Sony patents another break-apart controller

You may recall that Sony patented a "break-apart" controller way back in 2008, implying a step into motion gaming before the Move peripheral ever debuted. The company apparently hasn't given up the idea of a gaming transformer, though, as a new patent shows another controller with a similar concept behind it.

The Sixth Axis reports that a patent filed in May 2011, but only published yesterday, calls for a "hybrid separable motion controller." A Move orb is on top of each of the separate components, but it also sports a speaker of its own unlike the traditional Move controller. The idea, apparently, is a standard DualShock controller that can become a Move controller easily, reducing the need for games that have to choose between one control mechanism and the other.

It's an interesting idea, and Sony has certainly surprised us with unlikely peripherals before. On the other hand, it was filed last year and the Move hasn't exactly picked up steam since then, so we may never see this one come to market.