Sony's New AI Patent Predicts Next Button Press with Finger-Camera Tech

Sony's recent patent filing introduces a promising approach to reducing latency in future gaming hardware, leveraging an AI model enhanced by additional sensors. This development comes on the heels of Sony's introduction of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) with the PlayStation 5 Pro, which, while capable of upscaling to 4K, can introduce latency issues due to frame generation technologies.

Addressing this challenge, GPU giants AMD and Nvidia have implemented Radeon Anti-Lag and Nvidia Reflex, respectively. Now, Sony is poised to join the fray with its own innovative solution. The patent, identified as WO2025010132 and titled “TIMED INPUT/ACTION RELEASE,” focuses on streamlining the "timed release of user commands" by predicting the player's next move.

This new Sony patent could revolutionize latency in PlayStation gaming. Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

First highlighted by Tech4gamers, Sony's patent outlines a system that uses a machine-learning AI model to anticipate user inputs, coupled with an external sensor, such as a camera focused on the controller. This setup aims to reduce the lag between a player's action and the game's response, as Sony explains: “there can be latency between the user's input action and the system's subsequent processing and execution of the command. This in turn results in delayed execution of the command and unintended consequences in the game itself.”

The proposed solution involves multiple components working together: the AI model predicts upcoming inputs, and the sensor, potentially a camera or even the controller's buttons themselves, provides real-time data. Sony's past advocacy for analog buttons hints at their potential use in a next-generation controller to further enhance this technology.

While the exact implementation of this technology in future consoles like the PlayStation 6 remains uncertain, Sony's patent filing indicates a clear intent to mitigate latency issues, particularly in light of popular rendering technologies like FSR 3 and DLSS 3, which can add frame latency. This advancement could significantly benefit genres like twitch shooters, where both high frame rates and low latency are crucial for an optimal gaming experience. Whether this patent will translate into tangible hardware improvements is yet to be determined, but the potential for enhanced responsiveness in gaming is undeniable.