Based on a new Sony patent, a major upgrade for the PlayStation 5 could be on the way shortly.
Firmware updates, which deliver new features and improvements via software, might give the PS5 or other consoles like the Xbox a huge boost.
Sony has filed a new patent related to the PS5, which could hint at additional graphics possibilities for the system, according to user @Onion00048 on Twitter. This patent was filed by Mark Cerny, who was the PS5's designer.
The patent itself claims that Sony is exploring "accelerated ray tracing" for the PS5, which effectively means that games that support ray tracing would benefit significantly. At the moment, ray tracing may be found in a variety of PS5 titles, although its inclusion frequently comes at the expense of performance and resolution.
Based on the details in this patent, Sony may have discovered a means to increase ray tracing without sacrificing a title's resolution or performance.
The main visual feature of new-gen consoles PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as recent PC GPUs, is real-time ray tracing, which allows for the accurate simulation of light and reflections comparable to those seen in CGI movies.
Ray-tracing modes are currently available in numerous PlayStation 5 titles, including "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" and "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart." However, in order to accommodate the enormous power necessary for the effect, these modes come with a trade-off of lowered frame rates and lower resolutions.
Although video game consoles used to be limited to the capabilities of their internal components, in today's world, firms such as Sony and Microsoft have been able to enhance consoles on a regular basis with new firmware updates. While no new firmware update for the PS5 is expected in the near future, it appears that the platform's graphics functions will be significantly improved fairly soon.
It's important to note that just because Sony has filed a patent for ray tracing for the PS5, that doesn't mean the technology will ever make its way to the platform.
Over the past few years, Sony has filed a number of significant patents. One is for PlayStation Assist, an AI voice assistant, and another is for a system that allows players to offer in-game text, image, and audio tips for other players.
Sony has filed a number of patents in recent years for a variety of PlayStation-related technology. While some of these concepts were realized with the PlayStation 5, others were never realized. As a result, for the time being, it's difficult to know what to make of this new patent.
