Microsoft patented a pressure-sensitive controller that identifies who is holding it

[garyopa]

Personalization using a hand-pressure signature



Devices that uses this technology could show personalized content depending on who is holding them.

Here is an interesting one to read this weekend.

Microsoft has been spotted registering a patent about a device sensitive to pressure that is able to recognize pressure patrons and identify the user.

The product patented looks like a standard 360 controller, but it features sensors to detect you and offer contents depending on this.

Here is the patent's Abstract:

A hand-held device having a body with a pressure-sensitive exterior surface. At least a portion of the pressure-sensitive exterior surface is designed to be grasped by a user's hand. The pressure-sensitive surface contains a plurality of pressure sensors operative to provide an output signal proportional to a pressure applied by the user's hands to the exterior surface of the hand-held device at the area the pressure sensor is located. The device also includes a memory for storing the output signals provided by the plurality of pressure sensors and a processor for comparing the output signals provided by the plurality of pressure sensors against stored pressure profile signatures for positively identifying the user.

It's still unknown if Microsoft is going to offer more info about this at the upcoming E3.

If this does happen to appear in the retail market in the near future, there will be no more cheating on the parental controls, once you grab the controller your profile be locked into your Xbox LIVE account, and only allow to watch the content you are allow to access, no switching over to your dad's account, etc.

NEWS SOURCE: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...20AN/Microsoft)

Our thanks to 'Kaos2K' for this news item!

[DEDDOA]

woohoo that can be the MS sixaxis, both MS and sony already have the pressure sensetive buttons that no bugger uses other than in 1 or 2 last gen games (MGS2 and DOA Extreme Beach Volley ball are the only 2 I recall).

[garyopa]

woohoo that can be the MS sixaxis, both MS and sony already have the pressure sensetive buttons that no bugger uses other than in 1 or 2 last gen games (MGS2 and DOA Extreme Beach Volley ball are the only 2 I recall).

you need to re-read the first post again.

This is patent for a 'pressure sensetive' surface, not butttons.

That has a whole network of sensors, that remembers HOW you grip the controller, and hold it.

This can be used for different things:

#1 - It knows you are Mr. Bob, not Jane Doe, and Billy the kid next door, or your girlfriend, or your ex-lover.

By matching the STORED pattern of sensors of griping touching, to the one holding it currently.

This can be used to auto-select your Xbox Live profile, also locking down content to the OWNER or RATING, etc.

#2 - Game changes based on your grip, the tighter you hold it, the more forceful a game could become, make you stronger, faster, better, or increase the enemy power, as the game thinks you under stress about to be beated, etc.

#3 - This can be merged into their other patents involving 'bio-feedback', testing your pulse rate, sweet level, etc. -- All of times companies desiging something new will have tons of patents on the one device, each one just a piece of the puzzle, the X360 controller already has at least dozen different patent numbers, so when you read news like this you have link back to the all the other recent 'bio' and 'feeling' and 'sensor' patterns to get the bigger picture of what this will do inside a game. -- Also helps in another company like Sony copies their design, if they fail on one patent trial case, they can throw at them another patent number and filing, if you lump it all together, you have no extra bullets to fight with when someone else comes out with the same idea or controller system.

[DEDDOA]

i just meant that it will likley be somthing that won't be used and few people even realise they have like the buttons, and be the MS sixaxis which had the novelty wear off in a few minutes.

I'd personally ratehr see them making some motion controls that work with kinect so that they finally give us a complete control scheme. kinect has plenty of potential that the competitions motion controls lack, but in terms of what it was designed for, as in gaming, it seems to be far more restrictive without motion controllers, and somthing like that is far more usable than this presure pad gimic which if it works is of little use beyond meaning that you can pick up any pad and have it be the right controller when playing multiplayer, if it works.