Sony has filed plenty of patents in the past, some of which wind up being put to use while others are shelved. And just today, the company has filed for yet another one that will allow you to leave in-game notes, audio, and photos for your fellow gamers.
Prior to filing this patent, Sony has filed several other patents that will change the way that you play games. One of those patents suggested that the PS5 will be able to emulate old games via the cloud. Another suggests that AI may soon be able to emulate players who rage quit.
This patent, however, will allow you to leave notes, photos, and even audio at certain points in PS5 games. Specifically, the patent is for the "placement of user information in a game space." The patent calls these notes "tags" and is supposed to encourage community engagement in the game.
The abstract for the patent says that other players, including top-rated players, will be able to leave hints and tips at "particular coordinates" or "in the context of particular events within the game space." The patent was originally filed on September 23, 2020, but was only recently uncovered by enterprising fans. These tags are meant to offer help to you if you find that you have come to a boss or puzzle that is difficult to figure out or understand.
Of course, it's easy to imagine a scenario where people use these tags to reveal things that are supposed to be secrets within the game. However, the patent suggests that you may not be able to place these tags wherever you want. The tags would need to be "contextually relevant" meaning that they should be near a particular puzzle or otherwise in the general area of something that would warrant advice.
Whether this patent is actually used or not is anyone's guess. So far, most of the patents that Sony has filed have been little more than ideas that might gain legal protection, but aren't being used. It is an interesting idea, though.