Sony’s proprietary gaming subscription service, known asPlayStation Plus, has recently gotten a big overhaul. While it normally gives fans access to online modes of many games on the platform, this existing service has converted into three tiers that gamers can choose from. These tiers offer all different benefits such as exclusive deals, content and more enticingly, acatalog of classic PlayStation gamesfrom the PS1, PS2 and PS3 generations.
This patent involves Sony’s emulation method for its legacy video games forPS Plus. The code explains that it receives a player’s input during the emulation, which then determines if it needs a certain amount of blocks cached. It also then compiles one or more blocks based on the legacy console’s code, and executes them to display in a virtual environment. The patent also lists a number of example games that could be emulated using this method, includingCastlevania Chronicles,Resident Evil 2, andStreet Figher Alpha 3.
Some of these are acclaimedPS1 gamesthat are still beloved to this day.Resident Evil 2was the sequel that cemented Capcom as the king of survival horror, as well as codify the genre itself.Street Fighter Alpha 3was a critical hit, with this prequel fighting game introducing several characters to the world ofStreet Fighteras well as expanding upon the lore of certain characters like Ryu, Ken, and Charlie Nash.Castlevania Chroniclesis a remake of the NES game, with everything about the original being the same with a slight graphical overhaul to the sprites.
The patent also listsWarhawk,Tango Dance Fever, andPac-Manas other examples of games that could be played using this emulation method. Sony has also filled out anotherpatent regarding some older PlayStation peripheralssuch as the Move. With these retro-focused patents it’s likely that the listed classic games will be eventually added to thePlayStation Plusservice at some point in the future.
