Sony has filed a series of patent applications straight out of its office in California. All six of the patents – submitted by Sony Network Entertainment – refer to the topic of using “movements sensed with a motion sensor or camera, pointer movements and clicks, and touches that involve movements and multiple touches” to control various household devices. The platform holder also named voice commands as something that could be employed to navigate other gadgets.
What hardware could this apply to? Sony specifically listed products such as “IPTV, a disc player, a home theatre system, a phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a GPS receiver, [and] a games console”. Perhaps most interesting is that this all sounds eerily similar to the Xbox One’s voice controlled television technology. Could the Japanese giant be attempting to match Microsoft in the entertainment arena?
It’s too early to say. There are many patents published by manufacturers that never go anywhere, so this may just be a case of Sony registering an idea that isn’t planned for development at all. Still, the parallels to the Xbox One are interesting – especially with the platform holder pledging to improve the voice control functionality in its next generation console. Would you like the PS4 to manage your entertainment centre, or are you perfectly happy using different remotes? Turn us on in the comments section below.
[source freepatentsonline.com]
Comments 7
Interesting... you'd think Microsoft would already have these patents. Funny if they're granted to Sony and Microsoft have to start paying them royalties! XD
Okay, I know it doesn't work like that, but it's fun to think about.
But seriously, I wish they'd all give up on this stuff. Nothing is as simple, quick and convenient as pressing a button. Which of us doesn't know the numbers of their favourite channels, and can't press three buttons much less time than it takes to wave their hand around, or say "[console] go to [channel]"?
But I think this is going to be the next 3D, and they're going to keep pushing it at least for another couple of years, until they get the message that most people just aren't that interested.
When it comes to voice commands and gesters, it all depends on how the technology is implemented. It has the potential to make games more immersive but also has the potential to be a distraction if not done right. The concept of having a universal remote that can control things in your house with just your voice and hand signals could be huge. It seems like something that doesn't really have a place in the video games world, but could be a hit for entertainment as a stand alone device.
When I think of PS Eye and Kinect, I always think of the clapper which was popular in the 90's. Just clap your hands and the lights go on and off, or even motion detectors for home security. Imagine having a device that can control all the electronics in your house with just your voice and movements. Even Apple just brought the company that created the kinect technology so we'll definitely see more of this as the years move along.
I couldn't agree with the first two comments any more. One thing I don't quite understand is how both companies could stray away from the "core" of what their last consoles were/ended up becoming. I liked nothing more than my PS3 being my central hub for my entertainment purposes. I used it for gaming mainly, but that easily shifted as capabilities opened up on the console.
My thoughts on it is that both companies should have been able to release their new console with all capabilities and more of their last console out of the box. I mean you left the last console to start completely over regarding capabilities and that doesn't make total sense to me.
Sony has admitted to what they did leave out and they're working on fixing it. I just hope they support more internal decoding on the fly so you can stream your media similar to that of the PS3 but better. I understand their reasoning behind not doing it or supporting it, but this is today and all inclusive would be amazing when it comes to multimedia.
I've used voice command on PS4 with the camera to start AC4, works ok.
Great, now I can't name my kids/pets "PlayStation" anymore
Yeah that would be great
Even though i prefer to use the pad, I do welcome the idea to try out stuff using voice/video. But, I have to agree to the fact that this will indeed make you more lazy...
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