Activision's New Controller Patent Takes Aim At Bugs

Gaming companies have been filing some exciting patents left and right this year, with things like Sony's anti-griefer VR patent catching the attention of gamers everywhere. Activision is the latest company to introduce a potential new feature that could change gaming for the better. Activision's patent is looking at a new way to address glitches and bugs in games with new controller technology.

As spotted by GameRant, Activision has submitted a new patent for programmable controllers that should help to streamline one of the most unstable parts of the gaming development process — fixing bugs and glitches. 

Developers typically rely on alpha and beta testers to come across issues in games. After a bug is found, then the developers try to recreate the problem so that the case of the exploit can be determined. However, this isn't always an easy thing to do. It can take a lot of time to fix, which, depending on the problem, can be really frustrating for players and the dev team alike. When game releases are riddled with bugs, like the original retail version of "Cyberpunk 2077," it can cause massive problems for the companies behind the game. 

And when Activision's biggest properties, like "Call of Duty: Warzone," are still reporting regular glitches, it makes sense that the company would want to get ahead of the curve.

The new Activision patent can theoretically help streamline the gaming development and quality testing process by finding and diagnosing bugs almost immediately. The idea is that the controllers will be able to find and recreate a glitch by signaling exactly where and when the bug occurs, which would allow the dev team to pinpoint exact problems at a faster rate. The controllers may also be able to be programmed to test for different consoles and platform versions.

It's hard for players to understand how much work goes into finding and patching a bug or glitch in a game. When fixes take a while to release, players generally get upset with developers, which can ruin a game's reputation and a company's reputation. The quicker Activision can fix bugs and glitches, the happier players are and the safer the company is, and this controller seems like it could be a huge step in the right direction.

The new patent won't make all bugs and glitches disappear, of course. And in fact, for some games, glitches can be quite entertaining and almost make the game better. However, the patent will help Activision keep on top of its games with quicker hotfixes.