PS5 controller prototype appears to leak courtesy of a cleaner

By Gabe Gurwin January 6, 2020

The PlayStation 5 isn’t due to release until later this year, and unlike with the Xbox Series X, we haven’t seen what the system or its controller will look like. In regard to the latter piece of hardware, however, that may have just changed because of a cleaner working at a game studio.

Initially posted in a Facebook group before being shared on the forum ResetEra, a series of images that appear to show a PS5 development kit with a prototype controller attached were made public this week. The user who posted them said he worked as a cleaner, “occasionally at U,” possibly referencing a Ubisoft studio. This would seem to make sense, as Ubisoft is releasing cross-generation versions of a few of its games, including Watch Dogs: Legion.

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In the images, we see what we believe to be a PS5 development kit, which looks identical to the one allegedly leaked in 2019. In all likelihood, it will bear no resemblance to the final PS5 design, but its inclusion in the images does give more credibility to the controller being real. The one shown in the images looks very similar to the PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 controller, with almost identical buttons and a similar design for the analog sticks. However, it also appears to be just a bit chunkier, and confirmed new features such as haptic feedback and an improved speaker could contribute to this.

New image of PS5 Controller and Dev kit leaked.

The more I look at that Dev kit, the more I’m thinking the PS5 won’t be far off the design. ???? pic.twitter.com/a7dQyvWBWY

— adrian oneil (@adrianoneil) January 6, 2020

Assuming that the post and images were legitimate, the user’s request for others in the group to not share them was clearly not honored. We’ll likely know if the post was truthful within the next few months, if Sony’s typical announcement schedule is still being used for the PS5.

It would seem fitting that Ubisoft would be home to a major leak like this, seeing as the company has trouble keeping its own game projects under wraps. Back in 2011, Ubisoft revealed a “target gameplay” demonstration for Rainbow 6: Patriots after Kotaku received footage before the game was due for a full reveal. The game never actually released and was replaced by Rainbow Six Siege, but leaks for other projects, such as Watch Dogs: Legion, would be commonplace in the years that followed.

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