Sony filing details motion-sensing controller attachments

Sony plans to launch its camera-based motion-sensing controller for the PlayStation 3 in just a few months, but the publisher has yet to delve too deeply into what gamers can expect from it. However, a number of possible functions came to light, courtesy of a Sony Computer Entertainment patent application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office last week.

According to the filing and a range of associated schematics, Sony appears to have its sights set on introducing a variety of attachments to flesh out the controller's functionality. Attachments for what appears to be the PS3's new controller run the gamut from the technical to the mundane, with examples in the filing ranging from microphones and flashlights to maracas and crosshairs. The filing also details a way to connect two controllers together.

Sony's patent application also goes into depth on ball attachments that can be illuminated with different colors. Exemplary uses for these colored balls include differentiating between players; providing user feedback, "such as when the player is being 'hit'"; or to let a player know when the controller isn't being recognized by the PS3's camera.

The patent application also details possible uses for a USB slot in the controller. Namely, Sony notes that the built-in USB slot would let gamers transfer certain information to the controller's onboard memory, conferring a range of options from user-profile recognition to downloadable content transfers.

"For example, one file is a game that is loaded to the base station for playing, another file contains karaoke songs that can be used in a sing-along game, another file contains new player rosters and statistics for an update to a sports game," the patent application reads.

Yet another interesting potential attachment for the PS3 controller is what Sony refers to as a biometric reader. The attachment "includes a thumb reader used to validate the identity of the person holding the controller by analyzing the biometric data provided by the attachment." With said data, the filing notes that the controller could be disabled if picked up by an unauthorized user or activate alternative preset configurations for different players.

Though the objects in the patent have not been officially announced by Sony, there is good reason to believe some--if not all--will make it to market. Previous patent filings by Sony have revealed new technology, including one that surfaced last October that unveiled the motion-sensing tech itself. In August, another application surfaced that indicates Sony is also working on emotion-sensing technology.