For years, the emulation community has enjoyed the convenience of save state features, and now it looks like this functionality might make its way onto consoles. Recent developments suggest Sony could be working on integrating a Save State button into future PlayStation controllers. This comes from a patent discovered by the team at Tech4Gamers on PatentScope, which details how users might use this new button to navigate through their gameplay—rewinding, fast-forwarding, and resuming real-time play. It’s essential to keep in mind, though, that not every patent transforms into a tangible product.
Veterans of emulators will probably recognize this “rewind mode” feature, reminiscent of the save and load state options they’ve used for years. Nowadays, even Nintendo Switch Online offers retro games with similar save state and rewind features. Unlike the PC emulators or Switch’s custom button combos, Sony’s plan appears to be designing a specific button dedicated to this task and placing it right near the D-Pad for easy access.
Let’s consider the broader context for a moment: save states are present outside of just emulators. A standout instance is the 2003 classic, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube. This game utilized a unique feature that let players wind back time to correct deadly mishaps, a concept not too different from save state options which let users rectify errors by jumping back in time.
However, it’s crucial to remember that not all games would be compatible with such a system-level button. Multiplayer games, which depend on synchronized states across players and servers, wouldn’t support this feature. It would likely remain a single-player experience, and opinions may vary on its impact. For some aficionados, especially those who cherish the tough-as-nails nature of Soulsborne games, this flexibility could diminish the intended challenge.
Overall, while this idea of a Save State button is intriguing, the gaming community will need to wait and see how, or if, it materializes. Meanwhile, as is often the case with new tech ideas, standing by for more official information is best.
