Sony patents game controller that shifts weight to create directional feel
Sony has been granted a patent for a game controller that includes a weighted part attached to the body. Small motors rotate this weight from one side to the other, shifting the controller's center of mass to create a specific physical sensation. The weight stops moving once it reaches the target position, allowing the controller to hold a new balance.
In the filing’s own words
A controller for a multimedia entertainment system is provided. The controller comprises a weighted component connected to the controller, wherein the weighted component is rotationally movable relative to the controller. The controller is configured to rotate the weighted component from a start position to an end position to shift the centre of mass of the controller in response to a trigger event; wherein the weighted component stops moving at the end position. This movement of the weighted component provides directional haptic feedback to a user of the controller.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A controller for a multimedia entertainment system, the controller comprising: a weighted component connected to the controller, wherein the weighted component is rotationally movable relative to the controller; one or more motors configured to selectively rotate the weighted component relative to the controller; and control circuitry configured to control the one or more motors, wherein the controller is configured to receive an output rotation and a rotation speed based on a trigger event, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to: cause the one or more motors to rotate the weighted component from a start position to an end position according to the output rotation and at the rotation speed to shift the center of mass of the controller in response to a trigger event; and cause the one or more motors to hold the weighted component at the end position.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited)
- Official title
- Haptic module and controller having rotational weight distribution
- Patent number
- US12728347B2
- Application number
- 18237474
- Filed
- Aug 24, 2023
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 22
Classified under
A63F 13/285 Human necessitiesA63F 13/211 Human necessitiesG06F 3/016 Physics & computingA63F 2300/1037 Human necessitiesMore from Sony in Wearables
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.