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Sony Patents Ability to Add Trophies to Old, Emulated Games

By Noam Radcliffe

A new Sony patent would allow it to add trophies to games that predate the system.
A new Sony patent would allow it to add trophies to games that predate the system. / PHILIP FONG/Getty Images

Sony has filed a patent for the ability to add trophies to older, emulated games. This would allow it to retroactively add trophies to games that pre-date the trophy system entirely.

The technology described in the patent (spotted by Reddit user u/Bartman013) works "by comparing a memory value of the emulated game to a predetermined value and assigning the one or more trophies to the user based on the detected trophy trigger."

The patent also mentions the ability to tie physical rewards to in-game trophy achievement.

"[Awarding trophies] may be done by transmitting an electronic trophy or sending a notification that a physical award, such as a T-shirt, accessory or other physical merchandise, has been earned by the player."

Any new technology around emulation is exciting for players, particularly PlayStation players who are facing a reported closure of the PS3, Vita and PSP stores later this year. This patent suggests games for those platforms may become playable with first-party emulation support, though it's far from a sure thing.