Sony seeks 'universal console controller' patent It's perhaps a step too far to say that just because Sony has applied for a US patent that covers a "universal game console controller" that it's actually developing one with a view to bringing such a product to market. But applied for such a patent it has. The patent application - number 2010041480, and spotted by website …
I believe you can buy a "universal remote control" for "home theater" that emulates the controls and control layout of any individual device's remote control.
I think also there are "soft controls" for games played on touchscreen PC - an image of an ordinary game controller appears on the screen next to the game program itself.
In which case, I'm not seeing defendable innovation here.
Now what the smart manufacturer will do, is patent their own game controller design. And then Sony can xxxxxx xxxxxxx xx xxxxxxx themselves with their "universal controller".
This could be an emulation play, the Wii allows a lot of game cube games to be played and you can plug in the old controllers, but that involves buying the old controllers, having a controller that was re-configurable, would allow a lot of game companies to bring masses of old games to the PS3/4 very easily, maintaining the original control characteristics and so reduce the time it would take to re-engineer the control mechanisms for each ported game.
With no real buttons it just wouldn't feel right.
Though if it was one of those controllers with all the games built into it, then it would probably sell.
There are certainly some games I would like to play, such as the original AVP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs_Predator_%28Jaguar_game%29 - is it really only 16 years ago!) but I can't be bothered to dig the hardware out of the loft and plug it all in (and explain to the kids what a real video game was like).
I suspect that it's probably more to stomp on a company that might produce such a thing.
ttfn
Great hardware that wasted opposition, sadly no marketing to back it.....Jag AVP was the last time a video game made me physically jump with fright....
Tempest 2000 from the Mutant Camel guy still stands up too - genuinely better than the updated version currently pushed onto 360 via Live Arcade...
Can't see there being a market which justifies the effort of emulating it, quite a lot of buttons to deal with compared to most controllers these days - and where would you clip the little cardboard wotsits
For those of who have broken far too many Joysticks playing Sensible Soccer there is indeed a market. Most retro retailers only have the old Competition Pro style (which i hate) and CD32 controllers die at such a rate that they ran out well before the Amiga games market died a death.
I have to admit my A1200 and CD32 dont look terribly good on a 40" screen but you dont notice when in the thick of decent gameplay. Yet to rebuy Sensy on the XBox...
I much prefer the ZIP-Stick joysticks on my 'miggy. I've still got three of them, and the switches aren't hard to replace when they break :)
CD32 pads (the official ones anyway) were pretty crap to use as the squared edges really chafe the palms.
A universal controller that I could use on all of my kit doesn't sound that bad at all, it's just a shame it's sony that's patented it :/
Everyone i knew plugged a megadrive controller into their amiga.
I wouldn't trust sony to make a decent controller, the PS1 was good, but they tacked on analogue afterwards, and they never bothered to fix the poor location of the thumbsticks as more and more games capitalised on analogue controls, forcing you to bend your left thumb into a really uncomfortable position. The Gamecube and xbox controllers bothered to re-arrange the left thumbstick with the d-pad and it works much better. It's even worse if you are, like me, a fat handed twat, then your thumbs keep crashing in to one and other if you ever have to use both sticks.
With universal controllers (as a user of many Philips Pronto remote controls over the years) is that touch screens require you to look at them when you use them. So unless you have a superset of physical buttons the controller won't be usable for games where you need to watch the screen, not the controller. I suppose getting the patent ready for when someone does try and release one makes sense in the perverse world of patents.
Having one of every UK release games consoles since the NES wired up in my extension that would be fantastic to use a single pad (hopefully a little more ergonomically designed then the classic pads of some of the older machines). Hopefully it will be compatible with the:
NES
SNES
N64
GameCube
Wii
Master System
MegaDrive (CD/32x)
Saturn
Dreamcast
Xbox
360
Jaguar 64
3DO (Panasonic R.E.A.L variety)
Atari 2600
PS1,2 & 3
I will be a very happy chappie :D
But once it becomes even remotely popular, they will be sued for patent infringement by a patent troll using a patent originally concerned with wine making, and have the controller banned from the U.S. by the FTC.
You think this is joke? You haven't been paying attention to what's been happening in "The land of the free".
LOL I wasn't expecting that, odd choice. Actually, have you seen the size and shape of those Jaguar controllers - I'd imagine anything would be better than those, good example after all!
@Sampler
Your Master System, Megadrive, Atari 2600 (and other consoles which you don't seem to own but you might as well start collecting such as the ColecoVision) already are compatible controller wise. They should just bring out PS3s and Wiis with the oldskool 9 pin plugs and continue the trend!
While this seems like an interesting idea, It actually flying is another matter.
Doesn't microsoft have an embedded security chip in their controllers to prevent unlicenced manufacturerers building controllers compatable with the 360.
They aren't going to get past that without somone hacking the chip... oh wait..
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