At Gamescom 2014, Sony revealed yet another step along the path it’s taking to completely revolutionize how we play video games in the modern age.
It’s called Share Play. What it essentially boils down to is allowing your friends (who don’t even need to own the same game you do) to drop into the action in real-time and take control on-demand. Scott McCarthy (who is Director of Product Planning & Software Innovation at Sony) equates it to hanging out with buddies on your couch and handing them the controller in order to get past a difficult level or boss. “PlayStation 4 will create an online local co-op experience by allowing you to invite a friend to join your game—even when they don’t own a copy of it. With this first-of-its-kind feature…you’ll be able to invite your friend online to play against the Miami Heat for the championship as the San Antonio Spurs in NBA2K, tackle the challenging Towerfall Ascension Quest Mode together, or aide, heal, and protect you as Igniculus in Child of Light’s local co-op mode…With Share Play, you can even jump into a game to assist a friend.” touts McCarthy.
This, as well as additional social media functionality (like dedicated YouTube support exclusively designed for the PlayStation) will come as part of a new update this Fall. Fans will also find a wider range of access to user’s previously broadcasted game footage once the v2.00 roll-out goes live across all PS4s.
Be sure to check out the official PlayStation.Blog for more details on the expanded co-op options Sony has in store!