Sony patents built-in tips system for players to help others game

Sony has filed a patent for a player-fuelled tips system that would see PlayStation players create easily accessible guides for others on their console. 

Reported by Scrubwiki, Sony’s patent would allow players to leave text, image and audio tips, referred to as “tags”, for other players in-game to alleviate the frustration of stumped gamers, much like hints in Dark Souls or Bloodborne.

“Such tags introduce an additional dimension of community participation to both single and multiplayer games,” reads Sony’s patent.

“Through such tags, players are empowered to communicate through filtered text messages and images as well as audio clips that other game players, including top rated players, have generated and placed at particular coordinates and/or in context of particular events within the game space.”

One example shown depicts a scene in Killzone where a previous player has created a pop-up that warns of an enemy behind a corner. The example shows a simple diagram inside a pop-up box that points to the enemy in question.

This new player help system appears to be an evolution of Sony’s recently developed guides system built for the PlayStation 5 UI. For PS5, developers can include easy to access walkthrough content if they can afford to put resources into that feature. However, with the arrival of player-created guide content, developers wouldn’t have to worry about pouring resources into that area.

The patent does state that developers will be able to create their own in-game tips with the ability to charge players for the content. Just like players, developers can also offer free tips it they wish.