In the war between console manufacturers to see who can come up with the most inane and bizarre control system for a console, Sony may have just won a decisive victory - though a laughter detector.

Revealed in a series of newly file patents spotted by SiliconEra, the new control system Sony is thinking about is likely an extension of the PlayStation Eye camera and microphone system which is already in use on the console.

The patent isn't just limited to detecting laughter either and Sony's patent outlines a number of different emotional states that may be useful for games - including sadness, distress, fear, curiosity and even boredom.

Like Microsoft's Natal system for the Xbox 360, it looks like Sony's emotion-controller will function on the basis of body gestures, facial expressions and amount of player movement, all of which will be detected through the camera and microphone.

One of the most interesting things about the patent though is the fact that the detection software may be designed to connect a whole host of Sony devices, with the patent image showing a PS3 connected up to a Sony Bravia TV which is being used to watch TV. Might the emotion detection system be useful for more than just games and end up playing a role in channel flipping too?

Let us know your thoughts on the emotion detector in the forums.