Imagine an Alexa, but while you're playing a game...
It has happened to all of us.
We get to a part in a game, and we're not quite sure what to do next.
Or we do know what to do next, but we're not quite sure how to do it, because maybe our energy is low, or we've run out of bullets.
Normally, we might have to pop online for some kind of FAQ to get us to the next bit, or run around blindly for a while until the situation hopefully resolves itself.
Well, it looks like a new patent by Sony, most likely for the PlayStation 5 (or whatever they end up officially calling it) will put an end to that.
Games industry analyst Daniel Ahmad spotted the patent first:
https://twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/1178176656877465601?s=20
We imagine this Assist will only work within reason, as in you can't just ask for the solution to a puzzle, or ask the game to kill whatever baddie you're currently fighting against.
A further look into the
patent application states that "As a result, the player has a more immersive experience with the gaming application, such that rather than just playing the gaming application out-of-the-box, so to speak, the player can enhance his or her game play with information that is presented (e.g., audio, text, video, etc.) simultaneously with the game play, and/or a running conversation with an automated gaming assistant (e.g., gaming butler/navigator) during the game play that is configured to provide psychological and informational support to the player."
All of which basically means that you can say out loud "Hey PlayStation" (or whatever the activation statement might be, a la "Hey Siri"), and then either ask for an audio or video response to a specific query about the game you're currently playing.
Now, since it is currently still in patent application status, there is no guarantee that it will ever see the light of day, but we imagine that should it implemented, it will make a major change for gamers on the next generation of Sony's console.
