Sony patents dynamic difficulty system for future games

Sony has been exploring ways to bring in-game help and tips to PlayStation users since the PS5's inception. The console launched with a guide feature that would give players quest-by-quest walkthroughs for supported games. A new patent from Sony reveals a new idea – dynamic difficulty that can be adjusts on the fly based on player performance.

Eurogamer reported the discovery of the patent, which outlines a novel difficulty adjustment system for video games. This system can analyse a player's performance and automatically modify the difficulty level based on their in-game results.

The official patent filing offers the following description: “Methods of the present disclosure may collect data when a user plays one or more different types of games when determinations are made as to whether the difficulty of a game should be changed. The collected data may be evaluated to identify whether a user gaming performance level corresponds to an expected level of performance.”

Should a user's gaming performance level deviate from the expected standard, the system can make automatic adjustments to parameters influencing the game's difficulty. These parameters include movement speed, delay or hesitation, character strengths, number of competitors, and other relevant metrics. The adjustments are made incrementally until the user's performance aligns with the expected level for that specific game.

This patent presents a potential solution for accommodating players at varying skill levels. For instance, newcomers to gaming or those unfamiliar with a particular genre could start at a lower difficulty level, with the system gradually increasing the challenge as the player's skills improve over time.

While the patent showcases a glimpse into the potential future of gaming on PlayStation, it remains uncertain whether this dynamic difficulty adjustment system will be implemented in upcoming games. Nevertheless, it provides an interesting look at what Sony's R&D team is working on behind the scenes.

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KitGuru Says: I do wonder how robust this system would be in practice. If it is a simple case of lowering the difficulty after a few deaths, then it might not be that useful but if done well, it could certainly be an interesting new way of handling game difficulty. 

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