Sony got good mileage out of its PlayStation Move motion controllers, which it introduced for the PS3 generation. But it could be moving to something more akin to the Valve Index controller for the upcoming PlayStation 5. A patent application published this month suggests finger-tracking technology could come to the system, possibly for use with PlayStation VR.
The application, which was first filed in 2018, is for a hand-worn device that includes sensors to detect individual fingers. A “sensor support” unit is located in the middle and is adjustable to accommodate different hand sizes.
The device, if designed as it was drawn in the application, would include physical buttons with the tracking software. It would still be a significant leap from the PlayStation Move, which is currently used on the PS4 and relies on physical buttons, analog sticks, and a bright light for tracking via the PlayStation Camera. Players must be in clear view of the PlayStation Camera or the tracking will be inaccurate or fail to work entirely.
Aside from the Valve Index, the Oculus Rift S and Quest have both added finger-tracking support in updates. These don’t require a controller at all, as they work solely via the built-in cameras on the headsets themselves. The current PlayStation VR headset has no cameras and uses LEDs similar to the PlayStation Move controllers for tracking.
The PS5 will support the original PlayStation VR headset in addition to whatever successor Sony has in development. The headset didn’t launch until 2016, three years after the PS4 released. A revised version followed in 2017, but it only made slight changes to the wiring rather than a significant design overhaul.
The finger-tracking controller wasn’t the only Sony patent application published recently. Others include a special imaging device that could be used for PlayStation VR technology, as well as an ambient sound device that mixes environmental noise picked up via microphone.
In 2019, it filed a patent application for an “in-game resource surfacing platform” that was published in January. By asking the console for help with beating a section of a game, players can pull from others’ data and determine the best strategy. This is similar to what Google Assistant promises through Stadia, but Sony’s full application text mentions that it could cost money. The prevalence of gameplay walk-through videos on sites like YouTube and Twitch will make it a curious venture.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.