Sony's new patent hints at a potential game-changer for PlayStation: AI-powered latency reduction. The patent, WO2025010132, focuses on optimizing "timed release of user commands" by predicting player inputs. This addresses the latency issues often associated with advanced graphics technologies like frame generation, which, while boosting frame rates, can negatively impact responsiveness.
Sony's current PlayStation 5 Pro features PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an upscaler, but the company is clearly looking ahead. The patent details a system using a machine learning AI model to anticipate player actions. This prediction is aided by external sensors, potentially a camera observing controller inputs, or even the controller buttons themselves. The patent suggests utilizing analog button data, aligning with Sony's history of incorporating this technology.
While not guaranteed for PlayStation 6 implementation, the patent demonstrates Sony's commitment to mitigating latency without sacrificing responsiveness. This is especially relevant given the increasing popularity of frame generation technologies like FSR 3 and DLSS 3, known for introducing additional latency. The benefits would be most noticeable in fast-paced games demanding both high frame rates and low latency, such as twitch shooters. Whether this innovative approach finds its way into future hardware remains to be seen.
