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[Shin]

Sony Interactive Entertainment has patented two new functions in relation to what seems to be an upgraded motion control device for home game machines.
Both of them focus on making the controls feel more natural by adjusting feedback based on different factors. The patent PCT was filed in Feb 2017, and was published on February 7, 2019.

What’s interesting is that this isn’t the first time these controller designs have popped up.
Last year, it was found that Sony Interactive Entertainment filed two patents using a rounder grip design that keeps the same general look established in the newer patent, hinting that there may be more to these patents than just theoretical designs.

Essentially, the controller has an L2/R2-like button that can be depressed at the back. The first of the newly discovered patents talks about using a thumb sensor block (tagged as 231 in the header picture) to judge hand positioning, and adjust the feedback on the depressable button. When the button is pressed in certain situations, such as if you pick up objects in a virtual game, the controller will present an opposing force against the player’s input depending on the object that can let players feel the size and texture of the virtual object.

Meanwhile, the second patent also utilizes the thumb sensor block, and focuses on how its utilities can be used. In this case, the thumb sensor is used to track whether the player is holding the controller in their left or right hand. Depending on the detection, the controller can automatically remap its button functions for the correct hand.

Credit: Siliconera, via VRFocus

 

[Shifty]

Hang on a minute, you're not O onQ123 !

Kidding aside, looking at the new functions, having buttons that can generate resistance is a cool idea, but only doing it for the index finger is kind of baffling when they could have it for the middle, ring and pinky as well for maximum immersion.

Though I've always found mechanical resistance weird in things like racing wheels, it feels like I'm going to break the damn thing if I push against it too hard. I guess that's a different level of force though.

 

[Husky]

dude
it looks like a Razer Hydra
I love my Razer Hydra

 

[HeresJohnny]

Please no more motion control sewage.

 

[Shifty]

Please no more motion control sewage.

The mandatory "waggle bad" noise has arrived.

 

[Vawn]

Please no more motion control sewage.

I guess you don't have PSVR?

 

[JimiNutz]

I welcome controller innovation, especially for VR.
My only concern would be how much these things will cost.

 

[Shin]

They aren't dropping VR, they are doubling down on it (as per patents, job listings, etc etc).
The basics are there already and they have a "monopoly" in the console* space so yeah...money money money.

 

[onQ123]

Hang on a minute, you're not O onQ123 !

Kidding aside, looking at the new functions, having buttons that can generate resistance is a cool idea, but only doing it for the index finger is kind of baffling when they could have it for the middle, ring and pinky as well for maximum immersion.

Though I've always found mechanical resistance weird in things like racing wheels, it feels like I'm going to break the damn thing if I push against it too hard. I guess that's a different level of force though.

I actually seen these already just didn't post it

 

[HeresJohnny]

I guess you don't have PSVR?

Nah, I just don't like motion controls, think they're cancer.

 

[Vawn]

Nah, I just don't like motion controls, think they're cancer.

I don't either outside of VR where they are basically essential.

 

[onQ123]

Nah, I just don't like motion controls, think they're cancer.

You don't like the PC Mouse? because that's a motion controller.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I'm excited to see what Sony brings to the table. The Move controllers need to be succeeded by something more competent.

 

[McCheese]

Nah, I just don't like motion controls, think they're cancer.

This isn't the Wii, it's no longer 'waggle it and it'll pretend you are doing a gesture of some sorts' - good motion controls now offer super accurate one-to-one hand tracking, pretty essential for a wide variety of VR things, literally puts your hands in the VR world.

As for this patent, all I can think is I wonder how Astrobot 2 will make genius use of it all.

 

[HeresJohnny]

You don't like the PC Mouse? because that's a motion controller.

I guess it is in the most broadly defined sense. Although it isn't inaccurate, impossible to use for entire genres, and doesn't make the user look like they have epilepsy either.

 

[HeresJohnny]

This isn't the Wii, it's no longer 'waggle it and it'll pretend you are doing a gesture of some sorts' - good motion controls now offer super accurate one-to-one hand tracking, pretty essential for a wide variety of VR things, literally puts your hands in the VR world.

As for this patent, all I can think is I wonder how Astrobot 2 will make genius use of it all.

It's a design philosophy I can't agree with. To me, a good controller's job is to make the player forget he is holding a controller. Motion controls want that fact to remain front and center at all times imo. I get that it scratches the itch for some, and to those people I say hey knock yourselves out, but it just isn't for me. Give me a conventional controller and I'm good.

 

[demigod]

Please no more motion control sewage.

RE4 with motion control is the best thing ever. I wish RE2 Remake had it.

 

[EverydayBeast]

I was very disappointed with motion controls from last generation. If they can perfect it, I think everybody will be onboard with motion controls.

 

[onQ123]

I guess it is in the most broadly defined sense. Although it isn't inaccurate, impossible to use for entire genres, and doesn't make the user look like they have epilepsy either.

The controllers in the OP can do anything a normal controller can do , what genres you think can't be played with a controller like this?

 

[Wonko_C]

It's a design philosophy I can't agree with. To me, a good controller's job is to make the player forget he is holding a controller. Motion controls want that fact to remain front and center at all times imo. I get that it scratches the itch for some, and to those people I say hey knock yourselves out, but it just isn't for me. Give me a conventional controller and I'm good.

Valves Knuckles controllers already give you the feeling that you're using your own hands, so they effectively "disappear" even more so than traditional controllers since, you know, it can't even get more natural than using your own hands. Let's hope the PS5 controllers are similar to that.

 

[Zannegan]

Even if none of it actually ends up getting used (looking at you Nintando oval screen controller) I love seeing gaming patents. It's interesting to see the various (sometimes wacky) approaches to overcoming the little limitations of a traditional controller that companies come up with.

 

[onQ123]

Even if none of it actually ends up getting used (looking at you Nintando oval screen controller) I love seeing gaming patents. It's interesting to see the various (sometimes wacky) approaches to overcoming the little limitations of a traditional controller that companies come up with.

This one is basically a product like it's about to come out soon ,

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/sony...s-like-a-soon-to-release-product-imo.1470884/

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

Please no more motion control sewage.

Please explain how they are meant to do motion taking in VR then?

 

[Shifty]

What a surprise. Almost 20 posts later and the derail is in full swing.

Fuck sake.

 

[Makariel]

I really hope the tracking is better with the new generation of move controllers. My move controllers work 98% of the time, but it's those 2% that they don't that things can get annoying.

The biggest issue is still the lack of analogue sticks for free movement though. I'm impressed how many developers have managed to work around the limitation. I'm reasonably confident that Sony has learned from the past and that the new controllers will be much better. Really looking forward to psvr v3 on the next gen.

 

[HeresJohnny]

The controllers in the OP can do anything a normal controller can do , what genres you think can't be played with a controller like this?

Fighting games would be an absolute disaster on those.

Valves Knuckles controllers already give you the feeling that you're using your own hands, so they effectively "disappear" even more so than traditional controllers since, you know, it can't even get more natural than using your own hands. Let's hope the PS5 controllers are similar to that.

To me, the only reason that video is noteworthy is because of the controls. The squeezing aspect is cool, but again, it's the controller being focused on instead of the game. To each their own, I suppose.

What a surprise. Almost 20 posts later and the derail is in full swing.

Fuck sake.

Wasn't trying to derail the thread, just stating my opinion that I'd rather see Sony spend its money elsewhere. I mean, you can't really expect everyone to have a favorable opinion of them after the shitshow of the last yen years or so, can you? I guess I'm okay with them if they aren't a focus of the platform, like they are now. Keeping them at a safe distance as an accessory for people to play around with when they get bored would be okay with me as long as the platform's focus was on conventional controls. Waving your hands around in a tech demo is one thing but in an actual game would lose its shiny quickly and become tiresome imo. These control schemes still scream "test phase" to me, and that's how they should remain until one comes along that makes an easy case for bypassing conventional controllers. Still, out of respect for the thread, I won't say any more on the matter.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Please no more motion control sewage.

Have you actually used VR? It's necessary.

 

[onQ123]

Fighting games would be an absolute disaster on those.

.

I wouldn't be so sure about that because it has sensors for your thumb so depending on how good the sensor is they might be able to emulate a dpad or arcade stick

[0022] The thumb sensor section 231 is provided, for example, slightly below the position reached by the distal phalanx side of the user's thumb and provided at the position approached by the proximal phalanx side of the user's thumb when the user grips the device main body 210 in a natural manner. The thumb sensor section 231 has a detectable range of a relatively wide angle on the front side of the device 20 centered at the normal direction of the surface of the device 20 and extending from the left side surface to the right side surface on the front of the device 20 and detects the user's thumb in this detectable range. Then, the thumb sensor section 231 detects the position where the thumb was detected (angle within the above angle range) and the distance from the thumb sensor section 231 to the detected user's thumb and outputs detection result information including these pieces of information to the control apparatus 10. The thumb sensor section 231 may be a sensor of any kind such as camera, optical sensor, pyroelectric sensor, and capacitive sensor. The button operation section 232 includes at least one button and outputs, to the control apparatus 10, information identifying the button operated when the user performs a pressing operation and information indicating the fact that a button was pressed or the detail of operation such as amount of pressing.