Sony and its PS5 are the talks of the town lately thanks to a very interesting patent leak. RespawnFirst was able to dig up a couple of patents for a unique PlayStation 5 feature called PlayStation Assistant.
Last updated on October 18th, 2019 at 12:09 am
No one saw this feature coming and it seems Sony is really pushing its development forward, at least that’s what we can tell from multiple patents filed by the company.
Apart from the two we discussed last week, there is another patent for PlayStation Assistant that sheds some more light on how this PS5 feature works.
Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a patent on October 1st, 2020 at the United States Trademark and Patent Office for a system that will be “identifying player engagement to generate contextual gameplay assistance.”
“Contextual gameplay assistance” is the keyword here. One of the key features of PlayStation Assitance is going to be this “contextual gameplay assistance” for PS5 users. This feature allows PlayStation Assistant AI to monitor player activities during gameplay and provide assistance within the game. The information provided by the AI assistant can be  based on (but not limited to) the frustration of the user with the video game.
For example, if it ‘s taking you multiple attempts to defeat a certain boss the game may provide helpful tips on the side. In other instances, not being able to find an objective without a marker may lead to frustration, the game will intervene.
The present disclosure describes methods and systems directed towards identifying player engagement to generate contextual game play assistance. User gameplay information is monitored so that the user can be provided assistance within the video game where the user may have problems. User gameplay information is monitored in order to identify what type(s) of assistance could be provided to the user. The information can be based on the current level of frustration of the user with the video game.
Of course, this type of feature must be optional since not all players like the game holding their hands. Especially in games like Dark Souls. It is safe to say that Sony Interactive Entertainment is working on a toggle option for PlayStation Assistant for PS5. Speaking of PS5, the next-generation console is set for release by the end of 2020.