A big shocker could be coming soon from Sony and PlayStation. The latest datamines and leaks are pointing to a cross-buy system in the vein of Xbox Play Anywhere being in the works.
The noise started coming from X/Twitter users Amethxst and Zuby_Tech, who revealed new echo mode (probably), PS5/PC, and cross-buy icons set to arrive soon. The timing is interesting, as PlayStation has just confirmed today, November 5, that PlayStation Portal owners with active PS Plus Premium subs can begin streaming “select games” in their libraries via Sony’s Cloud Streaming service.
Needless to say, it sounds like Sony and PlayStation are looking into putting even more pressure on Microsoft and Xbox as the green brand falters and faces all sorts of issues. The general sentiment for most of the generation was that PlayStation was lagging behind Xbox when it comes to a far more connected ecosystem and delivery options. With these moves, the giant is taking big steps towards securing a strong foothold in that space, which is key to surviving and growing in an increasingly digital future.
“Private investigator” billbil-kun (via Dealabs) has also looked into the cross-buy findings, confirming the aforementioned icons do indeed exist and are hidden for now. Related CSS files are also showing the “crossbuy-tag” tag. Mind you, this isn’t the first time Sony has tackled a cross-buy option, with some PS3/4 and PS Vita games already offering it. As the publishing efforts on PC from PlayStation ramp up, however, this would be a huge deal.
Now, we just have to wait for an official announcement which answers specifics, such as which games already on PC it’ll apply to and if all digital distribution platforms will include the cross-buy option or Sony is planning to launch its own launcher that supports it. Remember that Steam-bought Xbox games aren’t Play Anywhere, so we wouldn’t be surprised if a proper PlayStation app is coming to PC.
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