PlayStation 5 cloud gaming is finally coming to PlayStation Plus

Sony is adding more value to its highest-tier multi-game subscription, PlayStation Plus Premium, with PS5 cloud gaming functionality.?

The feature will work with most games in the PlayStation Plus catalog, game trials, and supported games in subscribers’ own libraries. In the past, Premium’s cloud gaming capabilities only worked with PlayStation 4 and retro titles.?

However, premium subscribers can only stream PS5 games to their PS5 consoles, negating use cases like accessing the games on PCs, mobile, and older hardware. These ‘’play anywhere’’ use cases have been key marketing and selling points for Xbox Cloud Gaming.?

This difference further signals that Sony remains more focused on its PlayStation 5 hardware ecosystem vs. Xbox’s strategy of spreading to more screens and devices via Xbox Game Pass (Ultimate).??

Another sign is that the upcoming PlayStation Portal (a peripheral allowing players to stream PS5 games) only works via remote play on local Wi-Fi.?

That said, PlayStation’s Plus Premium’s cloud gaming functionality does boast some use cases that Xbox Cloud Gaming currently lacks, including 4K streaming capabilities, advanced audio (including 7.1 surround sound), and the ability to stream game trials (one to five hours) via the cloud.?

The game trial functionality might especially benefit some PlayStation Plus Premium members, who can now access the games via the cloud to quickly gauge whether they want to try out a game. This could also result in a small amount of upsell revenues among subscribers (who might choose to buy the games after trialing them).?

In the end, cloud gaming features offer a unique value proposition for the games market. Streaming games directly via the cloud is a novel form of game delivery and forgoes the need to download and install games.?

Looking for a deep dive into different gaming distribution methods? Look no further than our 2023 Global Games Market Report. Download a free version right here .??

Notably, game download sizes are increasing at a faster pace than SSD sizes in consoles. Xbox’s commitment to cloud gaming is clearly bigger than PlayStation’s, given recent leaks around a potential cloud-hybrid Xbox .?

That said, the usual consumer-side cloud gaming caveats apply: latency, slow internet speeds and data caps, and core gamers’ nostalgia and preference for native hardware.?

Yet, PlayStation is still investing in the tech as a value add to its subscription. Should consumers and the games market eventually embrace a cloud-based future (like music- and video-streaming before it), PlayStation—like Xbox—will be prepared to embrace that future.?

On the multi-game subscription front, Xbox Game Pass on console and PlayStation Plus are shifting away from their growth phases towards user retention, where adding value for consumers, revenue maximization, and cost-saving become more important (the most valuable and high-spending users have already been acquired).?

Earlier this year both companies upped the prices of their multi-game subscriptions. We expect both companies to continue adding features to keep players engaged and—most importantly—subscribed.?

The upcoming update to our Global Games Market Report features a data deep dive into Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus on console. For a taste of what to expect, download the free version of the report.??

Like video-streaming services, one aspect of multi-game subscriptions puts many publishers and developers at a disadvantage: a lack of actionable, impartial data.?

That’s why our special focus topic for the update leverages our data capabilities and market insights to answer questions like:?

1. On a genre level, how well are games included in multi-game subscriptions actually performing??

1. Does subscription inclusion on one service (Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass) have an impact on a game’s performance on another platform (PlayStation)??

1. What happens to engagement across a game’s multi-game subscription life cycle—before, during, and after it has joined a subscription??

Contact us if you’d like to know more.??

Source: All data included in our LinkedIn Newsletters are from the?Newzoo’s Platform. ???

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About the writer:?

Tiago Querido dos Reis , a Market Analyst, specializes in developing our market models. Here, Tiago quantifies market sizes, pinpoints trends to help our clients make data-driven decisions, and actively analyzes data to suggest improvements to our models. Simply put, Tiago lays the foundation for our insights to be as accurate and actionable as possible. He also supercharges our Newzoo Consulting efforts with revenue forecasting for upcoming titles, due diligence support for investments and acquisitions, and more.?On top of all that, Tiago is our resident cloud gaming expert.?

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