BREAKING NEWS!- SONY Issues Break Apart Controller PATENT! - PICS INCLUDED!

[famousringo]

quaiky said:

famousringo said:
So they use optical for x and y sensing, and use sonic for z sensing. How do they get orientation? Patterns in the reflective material? It's not 1:1 unless they figure that out.

And why can't they use sonic for x, y, and z?

Some interesting ideas here, but I agree that this particular device looks over-engineered.

 

to use sonic for x,y and z you would have to mount multiple detectors ( needs at least 4 for a good detection of x/y/z) all around the room and measure the time the signal takes to get to each of these and you need to calibrate teh system for the room first (and i guess that would be too complictaed for most users).

the mix of visual and sonic is a good thing since you can integrate that all into one detector and the detector can be placed nearly everywhere (it should just eb in a position where teh camera has a good view angle. if you use 2 sonic sources on each detector you can probably even detect orientation.

 

Thanks for that expalanation. I guess I don't really understand what sonic is capable of. So with this particular design, you figure the sonic  sensor can determine orientation when the controller is together but wouldn't be able to if it was broken apart?

Also, if this sonic sensor only really 'sees' depth, wouldn't two players using such a controller be a recipe for confusion? It seems to me that while the optical sensor would help sort out which is which, the sonic depth perception would get confused when two controllers are equidistant from the sensor.