The PlayStation 5's release later this year is inching slowly closer. Sony might be taking things patiently, making announcements about the PS5 at a very measured pace. But even Sony can't avoid certain official PS5 details from leaking entirely. The latest leak comes from another Sony-filed patent, this one for a "Digital Assistant" or "Chatbot." The chatbot would be able to listen to a person's queries and respond, not unlike Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, or Amazon's Alexa.
The patent provides a very basic description of Sony's chatbot's functionality. It's able to listen for a person's query, create a response, prompt the user for further queries, and so on. It's also able to be set up to respond to scheduled tasks or events, presumably like an alarm or notification. The patent shows the chatbot will be able to connect to the cloud in order to acquire the necessary information required for its responses.
One particularly interesting aspect of Sony's chatbot is that it has an avatar, as well as a facial animation module. The diagrams in the patent show the chatbot as a small person who would be able to move and talk like a normal person. Rather than just a beep or a voice response, a visual avatar could pop up on PS5 users' televisions if they asked the chatbot a question.
Previously revealed patents for the PS5's controller, the DualSense, show that it should have a microphone. Further, the DualSense will potentially allow for voice commands and headset-less party chat, a key feature necessary for issuing headset-less commands to a chatbot.
A third patent suggested Sony was planning something called a PlayStation Assistant. This patent was much more gameplay-oriented, however. For example, a PlayStation gamer could ask the PlayStation Assistant where an in-game location might be to receive directions. The chatbot patent may be an extension of or redesign of Sony's earlier PlayStation Assistant plans.
Stepping back and looking at it as a consumer, a robust voice assistant in the PS5 makes a lot of sense. The PS4 already supports voice commands, as has the Xbox One going back to the Kinect days. A voice assistant is a natural step forward. Though an always-listening technology in a video game console should bring with it questions regarding privacy, too. It may come down to whether gamers trust Sony to always be listening in their household.
It deserves to be repeated that this is not an officially announced feature. It may just be a patent for an idea Sony isn't following through with. And even if it is, it may not be for the PS5. Until Sony makes an official announcement, take this news with a grain of salt.
The PS5 is planned for release holiday 2020.
Source: SegmentNext