By Alexandra Burlacu | Feb 15, 2013 09:25 AM EST
Amid a slew of rumors surrounding the highly-anticipated PlayStation 4 (PS4), a freshly leaked image claims to show a prototype of the touchpad controller.
Sony has yet to announce its next-generation PlayStation console, but the company is holding an event next week to discuss "the future of PlayStation" and it is expected to unveil the new gadget at that event.
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The newly-leaked photo surfaced on the Destructoid website, showing a DualShock-style controller with what looks like a touchpad on top and a blue light on the back. The purported touchpad falls in line with previous speculation about the PS4 controller. The blue light, meanwhile, looks similar to that found on Sony's PlayStation Move motion controllers.
The controller featured in the leaked image sports two analog sticks that look a bit further apart from each other, and seem somewhat different from the existing PS3 controller. The familiar cross, circle, triangle and square buttons are now located on the right, along with a new D-Pad.
Besides the aforementioned blue light on top, the middle now sports an empty space where the Start and Select buttons used to be. Another button is close to the D-Pad, at the top-right corner. The speaker holes, meanwhile, are just below what seems to be a touchpad. The unique PS button is further down, along with a mysterious port. The controller seems to be connected to a PlayStation 4 dev kit.
The leaked image may well be false, but Kotaku cites an "industry source familiar with the new system," who claims the photo "is the real deal." At the same time, it also notes that this is just a prototype, which means the final controller may in fact look different. IGN also cites a "trusted source" claiming that the prototype is real, but it will likely change by the time the final console launches.
Going back more than a decade, Sony used events like the one scheduled for next week to unveil new consoles. Back in 1999, the company unveiled the PS2. In 2005, Sony demonstrated the prototype PS3, while in January 2011 it revealed the PlayStation Vita. If this is any indication, the New York event on Feb. 20 should mark the debut of the new PlayStation 4.
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