By including a microphone as part of the PlayStation 5’s new DualSense controller, Sony is making voice chat easier than it’s ever been before. Of course, with a low barrier for entry comes the potential for irritation, as gamers can be known to play loud music and have personal conversations in the lobbies of online titles.
Fortunately, the Japanese giant has a solution which will at least help to eliminate some background noise. As part of a patent filed in February and published this week, the manufacturer explained how its new pad’s “microphone array” will operate. “Captured sound can be processed to exclude sounds which do not emanate from a certain region of the interactive environment,” the document illustrates.
Effectively, the three included microphones can detect the position of sounds, cancelling out any noises that aren’t coming directly from the primary user. This also helps to eliminate crosstalk, which could occur when two players are using pads in a local environment. “The captured audio data from the multiple controllers can be analysed in combination,” the patent adds.
Of course, this technology won’t be flawless, so you should probably still expect to hear some tinny Stormzy songs while you’re waiting in the lobbies of the next Call of Duty game. The good news is that the Japanese giant’s worked to at least minimise background sounds, which we’re sure will be appreciated by those who play plenty of online multiplayer.
[source segmentnext.com]
Comments 58
So... now the NSA will be listening in while I'm indulging in my gamer's diet of Cheetos and Mountain Dew? Got it.
The very first thing I'll be doing is opening that pad and pulling those mics out.
People who play music on their speakers while they're using microphones in a public lobby need a good slap.
If you want to use voice chat, no one wants, or needs to listen to your music. It's simple, use headphones if you want to voice chat. It's really not that difficult to understand.
If you're doing it intentionally to either (a) be a jerk or (b) you think it's cool, we can upgrade that slap to a kick in the ass.
Ugh, really not a fan of integrated mics for the sole reason that they listen in on you. I swear, the amount of times I mention something mundane like colanders near my phone and suddenly get adverts everywhere for colanders, it’s seriously creepy.
I already have 20 gadgets listening in on all my conversations and activities what’s another one gonna hurt.
@Corum Exactly, at this point I don't really care (I understand why others do) and I'm sure for those who don't like it can mute people or open that sense and take out the microphones.
Ahh, I remember the classic days of waiting in online lobbies while listening to loved ones argue and someone is peaking their cheap $10 Wal-Mart mic with Linkin Park.
Good times.
Eliminate the trash music people play? Great news. I love rap And all.... but I don't want to hear your mix tape
@Corum - Therein lies the difference. I have zero devices listening to me and I prefer to keep it that way.
@Grindagger
'People who play music on their speakers while they're using microphones in a public lobby need a good slap.'
But I was just trying to raise morale prior to kickoff with East 17 - It's Alright, Guvnor remix.
That starts to be seriously creepy. I don't want this device at home. You can NEVER TRUST mute button.
Not a problem for me since I don't play online 😃
I'm not too keen on microphone that always listening though, I hope sony has clear privacy policy for that microphone.
Nintendo did it first!
Sorry, couldn't resist!
(In case you don't know what I am referencing, the Famicom controllers had microphones built into them)
NOTE: Joke
@Shigurui Phone is a listen device as well.
Presumably, the internal microphones get disabled when you plug in a headset, so it won't be long before someone produces a dongle which plugs in but contains no mic or earbuds in order to physically disable it.
@Ridwaano - I would have to own some kind of smart phone for it to listen. I don't.
I mean, our PS cameras already have microphones built in. I’m still a bit worried about that echo though. Echo is a party is a terrible thing. I’d hope this is used more for stuff like games where it can rely on you having a mic for a gameplay feature.
I also think the mic will be used to calibrate the 3D positional audio to the user's physical location.
@Shigurui technically any headphones can be used as a microphone. Better get rid of them before they starting coming after you.
@hi_drnick - Good job I don't use any then.
This is a great feature. I know the olden days of trash talk were annoying (though I myself bloody loved a good trash talk), but ever since the 360 introduced parties, online games have really lost the social experience of online games.
And one thing I've learnt being part of a gaming family, is that trying to wear a full headset while trying to split screen or LAN is not a very good way to experience an online game.
I fully expect this feature to become standard next gen and beyond.
But where do the headphones go ?
@Shigurui no speakers in your house either?
@hi_drnick - What is your problem? Seem to have a real boner for me there sweetheart.
@Shigurui to be fair it seems pretty surprising in 2020 to not have a mobile phone but you do you! However whatever device you are posting this with would likely in theory have a built in microphone.
@Grindagger how are you going to kick someone in the butt half way across the planet?
@Shigurui I honestly find that extremely hard to believe. You don't have a modern TV or a smartphone/ tablet? A laptop or any Android integrated device?
@Paranoimia That's called a male-to-male 3.5mm jack.
@Callmegil Yeah, but you're not going to want to sit there with a m2m cable hanging out. I'm talking about something custom which fits flush and looks neat.
@Paranoimia You might as well mute the microphone then lol, it's cheaper.
@Callmegil I'm talking about for all the conspiracy theorists who are concerned about the microphone being used to listen in on their conversations, who will no doubt think that it's still listening even when it's "allegedly" muted, and are talking about opening the pad and physically disabling it.
Doesn't bother me personally.
@Shigurui no boner I'm afraid. Can't really get it up for try hard, holier than thou types who come in here with a bad attitude about everything and call themselves Shigurui to boot.
@Paranoimia After the Facebook scandal, privacy is being taken much more seriously. Nothing is used unless you give permission. I don't see it being any different with PlayStation. Besides headphones/ earphones have built-in microphones, the moment you plug one on Dualshock 4, shouldn't that have the same level of concern?
People have multiple devices collecting their info and now they're concerned with privacy lol.
THis is great. I love to play music when I'm online so people can hear what great music I listen to.
@Callmegil Yeah, but when you disconnect the headset form DS4, it's physically disabled. You can't do that with a built-in mic, and there are those who will never believe it's actually disabled unless they physically do it themselves.
@Paranoimia I assure you the microphone won't work if the controller is off.
@HitmanAddict - I don't have a smart phone. I have an ancient phone for calls/texts, I have no other use for one. I post here either from my ps4 or my pc.
@Callmegil - I do have a modern TV, I don't have any of the other things you mentioned.
@hi_drnick - To coin a rather dated phrase you seem to like, cool story bro.
@Shigurui Modern TVs have built-in microphones on their remotes. Then, how are you responding to this then?
@Callmegil - I already said how I post here and I have a universal remote, I can assure you it doesn't have a mic. Is it so hard to believe that someone cares about their privacy, isn't a phone zombie and doesn't own all the gadgets on earth?
@Shigurui In this thread? No you haven't. That's the thing, it's not only phones. You're signed up to Push Square, you must have an email that is associated with a company that collects information.
The only way you'd be 100% secure is if you lived in a cabin in the woods with no access to the Internet.
@Shigurui Then when you break them, you'll probably be the first one to cry about them not replacing your controllers because you felt the need to open them up....Its hilarious when people break things, that could most likely very easily be turned off.
@Callmegil - Yes, in this thread. I know how digital footprints work and mine is managed quite well.
@__marc - I'm more than capable of dismantling a game pad without breaking it. It's hilarious when people assume things, wrongly.
@Shigurui you can just mute or go offline
@LKIIIVX - Or I can take 15 minutes to remove the mics for a permanent solution.
@Shigurui LOL suuure you will, and good luck with that.
@Shigurui That is an enormous assumption on your part. You have no idea how the internals of the dual sense are constructed or if it would even be possible to remove all the mics without effectively destroying the controller.
@Shigurui lol a Luddite with a PS4. You are already in the matrix my dude. It's far too little too late to say you're gonna "keep your digital footprint" down when you're gonna buy a ps5. I suppose you're gonna pay for that in cash and never go online either, eh?
@Paranoimia yeah and I'm quite sure that will make a negligible impact on sales. The vast majority have gotten over it. Nearly every one has some kind of cell phone and if you have ANY kind you can theoretically be spied on.
@Saucymonk nice sarcasm except the article directly addresses this bs.
@Shigurui except you don't. Any kind of cell phone smart or not can be used as a listening device. In fact the older it is the easier it is for a bad actor to use it as such.
@Arugula So how does this change that at all?
@Shigurui Then you won't be getting a PS5 or any other new console. You don't have a cell phone of any kind. A TV made in the past 5 years. Any smart device of any kind. Or a PC with any kind of mic or any laptop built in the last decade. Sure man. Keep living in your "secure" fantasy.
@Shigurui no what's difficult to believe is you actually plan on getting a PS5 and are somehow still so paranoid about the mic in the controller.
@djlard But you can trust the US legal system. If they aren't up front about tracking and privacy and if the mute button doesn't work they are opening themselves up to a world of litigation that would destroy them. Aka lawyers gonna lawyer.
@Xiaolin Remember Google Chrome blackbox. Only by pure coincidence discovered by linux users. Until it is not discovered, they won't confess. And than? "Ohh sorry, we are shutting it down immediately." and problem solved and no one cares it was there for days, months, years... And even if it won't be working in US, you cannot be sure it isn't here in EU.
I'm sorry for vulgarity, but I'm really messed up when somebody listens to me, just to give me advertisements.
The world has changed. If something has an advertisement than it is crap. Good things sell themselves. Crap needs to be advertised because no one wants it.
@Xiaolin
"It's real to me, dammit!!"
@Xiaolin - I was going to give you a reply to the tirade of posts you aimed at me, then I saw the 'you can trust the US legal system' remark and decided not to bother with somebody whose intellect is somewhere around potato.
Just know I've put you on my ignore list now so save any mental energy you may use replying for something like learning to tie your own shoelaces. Toodles!
So many people worried about the microphone, and yet they have firetv, appletv, nvidia shields and many more then I remember with remotes that have mic, on the living room and bedroom's. Hell, even my lg tv has a freaking mic on the remote!
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