PS5 streaming: Sony confirms next-gen games "can be seamlessly enjoyed independent of time and place"

Today's a big day for the PS5. Not only has Sony revealed gameplay footage of the next-gen console running Spider-Man PS4, showing off the non-existent loading times of the new system, but a new report found on the PlayStation website reveals more tantalising details about what to expect from the upcoming hardware. 

The report is a series of slides that were presented by Sony CEO Jim Ryan at an investors conference this week, and focuses on the company's long and short term future when it comes to the PlayStation ecosystem. 

Most notably, Ryan's presentation confirms that streaming will sit hand-in-hand with physical discs and digital downloads as a way for PS5 owners to experience their games, outlining a vision for "a massively enhanced PlayStation community where enriched and shared PlayStation experiences can be seamlessly enjoyed independent of time and place – with or without a console."

Interestingly enough, Sony and Microsoft recently announced an unprecedented new partnership to develop advanced streaming and cloud technology together - and a recently accepted patent seems to indicate streaming is in Sony's plans, too - and the report states that the company plans to leverage these "new partnerships to achieve growth and scale faster than ever before."

PS5 backwards-compatibility has also been reconfirmed by this report, which says that Sony will leverage this new feature to "transition our community to next gen faster and more seamlessly than ever before." Not only that, but Ryan himself said during the presentation that PS5 players and PS4 players will be able to enjoy games together with cross-generational support, which is great for those who won't be able to invest in a new console until later on in its lifespan. 

All in all, Sony's new hardware is looking primed and ready to blow everything out of the water when it releases sometime after May 2020, but remember that Microsoft has yet to say anything too revealing about its Xbox Project Scarlett. Perhaps we can expect big things from Phil Spencer and the team at E3 2019 this year...

We're still not done with this generation. Check out the big new games of 2019 on the way, or watch the video below for a guide to the week in entertainment ahead.  

Alex Avard

I'm GamesRadar's Features Writer, which makes me responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!