Sony Patent Is Chock Full Of Motion Controller Possibilities

By Spencer . December 8, 2009 . 4:55pm

Sony Patent Is Chock Full Of Motion Controller Possibilities Sony has all kinds of ideas with their motion controller that change it into a karaoke microphone (complete with flashlight) to a biometric reader.

 

Kotaku discovered a patent listing a ton of possibilities. One idea adds “ultrasound communication” to the controller which helps the console locate the motion controller. Another draft gives the controller its own camera turning it into a magic wand camcorder. There’s even a potential baseball attachment and an illustration depicting two linked controllers.

 

There are expansions like maracas, a biometric reader, and (probably the most practical on the list) a two-handed controller for driving or “playing interactive games.” Perhaps, the sphere is removable and the key to converting the PS3 motion controller to a lite-up PS3 karaoke mic.

 

Sony Patent Is Chock Full Of Motion Controller Possibilities Sony also detailed what they consider to be a “fully loaded” controller.

 

Controller A includes a Clock Synchronization (CS) module used for clock synchronization with the base computing system; a Sound Receiver (SRx) for receiving ultrasonic data; a Sound Transmitter (SRx) for sending ultrasonic data; a WiFi (WF) module for WiFi communications with computing system 700; an Acoustic Chamber (AC) for conducting sound to and from the front and/or the sides of the controller; an Image Capture (IC) device, such as a digital video camera, for capturing image data; and a Light Emitter (LE) in the infrared or visible spectrum for easier image recognition from the image processing module at computing system 700.

 

So, how much is this thing going to cost?


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  • nyobzoo04

    worked for the Wii I guess, why not the PS3

  • TokyoGuy

    I think the better question is not how much it will cost, but how practical it will actually be to purchase this. I can easily see the whole thing being a total throw-away gimmick that is used in 4-5 games total. I think that after Sony's ill-fated PS2 HDD disaster, this is another product that has tons of potential yet it coming out WAY too late into the console's lifespan to actually matter.

    Seriously- look at how the PS3 controller has limited motion sensing and, despite EVERYONE having said controller, the feature is not only rarely used, but when it is, the implementation is usually annoying rather than adding anything to the game experience. Sony is now attempting to do nothing short of turning the PS3 into a Wii some 4 years after the release of the PS3. It's not as if they are adding something trivial like the force feedback feature that requires minor coding tweaks; this is a full-out re-conceptualizing how games are played.

    It's a great idea and one that Nintendo will probably be jealous of in its scope, but IMHO it's dead on arrival. If Sony was really smart, it would be making this controller a standard pack-in with the PS4, or else trying to look to the future and compete with Project Natal.

  • TokyoGuy

    But then again the Wii was designed around this feature from the get-go. Do you really think developers are going to suddenly start making Wii games for the PS3? Though I might say that there would be major potential for ports from Wii-exclusive games that make heavy use of the Wiimote.

  • http://www.rpglamer.com TheRootBeerKing

    Kojima probably will, haha. I remember an interview back in the day where he wished for a powerful console like the PS3, but with Wii's motion controllers, his wish came true.

  • wildarms

    10$ dollars

  • http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

    10$ dollars

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