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Sony cartridge patent found: PlayStation 5 feature, or PlayStation Vita sequel?

Aaron Mamiit
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A patent that Sony filed for a cartridge has been spotted by the same website that discovered the patent for the PlayStation 5 development kit.

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In August, Dutch website Let’s Go Digital created renders for a patent that was submitted in Brazil in May and published on August 13 at the World Intellectual Property Office. The patent, initially thought to be the design of the PlayStation 5, was later confirmed to closely resemble the development kit for the console.

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Let’s Go Digital spotted another patent that follows the one for the PlayStation 5 development kit design. The new patent, filed earlier this year by Sony Interactive Entertainment at Brazil’s Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial, features a design by Yujin Morisawa, the company’s Senior Art Director of Corporate Design.

Sony PlayStation cartridge, maar voor welke game console? https://t.co/LM5bYMrHou pic.twitter.com/xuYGaYv66f

— LetsGoDigital (@letsgodigitalNL) November 9, 2019

The purpose of the cartridge remains unclear, but speculation is running rampant that it may have something to do with the upcoming PlayStation 5, which is set to roll out during the 202 the holiday season. The next-generation console is confirmed to contain a Blu-ray drive capable of reading triple-layered discs of up to 100GB, so it will likely not need to run games from a cartridge. It may be connected to a new, unannounced feature, perhaps for expandable storage.

The last Sony gaming system that used cartridges was the PlayStation Vita, which was launched back in 2012. Sony has repeatedly said that it is not working on a new handheld console due to the popularity of mobile games delivered through smartphones and tablets, but the success of the Nintendo Switch may have changed the company’s mind.

Unfortunately, it is much more likely that the cartridge will not be for any PlayStation system. A similar cartridge patent, spotted about a year ago in South Korea, turned out to be for the children’s toy platform Toio. Sony Interactive Entertainment patents cause confusion because of the possibility that the filings are for the video game system, and it may be the same for the new patent.

Until Sony fully reveals the PlayStation 5, surprisingly unveils the PlayStation Vita 2, or rolls out the cartridge for Toio, all we can do is speculate. While there remains hope that the patent leads to a major announcement, PlayStation fans should not hold their breath.

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