Though it’s too early for review units of the PlayStation 4, many members of the press have gotten hands on time with the console. While it still makes a final judgment call hard, most if not all have walked away impressed with the Dualshock 4, the next generation controller from Sony. From improved response time, to better analogue sticks, and a new touchpad, the Dualshock 4 has a lot of new tech going for it. However, according to a patent filling from Sony, the PlayStation makers had a lot more ideas for the controller that never made it into the final build.

Thanks to the USPTO, it’s revealed that the light bar on the Dualshock 4 was to originally extend to the bottom of the controller. Due to the bigger light bar, it could be

 shaped to provide for a wide angle of visibility 

With a lack of PlayStation Eye in each box and a separate purchase, we can see why Sony may not have had this in the final build. After all, why offer a feature that could make things more expensive to build and that only a few might utilize. More interesting however is that Sony also wanted to include a microphone in the controller for tracking player locations. And that touchpad? Sony wanted to create slight outward curvature

 which provides a tactile sensation by virtue of its shape 

In addition, Sony at some point even played around with the idea of having the touchpad be a touchscreen.

 In one embodiment, the touch panel can be coupled with a display screen to provide a touchscreen interface as part of the controller 

Think what the Dreamcast and Nintendo WiiU have but in a sleeker design. Almost a miniature PS Vita display would could provide different information during game play and other controller during movie playback. With the patent having been filed in June 2012, it seems like a lot has changed in the last year. As previously mentioned, many dropped features probably had to do with creating a price point for the console and its accessories that made sense. The last thing Sony wanted to do this generation was to create another expensive console and they were able to achieve that by offering a more powerful console that costs $100 less.

Discuss:

Which of the above features would you have liked to see in the finished form Dualshock 4?

[Via USPTO]