Sony could finally compete with Xbox Game Pass streaming thanks to patent
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A recently discovered Sony patent describes a new device that could enable cloud gaming services when combined with a streaming stick.
This potential streaming device could seemingly avoid the need for a PS5 console. The patent (opens in new tab) itself, discovered by VeryAli gaming (opens in new tab)shows the device acting as a pass-through between your TV and streaming sticks of choice.
One of the patent’s diagrams shows Sony’s PS Now streaming service added to the streaming stick’s home menu, alongside other options you’d normally find such as movies, music, and so on on a Fire TV Stick 4K Max, for example . However, the patent was initially filed in May last year, meaning it would have been written before the PS Plus refresh that rolled PS Now into the new tiered service.
It’s still unclear what the final product will look like – if it’s released at all – and what the library of available games will consist of. But it’s an interesting proposition from Sony that could break into the cloud gaming space, just as Xbox Game Pass has.
Head in the clouds
Admittedly, I think Sony’s interpretation of a cloud streaming device, as represented by the above patent, is a bit clumsy. Since it’s a pass-through device, it needs a streaming stick to be usable at all. Going by the patent, PlayStation’s streaming services appear to be bolted to the menu of the streaming stick in use.
Of course, it would be great to have an extensive cloud gaming library accessible without needing to own a console, but we don’t really know how extensive the catalog will be.
Currently, PS Plus subscribers who game on PS5 can stream a library of PS4 games and PS3 games (as well as older consoles such as the PS3, PS2, PS1 and PSP). If Sony’s pass-through device gives players access to all of these games without having to play on console or PC, then that’s really commendable.
However, I doubt this will be Sony’s way of introducing streamable PS5 games as only a few of the best PS5 games are available for download via PS Plus.
But if Sony manages to get this device off the ground, it could be a way for the company to gauge interest in something like a real PS Plus streaming stick, without the need for a pass-through to work properly. And that’s something I’d really like to see.
Microsoft really got the ball rolling with the accessibility of Xbox Cloud Gaming, with that service now integrated directly into Samsung TVs and handhelds like the Nvidia Shield. So I’m all for Sony putting its hat right in the streaming ring, not least because of its massive library of classic PlayStation titles.