PS5, PS4 to No Longer Feature X Sharing, Posting of Clips this November, But Why?

PlayStation users have been active in sharing clips or screenshots of their games or experiences from their consoles directly on X, formerly Twitter, but that is about to change next week. The latest notice from Sony and PlayStation has confirmed that this feature will no longer be available, something which earlier users enjoyed before, centering on both the PS4 and the PS5.

It is widely known that PS4's DualShock 4 and PS5's DualSense have specific share buttons that will capture the content and share it directly to X, but that might have no purpose anymore in the future.

PS5, PS4 No Longer Features Sharing Content Directly to X

Renowned games analyst and leaker, Wario64 has shared a recent notice by Sony and PlayStation regarding its share feature available on the PS5 and PS4 consoles, particularly for direct content sharing to X. In the notice, Sony is telling its gamers that there are changes to its PlayStation Communities, and the company is removing this sharing feature come next Monday, November 13.

The notice regarded that the "integration with X" is bidding its farewell, to "no longer function" moving forward from the said date.

In the post via PlayStation's support page, it also shares the message to gamers, saying "This includes the ability to view any content published on X on PS5/PS4, and the ability to post and view content, trophies, and other gameplay-related activities on X directly from PS5/PS4 (or link an X account to do so)."

Why is Sony Removing this Share to X Feature?

There are no explanations as to why Sony and PlayStation decided to end the X integration it had with its consoles, but Engadget reported that it may be due to X's API changes earlier this year. The notorious X API change centers on asking users to pay for the access, and this would lead them to pay massive fees, with many opting out of their use of this feature.

Sony's PlayStation and X's API

Connected experiences among different platforms are one of the nifty features of the console now, and this has been present on Sony's PlayStation throughout the years. Apart from sharing directly on social media which was recently removed, Sony also allowed users to enjoy streaming platforms on their consoles with the likes of YouTube Netflix, Disney+, and the all-new Sony Pictures Core, its latest exclusive feature.

Back in February, X/Twitter removed the free access to its API for all those using its programming interface, and it led to many apps ending their service, including those highly used, if they refuse to pay. In April, Microsoft pulled out from X because of this API change, no longer allowing users to directly share their game clips recorded and captured via consoles and the PC.

With Xbox initially leading the charge for this feature in the gaming industry, X's high fees for its API access have affected many industries, centering on the technology world. PlayStation and Sony are doing the same, but nine months after X/Twitter's API changes, but may very well be for this exact reason, soon being discontinued this November 13 for the PS4 and PS5.