Sony: DualShock 4 light bar can change your mood when gaming in the dark

Nick K writes:
"Everyone is focused so much on the DualShock 4′s light bar being used simply as a built-in Move controller working in tandem with the new camera peripheral for PS4. Scott Rodhe, Senior VP Sony World Wide Studios, jumped onto the PlayStation Blog this past week and talked about a new way that games might use the light bar and a dark room to influence the player’s mood while gaming."

[Prodigy-X]

Awesome

[SynGamer]

Very, and I'm not being sarcastic. I think of games like where it's dark, and perhaps you put on some night goggles (green-ish light) to illuminate the surroundings. The controller could turn to green like in the game and extend that effect to your living room. Really looking forward to the usage of the light bar and speaker on the controller.

Also, I LOVE that I'll be able to plug in a headset to the controller now. instead of having to buy a wireless headset or have a 10 foot cable connected to my PS3, I can use my favorite pair of headphones while gaming again.

[HammadTheBeast]

What if you're playing an open world game, get near a light source had the glow intensifies? Or flickers to emulate fire?

Hidden areas are shown by glow?

[SilentNegotiator]

....it's on the front of the controller. How well are you even going to see it?

[kaozgamer]

@silentnegotiator

thats why they said "..when gaming in the dark"

[SilentNegotiator]

@kaoz

That still doesn't answer my question because we have no idea how bright it is.

[MikeMyers]

The Playstation Move can also change colors.

[loulou]

i know now that one of the first things i do when i power up my spanking new ps4 will be to search the menus to see if you can turn it off.

i really cant imagine anything beneficial coming from it.. and having to charge the damn controller more

syn gamer. i seriously doubt that the controller will have the impedance to drive decent headphones. more like it will be like the 360 controller where you can use it just for the headset function

[Ju]

It's ambient light. In a low lighted room it will change the ambient color of your room.

Muzzle flash can be one implementation, for example. Non-directional light which gives you the impression the light comes actually from the player.

[Yi-Long]

... and while it's a very cool 'gimmick' for some people, I pretty much never game in the dark anyway (it will hurt/strain your eyes, and I need my eyes for gaming).

Also, I see it eating up my batteries wayyyy to quickly, so I'll probably decide to turn it off anyway.

[Prodigy-X]

Don't understand the disagrees but whatever.

[Rumor]

you new?

[rezzah]

basically people don't think it is awesome.

At least it makes sense in your case.

[GABRIEL1030]

Really is awesome, because It's a simple and cheap idea, but with a great objective that is immerse the player in the game's color palette, really interesting.

[mamotte]

Because is absurd to think that such a small light covered in plastic will illuminate something 10 cms away from it.

[Reverent]

@mamotte, I'm guessing you've never played with the PlayStation Move then... It can be VERY bright.

[MariaHelFutura]

(Barry White voice)

Oh yeah baby.

[chaos-lockheart]

hope it doesn't glare off the TV screen like the movie did, it got so annoying at times, especially when I'm playing dark areas, and you see this little bulb thing.

[ijust2good]

Nothing awesome about these lights. They help drain battery. Sony still are forcing this dildo enspired thing they call move. Waste of space.

Console gamers prefer shooters not dildos. This move inspired disco lights is not something gamers wanted. Sony, get ur head, out of ur A** and be more innovative.

[godofboobees]

Console gamers prefer variety, we're not 12 year old cod players clown.

[sourav93]

Seems like someone hates dildos with a passion. Did something happen in your childhood that you wanna talk about?

[RIP_Weazel]

You may want to get some frame of reference before you start jabbering on about dildos little fella. It just makes you seem like a little, angry and frustrated fanboy, and I'm sure that's not the case, right?..........
right?

[Fatal-Aim]

Its posts like this that causes the gaming industry to plunder.

Not all gamers want to set around playing shooters, especially with dated controls all the time. Like Move, if this light bar can bring something new to the game without lag to enhance the play, then I say bring it on.

Based on what we do know about the Move controller, this light bar will add more than just a glowing light to the game.

[CapsLocke]

Meanwhile in PC space, you could mod your mouse, keyboard and case whatever you want, add all kind of lights and gadgets.

Here, you can change light on the controller. lol, pathetic.

[sourav93]

I feel sorry for you man. Just coming out of nowhere on a PS4 article and making a snide comment how PC gaming is still better when it comes to peripherals. Lol, pathetic.

[snipermk0]

how is simcity working for ya?

[ceballos77mx]

Go sign a petition or something.

[KillrateOmega]

So you came here just to fanboy it up for the PC. Lol, how slow has your day been so far? XD

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Pathetic, I agree completely. You came here with your one bubble just to say that. Pathetic.

[DigitalRaptor]

Good luck with developers supporting those "lights and gadgets" in games on a universal basis like the PS4 will do. They never have and they never will.

Keep on hating, ya PC elitist nut.

[GribbleGrunger]

Wow, this is getting incredible. A PC fan in THIS thread ... a thread about a light on a controller? Why are they suddenly becoming so active in PS4 threads? Fear? Jealousy? One thing's for sure, it will only get worse (or better depending on whether you enjoy watching people squirm).

[Irishguy95]

Ok...as a society, we have come to associating certain colors with 'danger/warning'(Red/o range) or 'safe'(Green/medpacs) or....sexy(purple,violet,pink) /

You can see how these things could be used to affect the atmosphere of a game. In a horror game for example/

[MultiConsoleGamer]

I love this controller. So much hidden potential.

[Conzul]

Yup.
[goes out to buy curtains]

[jcnba28]

Hidden potential??? LOL you sony fanboys are hilarious!!

[Jek_Porkins]

Kind of cool idea, sort of like the Ilumiroom thing from that Microsoft patent?

I like the idea of adding to the level of immersion.

[kwyjibo]

There's Philips' Ambilight which is similiar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[Jek_Porkins]

Ya I like the idea, and clearly it's all kind of aiming at the same audience, not sure why I got so many disagrees though...lol

[subtenko]

I wonder if it has the capability to glow as the amberlamps...

Also, the disagrees come from people who r just messing around sometimes. "Why all the disagrees" even if its true we'll click disagree anyway just to screw around XD

[SilentNegotiator]

You don't understand the disagrees?

For starters, you just compared a small light on a controller to a projector that extends the viewing space of your TV.

And also, you compared a small light on a controller to a projector that extends the viewing space of your TV.

Get the disagrees yet?

[Gimmemorebubblez]

And Sony and Phillips share patents in a company were they both own 49.5%. They are suing Apple now.

[N0S3LFESTEEM]

Your getting disagrees because Sony showed off something similar first. As far as this goes I don't know the practicality of it considering I look at my TV and not the ground towards my feet which is usually where I'm pointing the controller when I'm playing.

[PS4isKing_82]

Can't wait for PS4.

[NastyLeftHook0]

bubbles just for having onimusha warlords

[PirateThom]

The only real use I have for it is as a life meter so we can get rid of that strawberry jam from the edges of screens to indicate I'm taking damage.

[nevin1]

lol@Strawberryjam.

But looking down at the controller is a better method?

"In addition to this light show experience, the new speaker in the DualShock 4 will bring near field audio the player (a la Wii Remote)."

I didnt like that in Wiimote.

[PirateThom]

If it's bright enough and flashing, the faster it flashes the more damage you've taken.

If it's illuminating the room, even partially, it'll wil noticeable.

[jukins]

depending on your peripheral vision combined with rumble you wouldnt really be looking down at the controller

[uuaschbaer]

Reflection.

[GreenRanger]

How is anyone supposed to see a light under the back of their controller?
Also, the only time a light ever changed my mood is when my bedroom lightbulb blew while i was reading a book.
I turned from calm to completely pissed.

[N0S3LFESTEEM]

I was nic fitting one time and threw my lighter at a lightbulb and it shattered. I went from Pissed to satisfied then back to pissed when I had to clean it up. It was awesome though... a flame shot out and everything.

[Daver]

It depends of the 'force' of the light I suppose.

[mamotte]

Not to mention people here believe it'll be a light powerful enough to reach somewhere. I mean, it doesn't seem like a LED lantern or something. Even if it do it, the only change in the mood will be getting angry for recharging the battery every 15 minutes.

[Williamson]

It looks pretty cool.

[Root]

Still hoping we won't have to use the camera if they do intend to bundle the PS4 with one.

Unless they have two versions, one with and without one

[IcicleTrepan]

All the little kiddies will be putting a sticker over it to help hide the fact that they're up late playing when mom says they should be in bed lol

[GreenRanger]

They should put those stickers over their mothers' eyes so she can't see them through walls. :-)

[Trago1337]

interesting. Kinda wanna see how someone can use this to tackle survival horror.

[Half-Mafia]

Depending on how bright it is. The first thing ill be doing is putting tape over the light.

One thing I dont like about the Move is when you play it in the dark, all you see is that bright orb reflecting off the TV.

[Fatal-Aim]

That is why some people, like myself, invest in anti-reflective television sets.

[Nathaniel_Drake]

Love how each aspect of the ps4 has small component that builds up into the ultImate gaming experience. Sony has maximized each gaming experience from past consoles and have now arrived at the PS4. This is why it is good for Sony to be succesful in gaming

[loulou]

did you get paid tp write that??

[Nathaniel_Drake]

Why are people disagreeing? Do you really think I'm implying how the other systems don't do that? I am just talking about Sony and how they learned from there mistakes and each system they built is an experience from that. I mean come on the PS4 is now developer friendly because of the PS3 being hard to code for. You people really are sensitive on here, this is a SONY article not MS or Nintendo.

I don't want to get into how MS how been faltering gamer wise for the past several years, that's another article but geez I'm just being a gamer, read it as a gamer not a fanboy

[Kur0]

sounds like lame marketing spin. I'm getting a PS4 but don't care for that light bar.

[LastXeno]

Gimmicky in the worse way possible. What, is it going to turn red when you stab someone in the throat in Killzone?

[rextraordinaire]

Hey, why not? :)

It's not like you had to pay an extra 60$ for it. It's part of the DualShock 4.

[inFAMOUS_KRATOS]

the color yellow always hypes me up, hopefully, they have mode on ther where it changes color constantly... turn my rooom into techno herb

[Bathyj]

Its an interesting concept.

Just from reading the title I thought right away of the cold hot dynamic, and I think it would actually work on a psychosematic level. In a snow level with your room blue you might actually feel as if you were cold.

Other times it could be used to make you relaxed or tense.

[loulou]

wow it's like totally awesome what a "light" on a controller can do smh

" In a snow level with your room blue you might actually feel as if you were cold. " do you people actually believe the rubbish you write??

I wonder if this was an xbox idea would youdisplay the same level of enthusiasm??

[kingmushroom]

Red Orbs
Green Orbs
Blue Orbs

[rextraordinaire]

Liking that idea. :)

Now, let's have that integrated in the next LittleBigPlanet!
Can see myself toying with that feature a bit. :)

[josephayal]

the light is a home cinema projector

[r21]

Pretty sure the light bar doesnt make it a move controller. I read it somewhere. I wonder which developers wanted a light bar on the controller.

[Fatal-Aim]

ACTUALLY, the Dual Shock 4 is closer to a Move controller more than you think. I would say that it is more on par with the Wii-mote than the Move but in a more hardcore form.

If you look here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w... and here http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...
....you'll notice that the Wii-mote supports something called an accelerometer (3 axis), and it's Motion Plus supplies it with something called a gyroscope. Inspite of this, the Move is still more accurate. Move also features something call a magnetometer for very complex gestures which the wii-mote does not support. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...

Now, if you look at this new Dual Shock http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w... ....you can clearly see that it too supports the same types a sensors as the Wii-mote but lack that of the Move. You'll also notice that the glowing light is located on the very front of the controller -- kinda like the wiimote, which allow limited motion detection from the eye or sensor bar.

So, I think its safe to assume that Sony was purposely aiming to have the DualShock 4 to be slightly inferior to the Move to keep from alienating the hardcore user, like Kinect or the Wiimote, but intuitive enough to introduce the feature to the majority without as many drawbacks. So I would't count on swinging the controller around like a golf club or a bat, but I do, however, expect a very similair performance to Nintendo's wiimote controller. But don't fret, for those who care, I'm sure this is their exact reasoning for having the PS4 to also support the Move; it's going to cater to those wanting a more life-like experience to the real thing.

[r21]

I understand that it has improved motion detection but no way is it as smooth as the ps move's detection. My past comment was based on this article: http://www.psu.com/a018507/...

[na-no-nai]

Imagine someone getting a seizure from the flashing lights. Lights don't even change my mood and hopefully it don't get too bright at night love playing in the dark. And it could be useful for low life and when going down a dark corridor with flickering light and it flickers in tandem with the lights in-game.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Ummm...feels a bit gimmicky but who knows.

[GABRIEL1030]

Really is very interesting, because It's a simple and cheap idea, but with a great objective that is immerse the player in the game's color palette.

[SDF Repellent]

Sorry to ask, but isn't this the same concept as the glowing lightbulb of the Move? I have never use the move but dont it glow and change colors wihen your character is interacting with the environment?

[Non_sequitur]

It's color is always close to the complementary color of what you are wearing.

[sarshelyam]

I can imagine...playing the next Elder Scrolls...bringing my character into a Dungeon, torch in hand, and the lightbar mimics the flicker of the flames, illuminating my dimmed/dark room in orange/yellow pulses.

It sounds completely unbelievable, but it's always those subtleties that draw me in.

[dcortz2027]

Interesting...

[Evil_Ryu]

what a stupid kinect rip off

[Bumpmapping]

What the eye toy 2.0?

[MasterCornholio]

If it was a copy of Kinect Sony would spend 500 million on marketing the device and they would dedicate studios like Naughtydog to producing Kinect exclusives. And if that isn't bad enough they will try and get the core to support the device by creating so called hardcore kinect games like Crap Batallion.

Now that would be a copy of stupid Kinect. Wanna waggle?

Motorola RAZR i

[Evil_Ryu]

who are you kidding with your silly sarcasm sony doesnt spend money on marketing when was the last time you seen a commercial for a playstation first party game ...they may have alot of studios but all there games quietly creep onto retailers shelves and are left to die. Halo 4 sold more copies then all of Ps3 exclusives combined.

[DATNEWYAWKER]

Did anyone else notice that the picture of the controller in this article doesn't have the textured grips like in the previous photos?

[puamdefokejpn]

It is textured in that picture,.. klick on the article and on the pitcture to zoom in... Hope that stays like that.

[DATNEWYAWKER]

You're right. Thx.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

Lol are people seriously saying this is awesome? I mean come on!!

[spoonard]

It glows blue when orcs are near!!!

[ElementX]

Sorry, I don't game in the dark. The brightness of the TV hurts my eyes. I guess I won't be using this feature.

[largerock]

In the words of suda51 "PS4 makes me horny"

[Gamerita]

all i say is Sony is naturally SMART. ;)

[mamotte]

Just for a second, look at that image and ask yourself: How much can a little bulb covered in plastic illuminate? How much I'll be able to see it while playing? If you have a move controller, then compare it, turn of the light and see your powerful move lantern. Other words: No, simply no, it's too small to give significant light, it's placed in a place where you wont be able to see it, and even if it suddenly becomes a poverful lantern, it'll drain the battery like crazy.

Dont get me wrong, the PS4 will be a great console and all, but dont blew up it out fo proportions. Be realist from time to time.

[Dj7FairyTail]

KIDDY CASUAL

[imchuckbass]

A light? REALLY? I'm getting a ps4, but you idiots are impressed by anything if it's made by sony

[DigitalSmoke]

No you just can't imagine how cool it could be when in a game the lights shut down... the TV go's black wile you sit in a dark room and the joypad starts to blink a red light with the sound of a siren blasting through the speakers.

This is just one excample.

[DivineAssault]

Nice.. I cant wait to use this DS4.. Looks comfy & i love the design

[Derekvinyard13]

Why

[Condemnedman]

Umm sorry thats just utter bull . Is it a quiet news day ?

[imchuckbass]

It's stupid, gimmickly features like this that convince me that Sony will die this generation. Honestly, they've come out with some crap in the past, but this is quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Microsoft and Nintendo aren't much better either, but I'd at least give them the credit for trying to innovate something useful

[masa2009]

I don't see how a little light like that will have much impact on your surroundings.
Sounds like something that was added as a PR angle in case MS goes forward with IllumiRoom.

[Monkeycan8]

I just wanna know if I can turn it off..

[Relientk77]

Cant wait for the Dualshock 4 and PS4

[deno]

I can use that as my bathroom nightlight. I am sure everyone of us takes bathroom breaks while gaming at night, (my preferred time to game) and this is the perfect nightlight. Sony might have an all purpose device here my friends.

[jcnba28]

These sonydrones are hilarious haha! They swear the little blue light on the ps4 controller is the second coming jesus christ! LOL

[-Gespenst-]

Definitely has potential, but it seems sort of limited. I mean the action on screen is going to be comprised of a lot of different colours in most cases.

Point being, "blue for underwater parts" seems sort of simplistic. So what, Every underwater part I'll be playing will be the same blue? If the controller could detect multiple colours on screen and reproduce them in the light, thus making the room reflect the actual colours on screen, that'd be awesome and super immersive, but this seems sort of limiting on the experience.

Anyway, it's optional so whatever. Plus I don't play games in the dark since it's terrible for the eyes.

[Deku-Johnny]

Based on 0 evidence.

[Silly gameAr]

Looks like a lot of people are getting pissed over a light that comes out of a controller, that you'll probably be able to disable if you don't like it.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I don't care what you do with the controller as long as the battery life don't suffer!

[2v1]

hey guy...dont get so mad bcuz of a light