Sony Enhancing Streaming Experience With Dynamic Play Data

Rundown:

• Sony Interactive Entertainment may potentially be working on a system that enhances the viewing and live-streaming experience for video game media by providing additional information about objects depicted within the video game media.
• The system involves storing sets of data about the objects in a database and associating the object data with the media through media-object bindings.
• The system also uses a metadata reference container with object-object associations to organise and define the object data, which is then used to dynamically generate play data about the in-game objects.
• The play data is customised based on the viewer’s preferences and is sent to a device to be displayed alongside the video game media, providing the viewer with additional context and information about the in-game objects.
• The metadata reference container is portable and can be updated with new object-object associations, and the in-game object data can be associated with timestamps to control when the play data is displayed.

Sony Interactive Entertainment, a multinational video game and digital entertainment company, is one of the world’s most widely recognised and successful video game companies. With subsidiaries like Sucker Punch Productions and Bungie under its name, the company has released some of the most commercially and critically successful video game franchises in the entire video game industry, like Ghost of Tsushima and Marvel’s Spider-Man. However, video game franchises aren’t the only means of revenue for the company, as, in recent years, Sony Interactive Entertainment has made its way into other territories, like virtual reality and cloud gaming, competing with the likes of Microsoft Corporation and Electronic Arts under the PlayStation Studios name.

In November 2022, we found that Sony Interactive Entertainment could potentially be investing in the non-fungible token (NFT) industry as well, as the company was awarded a patent that discusses a feature that could supposedly track the distribution history of in-game digital assets, such as cosmetics or even gameplay moments, by assigning unique tokens to them. Later that month, we also found that the company was potentially exploring innovative ways to facilitate the video game development process through another published patent for a video game development technology that uses “natural language input” for creating and modifying in-game assets through machine learning. It seems like the company won’t stop with such technologies anytime soon, as another recently granted patent from Sony Interactive Entertainment describes a system that pertains to the dynamic generation and display of play data for video game media, such as live-streams.

Earlier today, we came across a recently published patent from Sony Interactive Entertainment titled “MEDIA-OBJECT BINDING FOR DYNAMIC GENERATION AND DISPLAYING OF PLAY DATA ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIA,” which was filed in August 2022 under the name of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. The patent, which was published in December 2022, describes a dynamic play data system that enhances the video game media experience for viewers by dynamically generating additional information (play data) about objects depicted in video game media, such as live-streams, which can be displayed alongside the media in real time. These sets of data, or “object data,” may include information about the objects’ types, characteristics, and relationships to other objects in the particular video game being streamed in the media. The object data is then associated with the media through “media-object bindings,” which allow the system to dynamically generate additional information about the objects, or “play data,” while streaming the video game media.

“A system and method for dynamic generation and display of play data for a media is provided. One or more sets of object data may be associated with the media. One or more media-object bindings between the one or more sets of object data and the media may be formed and stored in one or more databases. The one or more sets of object data may include data about an aspect displayed during at least the portion of the media,” reads the abstract for the patent. “One or more object-object associations between the one or more sets of object data and one or more named objects of a metadata reference container, which may maintain a common schema based on commonly experienced characteristics, may be formed and stored the one or more databases. Play data may be dynamically generated based on the one or more media-object bindings and/or one or more object-object associations.”

As mentioned in the patent, the system intends to “incentivize further gameplay, promote new features of a game or a new game, or provide gameplay help” through video game media, such as live-streams or any other video game-related content. “Viewers may have a particular interest in learning about the various objects in a game or broadcast being shown on the screen. Such objects may include player information, game location information, game character information, game weapon information, and other objects that would be of interest to a viewer watching a media, such as game media,” explains the patent. “There is, therefore, a need in the art for systems and methods for dynamically generating play data to be displayed in association with media, such as a live-streaming game.”

According to the claims made by the patent, the system uses a metadata reference container for providing additional information about objects depicted in video game media, such as live-streams. The method involves recording the media and simultaneously recording data about the objects depicted in the media, associating the object data with the media based on object-object associations in the metadata reference container, generating extra information, or “play data,” about the objects based on the object data and associations, and sending the play data with the media to a device to be displayed alongside the media. Additionally, the metadata reference container can merge play data from multiple video game media from different content titles and servers and form common associations between them for more specific information.

Furthermore, the system may provide “a map with a purchase option to purchase coordinates for finding one of the object data or one of the named objects.” However, it is not entirely clear from the context provided what exactly these coordinates would be used for or how they would be used to find the object data or named objects. It is possible that the coordinates could be used to locate certain objects within the video game media, such as specific locations or characters. It is also possible that the coordinates could be used to access additional information about the objects, such as through a menu or by clicking on them within the video game media. It is also unclear why these coordinates would need to be purchased or what exactly the viewer would receive in exchange for their payment. One likely implementation is that viewers may be able to purchase coordinates to objects or locations that could help them complete quests or missions within particular video games, but this isn’t certain from the patent.

In addition to this, the patent also states that the metadata reference container would be “portable and accessible via a connection,” which likely means that the play data for a particular video game media could be accessed by the viewer anywhere and anytime. The metadata reference container may also be updated with more information and “other sets of object data with another media file based on one or more of the new object-object associations of the metadata reference container.” Furthermore, the object data may also be associated with a timestamp from the video game media, and the corresponding play data may be displayed to the viewer based on the timestamps accordingly.

It’s not entirely clear how (or if) Sony Interactive Entertainment plans to implement this system into video sharing and broadcasting/live-streaming services. However, it’s certainly an intriguing technology that could potentially interest many players in the video game community. The system has the potential to greatly enhance the viewing and live-streaming experience for both viewers and content creators, providing them with additional context and information about the objects depicted in video game media.

What do you think about this? Do tell us your opinions in the comments below!

Similar Reads: Acer Working On Way To Drastically Reduce Lag In Online Games

Huzaifa Khan

Started out penning short stories in my room, then stumbled upon my real passion for video game and technology journalism. Now, I’m all about playing and writing about them. With experience from VeryAliGaming, eXputer.com, and TheNerdMag, I’m currently dishing out news on Gamesual from my place.