Sony Patents Adding DLC To Emulated Games

[Gahars]

One of the biggest potential features, and one of the biggest mysteries, for the PS4 has been Sony's Gaikai service. Little is known about what exactly Sony intends to do with it, though most have assumed/inferred that Sony will let users stream PS1/PS2/PS3 games in an effort to make up for the PS4's lack of backwards compatibility.

However, a recently published patent from Sony may shed some more light on their intention, but will it leave gamers... content?

No, probably not.

A patent filed for by Sony in 2012 has been published today by the United States Patent & Trademark Office, revealing the company's apparent interest in finding ways to more easily introduce new content into classic games being streamed through the cloud. Essentially, the patent describes the ability to suspend gameplay in an emulated game and then introduce new content in a manner that doesn't involve reverse engineering the game's code.

"Finding new ways to play preexisting video games can increase the longevity of older games," the patent states. "Instead of replaying the same level or completing the same missions repeatedly, gamers often desire new challenges when replaying legacy games. In response to this need, game designers have begun to produce mini-games. Within a mini-game, the gamer can be instructed to complete new objectives or challenge their friends for high scores in a format that was not originally designed into the legacy game."

Basic examples of the types of mini-games the patent is referring to are limiting the number of lives or amount of health players have when fighting a boss.

Sony's patent, which is entitled "Suspending State of Cloud-Based Legacy Applications," would allow for triggers or "snapshots" to be used as the mechanism through which the emulated game is suspended and the new content is then delivered. It also talks about offering games on platforms they were not originally designed for, which is what you'd expect from cloud-based gaming.

IGN

Retroactive DLC, ahoy!

...Or not. Remember, just because Sony has filed a patent for something doesn't mean they will ever get around to using it. Sometimes these things just, well, split. Plus, just because developers can go back and add extra content to their old games doesn't mean they will. There's not going to be a whole lot of incentive to develop new content for age old games (no matter how much of a guaranteed success a "Let Me Explain Some Shit" patch for MGS2 might seem).

Then again, who knows what Sony is thinking...

 

[kristianity77]

I saw this a few days ago and my initial impression of it was that for games of the PS1 and PS2 era, it would mean nothing more than some kind of trophy integration into games. It would certainly to a degree give them a new lease of life for people who like that sort of thing.

 

[Arras]

Seems like a good idea to me, as long as it's actually decent DLC and not just horse armor.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

However, a recently published patent from Sony may shed some more light on their intention, but will it leave gamers... content?

No, probably not.

Uhh...and why not? Adding new content to older games sounds like...a good idea? I don't see a problem with this.

 

[Gahars]

Uhh...and why not? Adding new content to older games sounds like...a good idea? I don't see a problem with this.

Because gamers aren't "content" with anything, especially if it's downloadable.

 

[Terenigma]

DLC for classic and emulated games? Even if it is just stuff like extra trophies or adding achievements for old games, it will press on the nostaligc nerve of gamers. Im cautiously optermistic about this, Sony impressed me in 2013 in lots of ways. So im going to give them the benefit of the doubt here and say that this sounds like it could be a clever way to fill a void of a lack of games.

 

[chavosaur]

I want Crash Bandicoot extra Levels.
I want extra Spyro Levels.
I want new courses in Crash Team Racing.
I want all these things that's will never happen, but I can dream right? ;w;

 

[DinohScene]

How low...? can YOU go!

Sorry but this is nothing but squeezing money out of gamers.
Trophy integration, okay, they did a similar thing with Okami.
But actual DLC for old games.
No way.

 

[Oswarlan]

I want Crash Bandicoot extra Levels.
I want extra Spyro Levels.
I want new courses in Crash Team Racing.
I want all these things that's will never happen, but I can dream right? ;w;

New courses for CTR? More Spyro? More Crash? I would pay for this. Even if it was still on PS1. Seriously, my wallet is right here. How much?

 

[jonthedit]

I want Crash Bandicoot extra Levels.
I want extra Spyro Levels.
I want new courses in Crash Team Racing.
I want all these things that's will never happen, but I can dream right? ;w;

New courses for CTR? More Spyro? More Crash? I would pay for this. Even if it was still on PS1. Seriously, my wallet is right here. How much?

There was a project that introduced such a concept for CTR.
I'll dig in my old HD and see if I still have a custom level from X3n.

 

[Oswarlan]

There was a project that introduced such a concept for CTR.
I'll dig in my old HD and see if I still have a custom level from X3n.

D..Don't get my hopes up like this man...

 

[FAST6191]

This is almost as bad as their patenting trophments for old games a while back ( http://gbatemp.net/threads/new-sony...ntegration-into-all-non-trophy-titles.344991/ ).
If I have time later I will have a little giggle at the ineptitude of the patent office in question, that said the opening quote makes it sound like I could recycle my responses to that thread (it is basic computer science that is obvious to anybody with the barest clue how things work).

 

[GameWinner]

Where are the trophies for older games!? Waiting for some P3P trophies!

 

[Dork]

Spoiler

Soulcalibur 3 Dante DLC

 

[Taleweaver]

What does "old games" mean, exactly? There's been DLC for some years, now. I guess they're just allowing developers who want to use Gaikai to have a way to sell the DLC on those games as well (rather than having it all-included).

 

[Foxi4]

I think it's a cool feature. Sony's previously patented a way to add achievements in retro titles, DLC is welcome as well.

 

[DiscostewSM]

I hope it isn't just "edit save file prior to loading the game"

 

[FAST6191]

I have now read the claim, some good patent speak in it by the way,.... it seems the "do it over a network" is the new "but I built a chip to run this maths" end run around doing something blindingly obvious. Sadly I am told I have to shoot down every claim rather than just the fundamental ones if I am trashing a US patent and I am not prepared to do the lot right now.

Still

1. In an emulator configured to operate on a network, a method for generating a snapshot of an emulated game, comprising: a) receiving one or more game inputs from a trigger generator over the network, wherein the one or more game inputs advance an emulated game from a first state to a second state; b) emulating the emulated game such that the emulated game is advanced to the second state; c) receiving a suspension request from the snapshot generator over the network; d) generating a snapshot of the emulated game, wherein the snapshot is a recording of a state of one or more devices being emulated by the emulator, and wherein each of the one or more devices is in a steady state; and e) delivering the snapshot to the snapshot generator over the network.

Or if you prefer
Have any of you ever loaded a savestate/savegame or loaded some cheats and then passed the controller over to your friend and said "beat my time"?
Have any of you ever saved a game and then tried to see if you could kill all the townsfolk/go nuts before loading the normal game and carrying on?
Have any of you ever saved a game and then replayed a section a few times because you liked it?

Wait, you have done all three? In that case congratulations you have invented this before Sony. Have you ever sent your save to a friend in an email, on a USB drive, over a network share.... the congratulations you have done the other part.

Everything else seems to be able to be answered by *points at kaillera* or any emulator with netplay. Alternatively *points at VNC/RDP/teamviewer/any remote control application that transmits a screen around*.

If it ever came to court I would have to argue that a control system, being largely outside the chip doing the crunching, operates over a bus and a bus is then basically a network.

 

[Qtis]

How low...? can YOU go!

Sorry but this is nothing but squeezing money out of gamers.
Trophy integration, okay, they did a similar thing with Okami.
But actual DLC for old games.
No way.

While I would normally agree, looking at how Age of Empires 2 got a new expansion pack (albeit a repacked fan made mod) after 13 years and it was a fantastic game add-on, I like the idea. It's not like you have to buy the expansions. The original content would probably be there in full.

 

[DinohScene]

While I would normally agree, looking at how Age of Empires 2 got a new expansion pack (albeit a repacked fan made mod) after 13 years and it was a fantastic game add-on, I like the idea. It's not like you have to buy the expansions. The original content would probably be there in full.

Fan made stuff etc is mostly always free of charge.
I van see this "DLC" costing up to 20 quid.