How Sony's latest patent could transform our video gaming experience
Sony has filed a game-changing patent that could revolutionize the video gaming experience by letting players dive into their games even before they are fully downloaded. Made public last week, the patent was filed in August 2023 and details a technology designed to accelerate game startup times and enable play even during downloads, potentially cutting down on wait times for eager gamers. Besides this, Sony is also working on enhancing mobile gaming controls and developing lifelike non-player character (NPC) reactions.
Science behind new patent work
Generally, players wait for the complete game to download before initiating gameplay. Sony's patented method introduces a notable shift in this procedure. It entails evaluating the time taken by a player to finish a particular segment of the game against the entire game's download duration. If the download time for the game is longer, Sony's technology prioritizes installing that specific game segment first. This allows players to start enjoying parts of the game while the remaining content continues to download.
What does it explain?
The patent explains a method that speeds up application startup times using "application chunks." These fragments are essentially separate parts of a game. The system links these chunks to game time information, which estimates the time it takes for a player to reach specific points or milestones in the game. To streamline the download process, the system predicts the time needed to download these chunks based on chunk details and the user's network data.
Comparing download time with gameplay time
Subsequently, the system compares the anticipated download duration with the previously documented time required to play through the different segments. If the download time proves to be shorter than the gameplay duration, the system proceeds to prioritize the installation of a particular segment of the game.
