Sony's latest patent hints at a potential game-changer for future PlayStation consoles: AI-powered latency reduction. The patent, WO2025010132, titled "TIMED INPUT/ACTION RELEASE," focuses on predicting user inputs to minimize delays.
Sony's current PlayStation 5 Pro, featuring PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), already tackles upscaling. However, technologies like frame generation introduce latency, impacting responsiveness. Competitors AMD and Nvidia have addressed this with Radeon Anti-Lag and Nvidia Reflex, respectively. Sony's patent suggests a similar approach.
The patent details a system using a machine-learning AI model to anticipate user inputs. This prediction is aided by an external sensor, potentially a camera observing the controller, to detect impending button presses. The patent even suggests using controller buttons themselves as sensors, potentially leveraging analog input in a next-generation controller.
While the patent's exact implementation in a PlayStation 6 remains uncertain, it signals Sony's commitment to minimizing latency without sacrificing responsiveness. This is particularly relevant given the increasing popularity of frame generation technologies like FSR 3 and DLSS 3, known for adding latency.
The benefits would be most noticeable in fast-paced games requiring high frame rates and low latency, such as twitch shooters. Whether this innovative technology will see the light of day in future hardware remains to be seen.
