Sony's AI Patent Predicts Button Presses

Sony's New AI-Powered Latency Reduction Technology: A Patent Deep Dive

A recently filed Sony patent reveals a potential game-changer for future gaming hardware: an AI-driven system designed to significantly reduce input latency. This innovative approach leverages machine learning and additional sensors to predict user inputs, thereby minimizing the delay between action and on-screen response.

Sony's current upscaling technology, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), while impressive, can introduce latency when used with frame generation techniques. This is a challenge also faced by GPU manufacturers like AMD and Nvidia, who have implemented solutions such as Radeon Anti-Lag and Nvidia Reflex respectively. Sony's patent, WO2025010132, titled "TIMED INPUT/ACTION RELEASE," aims to address this directly.

The patent details a system incorporating a machine-learning AI model to anticipate user commands. This predictive model is complemented by an external sensor, potentially a camera focused on the controller, to monitor player actions. The patent explicitly mentions using "camera input as an input to a machine learning (ML) model," highlighting the sensor's role in feeding real-time data to the AI. Alternatively, the sensor could be integrated directly into the controller buttons themselves, perhaps utilizing analog input for enhanced precision.

The patent acknowledges the inherent latency between user input and system processing. Sony's solution aims to proactively address this delay by predicting the next input, thus minimizing the perceived lag. While the exact implementation in a future PlayStation console (like the hypothetical PlayStation 6) remains uncertain, the patent strongly suggests Sony's commitment to reducing latency without sacrificing responsiveness, especially in light of increasingly popular frame generation technologies like FSR 3 and DLSS 3, which often introduce additional latency.

This technology would be particularly beneficial for fast-paced games requiring both high frame rates and minimal latency, such as twitch shooters. However, the ultimate application of this patent in future hardware remains to be seen.