Innovation: For some, it’s the complete redesign of a gaming console while others look at it as taking a gameplay mechanic and tweaking it to be a more advanced version of itself. According to Sony Computer Entertainment, though, apparently the concept of innovation includes filing oddball patents that may nor may not come to fruition in the future. Back in May of this year, I reported on a patent filed by the corporation in 2011 that would bring in-game advertising to life. Today, while I don’t have much information on the way of Sony’s concept of providing uninterruptible marketing to gamers everywhere, I do have another insight into Sony’s next potential “innovation” in gaming.
Kotaku reported over the weekend on a new patent filed by Sony Computer Entertainment. According to the patent, which was published earlier last week, Sony is turning its sights to the rather disappointing Playstation Move. This new and rather lucrative concept will have the handle of the Playstation Move controller wrapped in a set of bands that can adjust the temperature of the controller. What’s the point of such an inane concept? Well, for one, it could certainly help the five dozen people still playing Move compatible games from losing their grip on the controller when their palms get sweaty by cooling down.
Ultimately, the patent, though odd, could add a new level of immersion to gameplay – it just may be better utilized on the systems standard controllers (or even saved for the Playstation 4). The temperature for the controller could raise or fall depending on what’s happening in the game. Are you utilizing the sprint button a little too often? Well, your character is going to overheat, so why shouldn’t you get a less severe look of what they must be feeling? The gimmick – and let’s face it, anything like this always winds up as a gimmick – could even stretch to first-person / third-person shooters and come into play as a more direct way of letting you know your gun is about to overheat / run out of ammo. Realistically, it would probably wind up being an overpriced hand warmer or hand cooler.
Despite what Sony has in store for this patent, if anything at all, it’s safe to say that gamers would probably feel better if these research hours were better spent working on perfecting the next generation of gaming. In the numerous years I’ve been in gaming, I can’t say I’ve ever heard someone say “Man, wouldn’t it be great if my controller got hotter”. In the long run, considering Sony’s history of filing unused patents (i.e. the Kinect-like patent from earlier this year), it’s probably safe to assume that the company has in their employ an individual whose job is to solely sketch out potentially good ideas to ensure they stay ahead of the game.
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