Sony patents modular AR controller

Sony has patented an interesting new kind of controller made of connecting components, which can be rearranged and attached in various configurations at the user's whim.

The controller is AR enabled via a camera, and the idea is that users can build controllers in the shape of various objects and have games and applications track their movements accordingly.

Examples illustrated in the patent include a shotgun, rifle and knife - you can understand how that would work for motion-controlled action games - as well as a bat and a humanoid figure, which would be good for animating movies or similar.

Extracts from the patent are available on NeoGAF for those wanting to dig through it in detail.

There's no guarantee any such controller will make it to market. Sony's pretty keen on patenting technology, and we're yet to see many of its forays come to light. This apparent rejig of the Move never surfaced, for example, and nor did the "EyePad". On the other hand, its headtracking head mounted display was real, and this Vita with HDMI and USB ports seems to have arisen as the Vita TV.

Thanks, OPM.