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Sony Could decrease Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Don Carlo

Member
New patent cover by eXputer.

Sony is often among the leading conglomerates to introduce new dynamic systems for its games. As such, it is always exploring unique—and sometimes bizarre—ideas worth analyzing. Now, a new patent published by the company wants to use a player's emotions to personally alter a game's difficulty for them. In other words, the gameplay may change to ensure we experience exactly what the devs have intended for the gamers.

The legal doc dubbed "AFFECTIVE GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD" wants to introduce a system that analyzes the emotions of players by using a biometric system. The proposed tech would personalize the gameplay for each user depending on their current feelings. It may decrease difficulty for a player who complains while increasing it for another who finds it much easier until everyone has the intended or balanced experience.

Certain users of a multiplayer video game may experience the game in a manner different to that which was intended, or different to that of other users also playing the game, which may lead to the user being dissatisfied with their game experience, and even feel a sense of isolation thereby," reads the patent.
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The figure shows the schematics of the proposed affective entertainment system | Image Source: Patentscope

Sony uses the example of a horror game to explain the system. It may increase the health of players or help in another way to help them survive better. Similarly, another bunch of users not feeling the horror vibes may see a dramatic decrease in brightness, increased volume, and stronger enemies until they start to feel the creeps like the devs intended.
What's next? It's gonna shut the console off and tell me it's bedtime? Jesus ...
 

xrnzaaas

Member
It says its based on biometric data, its impossible for them to have those so these are pretty useless "news"
They may introduce something like that with PS6 / Dualsense 2. I only hope that there will be option to opt out of that feature if that happens.
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
Uh I hate those dynamic difficulty systems... Unless it can be disabled, I like complaining when things go hard but I want overcome the challenge that had me swearing, not a sweeten one because that's not the same challenge I had issues with, that's like killing the flavor of the victory, IDK if I'm being clear here 😑
 

DAHGAMING

Member
Dark souls finaly getting that easy mode them casuals were crying for. I think I may have to give PS6 a miss as I dont want to tarnish my rep and look like some soyboy.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Next you’ll tell me Sony will throw in rainbows and unicorns if they sense your fear in horror games
 

mdkirby

Member
It says its based on biometric data, its impossible for them to have those so these are pretty useless "news"
Not really. Just more sensors in headsets or controllers. The controllers already have microphones, so feasible that if you keep yelling “fuck this game” it could do something. Between all those and a decent ai it’d be able to work it out. Massive privacy issues with using the mic for that tho, so I doubt they’d do that part. Would be funny tho if they ever had Apple Watch like sensors to the level that it goes “hmm, we’ve reduced the horror, and recommend you urgently call your GP”
 

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
I dimly remember that Resident Evil 4 (original release) scaled difficulty when players were struggling, but I can't find evidence of it in 3 seconds of searching, so I'm not sure now.

Is this something new?
 
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Rivdoric

Neo Member
Is that really necessary ?

I'm 100% agreeing with fully adjustable difficulty the like of Horizon Forbidden West .
You could tailor basically everything from looting system to enemy resistance and player health.
All of that without any consequence to trophies.

To me this system is great. I don't see the point of automatic adjustment though. If i want to struggle let me struggle lol.
 
Is that really necessary ?

I'm 100% agreeing with fully adjustable difficulty the like of Horizon Forbidden West .
You could tailor basically everything from looting system to enemy resistance and player health.
All of that without any consequence to trophies.

To me this system is great. I don't see the point of automatic adjustment though. If i want to struggle let me struggle lol.


IMO a system like this is bullshit. Difficulty is an essential part of game design. Good devs optimize the game experience with one difficulty in mind and from there they dumb it down or make it more extreme. TLOU and Ghost of Tsushima are prime examples of this. You can only appreciate how well-balanced they are in the max difficulty settings. An easier TLOU is just Uncharted with zombies.

Having an AI system that meddles with that is an awful idea, and disrespectful to devs. Or a justification for poor game design.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Maybe I‘m misunderstanding this but this type of dynamic difficulty it’s up to devs themselves implement rather than Sony?
 
Whats up with all these "Sony could.." threads? It's all batshit crazy.
Soon Sony "could" wash your house and do your dishes before jerking you off, but they SHOULD just fuck off and make Bloodborne available on PC.
I'm tired of these stupid fucking threads on patents that may or may not happen.

Tired Over It GIF by VH1
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
All the people moaning about how Souls games should have easy modes because they just want to see the story and developers should RESPECT MUH TIME will be happy I guess.
 

T4keD0wN

Member
They may introduce something like that with PS6 / Dualsense 2. I only hope that there will be option to opt out of that feature if that happens.
Now ill be sad if Dualsense 2 doesnt come with opt-in real-time blood sample and pressure analysis and a heart rate monitor to analyse my feelings, even my doctor would be jealous.
Joking, obviously
 
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ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Maybe Sony can patent automatically buy a game that they think you will like
 

Roberts

Member
I dimly remember that Resident Evil 4 (original release) scaled difficulty when players were struggling, but I can't find evidence of it in 3 seconds of searching, so I'm not sure now.

Is this something new?
I think I've experienced something like that. I too, can't remember exact example and usually games offer you to lower the difficulty after dying and dying at the same spot, except one specific game that just punished me until it all of a sudden became a walk in the park for some strange reason. Could be a bug, I don't know.

Anyway, I get the idea behind this. In my circle of friends, it's mostly their kids playing PS5 consoles and even relatively simple games like Spider-Man could be too hard for them. Can't ask your dad constantly to beat a boss or solve a puzzle.
 

Unknown?

Member
Whats up with all these "Sony could.." threads? It's all batshit crazy.
Soon Sony "could" wash your house and do your dishes before jerking you off, but they SHOULD just fuck off and make Bloodborne available on PC.
Nope, shouldn't waste their time on that.
 

radewagon

Member
Oh no... games will be more approachable to a larger audience in a way that doesn't affect me in the slightest.... whatever will I do? Difficulty scaling has been around for a while and it's fine.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
this and the patent where they let AI play games really indicate they want to lower the entry barrier for the non gamers
 
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