Sony patent suggests an updated PS Eye may be in the cards

A patent filed by Sony in late 2011 for a “User-Drive Three Dimensional Interactive Gaming Environment” has surfaced, and the device appears to be an updated version of PS Eye.

According to the documents dug up by NeoGaf and published by PlayStation Lifestyle, much like Kinect, the camera would be able to track "real-time three-dimensional interactive environment" using the camera's infrared "depth sensing device."

"The invention includes obtaining depth values indicating distances from one or more physical objects in a physical scene to a depth sensing device," the patent continued, and is a "system for providing a real-time three-dimensional interactive environment, comprising: a depth sensing device capable of obtaining depth values indicating distances from one or more physical objects in a physical scene to a depth sensing device."

Sony hasn't announced plans for an updated PS Eye camera, but it's possible it could be saving such a leap in the camera's technology for its next console.

You can look over the patent diagrams on the USPTO site.