PSVR Controller Patent 1

While the PlayStation Move controllers have outlived their life expectancy by a dramatic margin, the end is nearing for Sony’s sex toy-shaped wands. Alongside the announcement of a next-gen PlayStation VR headset last week, the organisation also teased that it’s busy beavering away on a pair of brand new motion devices, which will utilise technology from the DualSense.

And a patent dug up by GamesIndustry.biz has potentially given us our very first glimpse. While the manufacturer files paperwork for all kinds of wild ideas – including fruit-based peripherals – this application for new “control apparatus” sounds like it could potentially evolve into a genuine retail product. It details two handsets with small LED panels.

Perhaps most interesting of all is that the documents reference adaptive triggers, like in the PS5’s pad, as well as haptic feedback. It also discusses finger tracking – technology we know Sony’s been exploring – and discusses how the functionality could pair with the aforementioned haptic feedback to create the sensation of holding physical objects.

It sounds potentially expensive, but it would be transformative in terms of the kind of experiences that would be possible in virtual reality. The technology is at its best when it’s tactile, and while the PS Move wands were able to provide a rudimentary demonstration of that, new handsets like this would add an entire new dimension to experiences.

Sony will need to balance its ambition with affordability, but we’re hopeful it can find the right blend. We can already assume that its next-gen PSVR headset will have a higher resolution screen, and the advanced horsepower of the PS5 hardware will allow it to render more detailed worlds. The controls are the next piece of the puzzle, and we can’t wait to see what it comes up with.

[source appft.uspto.gov, via gamesindustry.biz]