Does the PlayStation 5 have Machine Learning? Insomniac Games recently revealed that the PS5 has ML capabilities. According to Insomniac’s lead character technical director, Josh Dicarlo, ML inference is done on PS5 hardware in real time. Current-gen consoles won’t have ML hardware in hardware level, but the PS5 is the first console with hardware-level ML support.
What’s behind Sony’s new ML method? It involves generating a mask of an image, altering it, and then applying filling processes based on the holes. The process is similar to that used by Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling tech, which makes use of upscaling technology in graphics cards. However, the new tech may not be on the level of the original MS.
The patent language suggests the technology could apply to 2D-screen PS5 games. Essentially, it would enable the PS5 to upscale the resolution of games in real-time without compromising performance. However, if this tech is used on other platforms, it’s unlikely that Sony Interactive Entertainment will use it on other systems. Andy Bigos, the senior principal engineer at Sony, has a LinkedIn profile that mentions “real-time graphics” and “deep learning.”
Sony didn’t mention ML capabilities when it announced the PS5 specs, but Microsoft made it a big feature of the Xbox Series X marketing campaign. While Sony hasn’t confirmed whether the PS5 has hardware-level ML capabilities, the Xbox Series X supports DLSS. AMD’s whitepaper also describes the capabilities of the ML feature. If the PS5 does indeed support DLSS, the Xbox will surely have the advantage over the PlayStation.
Sony’s experimental AI division is reportedly working with first-party developers to incorporate the new technology. This will give players smarter computer-controlled opponents and allies. By offloading the computational load to the cloud, this can be a huge benefit to PS5 gamers. The PlayStation is already one of the most popular video game consoles, so it makes sense for Sony to make it even better. It may even have an edge over the Xbox Series X.
The patent that Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed outlines machine-learning methods for image upscaling. This patent describes a computer-implemented method for filling in image data that has been lost due to corruption or missing data. This process can take a long time, but can greatly benefit Sony’s VR. This new technique can help the PS5 VR experience. The machine-learning method eliminates the performance cost and makes image upscaling more effective.