A patent filed by Sony Corporation on April 26, 2018, confirms that the Japanese tech giant is working on blockchain technology, with the PS5 a potential and super exciting destination for it thanks to its ability to manage "movies, television, video, music, audio, games" and more.
Blockchain is an encrypted digital rights management system that ties a user's content to them in perpetuity, regardless of what happens to the maker or its intermediary store or management software. As such, if integrated, blockchain would grant gamers using a PlayStation 5 console enhanced protection, access and control over their digital purchases.
Even more exciting for gamers, though, is how the patent (opens in new tab) details how the new blockchain technology allows "users sharing rights [and] temporary sharing of rights". As such, if the blockchain tech detailed in this patent were to be used on the PS5, then users would be able to share games between themselves, with one user transferring rights to their private game key to the other.
While not officially confirmed as coming to PlayStation 5 by Sony itself, the integration of this sort of blockchain technology makes sense to us here at T3.com in light of the current gaming industry push towards a digital, streaming future, whereby physical game purchases increasingly become a rarity.
The fact that only this week there were hints at a streaming-focused 5G PlayStation Portable tallies well with a blockchain system that allows users to access their content across a range of devices and, with no restricting in-device hardware, play it – and potentially share it or sell it – when and wherever they want.
With the PS5 set for launch in 2020, potentially with a new portable PlayStation as well, it therefore looks like next-generation internal graphics hardware may only be the start of its radical new approach to gaming, with a brand new blockchain-based DRM system empowering gamers like never before.
Via coindesk.com (opens in new tab)
