PlayStation has had some interesting patents in the past, and it seems Sony is at it yet again with a patent for a controller that could change the temperature that a player feels. The PlayStation 5 controller design would have “a temperature control apparatus such as a Peltier element capable ofelectrically changing temperature may be provided on the front surfaceof, or inside the elastic member.” Basically what this means is that the controller could immerse players more into a game’s environments by making the controller feel colder in areas like mountains or underwater, or warmer in areas like volcanoes.
An image from the patent can be found below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While some of Sony’s controller patents can be pretty strange, this one actually seems like a really cool idea! Developers are constantly looking for new ways to make players feel more immersion, and adding something like temperature could be a great idea. It would be interesting to see how the technology would work in practice, though! Obviously PlayStation isn’t going to give players frostbite or burns on their hands with a controller, but if the effect feels too subtle, it won’t be worth it. Not everyone is going to be interested in this type of technology, but it’s easy to see a lot of fans getting into the concept.
While this seems like a promising idea, PlayStation frequently patents controller concepts that never end up making it to market. In 2021, the company patented a concept that would have allowed users to turn everyday items around the house into controllers. The example given was a banana, which would have looked ridiculous, while also making it easier for users to jump into a local multiplayer game even if there weren’t enough controllers around the house. It was a fun idea, but PlayStation has never brought it to market, and there’s a decent chance this temperature changing controller could also end up scrapped. For now, fans will just have to wait and see!
Is this the type of controller you’d want to use? Do you think this would be a cool concept? Let us know in thecomments or sharedirectly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
[H/T: Video Games Chronicle]
