Sony seems to want the PlayStation brand to expand: A new mobile controller suggests that Sony wants to get into cloud-gaming.
Oh sh*t. What's going on here? Sony just patented a mobile phone controller. I mean... damn. They sure didn't do that for their lousy PS Now offering, so if you're putting two and two together, you can't help but think...:
Is Sony Working on a Cloud-Streaming-Gaming Service?
Also: Is that headline confusing af? The answer is a 'yes' to the latter, and a 'maybe' to said headline itself. Why do we think that Sony is looking to make the move into cloud-gaming and streaming? Well, we're all basing it on this patent unearthed by VGV right here:
There it is. Tell me that's not a mobile controller. I mean, sure, there's an off-chance that this is an incredibly odd-looking handheld, but that's... well, an off-chance at best. Anybody who's ever tried the Razer Kishi or the Backbone, knows the deal: This is a mobile controller. Now the question is what Sony is planning with this handheld Dual-Shock controller. They certainly won't just drop it as third-party product, to be used by any and all competitors. If a company like Sony is making a move such as this, you can be sure that it will be followed, or preceded, by major announcements. Now, since we've long known Sony is considering bringing some of its franchises – like Uncharted and God of War – to mobile, this patent seems to be the first step into a new direction the PlayStation brand is willing to explore.
Here's what Jim Ryan had to say about PlayStation on mobile a while back:
“We have been thinking about how players enjoy our content and have had some early success with experimenting with mobile games and apps to provide more choice to gamers. Mobile is just one of the areas we are exploring to reach millions of gamers beyond our platforms."
While Sony hasn't commented on this patent itself, we're... pretty f***ing intrigued: I mean competition has always been the best thing for us gamers, and with Game Pass already being incredibly cheap, having Sony breathing down Microsoft's neck, could spell gaming bliss for all of us.