Sony wasted no time in living up to the hype with its Gamescom press conference earlier this week in Cologne, Germany, announcing a number of new titles like Wild, Tearaway Unfolded and Until Dawn. However, it also dominated the technical front, with the introduction of a new feature called Share Play.
According to the company, Share Play is a process that works as a “virtual couch” for gamers, which allows you to “pass the controller” to friends online, even if they don’t own a copy of the game you’re playing. As a result, you’ll be able to play games cooperatively and competitive with others, even if the games are only designed for local player enjoyment. The second player doesn’t need to buy anything either.
However, there is a catch – both players that are taking part in the session will need to be subscribers to the PlayStation Plus service, but that’s not a big deal since it’s grown so much in stature anyway, and new games are being added every month to keep its value on the rise.
The feature will be introduced specifically to the PlayStation 4 console with the forthcoming System Software 2.0 update, which will arrive sometime this fall, free of charge to those who already own the console. In addition, the update will also include the ability to post videos directly to YouTube to share with others, as well as finding new friends through a new “finder” system that tracks similarly liked games and such.
Sony’s Share Play could be a game changer, though it’s hardly an original idea. Microsoft had aspirations to include such a feature with its Xbox One, even though nothing official has come out of it. And Ubisoft just announced that Far Cry 4 will include a “Keys To Kyrat” feature when it launches this November, enabling people to send multiplayer invites to those who don’t own the game.
Do you think Share Play will be a system seller for Sony
Source: Ars Technica, The Verge
