We're more certain than ever that Sony's going to bring a new controller out with the Playstation 5, and indeed that it'll be called the DualShock 5. In fact, we have enough evidence from leaks to suggest that it's going to look an awful lot like the current DualShock 4, and be fully compatible with the PS4. 

Now, though, we've got a firmer indication that Sony's also looking to up the smarts of its next controller by potentially adding a voice assistant to its on-board capabilities. 

You may remember that this was first rumoured back in September 2019, when Daniel Ahmad spotted a detailed patent filed by the videogame company regarding a system called Playstation Assist:

It now looks like that assistant, or something like it, might indeed be going further. Another patent has been spotted, this time on WIPO, indicating that Sony wants to make a controller with a microphone that makes it capable of interpreting commands and requests while in use. 

That would take the speaker that the DualShock 4 already houses up another notch. As always, the patent is worded vaguely and broadly, but it certainly sounds like it'll have smart options. Whether that just means being able to share photos to linked social channels, or whether this could herald a new dawn of easily-accessed gaming tips and hint requests will have to be borne out by time. 

With the PS5 heavily rumoured to be getting its debut in February ahead of a launch for Holidays 2020, it's highly likely that the DualShock 5's design is very, very close to final. These patents could therefore be smoke in the wind — or they could be proven much more than that in a few short weeks. We'll have to wait and see.