Sony could resurrect twelve-year old technology to let you game with just a controller and a phone

Sony appears to be working on a new PS5 DualSense controller add-on that lets you use your smartphone as the PS5 console itself.

The idea, in patent concept at least, is to clip a phone to a DualSense controller which interacts with the device to play full-on PS5 games.

This would use a good network connection and stream games, while also allowing developers to use all the phone's hardware as part of the game interaction experience.

If you recognise this, that's because Sony already did it. Yup, this little clip to attach a phone to the controller was introduced back in 2014. The problem then was that even on a Wi-Fi network, streaming didn't work so well. As such it was quietly ignored.

Now, with 5G and enhanced WiFi, plus plenty of experience streaming games, the chance for this to work has returned.

The patent filed shows Sony is looking into using a phone to play games but rather than just mirror, to also let developers use all the touchscreen, motion sensor and hardware features of the handset as part of the gameplay.

Sony already offers the PS Portal, an 8-inch 1080p LCD toting handheld to stream PS5 games over WiFi. Imagine that getting upgraded to any internet connection and using your phone, all you'd need is your controller to continue full-on gaming wherever you are.

Sony files a lot of patents, that never amount to much. But this feels different, grounded in a tested reality and really not that far from becoming a real offering soon.