Creepy, laughter-tracking PS3 patent has us rethinking Sony's whole PlayStation Eye strategy

Don't they know people look at these things? A recently awarded PS3 patent includes this harrowing "FIG. 2," which portrays a fictional idiot laughing at some "Crazy Inventors" programming, while the PS3 tracks Mr. Laugh's every movement and sound through the PlayStation Eye. The brooding, spiteful console could theoretically pick up on different moods like sadness, excitement, joy and boredom -- before presumably changing up action onscreen to quell that pesky uprising of "emotion" in the subject.

[Via Joystiq]

[Ahmedz Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:05PM]

hahaha.

[JeanMichel Decombe Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:28PM]

Had no idea the Joker had a PS3 *and* abdominal pain. Cool shoes, though.

[James Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:28PM]

Too bad they cant record the laughter i got from seeing this. I dont know what its good for though.

[Ahmedz Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:34PM]

I find those giant logos creepier than that Joker wannabe....

[Smart People Play Tuba Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:52PM]

That is some f&#%ed up repugnant sh!%.

[tylersmyler Posted Aug 15th 2009 10:28PM]

I think they put that one there just for Engadget. Just to mess with them..and us. ;-)

[BigD145 Posted Aug 15th 2009 11:34PM]

Stop telling me what I should and should not laugh at.

[erik1080 Posted Aug 15th 2009 11:56PM]

As the patent illustration shows, for an optimal comedic experience, watch the perpetual ass kicker on a SONY® BRAVIA® television.

[Sublimewulf Posted Aug 16th 2009 12:12AM]

Almost as creepy as an old balding man in a onesie... http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/nintendo-patent-filing-reveals-inflatable-cushion-controller-for/

[conscious Posted Aug 16th 2009 12:32AM]

at sony, comedy is a man operating a machine that causes him to kick his own ass over and over.

[d889 Posted Aug 16th 2009 1:40AM]

the weird thing is in that picture it looks like the device is monitoring what TV station and show he is watching....

maybe sony is pairing up with nielson to turn PS3 homes into nielson homes? if you think about it this kind of technology would KILL in the TV ratings sector, to be able to determine when people laughed on such a large scale.

[M C Posted Aug 16th 2009 1:40AM]

I loled at lol man. lol.

[M C Posted Aug 16th 2009 1:44AM]

This reminds me of the auto - kick function on some dedicated halo servers.

I guess his ping was too high.

[Fanman Posted Aug 16th 2009 5:00AM]

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - FOREVER.

[guideX Posted Aug 16th 2009 5:57AM]

If this post ends in 6 'Ha Ha' man is now a meme... (as in timewise, i have no idea how engadget time system works)

6 GET

[guideX Posted Aug 16th 2009 5:58AM]

GOD DAMN I WAS GONNA SAY SEVEN DAMNIT!!! FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

[rento Posted Aug 16th 2009 7:09AM]

I thought it was a picture of Bruno the movie!

[Cy Starkman Posted Aug 16th 2009 9:51AM]

Fight club

[JJjjjjjjjjjj Posted Aug 16th 2009 11:29AM]

Am I the only one that saw some sort of strange sex machine on the crazy inventors show?

[JayVe Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:05PM]

Huh? Is this some form of joke? April 1st?

[Andir Posted Aug 16th 2009 12:53AM]

... advanced Tivo that doesn't you to enter your favorite shows... you just watch them...

[Smart People Play Tuba Posted Aug 16th 2009 1:26PM]

Since when do they (meaning the networks, and thus, the advertisers who pay for airtime) care whether you actually LAUGH at their shows? All they care is whether you're watching it, and we've already had technology to track that for quite a while.

. . . and without the use of Orwellian cameras and microphones.

** shudder **

[rclightboy197 Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:07PM]

WHAT THE EFF!!!??!!

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:09PM]

What is on TV?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:13PM]

Bills v. Bears on NFL network on the East, and the Seahawks v. Chargers on the west... So far the former is a VERY defensive and turnover-filled game... not too bad though.

[therockr92 Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:20PM]

No, gay midget porn is not humorous, unless your friend is the butt of the joke........

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:40PM]

wat

[mythgarr Posted Aug 15th 2009 11:10PM]

O noes! They stole my patented self-paddling contrapulation! East Texas, here I come!

[loomis2 Posted Aug 16th 2009 11:21AM]

A new episode of Ow, My Balls!

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 16th 2009 4:18PM]

Oh how about the number one movie in America. "Ass" and that's all it was. Just an ass for 90 min.

[mitchelldog4 Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:11PM]

+1 fail for sony

[Weber Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:11PM]

You have no chance to survive make your time.

[Fanman Posted Aug 16th 2009 5:48AM]

You know what you doing.

[GGG Posted Aug 16th 2009 10:14AM]

For great justice.

[Kizul Emeraldfire Posted Aug 16th 2009 3:44PM]

Take off every ‘Zig’.

[Fanman Posted Aug 16th 2009 4:04PM]

Who else looked at wikipedia?

[tjdrodgers Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:12PM]

Okaaaaaaaaay

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:14PM]

How did they find the design for my great self-ass-kicking machine? Those rat bastards!

[hugoliva Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:50PM]

I think it really is an ass wiping machine, but I could be wrong...

[TomTom2010 Posted Aug 15th 2009 10:02PM]

The wheel is rotating counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow, and judging from the position of the butt, I would say it's some sort of shoe-spanking-ass-fetish machine.

Then again, I might be wrong.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 10:10PM]

I think they just pointed the arrow in the wrong direction. Those are definitely shoes on the end of the poles. Why would an ass-wiper or some weird fetish machine cause as much laughter as that man is obviously experiencing?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 10:33PM]

You wouldn't laugh at a fetish, ass-wiping machine?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:14PM]

At first I thought those shoes looked like dildos... It was a disturbing thing to see on Engadget first thing in the morning.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 16th 2009 2:34AM]

I saw abnormally large tongues...

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:14PM]

I DEMAND MOAR ZUNE HD NEWS

[mitchelldog4 Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:15PM]

lol ditto

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:21PM]

Then check out ZuneSpring at http://www.zunespring.com

[ryguy222 Posted Aug 15th 2009 9:15PM]

This is the weirdest patent photo I've ever seen! This is a Sony Fail

[Wwhat Posted Aug 15th 2009 10:04PM]

It's actually a drawing, you were fooled by the lifelike rendition, can happen.

[ryguy222 Posted Aug 15th 2009 11:57PM]

Thank you my smart ass buddy! :)