A new Sony patent has systems that can facilitate covert communications between groups of players in multiplayer PlayStation games.
One of the last patents filed by sony intends to facilitate covert communication between players in multiplayer titles through systems that observe the actions of two groups. As multiplayer gaming has exploded in popularity over the years, teammates have communicated in a variety of ways, from proximity chat to third-party apps like Discord, but Sony may have another way to bridge the gap now.
Sony’s secret player communications patent has systems that can ultimately train artificial intelligence to recognize different gestures of a player to predict possible actions of a second player. As multiplayer gaming has evolved, features such as rebooting have replaced respawning in games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, while the ping system introduced with it has revolutionized the way teammates communicate non-verbally. Potentially preparing to take the next step in this method of player collaboration in games, Sony’s new patent could be the latest multiplayer advancement.
According to the Sony patent filed, the systems will primarily collect data on gestures made between two groups of players and the actions other players take in response to this using an image camera. Using this model, Sony systems could then generate a recommendation to one group of gamers without the other group having to enter an input. This inference of communication versus a verbal link between players can go even further based on this patent to generate even more responses based on the movements and actions of the two groups of players.
Sony suggests that trained communication AI will eventually be able to make predictions about what players will do in a game after observing and mirroring a large group of samples. The AI will use its data to calculate the probability of the player’s actions with a processor and memory device that combine to comb through all possible actions. Given that this Sony patent was among others that were only recently filed, it’s currently unclear when fans of PlayStation multiplayer will be able to find out about the secret communications tool that’s being worked on.
Although teaming up is normally a bad thing in battle royales like Fortnite Where PUBG Due to potential endgame implications, titles such as Battlefield 2042, Call of Duty, Destiny 2, and others could benefit from the changes Sony is developing. Although the secret communication tool can be used in less competitive games like Minecraft Where Forza Horizon 5 when implemented, ranked multiplayer is unlikely to be impacted much by the changes, if at all.