Sony’s new patent takes haptic feedback and its possibilities to a new level. We will now be able to create so-called “voice prints”.
23.04.2024 – According to a recently published patent, Sony is working on a program that records in-game and party chat sounds and then converts them into haptic feedback vibrations that can be felt on the controller. Several of Sony’s recently issued patents have focused on improving the haptic feedback capabilities of the PlayStation controller, and this latest announcement is yet another confirmation of the company’s efforts to expand the use of haptic features.
One of the biggest names in the gaming industry, Sony is best known for the PlayStation series of consoles, although the company also specializes in PC hardware and other video game accessories such as headsets. Over the years, Sony has pioneered a number of technological breakthroughs across multiple industries, and the company’s latest “soundprint” patent could once again be a step forward in video game experiences. Not to mention that this new technology can even boost the gaming experience of the hearing impaired, especially if it is possible for them to have smooth audio communication.
What exactly will this “voiceprint” be good for?
According to Sony, this should be imagined as if our voice were a fingerprint, and the software in question would recognize it and use it later during the game. Unfortunately, this software will not yet be able to provide the kind of accessibility that I mentioned earlier in the case of the hearing impaired, but in the future anything can be possible from this new feature!
The software aims to provide a more immersive gaming experience where players can ‘relive’ their verbal emotions in the form of ‘tangible sound’. Sony’s haptic feedback technology has been praised by many for its ability to enhance immersion in various games, and this patent seeks to allow haptics to be even more expansive.
As detailed in the Sony patent, the user voice haptic feedback API would be able to capture audio from in-game characters as well as players’ microphones. It records the sound in real time and converts it into haptic feedback later. For example, a user playing a horror game screams when a certain character or enemy appears on the screen. This software then records the scream and “plays it back” to the user in the form of a controller vibration the next time they encounter that enemy.
It’s an interesting idea that can grow into an exciting novelty over time.
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