EA’s new patent details system to change controls automatically based on skill

Each year, hundreds if not thousands of video game related patents are submitted by publishers and console manufacturers alike. While most of them are unlikely to come to fruition in any major manner, these patents do give us insight into the minds of those making games. EA has now patented a technology which supposedly will automatically adjust a player’s controller settings based on their skill.

As reported by Gamesual, this patent – titled ‘AUTOMATED CONTROLLER CONFIGURATION RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM’ – was filed all the way back in August 2020, but was only just published; with the patent’s abstract reading as follows:

“Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for adjusting controller settings. The method includes receiving, through a controller associated with a user, controller input for software.”

What this patent seems to suggest is that EA titles could include an automated controller configuration recommendation system that adjusts controller settings based on the player’s current skill level.

The patent’s potential for gaming is three-fold: Adjusting the controller configuration settings of a player based on certain attributes; suggesting configuration settings used by the most skilled players who share similarities to the player themselves; and dynamically adjusting these settings in real time while a player is actively in-game.

This patent could offer a whole range of benefits, but one of the core focuses by EA seems to be improving accessibility in games, especially for players with disabilities that struggle with current accessibility features.

As with most patents, this technology is unlikely to find its way into games any time soon, but it is good nonetheless to see companies try to improve accessibility – even if they are then locking it behind an exclusive patent.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the patent? Would you use such a feature? Should patents for such technologies exist? Let us know down below.

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