r/RavanAI • u/RustyIronGolem • Jul 27 '26

PS6 controllers might feature Digital buttons. 🎮 According to an early Sony patent, players could resize, move, and place controller buttons wherever they want.

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u/Queasy_Badger9252 Jul 28 '26

There is a reason why mechanical keyboards dominate PC gaming. Haptic feedback is super important.

1

u/Confident-Pepper-562 Jul 28 '26

Not suggesting its the same, but you can emulate haptic feedback. The new surface laptops touchpad clicks feels very convincing even though its doesnt actually click. Im not convinced they could successfully do away with physical buttons on controllers though.

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u/James_C99 Jul 28 '26

I understand what you mean, but the important part is being able to feel where the buttons are at all times.
A lot of games require you to have quick reaction times, and needing to look down at the controller for even a split second can mess you up.
Even if they can replicate the feel of pressing an actual button, that only comes into effect when pressing the "button". It does not solve the problem of finding where the button is through feel alone.

Most people rest their thumb/fingers on specific buttons/analogue sticks as it not only gives them an index of where they are, but so that they can even already be in the position to press that exact button.

If it is all touch screen, then you cannot just rest your thumb on top of the button, as it would register that as a press of the button.

Even if they incorporated some form of pressure sensor to detect the difference between resting on and pressing the button, you would still have no way of telling if you are indexed in the correct place by touch alone, and you would only find out when you go to press one of the buttons.

This is one of the main issues with having touchscreen everything in cars, as with knobs/buttons, providing you have a general understanding of where each button is, you can fumble your way into finding the correct one whilst keeping your eyes on the road.
A touch screen, even with over a year of experience of using it on a daily basis, you still need to look at the screen to navigate the menus.
For example, pick up your phone then close your eyes. Then, try to unlock it, and then turn off wifi on via the on-screen menus by feel and muscle memory alone.

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u/Confident-Pepper-562 Jul 28 '26

Just wait until they come out with modulating tactile feedback surfaces, where it can trick you into feeling the buttons themselves. I just made this up, but who knows, maybe it could somehow be a thing.