Electronic Arts (EA) patented a game-changing technology in anticipation of next-generation gameplay and engines. Gamers will be able to voice in-game characters, which will boost the immersive experience.
Similar technology can be seen in a lot of online games. Phasmophobia, for instance, gives you an almost exact immersion. However, depending on what you say in-game, the technology in the game influences how the Ghost acts. Certain kinds of phrases generate particular kinds of reactions.
However, the company hopes to transform gaming itself with this technology. For many players, being able to speak the virtual character they are controlling has long been a pipe dream. This will undoubtedly be a dream come true if it succeeds.
How does EA plan to add this feature?
Innovative technologies that drive the gaming industry forward are nothing new, and in recent years, EA has patented numerous such innovations. In April 2023, the publisher submitted a patent that would enable games to alter their soundtrack in response to user emotions. Additionally, in 2022 and 2021, respectively, it received a patent for a system that enables developers to create more lifelike models and animations and gives players new controls over their in-game characters. With its most recent patent, it appears the publisher hopes to maintain the pattern.
According to a VeryAli Gaming post, EA has patented a technique that allows users to converse vocally with their in-game avatars. The technology that EA patented, according to the patent, will use a vocoder, a voice converter, and a synthesizer module to mimic player voices and allow in-game characters to speak in the player's voice. The device makes users the voice actor of their virtual avatar, with potentially unexpected results.
How Does This Technique Work?
Players tell a synthesizer module what they want their character to say, which gets the technology working. Then gamers can type in whatever they want their in-game character to say by using text as the input data. The player's voice is then used by the module to create source acoustic elements, which act as the desired voice or style for the game.
The voice converter will then combine the auditory characteristics with the player's target speaker embedding from the synthesizer module to simulate the player's voice for the in-game character
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What Fans Are Saying about it!
Some players chuckle at the idea of hearing their in-game characters speak to each other with their voices. Many people on Reddit expressed disinterest in hearing their voice come through as an in-game character and stated they would rather use a celebrity they admire to voice their character instead of using their voice. But doing so could lead to copyright issues like the one with voice actor Paul Eiding, whose voice fans artificially recreated using AI without his consent.
However, the outcomes of EA's patent might be on par with the greatest or worst voice acting in video game history. The outcome might be as excellent as Peter Dinklage's portrayal of Ghost, Destiny's AI companion, or as awful as the voice acting in the first Resident Evil game and Disco Elysium and The Last of Us titles. It's unclear when players will be able to use the technology, though, given it's now merely a patent.
Nevertheless, the gaming experience might be completely changed if this EA patent is granted, enabling player-generated voices and improving the general experience of speech in video games. This patent technology may influence the direction of gaming in the future by enabling new levels of player interaction and interactive gaming.
Steps That EA Have to Follow for Getting the Patent Granted
The procedure of obtaining a patent requires several steps. All forms of disclosure must be disclosed to the public. The entire process, from filing for a patent to having one granted, takes roughly three to four years. Each step has a deadline, and missing one might result in the loss of the patent application. Following are the major steps that EA will have to follow,
- Patentability Search
- Patent Drafting
- Filing of the Patent Application
- Publication
- Examination
- First Examination Report
Finally, if the examiner is satisfied, he may order the grant.
Concluding Remarks
The gaming experience might be completely changed if this EA patent is granted, enabling player-generated voices and improving the general experience of speech in video games. This patent technology may influence the direction of gaming in the future by enabling new levels of player interaction and interactive gaming.
How do you feel about using this cutting-edge technology to potentially provide your voice to in-game video game characters? It can bring in a new era of gaming because of its unrivaled capacity for character customization and user participation. With the use of this patent, EA hopes to give gamers control over voiceover technology and completely change the gaming industry.
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