Sony’s been in the streaming business for years now, but it’s finally taking it seriously. As reported earlier today, PlayStation Now will continue to be supported on the PlayStation 5, and the console’s controller could have a big advantage for those looking to subscribe to the service. As discovered by Dutch website Techtastic, the manufacturer has filed a patent for technology that will effectively allow its controller to interface directly with a server.
What does this mean? Well, let’s look at how things currently work with the DualShock 4 with regards to PS Now: inputs are sent from the controller to the PlayStation 4. This information is then transferred from the PS4 to your router, which is then beamed to the Japanese giant’s server farm, prompting the software to respond. With this new technology, however, the signal would be sent directly from the peripheral to your router, skipping a step.
It’s the exact same technology that Google’s Stadia uses, and the idea is to reduce latency. There’s obviously no guarantee that the concept will make its way into a final consumer product, but if the PlayStation maker is banking on PS Now adoption being bigger next generation, then these are the kind of ideas it needs to be exploring. We suppose the big question is whether incorporating this kind of tech will raise the overall cost of the controller; we can’t see non-streaming gamers being all too ecstatic about that.
[source patentscope.wipo.int, via techtastic.nl, gamesradar.com]
Comments 17
I'm an idiot but I'm going to ask anyway -
Would the latency be less from my controller in the basement of my house where my PS4 is up to the 2nd floor where my router is or is it faster to go thru the PS4 and over the wire I have since the wireless reception is so slow in my basement? Which is why I ran a wire through the wetwall and crawl space in the first place.
@rjejr
I don't understand. It'd be faster if your PS4 is wired.
Unless you've got a newer Dualshock 4, the latency doesn't change if it's plugged in.
As long as it's wired into your router or modem, it doesn't really matter too much where it is.
@Constable_What Thanks. That's what I thought, but wasn't sure.
Honestly, my latency on PlayStation Now’s been surprisingly decent. I have more latency using my Vita Remote Play 5 feet from the console but less than low latency equals super low latency and that is always welcome.
Assuming one does have a decent internet connection...
Decent connections still isn't a common thing yet, so even if the DS5 skips a step it's still no guarantee that lag will be reduced.
@rjejr OK no problem!
I was confused there for a moment, but I was overthinking it. Haha
Sony is definitely pushing PS Now hard. I see their new commercial all the time and also ads for it during NFL games and on espn. Being able to download the games and not have to stream them was a great update, i know its only for ps4 games. But, at the end of the day, i would still rather own the games.
@rjejr dunno when u added this to ur profile. But happy 50th birthday! Im quickly approaching 43, getting older isnt that bad, right?
I recently subscribed to ps now and so far lovin it. I don’t seem to find an app for my iPhone or iPad on the App Store. Does ps now only supports ps4 and desktops/laptops and not phones and tablets yet?
I dont care much about psNow but would that controller wifi improve somehow the experience for all online games ?
@rjejr @Constable_What If I understand correctly your question, you're talking about the article, right? In the case that if it was possible to connect the gamepad directly to the router?
Since your router is so far, the connection to the ps would probably work better. But, if it was possible to connect the gamepad directly to the router, and the connection was good, this would be faster, since you would be skipping a step (connect to the PS that was coonected to the router) and the bluetooth connection can be slower than the wireless route connection.
@rjejr a wired ps4 is always best, and wireless will always lose. this talk about controller directly connected to the cloud wireless is better, is just pure bs.
that would be an unnecessary feature that would make the controller more expensive and heavier
@TheBuzz That's what I thought too, though I suppose if the PS4 is wireless and you are sitting closer to your router than the PS4 it could help, if only on some level that only Digital Foundry would ever be able to detect.
@LowTech Oops, I just addressed this above. That's what happens when I go through my email in the morning, I always end up answering things twice.
Anyway in response to your reply, I guess everyone has a different set-up for router location so it's a YMMV kind of thing.
Not sure it's worth putting a WiFi antenna and chip in every DS5 though for the small amount of people who would be helped in some very small way by this. I mean really if they are going to put a WiFi chip in a DS5 to connect to a router for PS Now just add a screen to it and call it PSP2.
@ellsworth004 That was 4 years ago, maybe it's time to change it to 55 so I don't forget next year. I forget everything these days.
Changed it to reflect my mood in the NL forums:
Hey you kids get off my lawn!
I just want a LCD screen in place of the touchpad.
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