Gamers love making weird shit into controllers, including but not limited to pomegranates, light sabers, bananas, and bread. Apparently, Sony wants to get in on that action, according to a patent recently surfaced by GamesIndustry.biz that details a method for turning household objects into controllers.
Sony filed a patent for a means of detecting “a passive non-luminous object being held by a user” and turning it into a video game controller. “It would be desirable if a user could use an inexpensive, simple and non-electronic device as a video game peripheral,” the patent reads, saying what we’re all thinking. It cites as examples options such as one orange, one banana, or two oranges or bananas. A camera could detect the items so they could be used as controllers, or a camera could “detect a user’s finger in the obtained images” to coincide “with the location of the virtual button.” In images attached to the patent, this basically means mapping virtual buttons onto a banana, in case you wanted to awkwardly poke the banana instead of swinging it around.
I appreciate that Sony’s ideal gamer has a bunch of fresh fruit around the house. This is just a patent application, so who knows if it will ever become a reality. My colleague Ethan, meanwhile, came up with his own version, which you can achieve right now, practically for free.
Make your dreams a reality, kids.
Other Weird Patents
https://kotaku.com/behold-the-horror-of-sonys-ps3-doll-5825036
https://kotaku.com/nintendos-shameful-inflatable-horse-riding-wii-control-5334428
https://kotaku.com/nintendos-nutso-football-controller-patent-5344854
