In late October, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc., that relates to gaming, and more specifically to a system implemented rewind mode of live game play accessible via a universal button enabling replaying captured image frames of the game play.

In Sony’s patent background they note that during live game play of a video game, a player may wish to review recently played portions the game play. For example, the player may have been given some important information to perform a quest, such as when a non-player character (NPC) provides details on capturing an object (e.g. weapon) with additional instructions to bring that object to a particular location. At some point during the live game play, the player may have forgotten portions of or all of the information, and may wish to revisit their recent game play. This may occur when the player decides to perform the quest later, and has forgotten certain details of the quest when the player ultimately tries to complete the quest. Also, the player may be in the middle of performing the quest, but may have forgotten what the next step in the quest is, or may not know how to complete a current step in the quest. For instance, a player may forget how to reach or return to a particular location, such as when the player is told to return to the original location where the NPC provided the quest to prove that the quest has been completed).

Game Play Rewind with User Triggered Bookmarks

Generally speaking, Sony’s patent application describes systems and methods that implements a new rewind mode of live game play accessible via a universal button on a future PlayStation game controller during live game play that is configured for accessing a user interface enabling rewinding and forwarding through captured image frames of the game play.

In that manner, the user is able to enter the rewind mode from the live game play using one or more controller inputs to view recent game play (e.g. rewinding, fast-forwarding, playing, etc.), and returning to live game play afterwards.

Automatic bookmarking of captured image frames or events that are triggered through user interaction (e.g. user visiting an image frame or event during the rewind mode, etc.) enable the user to automatically jump to the bookmarked image frame or event in a subsequent access of the rewind mode.

In addition, because image frames and/or events are automatically bookmarked, the user is able to select a particular bookmarked image frame and/or event from a list of bookmarks when entering the rewind mode.

Advantages of the methods and systems configured to implement a system implemented rewind mode to revisit recent game play that is accessible via a universal button on a game controller during live game play include a seamless experience in replaying the recent game play. That is, a user is able to enter the rewind mode from live game play without accessing a stored file, e.g. if storage of captured image frames is implemented as a buffer in system memory in one embodiment.

Controller input enables intuitive control of the rewind mode, including pre-assigned buttons for rewinding, fast-rewinding, forwarding, fast-forwarding, pausing, playing, and returning back to live game play.

Control of rewind mode may also be implemented through interaction with icons via a user interface. Entering rewind mode can be implemented via actuation of as little as one or two controller inputs. When entering the rewind mode for the first time, captured image frames are automatically replayed in reverse mode from a current image frame of the live game play without additional user input from the user.

Auto-bookmarking of one or more captured image frames that are of interest to the user, and/or auto-bookmarking of events occurring during the game play enables the user to flip back-and-forth between live game play and a bookmarked series of captured image frames or event.

For example, while playing a quest of a video game, the user may periodically flip back to a bookmark to replay captured image frames that provide details of the quest (e.g. where to go, what to obtain, etc.) in case the user needs to know what next to do in the quest.

Sony’s patent FIG. 1 below illustrates a system including a rewind mode service implemented during live game play that is configured to replay captured image frames of recent game play; FIG. 3C illustrates a rewind mode service menu configured to list one or more bookmarks that are automatically generated for one or more captured image frames in recent game play of a video game by a user.''

Sony’s patent FIG. 4A above illustrates a game controller used to access a rewind mode service during live game play enabling replay of captured image frames of recent game play; FIG. 4B illustrates a user interface used to control replaying of captured image frames of recent game play implemented through a rewind mode service implemented during live game play of a video game, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Sony’s patent application 20240359093 was originally filed on April 28, 2023 and published in the U.S. on October 31, 2024. Sony’s European patent filing reveals that Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. is the applicant whereas in the U.S., Sony chose to hide the owner’s name and filed it under the names of the Sony Engineers/Inventors.