KEY POINTS

  • Sony continues to rollout updates on its current generation gaming console PS5
  • Sony submitted an idea to the USPTO, which was granted a patent recently
  • The idea is a revolutionary one, especially in the eSports scene

PS5, the latest video game console from Sony Interactive Entertainment, is already feature-packed on its own, but it looks like the Japanese gaming giant is currently working on an ambitious gameplay feature for the console if the recently published patent is of any basis.

While gameplay replays are not new in the video game world, Sony wants to take it a notch higher based on a new patent granted to the company by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that elaborates "what-if gameplay methods and systems" through the use of machine learning in original gameplay videos. The ambitious feature toyed with the idea of a technology that would allow PS5 users to view not only replays of gameplays but also several potential outcomes had they made a different decision.

The patent talks about methods and systems "for generating an outcome of a previous gameplay," including "providing access to a recording of the previous gameplay." According to Sony, the process would include the integration of an "interface that identifies one or more what-if scenarios for the previous gameplay."

Sony has faced challenges rolling out its PlayStation 5 console, which remains difficult to get hold of 18 months after its November 2021 launch
Sony has faced challenges rolling out its PlayStation 5 console, which remains difficult to get hold of 18 months after its November 2021 launch AFP / Philip FONG

These said scenarios, according to the console maker, are based on "processing the recording of the previous gameplay through a machine learning model to identify what-if scenarios for the user, and options for what-if scenarios are provided to the interface." This feature may not sound significant to an average gamer, but it is crucial in the eSports industry as well as in competitive gaming.

sony patent
Methods and systems for generating an outcome of a previous gameplay, including providing access to a recording of the previous gameplay. Sony patent/USPTO

Players can learn a lot from the replays of alternative scenarios and it can prevent them from making the same mistakes. Sony highlighted the use of machine learning as its primary tool to produce "What-If" scenarios from the original gameplay clips.

So far, this idea is not yet implemented in the video games industry and it would be revolutionary if Sony will actually roll it out in the future. It will not only be fun and informative but will also quickly solve post-game arguments among players.

Fans, however, should temper their expectations about this potential PS5 feature. Like all other tech giants, Sony has a habit of registering patents, which usually stay as patents and do not see any commercial release.

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