It’s no secret that the PS5 is the go-to current-gen console for premium single-player experiences, and 2023’s inductees into its library of bangers only expanded on this. However, reveling in these solo adventures with pals and loved ones online is still gated by the need for dedicated capture hardware. While “play has no limits”, sharing does, and PlayStation’s mantra doesn’t quite extend to the digital social landscape many of us exist in. Following the example set when Xbox and Discord brought streaming to Microsoft’s hardware back in September, 2024 needs to be the year that PS5 Discord streaming finally materializes.
Whether it’s swinging around in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or exploring the gorgeous world of Valisthea in Final Fantasy 16, last year’s PS5 exclusives constitute some of the best games out there. Having finally gotten around to exploring Valisthea with Clive over the Christmas break, I quickly fell for Square’s latest spectacle for many of the reasons outlined in our Final Fantasy 16 review. As I took on Eikon after Eikon, marveling at each setpiece, my desire to share the experience with friends further afield only intensified. However, while my pal JD (hello, JD) was showcasing his latest Elden Ring build via his Xbox, I was relegated to giving excited descriptions of gods and monsters falling at my gauntleted hands.
Call me impatient, but I honestly can’t wait for the day that I can chill in bed and stream the best PS5 games directly to the homies. Granted, I could always turn to one of the best capture cards to meet my needs, but at this point, it feels like a bit of a cop-out knowing Team Green doesn’t need to pay a penny more. As it stands, there’s next to zero information surrounding the feature possibly being brought to PlayStation, though Discord surreptitiously announced its arrival on Xbox alongside its September 2023 update – I can imagine it’ll be a similar story if/when Sony ships its own integration.
Though Discord streaming could be deemed superfluous considering the aforementioned hardware workarounds available – not limited to using my phone like I’m recording a CoD montage in 2007 – or even convoluted software methods, there’s a bigger picture element to it. $100 of luxury budget saved on an Elgato card is $100 that can potentially instead be invested into first-party titles or even some of the best PS5 accessories – perhaps low-level thinking, but revenue’s revenue. Additionally, salience might just give players who have yet to buy into the current-gen console that final push they need.
Tech-side there shouldn’t be too much of an issue, either. The PS5 is already capable of streaming directly to services like Twitch and YouTube so the technology is already there for the most part, though there could be extra, costly hurdles to jump that haven’t been accounted for. Yes, you could just stream your gameplay to Twitch but let’s face it, it’s not the same experience as an all-in-one solution.
My hopium take is that PS5 Discord streaming functionality is already in the works. After all, it took a whole year for Xbox to expand its integration from simple voice chat to full-fledged content sharing. Should PlayStation be working to a similar timescale, then I hope that we’ll start seeing it rolled out sometime in March, soon after the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date arrives. With a bit of luck, we’ll be showing off our Buster Swords collectively before long.