As discovered by Tech4Gamer, Sony has applied for a patent to add real-time sign language translation tools to the game to help disabled players experience the game. The patent, titled "Sign Language Interpretation in Virtual Environments," discusses the status of both the sending and receiving sides. The sign language is first translated into text on one side, and then the text is translated back into sign language and played on the recipient's screen.
Sign language also varies between languages, so Sony says the system also includes "very important" real-time translation capabilities during conversations.
"Sign languages are not universal, which requires appropriately capturing one user's sign language, understanding the native language, and generating new sign language as output for another user's native language," the patent reads.
Sony also said the system can differentiate between simple gestures and sign language to ensure the user's immersion experience is not broken. According to the company, the system can be used for VR games, traditional games, and various other non-game applications.
Obviously this feature is very useful, but applying for a patent does not mean that the technology has been implemented or even in development. It will most likely take a long time for it to appear in Sony's games.