Sony Starts Testing Cloud Streaming PS5 Games

Sony says it has started testing the ability to stream PS5 games from the cloud. The PlayStation maker says it's testing cloud streaming for PS5 games and is planning to add this as a feature to its PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. From a report: "We're currently testing cloud streaming for supported PS5 games -- this includes PS5 titles from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Game Trials, as well as supported digital PS5 titles that players own," says Nick Maguire, VP of global services, global sales, and business operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. "When this feature launches, cloud game streaming for supported PS5 titles will be available for use directly on your PS5 console." A cloud feature for PS5 games would mean you'll no longer have to download games to your console to stream them to other devices. Sony currently supports streaming PS5 games to PCs, Macs, and iOS and Android devices, but you have to use your PS5 as the host to download and stream titles to your other devices.

why?

[TheSimkin]

Who wants to stream a game with the extra lag when you can run it locally? what is the point of this?

Re:why?

[Opportunist]

It's not what you want, it's what they want: Total control over what you can and what you cannot play.

First, the obvious reason: They want you to rent the game, not buy it. For just a buck an hour, or something like this. Or maybe tiered, you know, a new game would cost 3 bucks an hour, an old one maybe just one. Or you can rent it for 2 weeks and play it as long and as often as you like (for 2 weeks, that is).

Second, the less obvious reason: Should for some reason a game become "bad" for Sony, they can easily yank it. That's not that easy if you actually have a physical copy. One of the many fears is that there may just be a game again at some point that allows a jailbreak. As has been the case with some games in the past. There has actually been a really crappy James Bond game (IIRC) that had a savegame bug where you could create a crafted savegame that allowed code execution. That game sold REALLY well before it was yanked, and sure enough it fetched insane prices on the used game market. Such things can be kept under control that way.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[tlhIngan]

If you don't have a copy of the game locally, you can't resell it. If you can't resell it, (or lend it or give it away, etc.,) anyone who wants to play it will need to pay Sony,

You don't need to do streaming to do this - Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and the #pcmasterrace already do this. It's called "digital downloads".

Sony and Microsoft have announced games where there is no physical release. Nintendo has a bunch of games where there is no physical release. These games are all locked to your account.

Steam, E

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[Fuck_this_place]

Remember when Sony got hacked and was down for like months? Yeah, apparently they don't.

Re:

[sdinfoserv]

As someone else stated, this is for Sony and profit, not you. A streamed game is a rented game, be it by the minute or by the account. No more game ownership. No more used game sales. You want to play, you pay Sony full price even for old titles.

Re:

[JackieBrown]

Why would the model be different from the download games?

And honestly, when every game - including single player ones - require an update just to work properly, we have already lost control.

If you want control, stick with a PC.

Re:

[sdinfoserv]

It's about control. If you never have a copy be it downloaded or media, you have no control. When you have no control, they have the most power and can leverage the most profit - which is by definition is leveraging the most money out of you.

Re:

[freeze128]

Then they better start selling playstations for less than $100. If the game isn't running locally, you don't need all that power, and the hardware can be like a raspberry pi.

Answer: Other Devices

[Somervillain]

Who wants to stream a game with the extra lag when you can run it locally? what is the point of this?

A local PS5 can't be beat, but it would be nice to play nice games while waiting at the Dr's office or at someone else's house...or what if the remote hardware is better than yours (PS5 on a PS3)? How about in another room?

That said, I HATED the experience when I tried it on my XBox. However, I can see Sony wanting to charge PS4 players or iPad users a monthly fee to get PS5 or post-PS5-level graphics.

The paradox is any game which isn't impacted by lag is typically simple enough to be run on anythi

Re:

[khchung]

Who wants to stream a game with the extra lag when you can run it locally? what is the point of this?

Maybe to try out a game without have to wait for the demo to download? Seemed not extremely useful, but not totally useless. The problem obviously is that people with fast internet which streaming could work well need this the least, while those with slow connection need this the most but also most difficult to work well.

It might work for turn-based game, or one that doesn't require low latency/fast reaction.

I am confused

[UnknowingFool]

Is this not what Stadia tried and failed to do well? Did Sony create any magical new technologies that would mitigate the problems Stadia had? My understanding is that Stadia "worked" but the frame drops and controller lags were problems especially on any games that required precise timing (multiplayer first person shooters). Playing Gwent may be okay but not Call of Duty multiplayer. Such games have issue with any random network latency much less systemic latency.

Re:

[Opportunist]

Multiplayer FPS on a console already relies heavily on aimbots (sorry, console jockeys, you call that "aim assist") anyway, it's not like they'd notice.

Re:

[UnknowingFool]

Your general claim that "such games have issues" is not general. (Which makes it false)

So the general claim that random latency due to like my roommate starting a massive download while streaming Twitch while I am trying to play Fortnite is not false. There is no latency according to you. Also considering my neighborhood ISP is cable which is a shared bandwidth susceptible to multiple neighbors trying to get the latest torrents; that is also false.

If you do your streaming poorly like stadia did, you will get poor streaming. This has nothing to do with the games.

And how has Sony solved controller lag over cloud? You have posted strong opinions with little information.

Microsoft is one such example of doing it right, and it works well even for FPS games and full 3d camera "viewport" games.

Define "well". There are still reports o

Re:

[Tyr07]

Is this not what Stadia tried and failed to do well?

Yep. It's a common theme, each company has some greedy tactics, or government, or whoever that fail that are bad for us common folks, but each time other companies and new people are like, "But this time, this time we'll do this crappy thing that increases our power, control and profits, we can do it".

And they fail again, but it doesn't stop them from trying, and probably never will. It's a bad human nature thing. This is why if alien life comes across our planet they'll probably just purge us.

not being forced to rebuy games is an big + over

[Joe_Dragon]

not being forced to rebuy games is an big + over stadia

Insanity

[Asynchronously]

Trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Anyone remember Playstation Now?

[fodder69]

When you could stream PS titles without having to own a PS5, since that is literally just there for gatekeeping, I think it lasted like 3 months before Sony killed it.

Re:

[samdu]

PlayStation Now lasted a lot longer than a few months. In fact, it still lives on as PlayStation Plus Premium. And if one were so inclined, they could use a PC to access the games. The difference raised in this story is that neither Now nor PS+ Premium include(d) PlayStation 5 games.