Sony has filed a patent application for an AI ghost player assistant that will help players stuck in PlayStation games. It will offer help in different ways, including providing a guide to overcome a challenge or completing the challenge itself. This assistant will appear like a ghost character overlay instead of the usually seen tips pop-ups or integrated tutorial video clips. It will be like watching another character taking steps to clear the level you are stuck at. It can even take full control of the game to solve a puzzle or complete the level on your behalf.
Sony’s AI Ghost Player Assistant to Provide Contextual Help in Real-time
The patent application reveals the ghost player will be linked to an assistance artificial intelligence (AI) engine. This AI engine will use an AI model trained on gameplay footage related to the particular title. It will be capable of providing contextual help in real-time instead of offering generic tips and commands. This means the AI ghost player assistant will guide you based on where you are in the game and the path taken by you.
Players will be able to choose from different modes to get the level of help they want. These modes are Story Mode, Combat Mode, Exploration Mode, and Full Game Mode. The first mode will guide you towards the story objectives when you are lost about what to do or where to go next. The second mode is about helping you in combat, so that you can beat challenging bosses and enemies. Exploration mode will focus on puzzles and hidden interactions. The last mode is about helping you with everything possible in a game.
Sony already offers a built-in assistance feature called Game Help on PlayStation 5. It is accessible within the Control Center by pressing the PS button on the controller when you are playing a supported game. It offers images and video clips to help players complete specific objectives and challenges. These videos can also be pinned to the side of the screen for easy reference as you follow the guide.
The AI ghost player appears to be an evolution of the Game Help feature. However, it is important to note that this is only a patent filing for now and not every patent transforms into a real-world product or service. Companies are known to file patents and never work on them to release anything in the real world. Sony is not the only one to work on an AI-powered assistant to provide contextual guides to players. Microsoft has an AI virtual assistant called Gaming Copilot for Xbox players.
