It looks like Sony Interactive Entertainment is looking for solutions to address the biggest problem facing PlayStation controllers today: stick drift. The company has been busy filing patent applications for controllers, with this being the second filing published in 2026 that hawk-eyed fans have discovered.
Will PS6 finally address the long-running PlayStation controller stick drift issue?
As spotted by CheatHappens, Sony’s new PlayStation controller patent suggests using magnetic sticks to improve sensitivity and performance despite prolonged use. A spring-based mechanism will be used to return sticks to their neutral position.
“With the operating stick assembly and the input device proposed in the present disclosure, since a tilting operation sensor that senses tilting of the operating stick in a noncontact manner is utilized, movement of the operating stick can be detected with high precision even under prolonged use,” the filing reads. “Furthermore, since rotation of the operating stick is constrained by the engaging portion and the engaged portion, when a user applies a force to the operating stick to tilt the operating stick, that force is prevented from being consumed by the rotation of the operating stick, and as a result, operability of the operating stick can be improved.”
Considering stick drift is the most commonly reported problem with DualSense controllers and an issue I have experienced far too many times myself, I sincerely hope this patent comes to fruition with the PS6.
