Sony Copies Nintendo Wii, Applies for Motion Sensitivity Patent
Looks like Sony picked the wrong horse. When the company went forth with its current design for the PlayStation 3, it surely hoped gamers would be willing to pay more for a system with unbelievable graphics potential, a high definition Blu-ray player, and free online play. With all the pre-launch hype mounting atop Nintendo's Wii controller, or "Wiimote", Sony likely assumed its weak attempt at motion sensitivity, "Sixaxis control", would be enough to rope in the undecided gamer. Now it appears that may not be the case, as the company has filed for a patent that would give it rights to produce its own motion sensitive controllers, much like those on the Wii.
The language within Sony's patent application sounds oddly familiar. In fact, it's a dead ringer for what can be found on Nintendo's new console. For example, the patent outlines how Sony would like to implement the following functions for its controllers in the future:
"…a plunging downward gesture of the controller 110 may be defined as one command, a twisting gesture of the controller 110 may be defined as another command, a shaking gesture of the controller 110 may be defined as another command, and so on."
Sony's take on motion sensitivity would employ four LEDs mounted on the controller. Their signals would be detected by a camera mounted next to the user's TV, which would intake data (via microsecond photographs) as the player moves the controller about. In-game reaction would reflect the controller's movement and movement speed.
Surely, Nintendo isn't the only company Sony is targeting with this venture. The successful launch of a Wiimote imitation would allow it to hold at least one technology over the Microsoft Xbox 360, which has established itself over the PS3 via one year of advanced availability.
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