Sony's Motion Controller Patent Goes Attachment Crazy
A newly published patent from Sony Computer Entertainment, which looks a lot like the company's PlayStation 3 motion controller, showcases a plethora of possibilities for the forthcoming device, more attachments than you could shake a Wii Remote at.
The patent for an "Expandable Control Device Via Hardware Attachment" touches on a number of control options. According to details from the patent, Sony's motion controller may offer the option to join two motion control units together lengthwise—previously seen in an earlier patent—or in an H-shape.
And as pictured above, a unique, secondary controller attachment may offer a solution to the one DualShock in one hand, one motion controller in the other hand scheme seen at Sony's Tokyo Game Show press conference.
Other potentially interesting add-on possibilities are attachments shaped like a baseball bat, a the business end of a flashlight and a rattle-like sphere that's very maraca like.
Perhaps more interesting is a proposed biometric reader attachment, including a "thumb reader used to validate the identity of the person holding the controller by analyzing the biometric data provided by the attachment."
Additional possibilities included microphone attachments and swappable control faceplates—letting the player customize whether a motion controller has buttons or a d-pad or even a dial.
Of course, this is a patent, not a product announcement. Sony could simply release the motion controller as previously seen, with none of these possibilities becoming actual products. But take a look at some of the drawings in the gallery below and check out the patent to see what Sony may have in mind.
