A new patent from Sony hints that the next PlayStation controller could change temperatures based on an in-game object or environment. Sony has filed many of these kinds of patents over the past month or so, all of which suggest new ways that the console maker could make the gameplay experience feel more immersive or add new quality-of-life features to PlayStation. These include patents for more intuitive parental controls, a system for preventing underage PlayStation VR users from accessing adult content, and even a “virtual dojo” to help players improve their skills.
One of the many ways that the PlayStation 5 has helped make gaming more immersive is the DualSense controller's much-lauded Haptic Feedback, which vibrates at different frequencies during select gameplay moments to stimulate swimming through water or driving over a rocky dirt road. The DualSense's triggers also change their resistance whenever a player draws back Aloy's bow in Horizon Forbidden West or throws Kratos’ Leviathan Ax in God of War Ragnarok.
Sony has previously looked at ways to let players personalize their Haptic Feedback experience and allow smaller indie games to utilize this feature, even as the company continues to add new forms of feedback to the DualSense and future PlayStation controllers. Sony recently filed a new patent (as reported by Exputer) that mentions a controller that changes temperature to reflect gameplay. For example, the controller could get warmer when the player picks up a hot object, or get cooler to the touch to simulate an icy environment.
This would be done using a deformable elastic sensor or gel-like material that would replace the plastic used in current PS5 DualSense controllers. The new sensor could change its shape by transmitting electronic signals based on the user’s touch to better send vibrations throughout the controller. This in turn could lead to better Haptic Feedback overall, and Sony’s patent also mentions the use of AI to recognize the material’s deformation.
There are still plenty of issues that this new technology would need to address, such as how the new controller changing temperature could drain the wireless controller’s battery quicker. However, this new patent could lead to a more immersive gameplay experience for either the PlayStation 5 or the eventual PlayStation 6 by allowing players to better feel the shape and temperature of an in-game object through improved Haptic Feedback – assuming it makes it past the long development process.
Source: Exputer