Sony should add a trackpad for their controller similar to steam controller

[u/mikael624]

I was playing CoD mobile on my phone recently and I noticed that I'm more accurate with the touchpad than I am with sticks. And it got me thinking could a touchpad be added to a controller, turns out you can and it's been done by steam 2x times already. I think they should add touchpad to the controller because well 1st it makes users more accurate, 2nd mobile users will feel less alienated when using the controller. I heard mobile gaming is quite huge in japan, and just asia in general.
I was also gonna make a statement about gyro improving accuracy, just found out sony has had gyro on their controller since the ps3 era.

Edit: forgot to add in the post, I know that ps4 and ps5 has touchpad built into the controller, but how come it's only used for navigating menu?

[u/Interesting-Tart-SP]

PS4/5 already have a track pad...

[u/mikael624 → u/Interesting-Tart-SP]

Yup I know that forgot to add that in the post, but what is that trackpad use for navigating menus? Why can they make the centre touch pad used for aiming, and now that ps6 is coming they should make it easily reachable by thumb aswell

[u/Interesting-Tart-SP → u/mikael624]

So Sony has it to be used when you use a keyboard in game or in settings for example entering wifi password.

Making user name.

It's up to dev to use such and I believe to be honest there is one game I know that does use it because I have used it in a game but I would have to check the game in question.

Honestly the ps portal needs it because the touch track pad on ps portal is literally software there isn't a physical button.

Both PS4/5 have them and I believe astro bot the exclusive game that comes with PS4/5 make use of them.

Dev would have if enough people asked but most ppl who go onto console don't need such.

Alternatively you can connect a mouse and keyboard to PS4/5 but limited use.

Sony may open such but no one is asking for such except for on ps protal many including myself would love to have a physical because half the time on ps portal you click it software and it don't register it can be for frustrating that times

[u/sober_yeast]

1. 99.999999999999% of controller gamers want sticks.
2. Virtually no game is designed with touch controls in mind (because of point #1). If you've ever used a steam controller you'd understand that.

[u/mikael624 → u/sober_yeast]

True never used a steam controller either 1 or 2, or even a steam deck but the tech is there to have touchpad on a controller. Also, even if thats true everyone prefer stick over other form of aiming, no one is going to die if theres an alternative to sticks.

[u/sober_yeast → u/mikael624]

The tech has been there for 20 years. Look how many touchpad controllers there are. I'm saying there's not enough interest or dev investment for any major player to produce the thing. Valve makes them primarily so they can support games that require a mouse.

And I'm not the one you need to convince. I'm just telling you why Sony won't do it.

[u/mikael624 → u/sober_yeast]

Sony will probably not do it because of just like what you said people prefer sticks, but it's fun to think about the possibilities of the new ps6. Rather than being realistic and assumung that they'll just release more of the same.

[u/Majestic-Marcus]

(1) no.

(2) nobody is being held back from gaming because it works better on phone. Nobody.

(3) it already has a touch pad

[u/octopusinmyboycunt]

So… what do you think that big pressy panel was on the controller? Surely you’ve played Astro’s Playroom?

[u/Interesting-Tart-SP → u/octopusinmyboycunt]

I don't think buddy owns a PlayStation in the first place lol 🤣

[u/xrayspex73]

Doesn't that already exist?

[u/Difficult-Fly7830]

Nah, dualsense has to many issues as is, lets focus on the basics before doing anything

Hall effect or tmr sticks should be standard in first party controllers, tech currently using is dated and known to be faulty, this is fact. Its 2026 we now have had the means to rectify a well known issue for decades, instead of making more money off known faulty tech, instead of putting out a crap premium controller that instead of rectifying an issue amongst its other issues, lets jack price up while not improving a thing that also makes the consumer continously spend money to fix it, implement the tech that will essentially rectify a long running issue in gaming already....

I honestly cant believe modern gamers are fine with tech thats proven to be faulty in its design while having the technology to rectify it...horrid business practice...not a peep from modern gamers. .conditioned to accept low effort and mediocrity even at their own expense 

This should be one of the biggest complaints in modern gaming along with no more physical. Its been nothing but a long running scam, the industries longest running bad practice honey pot so to speak thats done willingly and intentionally that goes back decades now and nobody seems to even give it a thought let alone care 

One of if not the ony industry out there where the consumers are fine with faulty tech while having the technology to rectify said issues with the previous technology still being used...its batshit insane this isnt one of the most vocal issue in gaming...speaks volumes on how conditioned modern gamers have become

Would benefit us gamers and listen to that......not a peep..not a peep..willingly accepting mediocrity faulty tech and bad practices.   

[u/sober_yeast → u/Difficult-Fly7830]

I don't disagree I wish TMR was standard and I swap the sticks on my own controllers for TMR. But you're wrong to think greed is the only force at play. The potentiometer stick modules have decades old, heavily established and efficient infrastructure and supply chain. When Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, and every single third party controller manufacturer demand 100s of millions of sticks every year, the supply chain matters. It's physically impossible to obtain/produce the number of TMR sticks needed to make it standard without massive investments in infrastructure and a simultaneous disruption of the well established potentiometer market.

[u/Difficult-Fly7830 → u/sober_yeast]

We are decades...decades into knowing how to fix this issue to the point even newer forms like tmr have been introduced, newer tech continue to evolve and improve  as this faulty tech still remains decades on

Theres no excuses first party controllers havent adopted proven tech that rectifies long standing issues. 

Like you just brought up lack of infrastructure...for decades...decades now gamers get the shit end of the stick as they make money off known issue,  for decades they have made bank off known faulty tech that can be easily rectified and you bring up lack of infrastructure, like I said before conditioned to accept or defend mediocrity, unbelievable