Sony files patent for mobile controller - Switch, Steam Deck in trouble?

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-is-planning-a-playstation-mobile-controller-patent-suggests/

The patent, which was published this week by SIE’s Japanese division, describes a system for playing games on a device coupled with two controller grips.

The controller, which resembles PS4’s DualShock 4 rather than PS5’s newer DualSense, is described as “a left side grip portion and a right side grip portion gripped by the left and right hands of the user”.

According to the patent, the included drawings of the device omit “a shaft portion that can be tilted by the user, and detect the tilting direction and tilting amount of the shaft portion.”

If such a device comes to fruition, it could be used in conjunction with a smart phone to play PlayStation games via Remote Play or via the cloud, similar to how third-party controller grips can currently be used to play streamed Xbox games.

PlayStation controllers are already compatible with mobile devices via Bluetooth.

The patent arrives amid a fresh push into mobile gaming by the PlayStation maker.

In October SIE appointed former Apple Arcade content boss Nicola Sebastianito lead the company’s mobile operations, following job ads that stated it was opening a new business unit to adapt its “most popular franchises” for mobile.

The following month, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan confirmed the platform holder was planning to bring some of its “iconic IP” to mobile during its current business year ending in March 2022.

“We have been thinking about how players enjoy our content and have had some early success with experimenting with mobile games and apps to provide more choice to gamers,” he said. “Mobile is just one of the areas we are exploring to reach millions of gamers beyond our platforms.

“PlayStation has a huge catalogue of diverse first-party IP that can transition to smartphone gaming and complement our AAA games or live service games. We are exploring the mobile market with some wonderful PlayStation franchises so please stay tuned.”

Recently it was confirmed that classic PlayStation racing franchise WipEout is returning in the form of a new mobile game.

Set for release on iOS and Android devices in early 2022, WipEout Rush is a card-based racer featuring a single-player campaign and 60 ships from the original games.

Thoughts, SW? Would you be interested in something like this?

LolVita

Like the vita?

Switch, Steam Deck in trouble because of a mobile phone platform?

Pass. Not interested in playing games on my phone via streaming. The Switch is still very much safe for me.

Sony did that already, it's called PS Vita.

I mean, if that's the case, why not just make a PS Vita 2?

Switch and Steam Deck in trouble!

The Steam Deck will not be available until early next year, but this Sony patent filing means it is in trouble?

the steam deck is already in trouble with the switch ps vita 2 will epic flop

PS Vita 2? Da Hell?!?!

Deck will rule.

Prepare your anus.

Ms has been doing this for a couple of years now with an actually decent games service, and it never took off. Offering psnow - which nobody subscribed to - is guaranteed to make this flop.

Xcloud is causing movement

Hopefully Sony will win at TGA (The Great Advertisement) to ease some of TC's suffering. Poor guy has nothing to look forward to and had a string of bad news all year round.

@pc_rocks: I guess it is getting pretty obvious from all of these coping threads.😲

It's just a controller for phones, everyone seems to be missing that.

Now that you mention it, it was called Xperia Play. Yeah, Sony did that already.

Steam Deck is the only one who has vocally lambasted Sony, Nintendo and MS for using cheap potentiometers in their controllers and vowed not to do the same, said they'd use quality ones. Anyhow, seems good for remote play.

What is patentable here? There is so much prior on the market that if sony decided to seek the lawyers on Valve or Nintendo (which they wont of course) the case would surely be thrown out of court.

.....then again scuff managed to win against valve for having buttons on the backside of a PCB....soooo maybe sony are actually onto something here :p.

Sony patents always turn into Sony products.

I can already see Casey sweating the f*ck out right now.