Sony has its own magic wand in the works
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 3rd 2005 at 12:15PM }
Details about a
patent (need Adobe Acrobat to view) Sony filed for a gaming wand back in December 2004 have surfaced. We're not
sure how this stayed under the radar for so long, but according to the document, this device is shockingly similar to
the Nintendo Revolution controller. It appears to have been initially developed for the PS2, but has either been
shelved or is pending release on the PlayStation 3.
The gaming wand interacts with a web cam, which feeds into the console and is designed to read only certain light
effects (given off by the wand) and will ignore ordinary room lights. The web cam will then map the movements of the
light (i.e. the wand) and incorporate them into the application that is running on the console. Looks like both Sony
and Microsoft have been toying with their
own magic wands for a while now, but unlike Nintendo, neither has been bold enough to whip it out.
[Thanks, Fuzz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
krylon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
MAN that guy looks angry. I feel like this picture needs a caption contest for his thought bubble.
Tesla @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Let the Nintendo fanboy rants on Sony and Microsoft stealing Nintendo's so called innovation begin here....
Spaz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Not only did Sony steal Nintendo's innovative idea, they used a time machine in an attempt to patent in 11 months ago.
This is just like them to try something so diabolical!!!
Bad Sony, bad!
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Maybe MS and Sony just both realized this idea was assanine and dropped it mid-development? Shame Nintendo didn't realize this.
Guess hindsight is 20/20?
SickNic @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Didn't they accomplish this with the eye toy? Maybe thats why it never hit the market. Why wave a controller around when you can use the eye toy to capture your movements and put them in the game?
Wes Ehrlichman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Not true! Actually Sony has used this technology in the currently existing Eyetoy. They show it off every few years at the Game Developer Conference and even included the demo inside of one of the OPM Demo discs. If the demo is any sort of indication, I'd say the reason they haven't used it yet is because it doesn't quite work with any sort of precision. You can try the magic wand moves over and over again and they only work once in every 10 or so tries. Unless they can get the refresh rate up on the Eyetoy this technology will probably not be used on PS3.
-Wes
Nicholas @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
The problem is that Sony's version relies on a webcam to work (and as a result a field of vision). I'm not sure what Nintnedo's works on, but if I had to guess, I would say it uses radio waves to triangulate or something like that.
Otterpop @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
There's actually a tech demo of this device in the March 2004 issue of the Official Playstation Magazine. It's basically a stick with a colored ball on the end that interacts with the EyeToy. The demo showed a person drawing "magic symbols" with the wand to create spells in a wizard battle game. There were some other concepts too, but that's all I remember from it.
Davide @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Didn't Sony show off something similar to this at the last E3 Sony Conference?
They used eyetoy to pick up light from cups(not a wand as in this case), where they used the cups to pick up and play with the water from the rubber ducky demo.
Joe Kovell @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
It can only be "stolen" if it is brought to market. Only then would I even bother commenting on if Sony's idea is close enough to Nintendo's to warrant that accusation. That being said, I would love to see at what point Nintendo actually came up with the Rev controller, since I understand initial development is at least 3 years old now.
-Nintendo fan-boy
Night Walker @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
But, as any person with an IQ 1+ can tell this is nothing like the Revolution controller, nor was the Microsoft wand while it's being mentioned.
retro @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
So when do we start hearing that 'Sony is great for coming up with something like this first' from the same people that say 'haha nintendo dildo/nintendo sucks'?
Fuzz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Looking through further, check out page 34. Looks alot like a TV remote. And Page 35 has some goofy power rings. Page 4 also talks about a "glove" but users havn't been to enthusiastic about it.
I can just imagine screwing with your friend by shining an LED at the camera.
flyNN @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I bought the Star Wars Jedi Lightsaber game that uses this same technology. It is freakin' awesome, BUT Nintendo's is better because:
1. the device doesn't need to be visible by the system.
2. full 3 dimensional manipulation is possible (with a cam it's 2D at best)
I've been thinking about Nintendo Revolution's controller a lot... especially considering sports. Can you imagine golf and baseball on that thing?!?!
clu @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Even if it appears wand like, this really isn't the same thing as the revolution controller at all. Since it uses the web cam, it will most likely lack the precision of the revo wand. Not to mention other features like tilt sensitivity and modular attachments.
ZildjianKX @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Doesn't look like it has depth perception, which is the cool part about the Revolution controller.
Peter @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Yeah, I agree with the other posters here that read through the technical details to realize this is very different from Nintendos proposition. I realize the fires need to be stoked every now and then, but I think the author took this a little too far to make this a pissing match between fanboys when there are extremly obvious technical differences between the proposed controllers.
Joe Kovell @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
The technology is different, the potential application is not too far removed from the Rev controller. I don't think it could be used like a swinging device (bat/sword/etc.) since the led light can't be seen if it falls behind an arm or back at any point of the swing. It could, however, be used in a FPS.
Personally I wouldn't mind Sony or Microsoft coming up with a better FPS system for consoles, but when it comes to range of function, the Revolution controller would have them beat, since it will use a patented technology far better than a LED light system.
Next generation I look forward to the resurrection of what was basically the Nintendo zapper style videogame genre.
GlitchCog @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
It's good to see all of the big three inovating. Nintendo just happens to be the one in the best position to break away from the traditional stuff with a big move right now.
PickyPants @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Yeah haters, Nintendo brings innovation to the market because they can't compete (or to be nice, let's say they "Don't want to compete") with the other two.
The Rev controller should be looked forward to. Not as the end-all-be-all controller, or the flop-to-come, but as something different. If it crashes and burns or comes out on top, it will have been interesting to see from our perspective.
Stop the hate.
jordan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
well spoken picky
Ghazi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Idiots, Sony had demoed this shit much earlier and i posted this link back then also. This was demoed in a conference back in Feb so the Dec 2004 filing date for the patent sounds reasonable .
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/584/584744p1.html
The "certain light given off by the want" is called "retro-reflective" material. The concept is actually much cooler than nintendo;s.
You can put the "retro-reflective" material on any device and it will become the controller so you dont really need a want per se.
J B Cougar @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Sony bad!!! Fire burn!!! Anyway, not to sound to conspiratorial, but given the remarks from Sony at the TGS ("it is only a concept"), I wouldn't be surprised if the ol' boomerang is getting a facelift from Sony as we speak. Something along the lines of.. throw this controller at a wall when you realize how lame and identical it is to the "old gen controller" and it majestically returns to you for more. We can call it the "battered spouse input device" or Sonylution, for short.
Zzzz...
Chris_C @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
#22, that's a REALLY cool article, thanks for the link. Now I can't wait to see what the PS3's big surprise in Feb (or sooner?) Will be. I get the feeling Sony might have been waiting for everyone to play their cards before showing their full hand.
Innovate Me @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
What Sony has done is not a disgrace. But I don't care because Nintendo's controller will triumph over Sony's "magic wand". I knew this was gonig to happen so this was no surprise to me.
I am definitly only going to get a Revo. I was thinking about getting about a PS3, but not anymore.
Innovate Me @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Sorry, what Sony does IS A HUGE DISGRACE.
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I bet Microsoft got Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd to build a time traveling car with WindowsXP installed on it,went back in time,and made their remote controller after they saw Nintendo's.
And Sony just did the same thing but obviously stole the time traveling car because Sony's known so well of devious acts.
nintendo rules!!!!!!!!! @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
But, as any person with an IQ 1+ can tell this is nothing like the Revolution controller, nor was the Microsoft wand while it's being mentioned.
But, as any person with an IQ 1+ can tell this is nothing like the Revolution controller, nor was the Microsoft wand while it's being mentioned.
But, as any person with an IQ 1+ can tell this is nothing like the Revolution controller, nor was the Microsoft wand while it's being mentioned.
But, as any person with an IQ 1+ can tell this is nothing like the Revolution controller, nor was the Microsoft wand while it's being mentioned.
But, as any person with an IQ 1+ can tell this is nothing like the Revolution controller, nor was the Microsoft wand while it's being mentioned.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
There have been things *like* the Revolution controller before. We all knew this. From 3D mice to the Power Glove, the concept is not foreign. We can see Sony here trying to make the Eye Toy a viable control option. Waving symbols in the air sounds a hell of a lot like Castlvania DS to be quite honest.
I have played video capture games, and they all suffer from the same problem: the game gets confused as to what it is supposed to be watching. This appears to be sony's attempt at a solution. It does not have close to the same level of sophistication and utility as the Revolution controller. For instance, the Revolution controller should be able to be used as a pointer with minimal wrist movements. Sony's wand here would always need more exaggurated arm movements for the same effect as the Eye Toy can only tell where the ball is, not the orientation of the controller.
I have said and will continue to say that for a Revolution-style controller to work the technology has to be absolutely, 100%, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, nailed. If it correctly reports your actions only 99% of the time, it is a failure. That is the rub, and that is what makes Nintendo's move so bold. The concept is so very solid, and it has been thought of many times before. Much like the analogue stick and the D-Pad, Nintendo's innovation will be in the implementation and level of sophistication of the idea.
kojo87 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
if this is an honest attempt to rip off Nintendo's Revolution controller, then it has just proved all my theories that Sony only creates there games systems based on existing technology. Analog stick, rumble pack and memory cards were all made after Nintendo did. the PS3 is nothing but a PS2 on steroids.
himself @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Could the eyetoy/eyetoy wand reliably detect multiple users like the Rev wand? Doesn't look like it...
D @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
lol wow some of you are incredibly friggin retarded if you dont mind me saying, read the patent, it was late 2004 when it was patented it was demoed before that even. Nintendo have only shown their controller to the world last months, so no one from Sony had seen it before then.
But some how Sony miraculously find a magic machine that steals there idea and travels back in time to patent it, friggin idiots.
Cant handle the fact that Nintendo arent the only ones that are changing things and that their Revolutionary design isnt Revolutionary at all, its as much a rip off of Sony's Magic Wand as you think Sony ripping of the Revolution controller.
Sad sad nintendo fanboys who know nothing of which they speek.
And how horribly bias is the source i mean that dude a complete fruit cake retard.
GuyManDude @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Nintendo just has the kahones to put it out there.
Patrick @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Idiots....It's not the same as the Revolution controller, in fact, shitier. If you don't understand why, your an idiot, as previously stated.
Manic Devlin @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Hmm this patent has absolutely nothing to do with revolution controller other than this device being held with one hand. The technology behind the Nintendo revolution is completely different than this eye toy accessory.
Night Walker @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Wow, my comment was so profound that it was quoted / C&P'd about five times into one post with no other comment - I am not worthy #28.
D (#31), since I had the time to write my post and further someone commented it again five times I ask what your post is all about - this [the sony/MS wand] simply is several leagues below the quality of which Nintendo have revealed, it's little more than a gimmick / expansion.
GuyManDude and especially Patrick, I salute you.
Momus @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
All this article has proven is that Sony fanboys can't spell.
Einhanderkiller @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
All three companies has magic wands now. Yay!
fusiu @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Come on now, nintendo, sony, and microsoft all stole this idea from VR games, remember those games which use a trigger thingy while wearing that VR headset to get the 3D feel. Well this is it, it had gyroscopics/laser to tell it where it was in 3D space. Just nintendo add a few stuff like the add on port and buttons to the front. Whereas sony concept uses a camera instead of laser tracking. Basically the idea belongs to non of these ppl. Who invented the VR controller anyway that guy should get royalties if anybody
b @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"Cant handle the fact that Nintendo arent the only ones that are changing things and that their Revolutionary design isnt Revolutionary at all, its as much a rip off of Sony's Magic Wand as you think Sony ripping of the Revolution controller."
The fact that sony and M$FT have patents on magic wands since 2004 or so doesn't mean nintendo didn't have a patent long ago either, or copied them, let alone revolutionizing the gaming industry. Stupid sony fanboy.
But even if they patented it before nintendo did, they haven't really used it for gaming. Nobody knows shit about it yet. If that's true, they either don't know how to use it in games yet, or it has less time in development than revolution's controller, or both (the revolution has been in development since early 2002). They didn't even have the balls to show it before nintendo did. At least, as of yet. And none of those wands look as functional as the rev controller. In fact, the 3 wands work different.
Besides, the revolution will be decided not by who patented first, not by who revealed it first, but by the games.
"And how horribly bias is the source i mean that dude a complete fruit cake retard."
Holy shit, I won't even point the hilariousness in this last sentence.
Eskimo Bob @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
This is nothing like the Revolution controller. The Revolution uses tilt-sensors and full 3-D motion detection to create a new gaming experience. Sony's "magic wand" is a potential add-on to the Eye-Toy to make it a more functional gaming device in the future by making it less susceptible to motion in the background. I can say with near-certainty (assuming Sony is not stupid) that nothing like this will ship with the PS3, and IF it is released, it will not be something intended to be the main control device for the PS3.
D @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
But even if they patented it before nintendo did, they haven't really used it for gaming. Nobody knows shit about it yet. If that's true, they either don't know how to use it in games yet, or it has less time in development than revolution's controller, or both (the revolution has been in development since early 2002). They didn't even have the balls to show it before nintendo did. At least, as of yet. And none of those wands look as functional as the rev controller. In fact, the 3 wands work different.
They didnt show it?????, um dude they have showed it at the last 2 GDC, so thats 2 years in a row they have shown it to the game developers so your arguments a little bit mute.
The whole point of this argument is that ignorarnt Nintendo fanboys think everyone is stealing Nintendos ideas, which simply isnt the truth, and now they are in denial about the fact.
Stephen @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Hah! Sony would have never released this if Nintendo hadn't released information about their controller.
Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
um, stephen:
sony didn't have anything to do with 'releasing' this. it was uncovered. and they HAVE released it. FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS.
kydd @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
doesnt have 3d space, and dont look like it has buttons iether ,there fore aint a controling device
Extinction @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"Analog stick, rumble pack and memory cards were all made after Nintendo did. the PS3 is nothing but a PS2 on steroids."
No, all were done/made before Nintendo did them. Analog sticks have been around before the NES was, memory cards were done on the Staurn and PS1 BEFORE the N64 came out, rumble existed in tons of places before the N64
zsavior @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
THis isn't even worth talking about. IT is a feeble attempt from a company to steal another companies heat with "magic Wand" that is nothing like The Revolutions controller. Like arguing what is the faster car a 2005 Fairlady Z or a Datsun not a question.I mean seriously, what is the point of this? Even if they made it ten years ago they didn't use it, why bring it up now. I think that is pretty much Nintendo's point,stop trying to jump in on a trend. You think this "magic wand" would have ever come up if THe Revolution didn't get good praise? It is just more of the same boring crap. Stop trying to argue The Revolutions controller is nothing Revolutionary because it is not new technology! Most Revolutions don't come about with new techonology they come about with new ways of thinking, and that is what Nintendo is bringing. Enough with MS got this to and Sony has this too crap, you know they are not going to stake their whole company on these ideas. THis will not be the main controller for the system, we all know this. So why are we even talking about this wand? In the end Nintendo is trying to change a way of thinking, Sony just wants to draw you back to the same MSG, FF, GTA game you got on your last system they don't intendo on implimenting anything new. But I will give them credit good work on the December 04 patent way to stay ahead of the game I guess? You can release the controller with PS4 and say you thought of all the innovative games nintendo is going to utilize with the Revolution first only now they aren't "kiddy" and the "magic Wand" will come in black!!!! OOHHHHH
D @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Sony arent stealing heat fool, people that make news out of it like this site are, the magic wand has been around for a while and people have only picked up on it now becuase Nintendo have put out their remote. So dont blame Sony or Microsoft, they havent said anything, site like this are making up the BS and the source where they got it from is so horribly bias it should have even been aknowledged.
And dont bad mouth MGS, GT, FF and the like when Nintendo are doing exactly the same damn thing only twice as bad, how many games are there at the moment with Mario in them? or Zelda?.
Dont see how them posting a patent in 2004 means anything really, no one except internal people at Nintendo would know what the control looked like, not even developers knew what it looked like so i dont see how Microsoft or Sony could know what it looked like.
And as for it being the main controller i guess you havent read the interview this site did...
Ghazi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
nintendo-only-lovers:
first, like i said earlier: PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE that i have linked. Sony has been demoing this technology for a while now and this was demoed at E-fucking-3 when they showed you that the cups could pour out water from the tub in the ducks demo.
secondly. this is not the ps3's primary control unit. this is just a peripheral that some games will utilize. this is not ps3's intended controller.
thirdly, it does allow full 3d control if you read the damn article. the eyetoys will be able to track the distance from the camera as well, not just the movements.
fourthly, please wait and see how the nintedo rev controller will just become a gimmick and be set aside, replaced with more conventional looking add-ons for it. this is the reason why nintedo will be release the convention controller style covers for the remote control. even though the controller requires minor wrist moevements, it will not be suitable for games intended to be player for long periods of time. the touch screen was a good idea for the ds but nintendo never really made any break through use of it. the rev is going to be even harder to cater too. the hype will soon die, just wait and see.
lastly, read the article before making any other illiterate comments:
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/584/584744p1.html
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Ah Ghazi, you make it sound like we need to defend the Revolution.
For once, I'm not worried about Nintendo. Sure, I love Nintendo. Sure, I want them to do well. I used to be worried that they would fall to Sony, but now I don't care what the haters say. Nintendo just hit one out of the park. You don't realize it yet, but you will. This isn't hype. This is substance.