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Check out this new remote coming up. This article is from 1up.com.
Sony Patents Break-Apart Controller
In conjunction with the PlayStation Eye, Sony's reconfigurable controller aims to offer the best motion control yet.By Dustin Quillen, 10/30/2008
Legitimizing rumors from earlier this year, Sony has registered a patent for a new, break-apart controller with advanced motion-sensing technology. Originally uncovered by a poster on Neogaf, this new controller -- should it actually see the light of day -- would put the PS3 in more direct competition with Nintendo's Wii.
This new controller isn't just another revision of the Sixaxis; rather, it looks like a complete overhaul of the form and function of the device, resembling a pair of ice cream cones more than Sony's ubiquitous Dual Shock. The images accompanying the patent display two Wii-like remotes with removable button faceplates, topped off with strange, bulb-like shapes. These glowing, spherical structures house LEDs and ultrasonic sound emitters, which would allow the PlayStation Eye camera to determine the controllers' positions in three-dimensional space.
While the controller's two pieces are separate in many of the provided images, they can also be connected in numerous configurations. One side-by-side permutation is somewhat akin to a traditional Dual Shock, while another looks more like a tribute to Aboriginal weaponry than a gaming device. Anyone who hated on Sony's original PS3 controller design should probably shield their eyes, because this thing makes the infamous boomerang controller look pedestrian by comparison.
In conjunction with the PlayStation Eye, Sony's reconfigurable controller aims to offer the best motion control yet.By Dustin Quillen, 10/30/2008
Legitimizing rumors from earlier this year, Sony has registered a patent for a new, break-apart controller with advanced motion-sensing technology. Originally uncovered by a poster on Neogaf, this new controller -- should it actually see the light of day -- would put the PS3 in more direct competition with Nintendo's Wii.
This new controller isn't just another revision of the Sixaxis; rather, it looks like a complete overhaul of the form and function of the device, resembling a pair of ice cream cones more than Sony's ubiquitous Dual Shock. The images accompanying the patent display two Wii-like remotes with removable button faceplates, topped off with strange, bulb-like shapes. These glowing, spherical structures house LEDs and ultrasonic sound emitters, which would allow the PlayStation Eye camera to determine the controllers' positions in three-dimensional space.
While the controller's two pieces are separate in many of the provided images, they can also be connected in numerous configurations. One side-by-side permutation is somewhat akin to a traditional Dual Shock, while another looks more like a tribute to Aboriginal weaponry than a gaming device. Anyone who hated on Sony's original PS3 controller design should probably shield their eyes, because this thing makes the infamous boomerang controller look pedestrian by comparison.
Gaming companies come up with unusual patents like this and fail to act on them all the time, but our instincts tells us this one's serious. With the Wii continuing to dominate the console scene and Microsoft gradually repositioning themselves toward more casual gamers, this new input device could be the foothold Sony needs to define themselves this generation. Hopefully they can figure out some sort of reasonably-priced bundle for this thing, because we're having a hard time imagining your average Wii consumer dropping the massive amounts of cash required for a PS3, PlayStation Eye, and a new controller.
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