Sony has filed patent paperwork indicating that the company is investigating haptic feedback for movies and music, as well as games. The filing focuses primarily on a system to automatically generate haptic feedback, but its description indicates that Sony sees broader applications than gaming.

Sony's original DualShock controller was one of the first to have vibration built in. Originally sold as a peripheral, it went on to be one of the best-selling gamepads of all time and played a major role in vibration becoming standard in console gaming. More recently, the PS5's DualSense controller introduced several new features designed to improve haptic feedback. In addition to vibration, these include voice coil actuators in the palm grips and for feedback for the adaptive triggers. While Sony isn't the only company investing in haptic feedback technology, it's certainly left its mark.

Sony's recent patent filing is for an apparatus consisting of detection, receiving, and haptic generation modules. The first two modules communicate with a synced media device to determine the level of vibration that the haptic generation module should produce. Sony's examples of the haptic module include a smartphone device paired with the system. Users could then place the phone on their desk or in their pocket, where Sony's system uses it to generate haptic feedback. Sony's patent also describes how users could clip a vibrating module to their gamepad or another input device.



The primary focus of this patent was on how the apparatus could be used for gaming. Sony also describes its potential for VR and "metaverse-type concepts" and as a way to expand haptic feedback to devices that do not have it built in. However, a key part of the concept is that the device could generate haptic feedback for media that doesn't already have it programmed in. Sony's document indicates this would also apply to producing haptics for music, movies, and TV.

The patent filing doesn't go into too much detail about how Sony's new haptic feedback apparatus would work with movies and music specifically. However, one can assume that it would work similarly to how it does in games, with things like punches, gunshots, and explosions generating haptic vibrations. In the case of music, the apparatus might set off pulses for base drops or percussion instruments. Sony's patent also says the system can use multiple haptic devices and operate on multiple channels, like how a multi-channel speaker system works.

Posted: Aug 19, 2023 9:24 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/sony-multi-media-haptic-feedback-patent/