PS4 'Share Play' Has no Session Limits

One of the big features that’s set to debut tomorrow with PlayStation 4 firmware 2.0 is ‘Share Play.’ The new feature, in short, is designed to replicate a friend who’d normally sit with you on the couch and game it up. Instead of needing to actually invite that person over and have a bowl of pretzels (I believe that’s the standard party food these days?), you can virtually invite your friend. Once the two of you are connected, the invited friend can take over your game session and control your game, helping you where you might be stuck. Further replicating the real life experience, your friend on the other side of the connection won’t even need to own the game he or she is taking over.

One small caveat in all this is the limit of 60 minutes in each session – though it’s not as limiting as it once sounded.

While each session is limited to 60 minutes, Sony has removed any form of limitation on the number of times a session can be initiated. This means that after you 60 minutes are up, you simply need to recreate a new session which is promised to be a simple task and continue gaming. While it’s unclear why a limit exists in the first place, many have speculated that it could be due to strain on the servers. One thing that makes Share Play unique is the lack of needing to own the game you’d be taking over. Because of this, Sony will be using their cloud streaming technology that’s at the forefront of PlayStation Now to create the game sessions.

One a session is initiated, there is little difference server side whether a game is being played or not. Without an hour cutoff, many gamers could simply walk away from the session for one reason or another, leaving the game to idle while taxing Sony’s cloud servers. Sony has also confirmed that friends who play on your behalf will be able to earn you trophies which will not be distinguished from ones you earn on your own. While some gamers have frowned upon this, the experience is designed to replicate you handing off a controller to your friends.

Share Play will launch tomorrow on PS4 with firmware 2.0 with additional features like the ability to pause and resume downloads.