Google Patented a Video Game Controller When No One Was Looking

Rumor has it that Google might unveil their very own gaming console this year at the Game Developer Conference. Now, it looks like there may be some further fuel to this rumor fire as at the end of January, a patent was published for a game controller from Google.

Now, it’s not clear what use the controller is planned for (PC, smartphone, or console), but it looks like Google may have big plans for the controller. As I read the copyright it looked like they were going to allow the controller to display your avatar and notify users of chats, notifications, and possibly more. It also sounded like they want it to be able to interact with pretty much any device including TVs, monitors, smartphones, and tablets. It also appears that they want each controller linked to a user’s account:

“A user may accept a notification to pair the user’s account with the specific game controller. For example, information associated with the user’s account may be utilized to log a user directly into a video game instead of needing the user to manually enter a username and password.”

Now, I could be wrong about what I’m seeing in the patent, but it looks like Google is going all out with this controller and hopefully we’ll know more after GDC, which is happening next week.

On top of the rumored console, Google has been testing Project Stream which allows you to stream games to your browser, thus allowing you to play with weaker machines. There’s also talk of Yeti, a game streaming service the company is supposedly working on to be able to cast games to your Chromecast. It’s possible that this controller could be used with any of these services, but I’m not expecting it to be very affordable.

Sarang Sheth from Yanko Design has even made the mock up above of what fans could expect based on the design in the patent. It doesn’t look like the most comfortable controller, but maybe I’m wrong?