According to a number of reports on Internet gaming news sites today, Sony could be about to add saving games to the cloud as a feature in an upcoming firmware update for the PlayStation 3.
Website CVG mentions that a number of developers have already been informed of the cloud saving feature and that it will be called “Online Saving” when users get to see it on their PlayStation 3. It is believed that it will let users download their saved games from the cloud to other cloud-enabled devices such as the upcoming NGP (the PSP2) or other PlayStation 3s.
The most likely reason for this feature is that it will allow users to transfer over their saved games to a new hard drive far easier than ever before. It could also be used if a gamers PlayStation 3 bites the dust, meaning they can quickly get their saved games back when their console is replaced.
It could also see gamers go over to a friend’s house, login and pick up a game from where they left off, similar to how Valve’s Steam cloud service works. Reports seem to suggest that developers can pick and choose whether they make use of the save feature, which could be due to the size of some save game files.
At the moment it seems that the service will only be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers. PlayStation Plus currently costs $18 for a three-month subscription or $50 for a yearly subscription and allows users early access to demos, free games, and store discounts.