PS6 and Project Helix battle for worst new-gen feature as Xbox and PlayStation outline horrific new ideas

New patents filed by Microsoft and Sony have outlined what the future of next-gen consoles may hold, and we’re not too enthusiastic about the ideas proposed.

Earlier this week, new patents were spotted being filed by both companies, which hint at their plans for features to be added to the next generation of video game consoles.

The PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix don’t have set release windows yet, though 2027 and 2028 have both been rumoured as potential candidates for when the next generation will kick off.

Starting with Microsoft, IGN reports that the company recently filed a patent for an ad-supported system to rent out games on Xbox devices.

The patent is called “contextually aware management of interactive software application access” and features a proposed process where your game may pause itself during key moments of playing to present “audiovisual promoted content”, which seems like corposlang for an advert.

Watching the ad would then give you a credit which you can use to play a game for a limited time, from 15 minutes to an hour.

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Sony's patent doesn't sound much better, to be honest

Meanwhile, a new Sony patent suggests that future PlayStation controllers could act as payment devices for items on the PlayStation Store.

As reported by Insider Gaming, Sony filed a patent that would allow players to browse the PlayStation Store on their console, and if they’re ready to make a purchase, they can simply bring their smartphone close to their controller to verify payment, similar to a contactless card machine.

Following confirmation, a prompt would then appear on-screen, which shows that the payment has gone through.

A benefit of this system appears to be that users who don’t, or can’t, have payment information saved to their console can utilise a smartphone payment app such as Apple Pay or Google Pay to make purchases instead.

Still, we can’t help but raise an eyebrow at both of these suggestions. In the case of PlayStation, fans are still upset about the decision to discontinue physical discs for games released in 2028 and beyond, so this new patent seems like Sony doubling down on the all-digital future. By focusing on digital payments on the PlayStation Store, it seems like just another death knell for physical media.

And in the case of Microsoft, gamers are already starting to push back on the idea that you don’t own your games, so an ad-supported way to rent games seems antithetical to what Xbox players are asking for.

Of course, since these are both patents, there’s no guarantee that they’ll make their way to the next-gen consoles anyway. As always, take both of these with a pinch of salt until they’re confirmed by Microsoft or Sony.

Information on the next Xbox and PlayStation consoles is not expected this year, so it's likely we'll be waiting a while until we hear more.

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