Is this a new PlayStation Move? There's a newly-published Sony patent for a certain "flat joystick controller" which seems to look a lot like a PlayStation Move, but with a touchpad on the front. » 12/10/13 6:50am 12/10/13 6:50am

Microsoft and Samsung apparently think that your TV—no matter how big it is—isn't big enough. That's the only possible explanation for the two companies' partnership on the IllumiRoom project, which projects images and colors across the space that you're playing video games in. » 1/09/13 3:30pm 1/09/13 3:30pm

A patent application published today resurrects the rumor that Sony's next gaming console will suppress the playing of used games, and outlines how such a scheme would be accomplished without the use of an always-on Internet connection for verification. In short, an RFID ID stamped onto the new discs would track their… » 1/03/13 10:00am 1/03/13 10:00am

A patent filed by Microsoft last year, but only made public last week, wants to turn your Xbox 360's Kinect into an instrument via which large companies can monitor your media usage and, if you're found to be in violation of something, charge you for it. » 11/06/12 11:00pm 11/06/12 11:00pm

In May this year, Sony Computer Entertainment filed an application for a patent concerning biometric security. Not an entirely new idea, since there are consumer devices like phones (and the Kinect) that already have things like facial recognition, but it's the scale of Sony's thoughts on the matter that are important… » 9/20/12 11:30pm 9/20/12 11:30pm

It's not quite holodeck technology, but it's not far off. A patent filed back in March by Microsoft describes advanced display technology that extends the gaming environment from the television to all four walls of a room. » 9/11/12 9:00am 9/11/12 9:00am

A Sony patent called "System for converting television commercials into interactive networked video games" is trying to do...well, exactly what its title says it's trying to do. » 8/22/12 2:20am 8/22/12 2:20am

Are commercial breaks something gamers in the future will have to deal with? According to a newly surfaced patent, they might. » 5/25/12 6:20am 5/25/12 6:20am

What the hell is this? A steering wheel? A jet fighter's yoke? It's certainly a peripheral for the PlayStation Move, with swing-wing handle grips out at the side. Why is that feature necessary? » 4/18/12 10:00pm 4/18/12 10:00pm

Since 2010, Microsoft has been working on a gaming display system so small that it wouldn't need to be sitting on an entertainment unit or even held in your hands. You could wear it in a pair of glasses. Or in a stupid helmet. » 3/19/12 10:00pm 3/19/12 10:00pm

Three years ago Ohio-based technology company Motivia filed a patent lawsuit against Nintendo, alleging the Wii infringed on its 'Human Movement Measurement System' patent. Today an International Trade Commission judge ruled that wasn't the case.Grats, big N. » 11/02/11 5:20pm 11/02/11 5:20pm

Maybe! A patent application, filed in 2010 but only recently uncovered, has Sony looking at biometric controls on devices that look like a DualShock, a PlayStation Move controller, and a handheld. » 11/02/11 2:00am 11/02/11 2:00am

A Microsoft patent, filed in March 2010 but only publicly released last week, is called PARENTAL CONTROL SETTINGS BASED ON BODY DIMENSIONS. It's about using tech like Kinect to automatically restrict content on a PC or Xbox depending on who (or what) the camera sees in the room. » 10/03/11 6:30am 10/03/11 6:30am

Our good friends at Fusible note, somewhat wryly, that while Nintendo's gotten around to filing trademark applications on the Wii U it's lacking ownership of the wiiu.com domain. The console by that name is due for sale sometime in 2012. » 8/14/11 2:00pm 8/14/11 2:00pm

Back in 2010, Nintendo filed a patent application for something called a "massively single-playing online game," something whose interactions don't take place in real time and what sounds a little Animal Crossing-ish (above). » 8/12/11 7:20pm 8/12/11 7:20pm

The Nintendo 3DS uses glasses-free 3D technology that infringes on a patent held by a former Sony engineer, according to a lawsuit filed two weeks ago. » 7/07/11 7:30pm 7/07/11 7:30pm

While the Blu-ray patent infringement lawsuit between electronics manufacturer LG and Sony rages on, a court decision in the Netherlands has halted the confiscation of PlayStation 3 systems entering Europe, with the more than 300,000 units already seized ordered returned. » 3/10/11 5:20pm 3/10/11 5:20pm