When the PlayStation 4 System Update 2.0 is officially released on November 4, Sony will be fulfilling an ambitious promise it has made to gamers last year.
During the official announcement of Sony's latest game console in February 2013 for an official Holiday 2013 release, the company promised to livestream and share games on the internet, reported Engadget in a February 20, 2013 article.
What Sony meant by 'livestream games' then is to come to a point that a friend who is just watching a gamer play from somewhere else can actually jump into the game, through streaming, and help the first player in it, explains Engadget.
That is how, in a nutshell, the PS4's game-sharing mode works, now possible with its System Update 2.0, says Engadget in its October 25, 2014 report.
IGN reports that the PS4 Version 2.0 is officially coming out next Tuesday with a host of new features and improvements but nothing is more important as the Share Play function.
The game-sharing function will be using the PlayStation Network to share the experience of PS4 gaming and playing with friends, even if they are remotely located, right on one's very own couch, IGN said.
The October 25 report of Engadget also describes Share Play as the "ability to virtually hand a controller off to a friend through the internet and have the friend work through a game's tricky section."
Sony has in fact released a video to help gamers walk through the process of Share Play in step by step fashion.
In addition to Share Play, the other new features of PS4 System Update 2.0 include YouTube integration, dashboard themes, and a significant upgrade to the voice command system of the PlayStation Camera, details IGN.
The Catch to Share Play
But there's a catch to availing of the PS4 Share Play feature. Gamers have to have a PlayStation Plus subscription.
Although the person or friend the gamer may invite to help him in the game via the internet no longer needs the same subscription.
Engadget also notes that virtual game-sharing sessions are only limited to one hour which is a business decision for Sony.
"Once you hit the limit though, you're free to start another session with the same friend immediately, as many times as you like," IGN said.
IGN explained that the idea behind setting a cap is to prevent people from setting up a Share Play session for a friend, while the original player walks away and let the friend play the game in full without purchasing it.
After all the company is into the business of selling games, and sharing it to a friend would have an impact on Sony's profit margin, the Engadget keenly observed.
Check out the video from Sony how Share Play works: