Sony has been caught filing a patent for a PlayStation controller suspiciously similar to the controller Google is pushing for gaming platform Stadia.
The patent, first spotted by Techtastic, was published by the World Intellectual Property Organization in September though the document was originally filed in May.
The patent refers to “a controller device for user interactivity with a server of a cloud gaming system”. Sounds familiar, huh?
Related: PS5
The patent also states that the controller device should communicate “directly to an access device for connection to a network that connects the controller device to the server without connecting to a client device” and that “the server receives and processes the inputs to render gameplay video that is transmitted over the network for rendering to a display device that is local to the controller device”.
It isn’t entirely clear whether Sony’s Stadia clone is designed to be paired up with Sony’s PS4 successor the PS5 or for its game streaming subscription service PlayStation Now.
If Sony does release the controller as a PlayStation Now accessory, it’ll set the streaming site up in clear competition of cloud-based rival Stadia, both companies offering a pretty substantial catalogue of games over their respective servers.
Related: Google Stadia
Google waxed poetic about the Stadia controller at the Made by Google event last night, explaining at length the reasoning behind every design choice in the gaming accessory. While, the company doesn’t require you to invest in a controller to take advantage of Stadia’s extensive library and cloud-based platform, there are benefits to the accessory such as Google Assistant support and gameplay streaming functions which might push the Stadia controller slightly ahead of the game.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Sony’s controller can match up to Google when it comes to those sneaky added features.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
