Sony games to be interrupted by adverts?

Published May 25 2012, 18:15 BST  |  By Scott Nichols

A recently discovered Sony patent details a method for pausing games to insert ads.

The patent involves the game first slowing down as a warning appears on-screen that it is about to pause. The ad then fills the screen, providing another warning that the game will resume right before the ad ends.

There is a description of how the same method could be used for networked multiplayer games, pausing all players at once to show an ad.

It would also be possible for players to rewind their game slightly after an ad, in case the slowed gameplay or warning message had caused a user to miss part of the game.

It should be noted that Sony filed the patent in July of 2011, with the patent granted last November.

Pop-up ads of this nature are fairly common among smartphone and tablet games, an area where Sony has few games of its own.

The patent does specifically mention its use with video game consoles, as well as the possibility of being implemented in DVD players and DVRs.