This is a little far-out, but it’s worth mentioning that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has filed a new patent which demonstrates the PSP being used to remotely control a car. As you can see, the RC vehicle has a camera attached to it, and the images are sent wirelessly back to the PSP. According to the patent, ““a user may control the car […] so as to spy on their friends… then upload the stored video images to a website.” Of course, this is an idea we’ve all probably had since we were little, and it’s been done many times before.
What makes this different is the patent’s mention of “augmented reality zones”, which allow you to define space in the real world in which the vehicle is allowed to operate. In other words, you could literally build a track in your living room or backyard, without having to worry about driving outside of those boundaries and in to more dangerous territory (like the end of the driveway or the top of the stairs). The patent goes on to mention the inclusion of computer-generated objects visible via the PSP’s screen. This isn’t as far-fetched as it seems, considering that Sony has been developing the similar Eye Toy technology or several years now.
Other sites that have picked this up are quick to mention what a cool feature this would be Gran Turismo PSP, but let’s be reasonable: that is extremely unlikely. Indeed, the Gran Turismo brand is probably too “sacred” to be used with the first generation of such a product at all, but it might sneak its way in to the long-rumored Gran Turismo for Boys that Kazunori Yamauchi keeps talking about…
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