If you’ve ever wanted to play Final Fantasy VII Remake with a banana as Cloud’s sword then your time may be close at hand. Okay, maybe not but one can dream. A recently published patent looks to be bringing bananas, among other non-technical objects, as potential controller options. A report from Gameindustry.biz brought the patent to the forefront and generated more questions than clear answers.
The patent states that any “non-luminous passive object being held by a user” could theoretically become a controller. It uses the very striking image of a banana being the object of choice but there would be a large variety of items that could be utilized if bananas are not your cup of tea. That being said, a cup of tea could be used as a controller if that’s your thing.
Similar to some of the tech seen in VR headsets, a camera would seemingly track your controller of choice and translate that to in-game actions. Sony’s experience with their Move controllers as well as PSVR make them pretty capable of making a crazy concept like this actually work and feel intuitive.
Let’s say that motion controls aren’t your style, the patents goes on to suggest that button mapping onto a banana or other object would also be an option. This would be made possible by a virtual interface that could be imposed onto your controller.
“Whilst peripherals such as these can enrich a player’s video game experience, the technical complexity (and therefore cost) associated with such devices can often act as a barrier to entry in terms of players accessing such equipment.”
One of the most interesting prospects within the patent was the idea that this could serve as a more affordable alternative for traditional controllers. Consoles and all of their peripherals can be pricey. Removing the monetary barrier for players can add a new level of accessibility if it becomes a reality. It’s not the type of thing you always expect a mega-corporation like Sony to be mindful of but it’s a very welcome avenue to see them considering with this new tech.
We likely won’t be becoming fruit-wielding video game pros any time soon. It surely is a unique and somewhat bizarre prospect that could be pretty bananas if they can make it work.
