Sony trademarks 'PlayStation Arc' in Japan

In January, Sony pushed back the launch of the PlayStation 3's camera-based motion-sensing controller from spring to fall 2010. Such a delay was not unexpected, considering Sony has yet to attach an official name to the new controller or show it outside of a trade show.

One of those questions may soon be answered, as mounting evidence indicates that Sony will call its motion-sensing controller the "PlayStation Arc." As spotted by gaming blog Siliconera this week, Sony has filed an application to trademark the term "PlayStation Arc" with the Japanese Patent Office. Japanese characters accompanying the English text in the filing reiterate the "PlayStation Arc" name.

PlayStation Arc shot to prominence as a likely contender for the name of the new controller in January, when Sony registered the domain name PlayStationarc.com. A week later, THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell referred to the device as the PlayStation Arc as part of a post-earnings conference call. Of course, gaming executives have also dropped names that include the PlayStation Gem and PlayStation Sphere in reference to the device.

The mystery surrounding Sony's motion-sensing device may see some resolution next week at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. As part of the show, Sony developer support engineer Kirk Bender and platform research manager David Coombes will deliver a session titled "Introducing the PlayStation 3 Motion Controller."