- A PlayStation patent for a controller with a rewind button has been spotted
- It could allow players to quickly undo mistakes in-game and try again
- It also seems to have multimedia applications
A patent submitted by Sony for a PlayStation controller with a dedicated rewind button has recently been published.
Available for public viewing at PatentScope – and discovered by Tech4Gamers – the patent shows that the rewind button would be situated where the Share button is on a DualSense Wireless Controller (that’s just to the right of the d-pad). The feature would seemingly allow players to rewind their gameplay in order to go back on a mistake or try a section of a level again, for example.
The standout quote from the patent is: “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.”
The button would not just be for rewinding, then; it seems like it may also allow for fast-forwarding – handy if you’re dying to get through those unskippable cutscenes. The patent also described that the button could display “a list of features for the user, such as the rewind mode, a sharing mode for generating a file including a portion of game play that the user would like to share with others, a highlight reel mode that is used to generate a highlight reel of game play, etc.”
The concept itself is nothing new; emulators on PC and mobile have had features like save states and fast-forward options since what feels like the dawn of time. Even Nintendo Switch Online’s retro libraries offer a simple rewinding system during gameplay. However, this would likely be the first time such a feature has been implemented directly into a piece of hardware from a major console manufacturer.
And of course, it’s worth noting that patents aren’t sacrosanct. While a neat idea, it would need to be reserved for future iterations of PlayStation hardware – potentially PS6 and its official controller – and even then there’s no guarantee. Beyond that, the rewind feature will need to be disabled for online multiplayer games for obvious reasons.
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