Sony enters early cloud-gaming tests with PlayStation 5 games

[Cal Jeffrey]

In a nutshell: More evidence has emerged indicating that Sony is working on improving its cloud gaming platform. It recently started tests to see if it could handle streaming PlayStation 5 games. The company wants to add PS5 titles to the existing cloud-gaming catalog. However, it may also be conducting stress tests to see if it can handle the more demanding titles in an effort to transition Project Q into a cloud streaming device rather than just a Remote Play accessory.

Sony has started PlayStation 5 cloud-gaming tests. The console maker said it plans to offer a PS5 streaming feature to PlayStation Plus Premium members. The perk will include select titles from the PS+ catalog, trials, and owned games.

"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," said Sony Interactive Entertainment exec Nick Maguire in a Wednesday blog post.

Maguire stated that the company was focused on enhancing the value of its top-tier subscription for existing and new subscribers. However, there may be a secondary motive for the tests.

Last month, Sony officially announced Project Q, a portable gaming device that allows users to play PS5 games via the Remote Play app. The device is strictly for receiving content streamed from the user's console and has no cloud-gaming capabilities. This weakness leaves it with little to offer over other alternatives like Remote Play on a smartphone or tablet with a controller.

Shortly after announcing Project Q, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in an interview that cloud gaming is problematic because of the "technical challenges." However, the company is ready to tackle those obstacles. It was a slightly odd statement considering Sony has been developing its cloud-gaming platform, formerly called PlayStation Now, for over 10 years.

In light of the Project Q development, it could be that Sony sees that the handheld is not that attractive if it can only stream games from a PS5. It likely wants to pivot the Q into a position where it can handle gaming through Remote Play or directly from the cloud but needs to ensure that it delivers a satisfying experience. This ability would make the device more palatable for users who have mostly scoffed at the idea. It would also set up PlayStation Plus as a better competitor to Xbox Game Pass, which already offers cloud gaming to customers.

Maguire didn't have a date for the PS+ cloud-gaming option. The feature is currently in the "early stages," so it might be a while. The company appears to be working on adding titles on a case-by-case basis and likely wants to ensure it has enough meat on the bones before revamping the entire platform.

It's worth mentioning that PS Now was folded into PS+ Premium, so customers can currently stream games, but only for PS4, PS3, and classic titles. Unfortunately, PS Now has struggled to drive subscriptions for years due to lag and latency issues, which eventually led Sony to allow players to download games. Until this issue is fixed, PS+ Premium growth will likely stagnate since cloud gaming is its primary perk.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99076-sony-enters-early-cloud-gaming-tests-playstation-5.html

 

[ZackL04]

Sony has never been great with software or streaming latency. PsNow has been around a loooong time before xbox started streaming games and hasn't got much better.

The ps3 ps store was and still is god awful slow.

A 2021/22 A80 model OLED tv from them has class leading picture quality but is extremely sluggish to run its simple android OS. And to this day cannot do dolby vision and vrr at the same time.

The ps5 is plenty fast enough for better streaming (unlike their TV’s mediatek chips) but Im afraid their PSNow service may need a complete overhaul

 

[bviktor]

Sony has never been great with software or streaming latency. PsNow has been around a loooong time before xbox started streaming games and hasn't got much better.

The ps3 ps store was and still is god awful slow.

A 2021/22 A80 model OLED tv from them has class leading picture quality but is extremely sluggish to run its simple android OS. And to this day cannot do dolby vision and vrr at the same time.

The ps5 is plenty fast enough for better streaming (unlike their TV’s mediatek chips) but Im afraid their PSNow service may need a complete overhaul

It's not just the software. TV makers put 10 years old mobile chip leftouts in their TVs, because they can get them for really cheap.

 

[Porkous]

Sony could easily sell a TV with a PS5 chip embedded. What stops them? Probably the install base. A better option for them is to figure out cloud and offer that on their TV's instead.
So many games on PS5, but there are more potential buyers on mobiles, so that project of theirs could also have decent smartphone / tablet specs.

 

[ZackL04]

It's not just the software. TV makers put 10 years old mobile chip leftouts in their TVs, because they can get them for really cheap.

Yep, that definitely doesnt help.

But other manufacturers, like Samsung and LG, make their own front ends that run much smoother…

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

Sony has never been great with software or streaming latency. PsNow has been around a loooong time before xbox started streaming games and hasn't got much better.

The ps3 ps store was and still is god awful slow.

A 2021/22 A80 model OLED tv from them has class leading picture quality but is extremely sluggish to run its simple android OS. And to this day cannot do dolby vision and vrr at the same time.

The ps5 is plenty fast enough for better streaming (unlike their TV’s mediatek chips) but Im afraid their PSNow service may need a complete overhaul

I suspect that's precisely what they are doing. I have tracked PS Now since Sony launched it almost ten years ago. I'd take advantage of a one-week trial every time they sent me one, which was about once a year. The platform was rubbish when it launched, but it gradually got better year after year until about 2017. That seemed to be the plateau of improvements. Shortly after that (2019 or 20, I think), it solved the latency problem by making most games downloadable. Of course, that didn't solve the problem; it was just a bandaid to appease subscribers constantly complaining about latency. All that really did was let Sony rest on its laurels and not do anything with its game streaming tech for the next several years while Microsoft continued developing for it.

Now, there has been a lot more buzz about cloud gaming, both in general and specifically from Sony. Stadia has come and gone, but Nvidia still has a platform, and so does Xbox. So there is this urgency to compete in that space that wasn't there when Sony was practically the only one doing it. It has stated that it's working on solving its cloud-gaming issues now. Part of this, for sure, is to have a platform that can contend with Nvidia and Xbox, but I also think that after it announced Project Q, it realized how stupid the idea of a handheld that streams content from your console is. Nobody wants that because they can already do that with any mobile device. Plus, Remote Play is really not that good either for playing faster-paced games.

Personally, I don't think even cloud gaming has reached the point that it's as good as natively playing on your own hardware, but it has gotten tons better. It can be nice in a pinch for playing less twitchy games while away from home, but still has a way to go before it reaches latency parity.