Sony is working on something revolutionary: simply rewind games as you like, whenever and however far you like – simply at the touch of a button.
What could new controllers receive? Sony presents a potential new button on the DualSense controllers in a patent. You can also imagine it as a kind of rewind or very small chapter selection like in common video players (via patentscope). You should be able to choose virtually any point in time that you have already experienced. Future DualSense controllers could receive a new button specifically for this purpose.
By the way, the PlayStation 5 Pro was released on November 7, 2024. We have summarized everything important for you in one article.
The creators of the PlayStation visited hundreds of developers, but everyone thought the idea was terrible
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Time travel at the push of a button
How should I imagine this in practice? We can’t be completely sure based on the description, but it looks like the following process:
How exactly is this different from a save game? From the description, this rewind system seems to be freer of restrictions. This means that an ongoing battle would probably not prevent you from creating a bookmark. In practice, it could feel similar to the now often used rewind function in racing games. According to current knowledge, the feature should work in all single player modes.
When will the new feature appear? Maybe never. Not every patent is implemented, but Sony is definitely working in the background on potential new features like this one for the PlayStation 5 or its successor. Meanwhile, a company is of course driven to a certain extent to make such patent applications by profit motives in order to protect ideas and thus forestall the competition.
Another patent from last year has not yet managed to become reality – even though it would not require a new controller. In another document available at Patentscope, Sony describes the concept of starting a game from video material. You can read about how this would work in an article from our colleagues at GameStar.
We have already reported on a new, less revolutionary, but certainly interesting feature that has already been implemented. Because your PlayStation can now connect you with fellow gamers in a way that was previously unknown: “Share link”: Two words for a new feature on the PS5 that turns complete strangers into fellow players in your favorite titles on Sony’s console