In recent years companies like Nvidia and Sony have been looking closely at different ways that AI can improve the gaming experience. Now, a recently published patent from Nvidia reveals that the company is looking into utilizing AI to improve video game haptics.

For those who don't know, haptics are the physical responses that video games give to players to accentuate certain things happening in a game. The most common example is a controller vibrating when shooting a gun or driving a car, but it also ranges to things like vibrating vests and even the PlayStation 5's new DualSense controller that gives haptic feedback on the triggers.

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The patent, originally filed back in September 2019, looks at a possible way to utilize machine learning to add haptic feedback accurately into video games and other media. The researchers from Nvidia behind the patent suggest that an algorithm could be used to determine specific features within a video game or piece of media, and then determine proper haptic feedback to associate with it. The system would require players to be using different haptic-enabled peripherals, like Activision's possible haptic gun controller, but once players had that the AI could have a rather large impact on the player's experiences.

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While the patent does not provide much detail on specific uses of the AI, but patents rarely are. The patent's description of the AI however does leave the concept open to a number of different applications. It could interface with multiple haptic devices at once, or could even add a haptic layer to television and movies by detecting things like explosions to provide a more impactful experience. Of course, if the AI was developed it would require some training by Nvidia to get its basic understanding down before it was in the hands of consumers and could then adapt on the fly to different media without any exposure to it beforehand. Of course, Nvidia's DLSS feature already utilizes AI, so the company would be treading familiar ground.

Nvidia's patent is being published shortly after Sony's patent to use AI to make games more accessible, which hints at the industry's attention turning towards the many possible uses of AI in improving video games industry-wide. It is great to see what could all be possible new features for the industry in the near future, and while many patents are filed without ever leading to an official release, if even a small percentage of the patents lead to something tangible the video games industry will look very different in just a few years.

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Source: PCGamer