Sony targets the gray market with a universal game controller
According to a recent patent filing it seems like Sony is looking to take on the gray peripheral market. The patent reveals a universal video game controller that can be used on the Xbox, Nintendo and Playstation console.
According to the US Patent site [via Kotaku], Sony has filed a patent that looks like a universal video game controller. The controller has a liquid crystal display that can display the controller layout of various game systems.
As noted by Kotaku the consoles listed were all older systems such as: Nintendo, X-box, Amiga CD-32, Atari Jaguar, Gravis Gamepad, Sega, and Turbographics.
Interestingly enough the controller will apparently have speakers built in with rumble. It really does sound like Sony is preparing some sort of virtual console, perhaps for the PS3. However, not all patents give birth to a retail offering so this may just stay on the drawing board at Sony headquarters.
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58 Responses to “Sony targets the gray market with a universal game controller”
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February 21st, 2010
The more level headed folks over at el reg
came to the conclusion that this is most likely to stop 3rd parties doing anything similar without paying Sony a royalty. I’m %90 in agreement with them, %10 you 
February 21st, 2010
Holy Cow, Sony!
What are you up to?
February 21st, 2010
Fuck Sony in their fucking greedy arses!
I finally convinced them that there is something wrong with my ethernet port (tried with 4 different routers and switches, and only one works on it, so they finally agreed that something was wrong) and they said that they are happy to repair it for $250. They said that this type of damage was out of manufacturer’s warranty. I mentioned that this sounds a little unfair and excessive (i am sure an ethernet port costs a lot less that $250) and Microsoft and Dlink repaired and replaced my equipment with no problem, but she wouldn’t budge. Maybe I was too honest in saying lightning hit my place. I might wait a week and call them again and just say that it stopped working.
I am starting to wonder if all the hassles I have been having with Sony and my PS3 are worth it. God Of War 3 had better blow me out of the water….
February 21st, 2010
Harry,
It’s too bad that you are having problems with the system. I never did get the controller issue fixed with the Ps3. I had to end up exchanging the system. Yeah, you probably shouldn’t have mentioned lightning damage but you were just being honest. Most warranties don’t honor lightning damage.
February 21st, 2010
twilight,
In hindsight I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Hopefully they have forgotton me in a week and i’ll call back again.
February 22nd, 2010
$250 bucks is a outright rip off. I would be pissed too. Isn’t it sad that it is the honest people that get ripped off, while you probably could have just said it just stopped working and got a replacement/repair.
February 22nd, 2010
I don’t think there’s a warrenty for lightning lmao.
February 22nd, 2010
@ spidey,
I just need to add another $150 and I could get a new one. I am going to try to be dishonest and see where it gets me.
@ oldie,
Microsoft and Dlink seemed to have it covered! heh
February 22nd, 2010
My fat PS3 died on me and they wanted a £150 to give it full repairs. I just got a slim instead lol.
February 22nd, 2010
@Harry,
Maybe it is designed so you do buy a new one. It is not worth while for them to do repairs and they get another sale ??
F^%#@ked …..
February 22nd, 2010
I can’t afford for my ps3 phat die, it has BC ……
February 22nd, 2010
@ Spidey,
Maybe, but then again, they’re losing money on each console sold. You’d think that they would want everyone to own just one console during it’s lifespan so they get their money back on software.
Your PS3 will be a collector’s item soon enough, with the BC in it.
@ Oldie,
Crap, 150 pounds converted to AUD is around $300. That’s a lot of clams for a repair.
February 22nd, 2010
@harry
Can you tell us how PS2 games look while being played om your PS3?
Is there any improvement on the visuals?
February 22nd, 2010
a Universal gaming controller will be nice to have….that way multi-consoles owner won’t have to spend alot of money on all their controller
February 22nd, 2010
“Microsoft and Dlink seemed to have it covered! heh”
Bull fuckin shit! There is no way in hell MS would repair or replace it if you told them it was lightning.
February 22nd, 2010
@Harry
Can you buy a new one and return the old one in its box and tell the reseller that the ethernet port didn’t work. If they don’t give you an outright refund, even store credit isn’t terrible.
I’m not sure of the location of the UPC code. Maybe this idea won’t work.
Hey.. you tried the honest way already
February 22nd, 2010
This reminds me to that post CarlB made at the forums about the Universal Console concept.
February 22nd, 2010
SO the buttons will be LCD…..pass. I don’t like that on my iPhone and I certainty don’t forsee myself liking it as a Universal Controller.
Nice try Sony, but definitely not for me.
February 22nd, 2010
idk if in AUS you have 30-return policy on gaming console like here in the US (except Gamestop). What I would do is buy a new, see if the Ethernet port works with your switch and routers (just to make sure it’s not a compatibility issue) and then get a refund on the system.
February 22nd, 2010
Wow do I really need to say anything. Harry I hope you learn a good lesson. That’s what happens when you sell your soul to the devil. LOL
It seriously pisses me off that this the treatment you get for a console still under warrenty. Sony seriously sucks. I’m glad it happened because it beautiful amunition for anyone talking shit about RROD.
February 22nd, 2010
““Microsoft and Dlink seemed to have it covered! hehâ€
Bull fuckin shit! There is no way in hell MS would repair or replace it if you told them it was lightning.”
ncaissie
Get over it Microsoft fixed it for FREE and he already has it back and yes he told them it was lightining. I guess you have not been following the story. Microsoft always comes through. $250 is just robbery when it sells for $50 more. LOL
February 22nd, 2010
Fuck of and die CAD aka idiot.
You know nothing about retail.
And if you think MS will replace your 360 if you take a hammer to it then you’re more then welcome to try.
Let me know how it goes. LOL moron.
February 22nd, 2010
“he told them it was lightining” BULL SHIT.
You lying POS.
February 22nd, 2010
He is a lying POS also.
February 22nd, 2010
“Bull fuckin shit! There is no way in hell MS would repair or replace it if you told them it was lightning.”
@ncaisse
lol dude, then it might shock you that they replaced mine when i had tried to clean its dvd drive with a vaccum cleaner, the girl representative told me that i should not have done that..
February 22nd, 2010
gotta love the humor
February 22nd, 2010
I would be shocked if I believed it.
Sorry I just don’t.
February 22nd, 2010
lol
February 22nd, 2010
I told Sony my PS3 got run over by a truck which destroid the console along with the disc that was in there, and they fixed for free and send it back with a new copy of the game and a $100 gift just for the hassle I had to go through!
February 22nd, 2010
LOL @roca
I had something similar happen!
February 22nd, 2010
Except my dam Dog eat mine
February 22nd, 2010
“Bull fuckin shit! There is no way in hell MS would repair or replace it if you told them it was lightning.”
Actually Norman, I did tell them that, as I did Dlink, and they both took my hardware back. So how about you grow up, you dickhead? And accusing someone you don’t even know of being a lying POS is pretty lame. I mentioned this in another thread, but you must not have been paying attention, keep your idiotic comments to yourself.
February 22nd, 2010
@ roca,
idk if in AUS you have 30-return policy on gaming console like here in the US (except Gamestop).
That’s not a bad idea at all. I might give that a try if calling Sony next week doesn’t work.
February 22nd, 2010
I have always wondered why Best Buy will try to sell you a warrenty on the 360 when it comees with 3 Years. They say you can come here and get it replaced with no hassel. I did not bite as I already knew in Canada that it take 3 day s to get a replacement. If I ever buy a PS3 I’m buying that warrenty for sure because it’s now clear that dihonest Sony won’t even hounor a 1 year warrenty.
February 22nd, 2010
Sorry that is dishonest Sony won’t even honour a 1 year warrenty.
February 22nd, 2010
Depends on the warranty & company I suppose.
The products I used to support were not covered for ‘acts of nature’ (lightning, flood, etc.), but then half the time I’d ‘forget’
about how the unit got broke in the first place and service it anyways 
February 22nd, 2010
heh SW
February 23rd, 2010
Sure you did.
This coming from a person that calls himself Harry sachz.
February 23rd, 2010
says the man with the superman logo
February 23rd, 2010
Superman ROCKS! lol
February 23rd, 2010
This is how I’m going to paint my F150
http://www.ricrush.com/image/ihobby07-25.jpg
February 23rd, 2010
Why ride in a car when you can fly
February 23rd, 2010
My 360 owning buddy at work (The one who loves ME and ME2 but downright hated ODST) just had a RROD.
Unfortunately for him its out of the three year warranty. In that respect, the POS lasted a lot longer than most do.
He’s going to see if he can get it fixed from someone he knows that repairs CE for a living at a decent price.
If not he wants to rent one so he can beat ME2 and then he purchasing a PS3.
Go figure.
LMAO!
February 23rd, 2010
smart man!
at least he not dumb enough to take it from MS twice
February 23rd, 2010
He almost had me convinced on getting ME2 for the PC by telling me the opening with Shepard dying. The thing is….I’m on a PC all day at work so when I get home the last thing I want to see is a PC.
February 23rd, 2010
“Sure you did.
This coming from a person that calls himself Harry sachz.”
What has that got to do with anything, straw boy? Fuck you’re stupid.
February 24th, 2010
“I told Sony my PS3 got run over by a truck”
My PS3 got run over by an 18 wheeler… I had to pay the driver for damages to his truck.
My PS3 got hit by lightning… Zeus fell out of the sky dead.
My PS3 was in a housefire… and saved the family single handedly.
My PS3 was in a plane crash… it was the only survivor.
My PS3 parted the seas and fed the hungry.
“PS3 bless us every one!” said Tiny Tim, the last of all.
February 24th, 2010
WOW carlb, you had some crazy experiences. Now I’m at a complete loss as to why you treat it like a red headed step child…..
@Roca
I talked to that guy again and it turned out it was his second RROD. The first one happened under warranty and took over a month to get back from MS. He also got a quote to fix it and since its over $100 he opted to just purchase an arcade. Makes you wonder how many sales MS accumulated because of similar situations…
Now he’s waiting on buying a PS3 as he bought a bunch of 360 games that he hasn’t even opened and renting one wouldn’t be a smart option.
February 24th, 2010
“I’m at a complete loss as to why you treat it like a red headed step child…”
I’m at a complete loss as to why you have ignored everything favorable I have ever said about it. Look, it’s great, but so is the 360… ’nuff said.
February 24th, 2010
Who says I ignored it.
I’ll even quote myself
“I’m going to use the Carlb/Chewbacca defense by highlighting my last sentence.
“I will admit. I wish it was still coming to PC, because it has my interest piqued.â€
See.. I can’t be a fanboy by the simple fact that its got my interest piqued
… Vindication!!!
I gotta admit.. I love his long negative fanboy rants against the PS3 followed by one positive thing said thats supposed to make everything else “go awayâ€
Come back from Japan soon so you can play with us. This off hours BS sucks! Stupid land of the rising son.”
February 24th, 2010
your friend made the right move…was he a xbot before?
February 24th, 2010
He had a PS2 last gen and a PSP which was lost on the train (sucks). He’s a 360 only owner now (when it works)
He’s not a hater. Our conversations usually stem around games. I can’t really call him a friend perse, as I like to believe I should at least know my friends last names..lol. He works in a separated dept and we got to talking because I saw him playing GOW: Chains. He gets Game Informer and tosses it to me when he’s finished reading it.
February 24th, 2010
“He gets Game Informer and tosses it to me when he’s finished reading it”
lol, sounds like a good friend…..but yeah, tell him to get rid of his 360 while it’s (somewhat) alive and get a PS3 Slim (if he can find one), Remind him GoW3 comes out in a few weeks.
February 24th, 2010
“See.. I can’t be a fanboy by the simple fact that its got my interest piqued
… Vindication!!!”
Now all you have to do is predict a 360 game will be GotY for 2010 and you’ll be good to go
February 25th, 2010
That will be difficult. Although I did say ME2 would be tough for any game coming out this year to top a 96% metacritic rating.
That will have to work for now
February 25th, 2010
“Although I did say ME2 would be tough for any game coming out this year to top a 96% metacritic rating.”
Really? Not even GOW3? I think GOW collection deserves %100 score.
February 25th, 2010
Deserve and what it will score overall metacritic wise are two different things. I’m looking at the past two GOW games as reference.
Although it really doesn’t have to be a metacritic hit to get the most GOTY awards. GTA4 had a better score yet lost out to Fallout 3 as the game with the most GOTY awards.
I’m almost certain that ME2 will beat out FF13 as the RPG of the year as JRPG’s have been getting shit on as of late for their western cousins.
February 26th, 2010
Improved graphics with longer and more numerous cutscenes do not necessarily make a JRPG better, though it can still be entertaining.