PS4 gamers who enjoy using the PS Now streaming service could be getting a serious upgrade when the PlayStation 5 console is released.
It was recently confirmed that the PlayStation Now streaming service would be available on the PS5.
This announcement is unlikely to have surprised anyone, considering that will be Sony’s next major hardware launch.
PS Now is currently available on PC and PS4 consoles and there doesn’t appear to be plans in place to expand from that point.
So the launch of it on PS5 makes complete sense, and the rumours of the upgrade may also help boost its popularity.
A new patent has been found that suggests Sony may make a big change to their next Dualshock Controller.
This would include making it possible for the new PS5 controllers to connect directly with Cloud servers.
This would eliminate the current issues of PS4 controllers needing to do the same thing, via the PlayStation console.
It sounds like it would cut down on latency, which is one of the major issues that holds back the popularity of Cloud Gaming.
The patent was reportedly filed earlier this year and include some interesting information on the tech being used.
The page for the new Sony patent, as reported by Gamesradar, includes this statement:
“A controller device for user interactivity with a server of a cloud gaming system is provided, including the following: at least one input device that generates inputs for the server; wherein the controller device communicates directly to an access device for connection to a network that connects the controller device to the server without connecting to a client device; wherein the server receives and processes the inputs to render gameplay video that is transmitted over the network for rendering to a display device that is local to the controller device.”
As ever, this latest patents needs to be taken with a pinch of salt for a number of reasons.
First of all, just because a company files a patent such as this, it doesn’t mean they will use it.
It would make sense that Sony would want to keep up with Google Stadia, especially considering they already have an established streaming brand.
But as ever, we will need to wait for more information before knowing what the PS5’s controllers will be like.
Sony is doing much to revamp the PS Now brand, including dropping the price and upping the number of games available to play on it.
Each month, the service will add a selection of games that will be available for a limited period.
This is on top of the existing offering of popular evergreen titles that are added to PS Now on a regular basis.
As an example, God of War is playable via PS Now until January 2020, at which time it will be switched out for something new.
Sony remains coy on their plans for PS5 games appearing on the PlayStation Now service in the future.
This would technically make it possible to play them via a PS4 console, which seems unlikely.
So perhaps Sony will only look to add new PS5 games to their streaming platforms after dropping support for the PS4?