Audio & Sound

Sony received 17 patents in this period, covering an unusually wide range of audio technologies. Several of the applications address hearing accessibility directly: one adapts game audio in real time by applying loudness-dependent modulation profiles per frequency band rather than a flat equalization curve, so quiet and loud sounds in the same frequency range receive different gain treatments based on the user's audiogram; another pairs that audiogram-driven adjustment with real-time biometric feedback from EEG sensors, heart rate monitors, and accelerometers to generate and update hearing profiles automatically, without requiring a prior medical diagnosis; and a third takes a computationally efficient approach to the same problem, combining pre-stored filter functions to approximate a dynamically changing boost curve rather than constructing custom filters from scratch during gameplay. Beyond accessibility, Sony also filed patents for AI-driven audio prioritization that learns which in-game moments and communication sources matter most and adjusts competing audio streams accordingly, a voice chat system that modifies audio characteristics based on players' in-game relationships and positions (for example, muffling enemy voices or applying distance-based degradation to allies), a 3D spatial audio framework that lets users place chat and music sources at distinct positions around them while an AI layer automatically prevents those sources from conflicting with one another, and a separate system that inserts local commentary into silent gaps in chat channels using directional sound placement so supplemental audio never overlaps with primary sources. On the music side, one patent covers an AI system that matches a user's personal playlist to gameplay intensity by morphing portions of their music to mirror the game score's style moment to moment, while another detects gameplay tempo from in-game events and uses that to synchronize audio in both live sessions and post-production video clips. Sony also filed patents for a speaker-based sweet spot system that triangulates a gamer's position using microphones on speakers, controllers, and cameras and continuously repositions the stereo field to follow them, as well as 3 closely related wireless speaker patents that each describe variations of a system capable of receiving game audio and phone audio simultaneously over dual wireless protocols, mixing them in real time, and using stereo echo cancellation to isolate microphone input cleanly without requiring a headset. Rounding out the portfolio, Sony filed a text-to-speech patent that allows game developers to adjust character voice pitch at the level of individual phonemes after the initial machine learning prediction is made, enabling emotional nuance in dynamic dialogue without re-recording, an acoustic positioning patent that uses spread-spectrum audio signals to track device locations without requiring synchronized transmitters, and an AI music synchronization patent focused specifically on adapting personal playlists to match in-game activity style.

Meta received 1 patent for a spatial audio system designed for VR and AR environments. It uses a dual-algorithm approach that combines dynamic head angle tracking with adaptive recentering filters, keeping 3D sound placement stable and consistent as a user moves their head naturally, rather than allowing the audio position to drift or disorient the listener.

Roblox received 1 patent covering spatialized audio for virtual metaverse environments. The system takes otherwise flat monaural voice chat and transforms it into positionally accurate 3D audio by combining real-time data about each avatar's location, velocity, and direction with scene geometry including virtual walls, occlusions, and reverberant surfaces, applying acoustic models that vary depending on which part of the virtual environment the audio originates from rather than using a single generic spatialization approach for all spaces.

Silicon Audio Directional received 1 patent for a directional microphone architecture aimed at consumer electronics. The design uses at least 2 deformable elements that share a common backside cavity and respond differently to uniform pressure versus pressure gradients, with signal subtraction and neural network processing used to achieve directional audio capture and beam steering from that physical difference in response.

Microsoft received 1 patent for a real-time acoustic modeling system that handles dynamic portals, such as doors and openings, in games and virtual environments. Most wave-based acoustic precomputation techniques only function in fully static scenes, but this system separates portal attenuation from the surrounding ambient acoustic parameters so that when a portal opens or closes at runtime, the change can be applied using stored portal path data without recalculating the full acoustic model from scratch.