Horizon Zero Dawn PlayStation Assist

What if the next time you’re stuck in a game, you could just ask it for help? That’s something that Sony appears to be planning, as it’s submitted a patent for a smartphone application named PlayStation Assist, which would effectively function like Alexa for PlayStation 4 games. The examples shown include Horizon: Zero Dawn, where you could ask the game for nearby health replenishing items, and these would then be marked on the in-game map. There’s also a Skyrim-related example, where the assistant explains how to obtain certain loot.

It seems like a sound idea, but it’s worth remembering that patents aren’t always representative of in-development projects, and so it may all come to nothing. The functionality would also be dependent on studios actually supporting it, which you can’t always rely on. Would you be willing to use something like PlayStation Assist to clear up a collectibles run – or do you think it’s cheating? Mark your map in the comments section below.

[source patentscope.wipo.int, via twitter.com]