Sony making collapsable PS3 controller

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 16th June 2008

Sony is working on a third generation of PS3 controllers, but has yet to announce anything.

Sony is reportedly working on a new PlayStation 3 controller it seems - the third controller to appear for the Blu-Ray playing games console after the original SixAxis controller and later DualShock. The new controller is expected to break apart in some form, creating two halves which can be held and wielded independantly.

The two halves of the new controller will feature an accelerometer each, allowing the Playstation 3 pad to effectively break into two seperate motion-sensing controllers similar to the Wiimote according to GI.biz.

Sony has yet to release any official comment on the planned controller, but with E3 looming and Sony still closely attached to the ESA it does seem likely that the console maker will announce something at E3.

While originally the PS3 launched with a SixAxis controller to give motion-sensitive inputs to the player this was only used in a few games and was realistically quite limited - especially since the controller didn't have rumble features, though a later controller added this in.

The PlayStation 3 is now the de facto Blu-Ray high-definition player of choice to many people and, with free online services such as PSN also available, Sony is in a stronger position than ever with the PS3 as newer and more high-profile games begin to appear.

The problem of course is that a third controller appearing on the market may confuse audiences and create a tiered market where some games aren't fully playable without the break-away controller. Would that worry you? Let us know in the forums.