PS5: Sony can make Microsoft tremble with this new function of PS Now

According to a patent filed by Sony in April 2021, the manufacturer is working on a technology to stream PS5 games to the Playstation Now. What to revive with force the interest around the service of cloud gaming of Sony.

Faced with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, Sony doesn’t really have an answer. There is the Playstation Now, but the two services do not really play in the same category. The first tries to establish itself as the Netflix of video games, with a catalog in constant renewal, Day One availability of the latest games from Microsoft studios, and especially the possibility of installing the games directly on his console or his PC.

As for the Playstation Now, it is primarily a cloud-gaming platform. In other words, the game is streamed to your PS4 or PS5 console from Sony’s servers. And since 2017, the service has arrived on PC. A good thing, since it allows PC gamers to try out some Sony exclusives like the first Red Dead Redemption for example. However, the cloud gaming platform is struggling to renew its catalog, unlike Xbox Game Pass which continues to welcome new titles.

Soon PS5 games on the Playstation Now?

However, the arrival of this new feature could be a game-changer. Indeed, our colleagues from the DualShockers site have spotted a new patent filed by Sony in April 2021 entitled “Low latency and very high speed network storage”. This patent reveals work in progress by Sony to allow the streaming of PS5 games on the Playstation Now, just that.

“NVMe-oF is used to stream videos, PC games and more to client devices from network storage embodied by physical storage devices (SSD) ”, can we read in the summary of the patent. As a reminder, NVMe over Fabrics is an extension of the NVMe network protocol for Ethernet and Fiber Channel systems, which accelerates and strengthens connectivity between storage solutions and servers.

The patent specifically relates to the use of several networked NVMe players for the purpose of streaming games. The system has multiple copies of the same content on different storage media and can switch between media depending on the workload. A vital process for a service with millions of users.

Above all, the system described by the patent will be able to keep track of specific data blocks on each of the storage media, which is essential for some PS5 exclusive games to function. It is this particularity coupled with the SSD that allows PS5 games to load elements quickly. The fact that all these aspects of the patent cover the specific requirements of PS5 games clearly indicates that Sony aims to offer PS5 titles on the Playstation Now. It remains to be seen when.