Promised in the PlayStation 4 reveal last year and shown in action at this year's E3, Sony is officially preparing to let loose its "Share Play" feature with the gamers of PlayStation nation this fall, and it could be a major selling point for consumers thanks to one reason alone -- you can play games you don't own.
As Sony points out in its official statement on the feature, Share Play is an extension of social gaming ideas, like the share button featured on the PS4 controller. Think of Share Play as a "virtual couch." If you had a handful of buddies over and they were watching you play through a game, there would definitely be some backseat gaming as they offered tips and advice. If you get stuck on an especially difficult part of the game you may even hand the controller over to one of them, or rotate and take turns. Or you may all be playing together in a co-op mode, as one friend buys a game and the others come over to collectively play through it.
Share Play takes an experience that was once confined to being with a friend in person and brings it online. You can share your screen with friends so they can see what is happening in your game, allowing them to give commentary or advice, which you can then likely ignore like you would if they were actually beside you on the couch. Better yet, you can play co-op with friends or even invite friends to take over the controls of a single-player game, without your friend or friends having to own the game. Sony highlighted this feature at E3 with a stage demo of Far Cry 4, where another player who didn't own a copy of the game flew in to assist in raiding an outpost.
The first of its kind feature is a big win for consumers, as digital media rights continue to become more strict about sharing content and more hesitant to give digital consumers real "ownership" over things they purchase. Sony's "virtual couch" is almost the exact antithesis of what the Xbox One originally planned to be: a console that planned to register all games to an online account that would then restrict users from reselling or sharing games.
Sony is planning on releasing Share Play in system update v2.00, scheduled for release sometime this fall. In addition to Share Play, v2.00 will also add more broadcast and share features, including the option to upload game footage and dedicated app support for YouTube. Additional features will also be coming in the update, and Sony says it will have more news in the coming months.
