Sony's product planning manager Toshimasa Aoki has said that one of the PS4's DualShock 4 prototypes featured a touchscreen. But unfortunately it was scrapped for the final production for a touchpad instead. "A touchscreen was another idea that we had," Aoki told GamesBeat. "We actually tested it, but [besides cost factors], our game teams felt like having to look down at the controller is not what they want to do. They want to have the consumers concentrated on the big picture that they show [on the TV]."
The GamesBeat interview with Aoki also explained that at the very beginning of the design process for the DualShock 4 controller, Sony considered "drastically changing" the device. "We tried out new devices, changing the form factor. We'd start from there and then try to talk to the game teams and tweak toward what the best form would be to have for those new devices," he said. "So we made, I don't know, more than 20 prototypes. Some had no buttons, just touch panels. Some were rounded. All this crazy stuff."
Sony also looked to the Microsoft Xbox 360 for inspiration. "For the analog sticks, we did test having the analog sticks on top, since the Xbox has the left side on top [above the D-pad]," he said. "Especially from the shooter teams--we got feedback that that's what they wanted. They knew that consumers liked the 360 for shooters."
It ultimately worked out because developers can utilize the touchpad more so than the touchscreen and will keep gamers focused on the game.
The PlayStation 4 will launch in North American November 15. The DualShock 4 controller will ship with every system and you can purchase them separately for $60.
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