Sony Files Patent For Magic Wand

[Zeus]

Looks like Sony filed a patent for a Magic wand back in December 2004. Joystiq report that gaming wand interacts with a web cam, which feeds into the console and is designed to read only certain light effects (given off by the wand) and will ignore ordinary room lights.

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/sonywand.jpg"></center></a>



Details about a patent (need Adobe Acrobat to view) Sony filed for a gaming wand back in December 2004 have surfaced. We’re not sure how this stayed under the radar for so long, but according to the document, this device is shockingly similar to the Nintendo Revolution controller. It appears to have been initially developed for the PS2, but has either been shelved or is pending release on the PlayStation 3.

The gaming wand interacts with a web cam, which feeds into the console and is designed to read only certain light effects (given off by the wand) and will ignore ordinary room lights. The web cam will then map the movements of the light (i.e. the wand) and incorporate them into the application that is running on the console. Looks like both Sony and Microsoft have been toying with their own magic wands for a while now, but unlike Nintendo, neither has been bold enough to whip it out.


News Source: <A href="http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000200061586/" target="_Blank">Joystiq.com</a>

[glimmerman]

I wonder, does it read motion in 3d tho? Looks like just x-y axis to me?

[radius]

I wonder, does it read motion in 3d tho? Looks like just x-y axis to me?
ahah because it's a picture ^^ ?
i think it's for 3d stuff, we are in 2005 :)

[Freakshock]

omg another nintendo inovative idea stolen, and not even stolen good

[RottenFox]

" but has either been shelved or is pending release on the PlayStation 3"


i bet its gonna be on ps3,now,i hear sony bitching about there pad isnt finalised yet,and the boomerang style was only a prototype.

[crono]

Nothing like what Nintendo is having, that’s only whit censors, nothing to do whit a webcam.

[chukz]

people are crazy, i'm not sure i'd give them something called a 'webcam' and something called a 'magic wand' and access to the internet...

seems like they are just asking for trouble...

[Cyphix]

omg another nintendo inovative idea stolen, and not even stolen good


This was patented in Dec. 2004. How do you know nintendo came up with their idea before this?

[sherbet012]

This was patented in Dec. 2004. How do you know nintendo came up with their idea before this?

because Iwata said that they were designing Revolution right after they finished GameCube.

And Sony's wand is nothing like Nintendo's. Revolution will kick ass especially with mini-games and Horror-based shooting games like 'House of Dead' and maybe who knows? New version of Resident Evil that uses 'point-and-shoot'.

Yeah, maybe Sony can mimic certain kind of Revolutin's technology, but it'll be lot gayer. I mean a WAND? come on.. Do you really wanna kill those zombies with swinging an wand around the cam?? come on..

[Hectic]

Yeah, maybe Sony can mimic certain kind of Revolutin's technology, but it'll be lot gayer. I mean a WAND? come on.. Do you really wanna kill those zombies with swinging an wand around the cam?? come on..

lol. imo, this is a complete slap in nintendo's face. i'm becoming a little disgusted with sony's business practices. after nintendo reveals the revo, they announce that their controller isn't final which seems fishy to me. i say they keep their original plans of their pos boomerang and leave the intuitiveness to the guys at nintendo instead of constantly ripping off their ideas. give nintendo their niche and leave it instead of sticking their nose in places where they don't belong. nintendo filed a patent for sensory input to the brain however. it'll be interesting what they do with that.

[A7mag3ddon]

This thing isnt that new ( at least the idea ) i remember when the ECTS in london (2000 / 2001 ) was on and they were previwing the PS2, they had a japanese guy there letting people use a soft dayglow orange baseball bat to hit a ball, the the other thing was a dayglo green sword too.

Sounds like very simmilar technology to me. just wasnt exploited on the ps2 in the end.

[detroitbootybas]

This thing isnt that new ( at least the idea ) i remember when the ECTS in london (2000 / 2001 ) was on and they were previwing the PS2, they had a japanese guy there letting people use a soft dayglow orange baseball bat to hit a ball, the the other thing was a dayglo green sword too.

Sounds like very simmilar technology to me. just wasnt exploited on the ps2 in the end.

I remember that too. It was used with one of the first tech demos for the yet to be released PS2... in fact, years later when the Eye Toy was being announced, they were considering using the 'wand-like thingy' in conjunction with the Eye Toy.

[mikerowesoft]

Does anyone remember nintendo's power glove?? They need to bring that back.

[biggieandmoe]

This is easy. The wand is gonna be used for the Harry Potter games. I think the Harry Potter games already work with the eyetoy. I am gonna feel like a wizard. Ahhhhhh magic wand.

[djad81]

yeah the power glove rocked, there was a film where they guy used on all the time, can't remember the title thou!

[kdogg]

yeah the power glove rocked, there was a film where they guy used on all the time, can't remember the title thou!

The Wizard...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098663/

Movie about the 2 brothers, and that girl who traveled across the country to play in the Nintendo game championship thingy.

Man that movie rocked. By todays standards maybe not but I remember when i was a kid, I had my orignal NES console, that movie gave me big dreams about being a professional video gamer.

I still have my Nintendo Power Glove btw.

[quantronics]

Inventors: Shimizu; Takao (Kyoto, JP); Suzuki; Toshiaki (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, JP)
Appl. No.: 440111
Filed: May 19, 2003


BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-170358 discloses a game system (hereinafter, referred to as "a conventional technique") using a tilt sensor. In this conventional technique, when a handheld game device or a game controller (hereinafter, referred to as "a game device, etc." in place of "a handheld game device or a game controller") is tilted, a game image is generated in which an object such as a player character, etc., moves (rolls over) in the direction of tilt, thereby allowing a player to feel as if a game space is actually tilted in accordance with a tilt of the game device, etc.

The above described conventional technique, however, is used for controlling a two-dimensional game image, and cannot be adapted to a three-dimensional game image which has become prevalent as a game image.

[Hectic]

Man that movie rocked

yeah it did