PS4's Share Play Feature Limited to 60-Minute Sessions

[roseofbattle]

PS4's Share Play Feature Limited to 60-Minute Sessions

The PS4's share play feature, which allows for an online local co-op experience, has a time limit for each session.

Sony announced the idea of a "virtual couch" for its Share Play feature at Gamescom, but it will work a bit differently than what some people expected. Confirming to GameSpot, Sony stated Share Play users will be limited to 60 minutes per session, but the feature can be used any number of times.

With Share Play, a PlayStation Plus member with a PS4 can share games with a friend online for both single player and multiplayer games, including local multiplayer, even if the friend doesn't own a copy of the game.

Shuhei Yoshida, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head, Sony's game-streaming service that will allow people to access older PlayStation games on newer consoles. [http://kotaku.com/how-digital-game-sharing-on-the-ps4-will-work-1621424897] Developers will not need to do anything to make their games compatible with Share Play.

"How it works is, for example, a friend has a game that I don't," Yoshida said. "I ask them to let me play it, and if they send me an invitation, I can access their PS4 and play while watching the video that is streamed."

The borrower has 60 minutes to play the game before the session expires. Sony has not detailed any other possible limitations, such as whether there's a "cool down" between sessions. Likely, the lender will need to grant access to the borrower for the next Share Play session.

Steam's family sharing feature [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132585-Steam-Family-Sharing-is-Now-Avaliable] launched to everyone in March. Borrowers can play games from a lender's account until the lender wants it back. Although, Steam's sharing program has its own different downsides.

Sony will release the Version 2 system software update this fall, including Share Play. Also in the update is the ability to upload saved videos to YouTube and search for PSN users by name.

Source: GameSpot [http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4s-upcoming-game-sharing-feature-limits-you-to-6/1100-6421730/]


Permalink

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Sounds more like an extended demo type thing. 60 minutes is laughably short to play a game with a friend - should atleast be a few hours. That 1 hour will go so quick. Sony messed up something that could have been a great feature.

 

[josemlopes]

Sounds kind of dumb but in the end I dont see it being used much or even for that long that often. Either way one hour is already a good chunk of time and if setting up the invite is fast then I dont see it as being anything more then just a useless but minor step to take

 

[erbkaiser]

Steam's family sharing is great if you share multiple users on a single PC -- but it's useless otherwise. The borrower cannot play any game in your library if the lender is playing any game at the same time -- it does not matter if this is the same game or not.

As for Share Play, it will be interesting to see if there is a cooldown. Because if there isn't, this is basically unlimited free gaming for the prospective coop partner.

 

[josemlopes]

this is basically unlimited free gaming for the prospective coop partner.

If there isn't a cooldown, this would actually be a pretty good deal. Just save before the session ends. Would suck for co-op sessions, but single-player, would be a pretty good deal.

The thing is that this isnt for co-op, its just basicly playing a singleplayer game and passing the controller to someone else for you to watch him play his turn. At no point can both of them play at the same time since the game probably doesnt even have co-op since this is how the two players decided to spend their time (seriously, if the game has co-op who would play that portion alone while the other just watches?).

That is why I dont think this will be very used and the 60 minutes is fine as it is for this sort of thing.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Just to be a cynic....what if the cool down depended on a micro transaction like they use in mobile games? lol.

 

[Irridium]

Yeah yeah share-play blah blah sixty minutes I don't care.

Will you finally be adding a "pause download" option in this big-ass update? Or how about the ability to either upgrade sub-accounts to master accounts or let them add their own funds into their own wallets so I don't have to keep using my step-dad's account to buy shit from your store with my money that I earned at my job because I'm twenty-fucking-three years old.

How about that, Sony?

 

[Zer0Saber]

I don't see an issue with it, I guess it depends on if there will be a cool down. If there is no cool down, the session time should only exist as a way so the owner of the game can't just let their friend play the whole thing without purchasing it (like i'm leaving the house for half the day so I'll leave my PS4 on so you can play this game). Something like, "This session will expire in 1 Min would you like to continue?" Then the owner would have to confirm it. The owner could just keep renewing the session so the other user can play and that essentially makes it just like having your friend come over and play on your system or you letting them borrow a disk. Plus even though there will most likely be limits, playing some games like fighters in local co-op with a friend who's not there and doesn't have the game would be cool.

 

[Reaper195]

Sounds more like an extended demo type thing. 60 minutes is laughably short to play a game with a friend - should atleast be a few hours. That 1 hour will go so quick. Sony messed up something that could have been a great feature.

It is a great feature, they didn't mess anything up. They can't let people ust play entire games with someone else. Sure, there is nothing wrong with the feature at all. You can't expect them to simply allow people to play a game with the owner at the same time. They make the time short so you will go out and buy the game.

 

[hermes]

You are telling me that Sony allowed me to play any and every game, even those that I didn't pay for, without physically having the disk, without having to download or install anything and without, virtually, any set-up?

But they only let me do it for one hour at the time? The monsters...

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

This would have been a really cool thing for co-op games. After all, the owner has to be online to play with someone who's not in their house. I guess if its fast enough, rejoining after 60 minutes wouldn't be a huge deal