2 weeks Ago By Kevin Low
share 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 It looks like Sony is experimenting with their PlayStation controller designs, as the company has recently published a patent for a controller with its own dedicated gameplay rewind button . First reported by Tech4Gamers , the patent is for “gameplay rewind with user-triggered bookmarks”, pointing to the technology that enables the viewing of previous gameplay segments via a “universal button on a controller during live gameplay.” As per the patent’s images, this would replace the current “Share” button situated above the left analogue stick, with another showing on-screen icons for pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding similar to that of media players.
According to the patent, “The user is able to enter the rewind mode from the live gameplay using one or more controller inputs to view recent gameplay (e.g. rewinding, fast-forwarding, playing, etc.
), and returning to live gameplay afterwards,” suggesting that the feature would be useful to allow bookmarking of key moments during a game and returning to it with a push of a button, which can potentially be used to remind players of information they missed, or replay interesting moments. Advertisement ▼ Rewinding gameplay is technically not a new feature, with certain games already using a similar in-built system, such as the 2023 racing title Forza Motorsport , which allows players to rewind time and restart from a certain point. The patent alludes towards PlayStation adding such a feature across every game on its console, which is a rather ambitious goal.
This feature might also bring about some unintended drawbacks, such as players potentially abusing it for save scumming, an exploit used to rewind a title after making a mistake that’s commonly used for retro titles with notorious difficulty, which can lead to players cheating the system for choice-heavy narrative games such as Life Is Strange: Double Exposure or role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate 3 . Of course, while the patent seems interesting for sure, this is in no way a guarantee of the feature’s implementation in the foreseeable future, with PlayStation’s other ambitious patents such as one to make DualSense controllers turn hot or cold depending on gameplay never seeing the light of day. Kevin Low Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 .
He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. controller DualSense PlayStation Sony A powerful refresh for Sony. A great looking minimalist pro controller with a few too many design issues for comfort.
Crash and burn..
