In a recently filed patent application, Sony Interactive Entertainment submitted a system that could potentially allow a banana to be used as a PS5 controller.

Yes, that's right; this patent application, discovered by GamesIndustry, was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office on July 15, 2020. It states Sony's intention that any "passive, non-luminescent object," such as a banana, an orange, a pen, or even a coffee cup, could be used in place of the PlayStation's dual-sense controller.

Sony's patent vaguely outlines how the system would work without going into too much detail. According to the application, the "input unit" first acquires an image of an object held by the user as a video game controller.

The system then uses machine learning models trained to identify objects to detect the pose of the object the user wants to use as a controller. Once this is done, the "user input generator" records the change in the object's pose and sends it to the game console.

The patent application also includes illustrations and references to a "two-object controller," and Sony gives an example of using two oranges. Because why use only one fruit when you can use two?

Interestingly, Sony's patent would not be the first time someone has come up with the idea of using the contents of a fruit bowl as a game controller; Twitch streamers like SuperLouis64 and Rudeism have previously used the "wrong controller" used to challenge the game. For example, SuperLouis64 successfully beat Dark Souls 3 using about half a dozen bananas, and Rudeism cleared Hades with a chunk of pomegranate.

It is difficult to predict what use cases Sony could realistically offer its customers with this technology. Of course, since it is only a patent application, it may not necessarily bear fruit (pun intended).