Sony Interactive Entertainment has been considering a way to adjust the tempo of PlayStation 5 games based on player-performance.
According to a published patent from earlier today, Sony completely understands that “physiological latencies for motor controls as well as mental latency based on physiological capability” vary between players. That and “game expertise” become important factors to determine the response times of players in games.
As such, a PS5 game with fast-paced action (or sequences) may find some players struggling to keep up. The control inputs of such players may be slow compared to other players with higher response times or better reflexes.
Sony has hence proposed an “adaptive time dilation” system that first learns the performance metrics of players before adding a “latency handicap” to slow down gameplay, preferably during times of high player activity. In the same vein, if players show themselves to be improving in terms of their quick control inputs, the system can automatically reduce the latency handicap on the fly.
Furthermore, the patented system allows players to challenge friends based on their latency handicaps. Hence, players have the option to compete between themselves and best any proposed latency handicaps in PS5 games.
The performance of a player of a game is noted and the player accorded a latency handicap based thereon. The latency handicap is used to slow down play of the game…[and which] can be reduced over time or owing to improvement in the player’s performance.
The best genre to understand what Sony envisions is first-person shooters where players are rewarded for their quick reactions and reflexes. However, players with either disabilities or owing to old age may not be able to compete on the same footings as others. Here, a system which can potentially slow down gameplay, such as during heated boss battles, can prove helpful in more ways than one.
