AI-Powered Sony Patent Predicts Button Presses Via Finger Camera

Sony's new patent hints at a potential game-changer for future PlayStation consoles: AI-powered latency reduction. The patent, WO2025010132, focuses on "TIMED INPUT/ACTION RELEASE," aiming to minimize the delay between player input and in-game response.

Sony's current PlayStation 5 Pro features PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an upscaler. However, advanced techniques like frame generation often introduce latency, impacting responsiveness. Competitors AMD and Nvidia have addressed this with Radeon Anti-Lag and Nvidia Reflex, respectively. Sony's patent suggests a similar approach.

The patent describes a system using a machine learning AI model to predict the player's next input. This prediction is aided by an external sensor, potentially a camera observing the controller, to anticipate button presses. The patent even suggests using controller buttons themselves as sensors, possibly leveraging analog inputs in a next-generation controller.

While the patent's specifics may not directly translate to the PlayStation 6, it demonstrates Sony's commitment to mitigating latency issues. This is especially crucial given the rising popularity of frame generation technologies like FSR 3 and DLSS 3, which inherently add latency.

The benefits would be most noticeable in fast-paced games requiring both high frame rates and low latency, such as first-person shooters. However, the future implementation of this technology remains uncertain.