Breaking News: PS5 looks set to bring a voice assistant to players
- Recent patent filing suggests gamers can look forward to a voice assistant with new PS5 console. As most devices now have voice assistant this makes perfect sense.
PS5 Voice Assistant
Just last week we reported on the existing information known about the new Sony PS5, this week an exciting new development suggests we may expect a voice assistant. The information comes at the end of several patent filings made by the team at Sony pointing increasingly to the fact that this will definitely be a new feature of the console, which will be on sale at game.co.uk
What Do We Know?
Patent filings are always helpful when it comes to trying to second guess what to expect from technology manufacturers. They are watched closely and often leaked to the public before the full story is known. However, a new flow chart has emerged from the patent filing paperwork showing how the Voice Assistant may work during gameplay.
Sony already confirmed that the new DualSense controller has a microphone that is able to deal with some voice commands from the user as a stand-alone, giving hints and tips to the players. So that's not new information but, the further use of the console itself and how a data assistant might work is certainly something unseen until today.
The Flow Chart
Although slightly tricky to follow, and clearly a snippet of information that belongs with something bigger, what we can see from the flowchart is that the Voice Assistant may well bring the similar level of AI technology as things like Google HomeHub and Alexa.
It shows what looks to be an AI style analysis that the software will be able to carry out. Looking at how the player approaches the game and data stored historically from other players, in order to establish how much gameplay will be needed to the next completed level or to a save point. It can then pass that information to the user.
A second crudely drawn image shows what appears to be some gameplay with a popup from the Voice Assistant (presumably this would not appear on screen but would be fed directly to the earpiece) offering a tip to get the player through a particular problem. In this case two players are shown battling some kind of monster with the Voice Assistant offering the advice ‘You are having difficulty with using the axe. You can improve by using the combination “XOX”.
PlayStation Assist
While these images are new, the concept of an assistant within the PS5 has been whispered for some time and the consensus seems to be that this will be called PlayStation Assist. Given the several years between consoles it would be unlikely Sony would hold this technology back for the next incarnation.
All we can do is wait to see whether it is unveiled at the PS5 launch later in the year and whether Sony view this as a big deal or not. We have already seen the Xbox One and Cortana combination fall pretty flat on its face with users unimpressed by the features.
