A newly-filed patent suggests that Sony is working on a new service for PlayStation Plus that will let players stream games from a web browser.
According to a new patent, Sony could be looking to enter the realm of cloud-based gaming by letting players stream PlayStation games from a simple web browser. Cloud gaming uses the internet to connect players to a remote server using any web-connected device, eliminating the need for designated hardware or storage space when running or streaming video games. Microsoft has recently embraced using the cloud to play games on any system by adding its new Xbox Cloud Gaming tech to Xbox Game Pass, giving players access to blockbuster titles on the go.
This is just one of the many factors that have caused Xbox Game Pass to grow in popularity over the past few years – which has led Sony to try to catch up by revamping its own PlayStation Plus subscription service under a new multi-tiered model earlier this year. The new PS Plus launched back in June and gives subscribers access to classic PlayStation titles, but it still lacks the type of cloud support that would allow players to run PS-exclusive titles like God of War (2018) or Marvel’s Spider-Man on their tablets or mobile devices like Microsoft currently does with Xbox Game Pass.
This could change soon though, as Sony recently filed a new patent for a browser-based gaming experience, as spotted by Game Rant. Titled “Browser-Based Cloud Gaming,” this patent application describes a supposedly in-development system that will allow PlayStation Plus subscribers to run the service and stream games on any device through a web browser – removing the need to have a designated console on hand during play sessions. This could let players access games like the upcoming God of War: Ragnarok on their laptops or mobile phones, or even stream them directly on an internet-connected TV without a PS5 – similar to how Xbox Game Pass can be run on Samsung TVs.
While Sony has largely remained focused on building its PlayStation brand as a console gaming powerhouse with the PS5, recent years have seen the company try to branch out into the realm of PC by releasing several of its biggest first-party titles on outlets like Steam and the Epic Games Store. Earlier this year, Sony released the blockbuster God of War (2018) on PC, and next month will see both Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Spider-Man: Miles Morales swing onto computers after being exclusive solely on PlayStation hardware. Sony executives have even gone on record with the company’s plan to have roughly half of its first-party PlayStation titles available on PC by 2025.
This new PlayStation Plus patent seems to support this effort to expand Sony’s influence in the PC gaming atmosphere and compete with Xbox Game Pass by allowing players to stream games on their computers through a web browser – though a patent far from confirms the technology will ever be used by the company. There are still a few issues that Sony will need to address as it works to make this patent a reality, and there is currently no word on when Sony will implement this new web browser-based cloud streaming service on PlayStation Plus – or if it will come to fruition at all. If this new patent does lead to the launch of a new cloud-based outlet for PS Plus, then PlayStation fans could one day be able to play Sony-published titles like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on their mobile phones.
Source: Game Rant, Game Rant/Twitter
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