I wonder if this is the device Sony scrapped in September after Nintendo dropped the MotionPlus bomb. With Nintendo getting an improved motion controller to the market faster, Sony may have shelved this project for a while, since MotionPlus fixes any of the complaints and "waggle" of the Wii controls.

to repeat it again its just a patcent on the technical aspects of a possible motion tracking controller for the ps3. sony patenting it doesn't even mean they will use this type of controller at all, it might happen but then final controller might look quite a bit different to these pictures too.

but why is there a camera on the controlled?

look at the patent text or my previous post they use a mix of ultrasoic and visual tracking for the position identification. the patent tells taht they will visually track the spherical objects in the picture of any camera (b/w, color or infrared) which will give them a  line on which the position of teh controller will be in room, plus they aditionally use ultrasonic tracking to calculate the distance to the camera. which would give them a (exact) position in 3d space (exact will depend on the resolution of the camera/visual tracking as well as the resolution of ultrasonic distance tracking).

the patent text also explicitely mentions that these spheres don't have to be exact spheres so these big orbs might look quite a bit different in the final product if they will ever make one.

Sources that want to remain anonymous report that MS is breeding bats and dolphins to jam the new Sony's ultrasonic controllers.

It reminds me of this: http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=N4MnaLJgwmc&feature=related
I think it's 1 year old.

... FACEPLATES????

Awesome,
They worked great with Coleco

Prediction:
THIS WILL NEVER COME OUT FOR PS3

Hey scottie, don't pay attention to amp316, he's just a non-sensical jackass.

On the subject, that controller is the stupidest thing I ever saw.

That looks like a banana with nipples.

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet, but has anyone considered the safety hazard of this device yet. I mean, if people can break their TVs with Wiimotes, which have straps, what do you think the potential damage of a strapless break apart controller will be.

You could break you television and knock out yourself at the same time.

Back to the controller design, that has to be the worst looking controller I have ever seen. I know this is not the final project, but what they have right now is just laughable.

I am curious to see how well this controller can recreate motions though. Also, does this controller have IR pointers, I don't remmeber seeing them mentioned in the patent?