Sony has filed a new patent that could allow PlayStation 5 controllers to instantly recognize players and sign them in. The news further supports the idea that Sony is heavily investing in innovative technologies for its future gaming hardware.
The upcoming DualSense controller for PlayStation 5 is confirmed to introduce a few new technologies. The gamepad will feature enhanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for a wider range of in-game interactions and more intuitive control. The haptic feedback is said to bring the sensation of touch to PlayStation games via responsive vibration, which will supposedly allow players to feel various surfaces. Furthermore, the adaptive triggers will incorporate customizable resistance levels, which will come in handy in action-packed titles.
While the DualSense controller is already equipped with a handful of innovations, Sony is constantly searching for new ways to expand the controller's potential. One of them is described in the latest patent by Sony. As reported by The Gaming Record, the new patent is for the ability of a controller to recognize a player via telemetric data gathered during previous interactions. According to the technology’s description, it should be able to record the position of a controller, its orientation in space, pressure levels a player puts on the gamepad, and motion data. All these attributes are then turned into a so-called confidence score, which is compared to various profiles stored on a console to determine who is actually holding the device to correctly log that person in. As Sony clarifies, this solution will protect players’ private data by effectively excluding the need to enter passwords in situations when users have to log in on a new device.
Although there’s no information on whether this recognition technology will be used in the upcoming DualSense controller or not, the PS5’s gamepad will nonetheless be a sensational piece of hardware. Unfortunately, the number of innovations stored in the device won’t allow for its predecessor, the DualShock 4, to be used on PS5 with new video games specifically designed for the next generation. Luckily, many peripheral devices and accessories for PS4 will transfer over to PS5 intact, which is definitely great news. But while the next PlayStation console is looking fairly promising, there have already been reports that some developers are facing issues with optimizing games for PS5.
The ability to recognize a player and immediately sign them in sounds exciting, to say the least. It is worth noting, though, that patents do not necessarily reflect a company’s desire to incorporate an innovation right away. PlayStation controllers might be years away from offering the recognition feature, if they ever receive it at all. Still, there’s hope that the DualSense gamepad will include all the necessary hardware to enable the feature via a potential software update. In that case, the PS5 would be host to another piece of technology that can truly be called next-generation.
Source: Patentscope, The Gaming Record