Sony Patents Rewind Button to Rescue Gamers from Mistakes

Save state functionality has long been a staple in the emulation community, and now it seems it might be making its way to consoles. Recently, Sony filed a patent, revealing plans for a future PlayStation controller equipped with a dedicated Save State button. This patent was uncovered on PatentScope by the folks over at Tech4Gamers. According to the document, “The user is able to enter the rewind mode from live gameplay using one or more controller inputs to view recent gameplay (e.g. rewinding, fast-forwarding, playing, etc.) and returning to live gameplay afterwards.” However, it’s important to remember that not all patents come to fruition as actual products.

For those familiar with emulators, this “rewind mode” mirrors the save and load functionalities commonly seen in those applications. Nowadays, even Nintendo Switch Online’s retro game offerings include save states and brief rewind capabilities. What sets Sony apart is their intention to introduce a dedicated button for this feature, likely positioned near the D-Pad, rather than assigning it to a custom key or button combination as seen on PC emulators or the Switch.

You might find Sony’s “Gameplay Rewind With User Triggered Bookmarks” patent graphic intriguing, showcasing how the new button might bring up a control overlay for saving states and the like. Traditional and unofficial emulators aside, save states have had other interesting applications in gaming. Take for instance, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, the 2003 action-adventure classic for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube. It utilized a sands of time mechanic that let players reverse time to negate fatal encounters, closely resembling how system-level save state functions allow gamers to undo deaths or errors in emulators.

Of course, it’s crucial to acknowledge that a button like this, even if implemented system-wide, won’t be compatible with every game. For example, multiplayer titles that depend on synchronizing states between players or servers won’t support such functionality. This dedicated button would mainly be applicable to single-player games, although it might stir debate among purists who feel it could diminish the integrity of certain gaming experiences, especially for fans of the challenging Soulsborne series who appreciate their unforgiving difficulty.