According to WIPO, Sony Interactive Entertainment has submitted a patent regarding an artificial intelligence voice assistant program for PlayStation. Originally filed back in March this year, the publication for the patent was a mere two days ago.  The news was released by user ZhugeEX on Twitter. Coincidentally, Sony filed a different patent that looked to be the PS5 dev kit earlier last month.

In the patent, it shows that players will be able to ask a variety of in-game inquiries. For example, in Horizon Zero Dawn if the player asks where the nearest health source is the assistant will show it via the game's map. There are also pictures showing requests in Skyrim including how to fight the dragon Mimulnir, where to find a steel sword, and directions to Bleak Falls Barrow. The new PlayStation assistant will seemingly function off mobile devices where you can submit your commands by either typing or speaking. Additionally, depending on the game there are several categories that can be searched through. With Horizon Zero Dawn there are sections for crafting, weapons, armor, enemies, skills, and more. You can also ask it the first day you played a game in your library.

When and if it is ever implemented this could potentially be a great accessibility option for PlayStation consumers. The PlayStation 4 already has voice recognition, but nothing as advanced and detailed as what Sony is apparently pursuing. While nothing has been confirmed this new voice assistant could be a new feature for the inevitable PlayStation 5. With Microsoft having Cortana for so many years now for Windows and Xbox it makes sense that Sony wants to do the same for their own console and take it up to the next level. If you want to see more about the patent you can check it out on the WIPO website.