It looks like bananas to us.
Sony has developed a new cool technology that it could turn anything into a PlayStation controller.
This is happening through an application with US Patents and Trademarks (USPTO) – identified by GamesIndustry.biz – that describes how the PlayStation believes it could transform a common non-electronic object into a game controller. In the process, Sony uses, um, a banana (below) as an item that can be used as a gamepad with this technology.
The way this apparently works is that a camera takes images of any object that a user is holding and tracks the entries on the surface. The item must not be luminous, as this would likely disrupt the aforementioned tracking. Sony says that games are trained to recognize an object used as a controller, or developers can configure their games to recognize certain items such as gamepads.
Sony sees this as a way for people to play without expensive and complicated controllers.
“It would be desirable for a user to be able to use a cheap, simple and non-electronic device as a video game peripheral,” wrote the owner of the platform.
“The present disclosure aims to address or, at least, alleviate some of the problems identified above.”
Of course, patents are not products. It is not known whether Sony will actually do something with this technology, but companies try to secure their inventions or discoveries through patents literally all the time.
In addition to this widespread gamepad, Sony has also applied for a patent for what appears to be a new PlayStation VR controller. Published in November 2020, it features a series of button inputs, as well as a small LED that is probably used to track these inputs. This is certainly smaller than the rather large lights on the PlayStation Move controllers.
These new inputs also come with the same kind of sturdy triggers and tactile feedback that the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller has.
This is just the most recent patent that Sony has registered for the PlayStation VR. In September, the company introduced what appeared to be a virtual reality controller that suggested inside-out tracking for its next VR device. Another patent detailed a way for viewers to participate in virtual reality content.
Sony announced last month that it was working on a new PlayStation VR for its PS5 console. The platform’s owner’s new machine handled 4.5 million units between its launch in November and the end of December, with Sony hoping to transfer another 3 million by the end of March.