A new patent has appeared on the US Patent and Trademark Office website detailing how Sony could make virtual reality on PlayStation into a spectator sport.
As IGN reports, the patent is titled, "Integrating Audience Participation Content into Virtual Reality Content." It details a system where the person wearing the PSVR headset can be helped or hindered by other people interacting with the game via "spectator devices," which could mean Dual Sense/DualShock controllers, or mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet.
The example sketch in the patent shows spectators selecting which type of weapon to gift the player in game, with the choices being a sword, monster, or soup ladle. Depending on how mischievous the spectators are, their friend may be going into virtual reality battle relying on a soup ladle to defend themselves.
Opening up virtual reality to multiple local players working cooperatively, and without need of expensive extra headsets, is certainly a positive move as long as it's fun. However, for now this is just a patent and therefore an idea yet to be implemented. Perhaps it's a feature Sony is considering to ship alongisde PSVR 2 when that eventually appears.