June 5, 2019
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According to Esquire, a new patent from Sony suggests that the upcoming PlayStation 5 (“PS5”) may incorporate a game trade-in model and digital gifting over the PlayStation Store.
An excerpt published by PushSquare describes the patent as follows: “At a later date, the user (e.g., owner) is free to give away, sell or trade the digital copy to another party in a transaction with terms based on, for example, the determined value of the digital copy”. In short, the new technology would allow gamers to sell their games back to Sony once they are finished playing them. GamingBolt says gifting has become pretty standard across digital platforms, so adding digital trade-ins to the PS5 may not come as a surprise to many.
Sony filed a further patent that might put the PS5 in stark competition with Xbox One. Currently, Xbox One allows for cross-platform play, which means users can simultaneously play games on multiple devices. According to NoteBookCheck, Sony’s new patent for “Cloud gaming device handover” might afford similar technology to the PS5.
There are no guarantees that these new features will actually make it into the next generation of consoles. It is not uncommon for electronics giants like Sony to “call dibs” on big ideas that never make it to market.
Authors: Larissa Fulop and Daniel Seidman
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