OPINION: PS5 game streaming is coming, but only on console. Gamers require patience as Sony arranges pieces for big cloud expansion that’ll almost certainly involve Project Q handset.
Sony has announced it is to begin trialing cloud-based streaming of PS5 games for PlayStation Plus Premium members.
In a blog post commemorating a year since the service relaunched, Sony announced it’ll be possible for PS5 games from the PS Plus catalogue as well as owned digital games to be streamed from the cloud.
Save £10.99 on the limited edition Pokémon OLED Switch
Amazon is selling the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for £309, which is a saving of 3% on the RRP.
- Amazon
- Save 3%
- Now £309
Importantly, streaming will only be available on the PS5 console itself, rather than offering up the technology via Remote Play on other devices. The focus right now is adding value to the PS Plus Premium proposition, simply by saving subscribers time on downloading games. It’ll also apply to game trials.
“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,” Sony says in the blog post.
“When this feature launches, cloud game streaming for supported PS5 titles will be available for use directly on your PS5 console. That means as a Premium member, it’ll be easier to jump into your favorite games without downloading them first onto your PS5 console. Our goal is to add this as an additional benefit to PlayStation Plus Premium as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the value of PlayStation Plus.”
It’s hardly the cloud-focused solution Microsoft has pushed with the Xbox Everywhere strategy, which makes streaming games possible on a wide range of devices. Sony didn’t even mention the Project Q handheld it revealed at the PlayStation Showcase last month.
Cue the questions from gamers questioning the scale of Sony’s ambitions and whether the scope is too limited here. After all, the option to stream the games rather than download them to the same machine isn’t exactly a massive leap forward. Sony already offers this for older games from the PlayStation Plus library, so adding PS5 games sounds like a natural progression that isn’t really worth shouting about.
I think patience is necessary here. I believe the Project Q handheld machine will have a much greater purpose than just playing Remote Play in the home, we just don’t know it yet.
I believe it’ll be designed for streaming your favourite PlayStation games wherever you are. It just doesn’t make sense to release such a device otherwise, when the entire target audience has a DualSense controller and a smartphone they can use for Remote Play.
Why hasn’t Sony expressly said it’ll have a more future-thinking purpose? Because I believe it wants to get all of its cloud gaming ducks in a row first. It wants to test the tech on the PS5 by streaming PS5 games, rather than risk launching a new device without access to what will likely be the most important piece of its functionality.
It can understand the frustration of PlayStation gamers, knowing Xbox owners can stream all of the company’s first-party games on day one wherever they may roam. But I believe what Sony has announced today is part of a much bigger plan to achieve parity with what Xbox offers in terms of cloud streaming.
It’s prudent from Sony. They’re playing chess rather than Battleships. Patiently getting all of the pieces in a row rather than playing blind and overconfidently. And let’s face it, the company can afford to. PlayStation is winning this generation again. Quite handsomely. It is Xbox on the back foot three years into the PS5 and Xbox Series X era.
Sony will get there. It has has already said as much: “We observe mobility in gaming habits to be an increasingly important trend, and the cloud will be fundamental to allowing us, or indeed anybody else, to exploit that trend,” PlayStation boss Jim Ryan recently pledged.
Too often tech companies over-promise and leave us disappointed. I actually admire Sony’s strategy of keeping its powder dry until it is actually ready to deliver. Perhaps that doesn’t meet up with the instant gratification required from the rabid gaming community, but it will in the long run.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
