Sony has solved a problem we didn’t know we had, and the solution is banana controllers. In a recently published patent application the company states “It would be desirable if a user could use an inexpensive, simple and non-electronic device as a video game peripheral,” the application reads. “The present disclosure seeks to address or at least alleviate some of the above-identified problems.” This simply translates to… anything can be a controller, even a banana.
The patent goes on to explain that they are developing a system where any “passive non-luminous objects being held by a user” can be detected and able to be used as a controller. The technology uses a camera to get images of the items and tracks them based on pixels or colours rather than the usual techniques. The application even includes a section on a “two-object controller”.
Not only does the patent focus on motion controls, but there is a section dedicated to mapping buttons directly onto your item — or banana — of choice. The camera will determine the location of the users fingers, thus being told where the buttons need to be placed on the item.
Most fans on Twitter have made this patent out to be a joke since Sony chose to use bananas at the item image of choice, but one user made a great point in stating this could be game changing for players with disabilities. Some controllers aren’t user-friendly for all and this technology will allow people to use anything that suits them. It’s unclear whether this technology will go anywhere, but it certainly stands a chance and could be the beginning of something new.
