Filed just yesterday and spotted by Engadget, Microsoft has filed for a patent that would imply the company behind the Xbox 360 is working on gaming controllers that could detect a users’ identity based on the pressure exerted by the grip on the pad.

As the patent description reveals, the pad would be manufactured in part with “pressure-sensitive exterior surfaces” that “contains a plurality of pressure sensors operative to provide an output signal proportional to a pressure applied by the user’s hands to the exterior surface of the hand-held device”. In essence, the sensors are picking out biometric data streams that make up the larger picture of how you hold your controller in-game, and then compares the output signals provided by the pressure sensor data against stored ‘pressure profile signatures’ to identify the user behind it. The filing also lists how the device might use the pressure-sensor make-up to personalise content based on who is holding the controller (such as themed wallpapers, avatars, pictures), though with personalised gamer tags already a part of the Xbox experience for years now, that ought to be a given.

With E3 just around the corner (this year’s expo begins 5^th June) and with the Microsoft press conference streaming live directly from the Xbox dashboard for the first time ever come June 4^th, you better believe it’ll be a good one. Though the late patent filing would suggest pressure-sensitive pads are some way off, it nevertheless implies Microsoft is thinking big for the next generation in gaming. Roll on the 720…

Richard Birkett

Source: Engadget