Sony Thinks Bananas Are The Controllers Of The Future
Sony has introduced plenty of exciting new peripherals and controllers over the years. While some of Sony's innovations have turned out to be flops, like the PlayStation Move, others have proven to be literal game-changers, like the PS5's DualSense controller. However, a new patent suggests that Sony may be moving in a more tropical direction with its hardware. Here's a serious question: have you ever wanted to control your games with a banana?
Sony seems to think that you might. A patent application filed by Sony has recently surfaced, and it's easily one of the gaming giant's stranger concepts. The proposed bit of tech which would allow players to use everyday objects as a game controller. Some of the examples provided in Sony's patent application include pens, mugs, and yes, fruits.
The patent application reads, "It would be desirable if a user could use an inexpensive, simple and non-electronic device as a video game peripheral. The present disclosure seeks to address or at least alleviate some of the above-identified problems." While it's not entirely clear why Sony would want to give users this option, it's interesting to see how the company has approached solving this "issue."
In theory, a camera would be used to "capture images of the non-luminous object being held by the user." This would allow a console to then recognize inputs made on different parts of the object, registering them as button presses. In a diagram that accompanies the patent application, a user is seen holding a banana in their hands. The banana has corresponding Cross and Triangle buttons, illustrating how Sony's patent would allow this simple object to be recognized as a valid controller.
Of course, the existence of this patent application doesn't necessarily mean that such a peripheral is on its way. Last year, Sony filed a patent application for a robot that would sit on your couch and watch you play PS5 games. The robot was apparently meant to adjust to your gaming and social habits, and could theoretically even make suggestions on what to do next. Of course, the PS5 has been out for a few months at this point, and no tiny automatons have come a-knockin'. Patents are often used as proofs of concept, with some of them evolving into something very different.
In other words, there's a chance that fans may never get to control Kratos with a banana — but it still makes for a fascinating concept, doesn't it?