The rumors of Sony’s next-generation console’s controller being similar to the Wii U Game Pad aren’t new. They’ve been around for about a year. Recently these rumors have been heating up as we approach the reveal of their next-gen Playstation around E3.
A lot of people believe that the controller for the PS4 will feature a touch-screen and biometric sensors. Basically it would be a PS Vita with the CPU/GPU/RAM stripped out. There are many reasons why Sony doing this would be a good thing, many reasons why it would be a bad thing.
I’m not sure the gaming community, or at least the Playstation fan-base wants a controller like this. While it certainly would be interesting to see what Sony could do with this concept, I think most Playstation fans would be fine with a traditional Dual Shock with those rumored biometric sensors added in.
We can’t deny the age old cliche of Sony copying what Nintendo innovates, or Nintendo beta-testing what Sony perfects. Whichever way you see it you’re sure to hear more about it these rumors about a touch-screen equipped PS4 controller are true.
I wouldn’t be against this new controller per say. I’d have to go hands-on with it to really judge. Sony’s first-party developers like Naughty Dog could probably do wonders with a touch-screen equipped controller like the Wii U Game Pad. From a game play perspective it would be great for us.
A solid argument against this controller would be cost. A lot of Playstation fans are hoping Sony focuses on their money on making powerful hardware, not expensive controllers. As we’ve seen with the Wii U Game Pad costing $170 in Japan, a touch-screen equipped controller would make the system very expensive.
Remember that Nintendo is selling the Wii U at a loss. Not that the system’s hardware isn’t impressive, like the 2GB RAM but its clear that the console isn’t the majority of the cost. Estimates put the Wii U Game Pad at around $100 or more to manufacture.
I would be a little disappointed if the next Sony console was under-powered as a result of this controller. I think it would be good for Sony and the industry as it could help keep development costs down. I really don’t see the new Playstation launching for more than $399 personally, though Sony consistently does the opposite thing of what you think they should do.
So in short a Wii U Game Pad-like controller for the PS4 would great for gamers as it would give the stellar line up of Sony first party developers a new tool to play with. But it could come at the cost of hardware specs or push the price of the console up.
What do you think? Do you want the next Playstation to feature a controller with a touch-screen? Leave a comment below.
Do you even want the PS4 to have a controller like the Wii U Game Pad?,
