Sony's PS5 is slated to be an impressive next-generation gaming console, and if Sony's latest patent is anything to go by, it could come with a robot friend

The patent, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, details an actual robot companion rather than a virtual assistant for the PS5, making it one of the more bizarre PlayStation patents we've seen The robot depicted in the patent looks like a cloud sketch with eyes, arms, and legs, which Sony describes as a "humanoid pet robot"

Sony envisions the robot as a form of companion to be used with the PS5, sitting by the user and watching movies with them, watching games, or whatever is happening on the screen to which the PS5 (or later PlayStation console) is attached reacting to what is happening on the screen to which the PS5 (or later PlayStation console) is attached

"While the user has the robot nearby and watches content together, the robot communicates with the user by outputting sympathetic reactions to the user and vice versa based on the inferred user emotions The patent describes this as "a way to communicate with the user

However, if the user is wearing a head-mounted display, perhaps a PS VR headset, the robot can also take the form of a virtual object

"In an embodiment, a mechanism is proposed in which content is reproduced in front of the user in the virtual space constructed when the user wears the HMD, and when the user turns to the side, the user can see a virtual character watching the content with the user," the patent It states" Like the robot, the virtual character communicates with the user by outputting reactions that are sympathetic to the user and conversely, reactions that are repulsive to the user"

The patent also details some sort of sensor or camera on the TV to which the console is connected From what can be gleaned from the patent, this camera system is part of what Sony describes as an "emotional reasoning unit" that uses camera footage, motion, biometric sensor data, and audio input to detect how the person using the console is feeling and, in turn, how the robot The robot can be instructed how to react

The idea of a robotic companion may seem strange to some now that online gaming and Twitch streaming have become so ubiquitous that there is little need to play games alone Sony, however, believes that such a robot could inspire people to play games

"It is expected that the robot will watch the gameplay next to the user and be happy or sad with the user, thereby increasing the affinity between the user and the robot and motivating the user to play the game," the patent adds

As the hype and competition for the PS5 and Xbox Series X increases toward a late 2020 launch, it seems that Sony will be looking for innovative, if somewhat quirky, ways to highlight their console and the PlayStation ecosystem