Sony has already made steps in using mobile phones as controllers. Their PlayLink series replaced Dualshock 4 controllers in party games like Knowledge is Power and Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier, while other third party developers have been using mobile phones as motion controllers for years, such as the Just Dance Series. There’s also the option of remote play on mobile phones. However, it seems like the latest patent to emerge for the PlayStation 5 console looks at making players’ mobile phones a standard alternative to the console’s controller, as well as using the phone to create augmented reality experiences in some games.
By calculating the distance from the console, and in which direction the mobile phone user is standing, a display can be generated onto the phone. By moving the phone, players can then either control aspects of the game or add a new display angle. An example from the patent described how a player driving a vehicle would have a fixed view out of the windscreen but would be able to use a mobile phone to look around or behind them.
The mobile phone could also be used by a second person to create an avatar for the first player. The phone is held towards the first player and it will display an augmented reality avatar where the first player would be positioned. By then moving the phone, the player’s head and body positions would be accurately represented in the display, and face and motion tracking could also be possible.
Of course, like always, the submission of a patent should never be taken as a certainty as there’s no guarantee the technology would ever be created. As soon as we hear more on this possibility, we’ll be sure to let you know.