Sony’s published U.S. patent application describes a controller button that could open an interface for rewinding recently captured gameplay frames. It is a proposed feature—not a confirmed PlayStation product or a feature Sony says is available on the current DualSense.
What does Sony’s gameplay rewind patent describe?
The application, US20260048324A1, “Game play rewind with bookmarks”, outlines a way to review recent gameplay without first creating and opening a separate video clip. During live play, the system temporarily captures image frames. Pressing a “universal button” opens an on-screen interface with options such as rewind.
Choosing rewind switches the display from live gameplay to a subset of those captured frames, starting backward from the current frame. The document’s examples include revisiting an NPC’s quest instructions, a route, or another detail a player missed.
How would the rewind controls work?
The patent describes controller inputs for navigating the captured frames: rewind, fast-rewind, move forward, fast-forward, pause, play, and return to live gameplay. Some embodiments keep the frames in a system-memory buffer, rather than requiring the player to find a separately saved gameplay video.
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It also describes bookmarks, which could be generated automatically or created by the user to return to particular frames or events. These are examples in the patent application, not features demonstrated or confirmed for a consumer system.
Rewinding footage is not the same as undoing gameplay
The described rewind plays captured images backward. The application does not describe restoring the game’s underlying state—such as moving a character, reversing an inventory change, or undoing an action in the game world. It is better understood as a quick way to review what appeared on screen than as a universal undo function.
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| Distinction | What the application describes |
|---|---|
| What moves backward | Captured gameplay image frames, not a stated restoration of the game’s underlying state. |
| How it is opened | A “universal button” opens an interface; the filing does not establish a dedicated, physically labeled rewind button. |
| Where frames may come from | A temporary system-memory buffer in some embodiments, rather than a separate gameplay video file. |
Is this a dedicated rewind button on a PlayStation controller?
Not as the application describes it. The “universal button” may be a system button not otherwise used to control the game, and it could open a menu of supplemental features, including rewind and sharing. Calling it a “rewind button” is shorthand for the proposed access method, not evidence of a new button labeled for rewind.
Will this feature come to PS5 or the DualSense?
The patent application does not establish that Sony will launch the feature, or say when or on which hardware it might appear. Sony’s DualSense wireless controller page describes a PS5 controller with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback; it does not identify gameplay rewind as a supported feature. The patent record also does not name DualSense as the product that would implement the idea.
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- DualSense Controller PS5 and PC compatible. Not compatible with PS4.
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What is the status of Sony’s patent application?
The U.S. publication lists Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. as the assignee and Mark E. Cerny and Dustin S. Clingman as inventors. It records a filing date of October 23, 2025, a publication date of February 19, 2026, and a priority date of April 28, 2023. The page displays the application status as “Pending,” while noting that its legal-status field is an assumption and not a legal conclusion. It is a published patent application, not proof of a granted patent or a product commitment.
A European publication, EP4701752A1, “Game play rewind with user triggered bookmarks”, is listed with Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. as applicant and a publication date of March 4, 2026. Those bibliographic details alone do not establish the broader legal status of the patent family.
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