In 2009, Nintendo signaled its intention to explore another avenue of user interface with the Vitality Sensor, a peripheral that would monitor a player's pulse and use that information in games. While that add-on is still unreleased, a recent patent application (as spotted by Siliconera) shows that Sony may be interested in testing similar waters.

Sony described console controllers and even a handheld with built-in biometric sensing equipment.

Filed in December of 2010, the application reveals design diagrams for three different biometric controllers. Biometric-equipped versions of a DualShock 3 and PlayStation Move controller are represented, as is a handheld PlayStation Vita-like device. The patent description details controllers that would read a player's bio-signal data as a form of input.

Bio-data would be captured, analyzed, and then used to alter the setting or state of the software or game. This would potentially allow for automation of various settings related to a player's comfort level and state of mind. It could also allow for software to cater to the player's moment-to-moment experience on an individual basis.

In the application, Sony described a number of potential uses for this technology. Examples included reading a user's stress level to dynamically adjust a game's difficulty, increasing a weapon's accuracy if a player's level of frustration reaches a certain threshold, and in-game characters that can respond to the player's current state of mind.