Sony lets players share games with PS4’s System Software 2.0

System Software 2.0, a new version of the PlayStation 4’s firmware, gives players the option to share a game with a friend, without that friend having to own that game. Sony describes the functionality as a ‘virtual bank’.

In a blog post on its own website, Sony describes the new function of the Share button that the controller of the PlayStation 4 is equipped with. Once System Software 2.0 is rolled out, a player can enlist the help of another player. The player can then, for example, call the befriended player to help with a difficult passage. The second player can then play the passage and then return control to the first player. That can be done remotely.

Both players don’t have to be behind the same console; the second player does not need to own the game either. Sony does not provide details about the technology behind the new option. For example, it is not clear whether the option is available in all games. Sony itself cites single-player game Child of Light and multiplayer games such as NBA2K and Towerfall: Ascension as an example; all games that already have online functionality. It may also be that Sony wants to start using PlayStation Now, the streaming service that makes it possible to play games without having them installed on the console you are playing on. It is unknown when System Software 2.0 will be rolled out.