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The traditional gamepad has remained the go-to method for playing video games because it works. Almost nothing that has tried to dethrone the simple device has even come close. However, a Sony patent application could change things up by letting you use a simple household object as a controller. In Sony’s case, it seems to really want you to use a banana. Just don’t let anyone eat your controller before a big game.
In a filing spotted by GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said that it “would be desirable if a user could use an inexpensive, simple, and non-electronic device as a video game peripheral.”
Enter the banana. Or, if you prefer, two bananas. Or an orange. Or basically anything else that doesn’t have any lights on it.
Presumably, you’d be able to use just about anything with this patent-pending system, as you’d be moving the “non-luminous” object based on the poses you’re doing with it. One image also shows X and Triangle buttons mapped out on different parts of the peel. In addition to the banana–or two bananas–Sony mentions objects such as oranges, mugs, or pens.
Should the banana actually be a viable option, assuming the technology actually releases, it wouldn’t be the first time someone used the yellow fruit for video games. More than four years ago, Twitch streamer Rudeism played as the intelligent ape Winston in Overwatch with an array of bananas hooked up to his rig. Potassium is a good electricity conductor, making this surprisingly viable.
We’ve seen people use weird things as video game controllers for years, including Dance Dance Revolution pads for games that are certainly not designed for them. A company supporting it officially is another story, though.
Sony is no stranger to experimenting with game controllers. The new DualSense’s adaptive triggers are very unique, offering different levels of resistance based on what you’re doing, and it has also used pressure-sensitive buttons for more control inputs before. We aren’t sure it’ll work that well, but we really want to play all games with bananas now.
