It looks like you can help or hinder the main player in virtual reality, depending on the options available. According to the patent, this “will increase the VR scene based on the viewer’s input in response to the interactive content of audience participation content”.In the example provided, we can see a user inside virtual reality, while four friends are on the couch behind them. On the screen visible to the public there is a voting notice, which allows you to choose between a sword, a monster or a soup ladle. This choice is recorded on the spectator’s devices and then sent to the player within virtual reality, who sees the prompt “the spectator gave you a soup ladle”.
It is not clear whether the VR user knows the options available or not, but that would certainly increase the perverse nature of this interesting technology. The idea immediately evokes images of viewers being able to send unwitting players down bad paths in a horror game or making decisions for them in a narrative experience. Honestly, it looks like a lot of fun.
As with all patents, the fact that it has been registered does not necessarily indicate that Sony will go further with development, but it is another indication that the company is actively thinking about what to do next with its VR products.
In other PlayStation patent news, a patent unveiled in September 2020 suggested that the next PSVR headset could have Oculus tracking from the inside out. At the time of writing, the PSVR is only available on the PlayStation 5 for backward compatibility, with Sony’s plans for the platform to progress further shrouded in mystery.
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.