Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a patent that would allow the streaming of games using a network of NVMe SSDs. These are the same storage drives used in the PS5, which could mean that PS5 games will come to Sony’s PlayStation Now streaming service in the future.
First reported by Dualshockers, the patent for “Ultra High-Speed Low-Latency Network Storage” details the process of storing multiple copies of games and save data across several storage drives—a process commonly used in video game streaming services. Specifically, the patented network would be able to keep track of the different data blocks stored on the drives and access them directly, which is one of the reasons why the PS5’s internal SSD features faster loading times than the PS4. In short, the streaming network would be able to keep up with the PS5’s data transfer speeds and open up the possibility of streaming PS5 games.
Several rumors have surfaced in the past of a possible “response” to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, which currently boasts an active user base of 18 million players. Sony recently started 1080p streaming on PlayStation Now back in April and is likely bringing the service to New Zealand and Australia. Additionally, Sony announced that a total of five Final Fantasy games would come to the service over the course of several months, and has been adding some other hard-hitters over the past couple of months.
Notably, the patent was originally filed back in April, around the same time as the 1080p streaming update. If anything, the new patent proves that Sony is continuing to work on its streaming infrastructure by future-proofing the company’s streaming service network for the next generation. Sony has also hinted at more announcements relating the PlayStation Now, as well as a partnership with Microsoft to utilize its Azure cloud infrastructure.
While the patent alone isn’t too much to write home about, it could portend some rather big PlayStation Now developments in the future.
[Source: Dualshockers; Via: VGC]
