‘PlayStation Assist’ Digital Assistant Revealed In New Sony Patent
With the next generation of consoles slowly-but-surely coming to fruition, hardware and software makers have started showing off their wares through a series of small reveals. We’already seen several looks at Sony’s PlayStation 5 earlier this year, with Xbox’s own ‘Project Scarlett‘ officially presented at E3 2019. The time since has put forth even more possibilities about next-gen, which could very well include a digital assistant called “PlayStation Assist” by the looks of a recent Sony patent.
Shared by Daniel “ZhugeEX” Ahmad on Twitter, the ‘Assist’ patent was discovered to be an AI-powered digital assistant designed to function mainly through voice and text commands. The documents (via Patentscope) depict several potential applications for the technology such as calling-up information about in-game content, as well as accessing strategy guides or walkthroughs for when the going gets particularly tough.
Sony has filed a new patent for an AI powered voice assistant called PlayStation Assist.
You can input a query and then the game will dynamically respond.
E.g. Ask for the nearest health pack > The game marks it on your map.https://t.co/BQWibOqSRP pic.twitter.com/PNKDEH7jGe
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) September 29, 2019
Specific scenarios were demonstrated with two popular titles for the PlayStation 4: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Horizon: Zero Dawn. Upon asking PlayStation Assist about certain creatures or characters from each game, the AI is shown to provide on-screen descriptions regarding each subject, either directly on the TV or through a separate, dedicated mobile app. In addition, the ability to call up boss fight strategies, location directions, and quest objectives also appear to be part of Assist’s capabilities, with even more suggested to be included based on which specific game is being played.
PlayStation Assist appears to be Sony’s potential answer to the growing assortment of digital assistants in this day and age. Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant are arguably the most prominent AIs of the bunch; having proven extremely useful for accessibility purposes or just general tomfoolery. With Microsoft’s Cortana seemingly winding down for the time being, it would present a pretty opportune time for Sony to release their own version for the inevitable PlayStation 5. PlayStation Assist would surely fit nicely alongside the future console’s energy efficiency, impressive internal hardware, and unique potential design.
The PlayStation 5 doesn’t currently have an official release date, but is rumored to release sometime next year.
What do you think? Would you be interested in a PlayStation-themed AI, or were you not too impressed the first time when Xbox did it? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
