PlayStation 4 Controller Prototype Leaked With Touchpad

Today a lovely new look at the PlayStation 4 from a controller perspective – a prototype of what very much appears to be the real deal for the upcoming next-gen console. This piece of hardware has been traced back to Destructoid where just as much questioning about its authenticity is being done as we'll be doing here. Though there's no way of knowing if this is a final release edition or if this is merely a temporary casing for what will be a much more slimmed-down iteration of the final PlayStation 4 controller, we do have some clues here as to what we'll be seeing.

First you'll see the basic controls still in-tact. Complete with the triangle, circle, X, and square as well as directional pad, you've got the left and right, topside tappers and a couple of joysticks ready for action. Of course there's a couple of items you might not have seen before included as well, starting with the touchpad. Several times now we've heard that this controller will be including a touchpad not unlike what's included on the PSVita – the same one we reviewed early last year.

This device also has a front-facing speaker and a big blue light up on top. We must assume this is part of some magic wand-type situation or we'll never be able to live with ourselves thinking there's such a giant LED up top without purpose. Perhaps motion control of some sort. We can pretty safely assume that with this amount of bulk in the controller that we'll have built-in rumbling as well.

Have a peek at the rest of the PlayStation 4 timeline below and stay tuned for more Sony action as we head to the main event next week. It's there that we expect Sony to reveal something or other – or at least to have word of when the PlayStation 4 will be released some time in the future. Could be be so bold as to expect real devices to be there up close and personal? We shall see!

[via Kotaku]