Gone are the days when gamers had to trudge through entire chapters or, heaven forbid, entire games, just to relive that one epic moment or rectify a regrettable decision. Sony is on the brink of revolutionizing how we play and replay our favorite games on the PS5, and it’s about time.
Picture this: you’ve just completed a heart-pounding chapter in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and wish to revisit that adrenaline-fueled boss fight. Or perhaps you’re yearning to return to a pivotal decision point in Detroit: Become Human. With Sony’s latest patent (spotted by Exputer), titled ‘Content Streaming With Gameplay Launch’, this isn’t just a possibility; it’s the future of gaming.
This innovative feature, still in the patent phase, proposes a system of ‘trigger points’ within games. These points allow players to jump back into specific moments of a game’s campaign. This does sound a bit like checkpoints, except with the added feature of loading back to them on demand – or just a more granular take on chapters.
Imagine effortlessly crafting a video guide on defeating Nemesis in Returnal without the hassle of replaying hours of content to reach that point. This feature isn’t just convenient; it’s a content creator’s dream. It’s also something PC players have been enjoying for decades, but we digress.
As most gamers will attest, there’s a certain frustration with the limitations of auto-save. There’s something deeply satisfying about manually saving a game before starting a new chapter or tough boss fight. It’s a control that we, as players, deserve. Red Dead Redemption 2 understood this, allowing players to revisit previous camps. Why can’t modern AAA titles follow suit?
Moreover, the ability to name our save files seems like a basic necessity, yet it’s conspicuously absent in too many games nowadays. Players are left to navigate through a sea of indistinguishable thumbnails and percentages, trying to recall which save was which. It’s a small feature, but its absence has a huge effect on the overall experience of a game.
Sony’s new patent, if implemented, could be a step in the right direction. From the looks of it, it acknowledges the player’s desire for control and flexibility in their gaming experience. While it won’t solve all the issues with current saving systems, it’s a promising start.
Here’s hoping that Sony’s vision for a more player-centric gaming experience comes to fruition soon. With the PS5 Slim model now on sale, more players will have the chance to experience these unforgettable moments, but until this patent becomes a reality, we’ll have to make do with the old-fashioned way.
