PS4 Share Play Maxes Out at 720p for Guests, More Details Revealed

Even more information about PlayStation 4 firmware update 2.00 has surfaced, with Sony confirming to VideoGamer that Share Play sessions will have a maximum resolution of 720p and a limited frame-rate.

The host of the Share Play session won’t be affected by the resolution and frame-rate drops, with the guest’s experience determined by the internet connection of both players. Resolution will then automatically scale up and down based on that connection, and although Sony didn’t reveal what the frame-rate cap was, VideoGamer believes it to be around 30fps.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Product Planning Manager Kazuhiro Yanase discussed why Sony isn’t detailing the recommended download and upload speeds for people using Share Play:

We are not going to [disclose a minimum speed] because if we say, for example, you need at least a 3MB speed, I cannot guarantee if it works [even if they have that speed]. The internet environment is really different user by user. For example, some users will be using a LAN cable, some users will be using Wi-Fi, sometimes you use the microwave in your house. Something like that. It’s very difficult for us to guarantee you can use Share Play if you have [a certain] speed. That’s the reason why we are not going to disclose any specific number. But again, this doesn’t require any super-fast broadband.

Despite not giving out hard numbers, Sony says Share Play doesn’t require a super-fast broadband connection.

VideoGamer also compiled a list of new features they discovered inside firmware update 2.00, with some of the highlights placed below:

Share Play

The 60 minute Share Play restriction wasn’t fully explained, but Sony says it was the “sweet spot” when they talked with game developers. For the future of Share Play, they will listen to user feedback to see “whether it’s right” in regards to that time limit.
While Share Play is aimed to be a standard feature on PS4, developers and publishers have the option of placing restrictions on what can be shared (alphas and betas were given as an example).
There may also be restrictions in sections where there’s spoilers or if a certain peripheral is required. SCEE’s Murray Hume added, “Then we have a facility we provide that allows that portion of the game to be stopped and not shown… because there are certain contexts in which it doesn’t work.”
Share Play is only compatible with games, and not other apps like Netflix.
Share Play is only compatible on PS4. This means someone with a PlayStation Vita or PlayStation 3 won’t be able to use the feature.
When using Share Play, the guest can only control the game. Other PS4 functions (such as turning off the system) or accessing of the host’s personal information isn’t allowed.
The host can take back control at any time during Share Play by pushing the Share button and ending the session.
Notifications (such as messages and friend requests) will only be displayed on the host’s screen during Share Play.
The guest’s account won’t be able to save game progress.
Livestreaming directly through the PS4 while using Share Play isn’t allowed.
After using Share Play, an icon of the game played will appear in the recently player section of the guest’s PS4 Home screen with a link to the PlayStation Store. Yanase says this will “encourage additional game title sales for game publishers.”

Custom Themes

Sony plans to have three or four custom themes available when 2.00 goes live tomorrow.
Third-party publisher and developers are free to create their own themes.
While you can choose your own background color on PS4, you won’t be able to create your own custom themes or custom background images “at this time.”

YouTube Sharing

You must have a Google account associated with your PSN account to share gameplay footage to YouTube.

USB Music Player

With 2.00, you’ll only be able to play music from a USB memory stick (which can be done over the game audio), and as Yanase says, Sony is investigating the option of allowing us to store music on the PS4’s hard drive. “Lots of gamers want to store not only music files but also their favourite video files on [the] PS4 hard drive,” he said. “But… to deliver this kind of custom soundtrack capability as soon as possible is most important for gamers, so we have the highest priority to deliver this function first. Then maybe we can develop it for [internal storage] sometime over the future.”

Other Requested Features

PSN name changes won’t be in 2.00, with Yanase only saying, “I’m aware of that request.”
Sony is aware of requests to support external hard drives, but that feature won’t be in 2.00.
Folders won’t be in 2.00.

Are you surprised by the 720p limitation of Share Play?

[Source: Videogamer]