Sony Files Unprecedented Patent To Turn Household Items Into PlayStation Controllers

Sony has filed an unprecedented – and rather surreal – patent to the United States Patent and Trademark Office to have everyday household items turned into PlayStation controllers.

This request was illustrated with an image of a banana being used to play video games, offering a glimpse of what this idea might look like in reality.

Oranges are also given as an example, with Sony explaining in the patent that ‘a player may hold two bananas – one in each respective hand; or eg two oranges – one in each respective hand’.

It’s thought that this system could transform a variety of inanimate objects into makeshift controllers, from coffee mugs to pens. The system would also be equipped with a camera, allowing gamers to press virtual buttons.

As per the patent, which has been obtained by Entrepreneur, ‘the system comprises an input unit operable to obtain images of a non-luminous passive object held by a user as a video game controller’.

The system also includes both an object detector and an object pose detector, based on the positioning of at least one of the player’s hands, which will be registered using the camera. It would have the ability to track motion based on pixels, contours, and colours.

The camera could function to map out virtual buttons on seemingly whatever object the gamer wanted to try out, meaning that each time they pressed a particular part of the object, it would be the same as pressing a button.

As per this document, this tech would help users to make the most of the many functions of PlayStation games, for example multiplayer, as most consoles only bring one control.

Of course, even if the patent ends up getting registered, it doesn’t necessarily mean the project will be brought to life. It simply means that Sony’s competitors will be prevented from marketing similar technology.

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