Fans of PlayStation games may soon be able to show their love and support for their favorite titles thanks to a new line of smart clothing detailed in a recently published patent from Sony. Complete with flexible displays, these futuristic outfits will allow their wearers to update the designs on them whenever they feel like it, though as with most things in life, doing so will likely come at a cost.
According to the patent, the new line of garments being developed by Sony will feature detachable components, such as collars, cuffs, and hoods. However, the most unusual and exciting elements of the clothing are its flexible displays. These are baked right into the fabric and will provide wearers with near-limitless customization options.
The patent details multiple methods for updating the designs that are shown on the displays, which is all done wirelessly and controlled via an app of some kind. Users will be able to unlock new designs by playing games on their PlayStations or purchase them through a digital storefront like they would with traditional DLC. In addition to this, there's also mention of new designs being distributed at special events, such as esports competitions.
As well as being able to change the designs on their clothing with the push of a button or a swipe of their finger, wearers will also be able to specify certain conditions when it comes to what exactly is shown on the displays. For example, the patent suggests that users could have the display on the back of their sweater change depending on whether the hood is attached or whether or not it is up or down.
Wearable tech is hardly a new idea, though Sony's plans for gamer-centric smart clothes are among the most exciting and ambitious to date. Given the company's impressive library of first-party PlayStation exclusive titles, there's an almost endless supply of designs at their disposal and the infrastructure for delivering these downloadable assets is presumably already in place for the most part.
Interestingly, Sony already sells traditional clothing based on some of its largest IPs, though as the patent points out, the continual development and release of new video games can make expressing one's support for a game or franchise increasingly difficult, not to mention expensive. An updateable clothing range would certainly tackle this issue, so it's easy to see why the company is investing both time and resources to bring the idea to fruition.