Sony has made a commitment to enhancing its cloud gaming offerings, acknowledging the challenges it has faced in this arena. The company initially ventured into cloud gaming with PlayStation Now, a subscription service that enabled players to stream games directly to their consoles without the need for downloads. However, the service suffered from reliability issues, such as frequent disconnects and input delay problems, even with decent internet speeds.
To address these concerns, Sony incorporated PlayStation Now into its PS Plus subscription, providing game streaming as an alternative to downloads. Nevertheless, the option to stream PS3 games is still limited to cloud streaming only. While Sony’s streaming solution has shown improvement since its early days, it still falls short of the seamless experience provided by playing the best PS5 games directly on the console.
In the console space, Xbox Cloud Gaming has emerged as the leading game streaming solution thus far. However, its availability as part of an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription comes at a significant cost. If Sony aims to expand the appeal of cloud gaming, it may need to explore more affordable options.
The recently announced Project Q handheld, designed with PS Remote Play in mind, may not contribute significantly to this goal. The device’s 1080p60-capable display may not be ideal for cloud-streamed titles, especially considering the existing issues with input delay in remote play.
Sony recognizes the importance of improving its cloud gaming capabilities and providing a seamless experience to users. While challenges remain, the company will continue to explore solutions to enhance its cloud gaming offerings and bridge the gap between streaming and native gameplay experiences.
