Sony In-Game Advertising Patent Surfaces

[Nikolasvanitas 358]

Sony patents method to interrupt your gaming with an ad

Apparently, Sony’s plan for the next generation of gaming isn’t the Playstation 4, more realistic graphics, or even virtual reality – it’s an integrated pop-up ad delivery service. While we users of the internet have been waging a constant war against pop-up ads since the start of the World Wide Web, Sony Computer Entertainment America is filing patents that aim only to set us back from any advancements we have made in the perilous fight.

Spotted by a member of the NeoGAF forums was a patent filed by Sony in July of 2011 for a concept that would allow for pop-up advertisements to interrupt gameplay. The mechanics of this concept have it so that gameplay would slow down briefly before pausing completely for the advertisement to play. Anybody that went through their youth as a gamer youth knows the unnerving frustrations of having to pause every time mom thought the garbage smelled bad enough to need to be removed from the house. If implemented, hopefully these advertisements will have the sense that mother did not and will avoid interrupting hour long boss fights right when you get used to the flow of the battle.

According to the specifics filed with the patent, anyone that feels they would be immune from the random stoppage by playing on-line multiplayer would be horribly wrong. The year old patent hints that the program would be set up to interrupt all network-based games, gradually slowing down and pausing each individual’s screen simultaneously. On the bright side, once gameplay continues, all involved parties of the match will have something else to bicker about besides “your mother” and the size of their genitals.

Of course, this is all beyond speculation. Since the July 22^nd, 2011 filing of the patent, Sony has been tight lipped about the concept, having spent the bulk of its time dispelling rumors of a PS4 and amping up marketing for the PS Vita. Is it a concept they actually plan on implementing; or are they just covering all basis, ensuring that if anyone were to jump onto the in-game advertising bandwagon they would receive a cut for owning the rights to the concept?

[EdeaKramer 32]

this is just ridiculous...

[XIIISwords 1,059]

f dat

[Nikolasvanitas 358]

i thought that this was just a rumor or a joke but some say that it may be true , still i would like not to believe that sony would do something like that in the future :unsure:

[KHLegendIII 709]

I'am mad at this.

[Xenidal 36]

That makes no sense. Maybe for free games where they have to make money somehow (although still a bad idea)... but definitely not for games you pay for.

And why do they need a patent for this? It's not a new concept... I've played games with in-game advertising before. Just none that automatically pause the game in the middle of it.

And how are they even legally allowed to have a patent on something as general as this? That's like... I patent TV commercials and then sue every channel everytime a commercial comes up because they "stole my idea". You can't patent a non-original idea...

[rikufan25 170]

Why Sony WHY???

[burnsideking24 256]

I would be highly disappointed if they really do this.. I dont wantt an online game to pause just so they can try to make me buy something. I sometimes game because im annoyed by commercials! This is a horrible, horrible idea! This will only enrage their fans!

[HarLea Quinn 26,501]

Imadbro

[Kishira 2,854]

I love you Sony, but if you do that, I'll never buy another product from you again.

[teh lazy prince Xylek 1,559]

this is bullshit

[Cloud the Keyblade Master 44]

Sony, I love you. But if you do this I will cut off some of your arms and eat them while I torture the idiot who thought of this.

[Amon 4,279]

Praise Microsoft!

[Spectrum of Life 188]

The purpose of this isn't to sell an external product: It's to trick you into buying a new copy of the game by making you throw the console out the window.

[Rob 5,571]

Most dumbest thing since........Oh yeah, nothing was ever this dumb.