Sony just solved the most frustrating obstacle for a gamer

A NEW game comes out, but your mates have a different console to you so you can’t play it together. This major gamer grievance may soon be a thing of the past.

Fortnite gamers have had one of their biggest gripes solved by Sony PlayStation. Picture: Instagram @fortnite

ONE of the most frustrating aspects of being a gamer could be coming to an end, following a reversal of policy by gaming giant Sony on its longstanding opposition to cross-platform play on its PlayStation 4 console.

The company has announced it will enable cross-platform play for “select third party content”, starting with the hugely popular Battle Royale game Fortnite — enabling gamers on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and even mobile devices to all compete against each other simultaneously.

Previously, Sony had resisted letting PlayStation 4 gamers play with gamers on other platforms – meaning if you had a copy of a game on PlayStation 4 and your friend had the game on Xbox One, you couldn’t play together.

The policy has been under increasingly vocal criticism from unhappy gamers who felt they were being locked out of gaming experiences with friends and family simply due to their console choices.

Sony has reversed its longstanding opposition to cross-platform play.

In an announcement on the official PlayStation blog website, Sony Interactive Entertainment president John Kodera said that after 24 years of offering a “uniquely PlayStation perspective”, the company had acknowledged that the gaming landscape had changed.

“The communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players,” Mr Kodera said.

“In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform,

“The first step will be an open beta, beginning today for Fortnite, that will allow for cross platform gameplay, progression and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems”.

Previously, gamers with a PlayStation 4 could not play with others with consoles like Xbox One, Nintendo or even mobile devices.

He said the beta was an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play was best on PlayStation, “while being mindful about the user experience from both a technical and social perspective”.

At this stage the new functionality has only been confirmed for Fortnite, but there is enthusiasm among the gaming community that the frustrating problem of discovering all your friends are playing a popular game on a different platform to you may finally be on its way out.

Mr Kodera acknowledged the introduction of cross-platform multiplayer support for the PlayStation 4 was a major change in policy for Sony and said the company was now in the planning process across the organisation to support it.

“We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta time frame, and what this means for other titles going forward,” he said.

Originally published as Sony just solved the most frustrating obstacle for a gamer