Sony files patent for cloud-connected game controller

Game streaming services look like the future. Sony seems to think so, at least. A patent filed by the gaming juggernaut was recently discovered, and it detailed what appears to be a cloud-connected game controller.

The patent, which was published by the World Intellectual Property Organization on September 5th, details a “controller device for user interactivity with a server of a cloud gaming system.” The patent further explains that the controller will connect to a network and send inputs to a server rather than a local device. These inputs are then processed to “render gameplay video that is transmitted over the network for rendering to a display device that is local to the controller device.”

This sounds an awful lot like Google’s Stadia Controller, which will operate in much the same way. The Stadia controller connects to Google’s servers via WiFi rather than a local device. The servers then process the inputs and use them to relay gameplay back to the user’s Chromecast, PC, or mobile device. 

While there is some speculation that this is a controller for the company’s upcoming PlayStation 5, there is nothing in the patent alluding to the console. Rather, this could be a controller for Sony’s PlayStation Now game streaming service. Of course, a patent filing isn’t confirmation of a product in development, but it would make sense for Sony to lean harder into game streaming considering Google’s intent to upset the market with Stadia.

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