internet, and not to the PS5 itself.

The patent, filed a few weeks ago by Sony through the World Intellectual Property Organization, describes a "a controller device for user interactivity with a server of a cloud gaming system is provided", accompanied by a sketch showing the user connecting their controller to the console remotely through an online server.

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"The controller device communicates directly to an access device for connection to a network that connects the controller device to the server without connecting to a client device", reads the patent, "wherein the server receives and processes the inputs to render gameplay video that is transmitted over the network for rendering to a display device that is local to the controller device."

Now, there's every chance that this patent pertains not to PS5, but to a separate controller for PlayStation's streaming service, PS Now, which recently got revamped with a new price structure and library of games. It might have nothing to do with PlayStation at all, too, and it's also possible that Sony is no longer working on this project anyway, since patent filings are no means a confirmation of an approved product.

Still, we have to wonder what PlayStation has in store for cloud gaming with the next generation, especially as Microsoft has confirmed a pivot to the technology for the Xbox Project Scarlett and Google Stadia has just announced its release date for this November. Watch this space, but there's now a likelihood that next year's PS5 controller can synch up your games without even having to connect to the system itself.

For more, check out 11 tech demos to make you excited for next-gen, or watch below for a guide to everything else out this week.

Alex is a former Features Writer at GamesRadar+, which once made him responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!