Sony Wants to Create a 'Fingerprint' of Players' Voices

According to a recently published patent, Sony is working on a program that would record in-game and voice chat audio and then convert those sounds into haptic feedback vibrations to be felt on a controller. A number of recent patents from Sony have focused on enhancements to the PlayStation controller's haptic feedback capabilities, and this latest filing has once again showcased the company's efforts to expand the use of haptic features.

One of the biggest names in gaming, Sony is synonymous with the PlayStation series of consoles, though the company also specializes in PC hardware and other video game accessories such as headsets. Over the years, Sony has developed a number of groundbreaking technological advancements across multiple industries, and the company's recent voice fingerprint patent may once again provide a leap forward in video game experiences.

First registered in 2022 and published April 18, 2024, Sony has filed a patent for a user's voice haptic feedback API that would record the voices of in-game characters and players and then convert that audio into haptic controller vibrations. The aim of the software is to provide a more engaging gaming experience, in which players can «relive» their verbal emotions in the form of «tangible sound.» Sony's haptic feedback technology has been praised for its ability to enhance immersion in various games, and this patent seeks to allow the haptics to be even more expansive. While recorded voice «fingerprints» as haptic feedback may sound exciting, it is key to note that companies frequently file patents that are never fully developed, so there is no guarantee that this haptic voice feature will be made available to users.

As detailed in the Sony patent, the user voice haptic feedback API would be capable of recording audio from in-game characters, as well as from players' microphones. The audio would be recorded in real time and saved for later conversion to haptic feedback. For example, a user playing a horror