PlayStation 4 / PS4 Controller Prototype (SplitShock) Rumors Surface

13w ago - Not long after the rumored PS4 controller and PS4 camera patent information surfaced, today some more details on Sony's rumored PlayStation 4 / Orbis Controller Prototype (SplitShock) have arrived with additional pictures attached.

To quote from Destructoid.com: "Update: Multiple sources have confirmed that the photo is real, but is an early prototype.

Remember when we told you of rumblings on the next PlayStation system's controller and how it might have a touchscreen? Well, get a look at this strange thing. This image looks like a PlayStation-style controller plugged into something that looks like a development kit.

It does look like a touchscreen has been worked into the middle of the controller. What's that thing on the top? Also, get a load of those analog sticks. They look like belly buttons. Gross!

Apparently they've tried out several versions of controllers for whatever this next game system is; it's possible that this is one of them.

There's a chance we'll know more next week at Sony's big reveal of... something in New York.

I like the touchscreen thing (if that's what it is), but I was kind of hoping that this is fake so I don't have to think any harder about what the blue light is for. Don't say it!"

From VGRevolution.com, to quote: "We just received a tip from a person within the advertising and brand marketing industry, with some BIG information about what might be a brand new controller for the Playstation 4. The information allegedly comes from advertising agency Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty New York who recently acquired the SCEA account. The controller renders and description also lines up with recent patent information for a new controller.

The controller is being called "SplitShock." It incorporates PS Move technology and PS Vita touch technology into the PS4 controller. The biggest change is the removal of the thumbsticks we have been so accustomed to over the years. Gamers will instead use a Vita like touchpad to control their games. The new controller is also rumored to have 4gb of built-in memory allowing the controller to double as a memory unit as well.

If this is truly the design route Sony is taking this could be BIG in changing the way we play games or it might be a BIG disaster moving away from tried and true controller design. My feeling is this might be the new PS Move controller doing away with the wand and nun-chuck, we highly doubt thumbsticks will be going away as touchpad technology just doesn't offer the control you need in FPS games.

This can also be total BS. Leave us some thoughts below, do you think this is the new PS Move controller or is Sony going to kill thumbsticks?? Either way we are waiting for comment from SCEA, until then check out the controller renders and the advertising information we were provided."

From IGN.com, to quote: "Earlier today we got a first look at what our sources have confirmed is a prototype controller for Sony's forthcoming console, the PlayStation 4. While the photo provides only a limited view of the new design, it represents the culmination of several persistent rumors over the last few months, including reports of an integrated touch surface and PlayStation Move support. But what else can discern from the photo? Read on as we take a closer look.

Touch Surface

There had been rumblings Sony's integration of a touch surface for its next-gen controller, and it seems those reports were accurate. In the middle of a photo we can see a glossy plastic panel, not unlike the kind found on the back of the PS Vita. While the intended purpose of the panel is unclear, it's important to note that it occupies the space previous reserved for the start and select buttons, which have either been removed or are out of view.

Given the placement of the touch panel and Sony's implementation on the PS Vita, it will likely be used for gesture-based navigation and tap commands for functions assigned to certain areas of the surface. There's also the possibility that panel also features some sort of LCD screen, which also had been previously rumored, but may not have been powered on or functioning at the time of the photo.

Motion-Tracking LED

Perhaps what's most immediately apparent is the top-mounted LED, like the type found on the PlayStation Move. It seems likely that the next PlayStation will use the integrated light to track the motion of the controller, perhaps aiding in the aiming or perspective of an in-game character.

But whereas the PlayStation Move controllers was designed to be an extension of the player's arms and serve as a replacement to the DualShock 3, this implementation seems to have been designed to work alongside the standard input methods. Unless, of course, Sony expects users to dual-wield controllers and flail their arms.




What's most interesting about this revelation is its implications for the PlayStation Eye camera, which is used to track the LEDs - will we see a new improved version? Or, perhaps, will one be integrated into the console itself?"

Finally, according to the Wall Street Journal the Sony PlayStation 3's successor will be able to stream PS3 games via streaming service Gaikai that Sony acquired in 2012 for $380 million, to quote:

"The new technology, to be unveiled Wednesday along with the new console, will allow users to play games delivered over the Internet, these people said. The streaming service, they added, is designed to use current PlayStation 3 titles on the new console; the new device is also expected to play new games stored on optical discs."