A patent that Sony filed last year for a gaming tablet has recently been discovered. And you'll never guess what it's called: The PlayStation EyePad.
Cult of Mac was one of the first outlets to pick up the story, and given their loyalty to Apple, they were not surprisingly unimpressed. But digging deeper reveals a machine that's more than just a brazen rip off of the iPad.
According to the patent's description, it appears to mimic much of the functionality of a PS3 controller, like a similarly designed d-pad and SIXAXIS motion sensor. As for analog control, it's present. But instead of dual sticks, there's just one.
But the real star of the show is the illuminated edges. The lights would be used in conjunction with the PlayStation 3’s EyeToy (hence they name, even though it still sound way too close to Apple's tablet) to allow for motion tracking.
This functionality is similar to how the PlayStation Move already works, so the tablet would in essence be Move-compatible.
Furthermore, thanks to the two stereoscopic cameras, 3D imagery could be captured. Among the many possible applications is the ability for it to scan a real world object and have it rendered via the EyePad, which can then be manipulated with the device's touchscreens.
It’s worth noting that, at the moment, it’s just a patent, and the name EyePad could be purely a term that Sony used purely for internal parties. Like developers who like to poke fun at Apple.
The EyePad is certainly not Sony’s first stab at a gaming tablet. There’s the Sony Tablet S (clearly the company has a knack for naming such devices) that came out recently. It runs Android and has the distinction of also running certain PSone games.
