Sony has submitted a number of patents, many believed to be related to thePS5, that have given fans an idea of how the next-gen console is going to look and play when it finally launches. Onerecent PS5 controller patent, however, has some viewers worried as it reveals that Sony has built the new controllers to detect sweat and heart-rates.
At the moment, it isn’t exactly known what these features could be used for, but in the current age of information tracking, the concept might sound a little terrifying to some onlookers. That being said, the uses of such a device in thePS5could also mean great things for the future of titles within a few genres that have grown in popularity over the last few years.
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It should be noted that a heart-rate monitor isn’t unprecedented in the world of gaming, and privately modded peripherals have been made to emulate a similar experience in the past. In fact, this new tech doesn’t even come close to being as terrifying as a certaincustomDeath Crimsoncontrollerfrom over a decade ago for the Sega Saturn. Some homebrew controllers have even gone so far as to draw blood from players every time a character dies, as a way of raising support for charity.
The History of the peripheral
In 2009, Nintendo famously announced the Wii Vitality Sensor, a peripheral that was meant to be attached to a players finger and would track their heart-rate while playing games. The project was eventually canceled during development, and the product never made it to store shelves, citing that the practical use was more limited than the company had originally expected. Supposedly, the Vitality sensor was meant to inform players about their heart-rate and health in order to keep them calm while playing games, because nothing calms players down like a constant beep to let them know they’re probably dying.
The Wii Vitality Sensor wasn’t even the first time Nintendo tried to develop a heart-rate monitor to go along with its games. Previously, the company had developed an attachment that was meant to come bundled withTetris 64and would change the game’s difficulty based on how stressed the player was feeling. Additionally, third parties have also included heart-rate monitors add-ons, like the Mad CatzWii FitMonitorand EA’sWii Training Campperipheral, and some players even use their own when usingRing Fit Adventureto exercise.
With Sony entering the ring with the new “biofeedback” system patented to be included with the Dualshock 5 controllers for the PS5, some onlookers have quickly begun reaching for their tinfoil hats, or gloves in this case. What some fans may fear is how Sony plans on using the information that would be gathered from the controllers about the player as they continue to play on the PS5. Theories range from selling data to advertising firms, to altering the selection screen on the PSN’s store page,prioritizing sales and popular gamesthat send players' heart rates up to try selling products more proactively.
Coupling the PS5’s rumored peripheral with the nature of online gaming requiring players to be consistently signed into the internet could open up for the information that the controller is recording being shared to Sony. That being said, there is no evidence that Sony has nefarious plans when it comes to these new peripherals, and technology is only really as “evil” as whoever is controlling it. On the other hand, there is another, much more terrifying direction forinteractive horrorthat a sweat and heart-beat sensor could interact with players in a much more compelling and creative way.
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The Future of Horror
Similar to how the early Nintendo heart-beat sensors were supposedly meant to dictate a players experience with a game based on their vital signs, the same can be done in the opposite direction. By monitoring sweat and heart-rate together, a complex enough horror game could prepare scares for players based on the best moment for a jump scare or shocking scenario to play out. For instance, if a player is playing agame about building tension, likeAlien: IsolationorSilent Hill, the monitor can sense when a player is the most tense before startling them with an encounter with a monster or an in-game death.
This could be especially handy for games like theupcomingResident Evil 3 Remake, utilizing the nemesis system to either shock the player when they’re already tense, or ramp up the tension once they get too comfortable. Sony has already claimed that playing with theDualshock 5 is a whole new experience, and when it comes to the current horror renaissance in gaming, this could be the next logical step for horror. Additionally, easy modes could work this system in reverse, ramping down the excitement as players begin to get flustered and panicked, easing the tension to keep them at a steady level.
Multiplayer: The Good and The Bad
For every good use of the technology, however, there are bound to be ones that frustrate and manipulate players, such as altering who different players are playing against and how theyspawn in multiplayerto give them an advantage. This wouldn’t be too new, as games have actively adjusted difficulty as players win and lose in the past, but being able to alter advantages in real-time based on “biofeedback” could push these systems even further. Working properly, most players wouldn’t even know when the systems are active, but if pushed too far it could give unfair advantages in multiplayer in an attempt to keep a player engaged.
Additionally this could lead to all sorts of ways for players to findexploits and cheats in multiplayer titles, based on how the system responds to different levels of stress and stimulation. However, everything at the moment is completely up to speculation, and those tinfoil hats can go a long way into worrying about problems that don’t exist. For now, players will have to wait to fully announce the PS5 and its accompanying peripherals before we can begin to see the scope of what this new technology can really do.
