A new Sony patent was revealed earlier this week detailing a controller that appears sort of a cross between your TV’s remote and Sony’s under loved Move controller.
Dubbed “Flat Joystick Controller” for the purposes of the patent filing, the device is outlined as having a Move-like ball connected to its end, a little complement of buttons on its handle and a touchscreen that “provides an area for receiving directionality management in response to interfacing by a finger of a user.”
With the Move already in existence, a clear question comes to your mind that why produce another and kind of a similar device? Well your answer lies in Sony’s explanation: “Broadly speaking, the current invention permits for three-dimensional with a multi-positional controller. The multi-positional controller permits control for a range of applications and simulations while providing an intuitive interface to move in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional renderings of the computer programs being executed through a game client.”
This being a patent, there is no telling when or if this Flat Joystick Controller will ever be released to retail, or for that matter, what name Sony will prefer to replace “Flat Joystick Controller.”