Sony could reimagine the Power Glove for PlayStation VR
New patent for glove controller hints at Nintendo-style VR accessory
Sony could be planning to give gamers a new way to get to grips with virtual reality – literally.
A newly-discovered patent for a “glove interface object” suggests Sony’s looking at a new way to interact with PlayStation VR, one that’s more than a little reminiscent of the Nintendo Power Glove. Only, y’know, this might actually work as advertised.
According to the patent, which was first spotted by NeoGaf user Rosti, the glove would be able to track the position of individual fingers, with data sent to the headset so you can see what your hands are doing in real-time within VR.
It could also detect pressure and wrist movement, and include rumble feedback to create a sense of touch to go with the visuals.
All the PlayStation VR demos we’ve seen so far have either used a DualShock 4 or the PlayStation Move controllers. These work well for certain game genres, but feel a bit out of place for others. A glove controller would be perfect for swords-and-shields RPGs, fighting games and first person shooters.
It would be a big ask for Sony to get all its developers to go back and add support for a new accessory though.
Companies like Apple and Samsung tend to patent new smartphone features weeks or even days before they reveal them, in an effort to stop leaks, but it’s pretty unlikely Sony’s doing something similar here.
Even so, Sony’s VR-themed GDC press conference is only two weeks away, so we could still be in for a surprise.
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Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
