No need for hard drives, PlayStation 3 to add cloud game saving

January 31, 2011 By Jeffrey Van Camp

In its upcoming 3.60 firmware update to the PS3, Sony has added a new feature allowing game saves to be uploaded to the cloud, making them accessible from anywhere.

Memory cards are already a thing of the past, but soon you may not even need a hard drive to save your games. Sony is telling developers that the PlayStation 3 will soon be able to save games to the cloud, reports Kotaku. The new service means that PS3 users will be able to upload all their game data to remote servers, making it accessible on any PS3 they log into with the same PlayStation Network account.

Unfortunately, the new service will only be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers, Sony’s equivalent of Xbox Live premium accounts. Developers can also opt out of the new service, should they not want their games to allow cloud saving. Players can also opt out of the service, should they desire. The service will be called “Online Saving” and be included in Sony’s upcoming 3.60 firmware update.

The service takes Sony yet another step deeper into cloud computing. How long before the major console manufacturers begin backing up almost everything to the cloud? It may only be a matter of time before we see companies pop up to compete with OnLive, the only game streaming service currently on the market.

Still, the benefits are immense. Game consoles routinely crash, are broken, or are lost due to theft or natural disaster. Having a remote backup of all game saves means that more room is available on the PS3 to save other things and gamers can rest assure that their high score in Resistance can be stored forever.

The 3.60 firmware update should be available in the coming weeks.

Showing 14 comments

Adam Hughes at 8:37pm 31st January 2011 That's true sir and good point. However, Facebook owns all your posts but you don't let that stop you from engaging in spirited discussions here! I would venture to guess many believe Facebook has much more sensitive info than PSN. Thoughts?
Tom Pajak at 7:35pm 31st January 2011 the game saves are just the beginning....
Tom Pajak at 7:26pm 31st January 2011 when u give info to the cloud they own it..not you
Adam Hughes at 7:11pm 31st January 2011 The cloud is a good, good idea. Are you afraid of someone hacking the cloud and knowing your pokemon high score? All the important info is already on psn and could have been hacked years ago. This is a simple storage solution that will give many added benifts.
Tom Pajak at 6:30pm 31st January 2011 the cloud is a bad bad idea
Tom Pajak at 6:30pm 31st January 2011 there goes your personal life info out for the world to easily hack into
Roberto Rob Knives Nieves at 5:49pm 31st January 2011 AWESOME!
源月読 at 4:47pm 31st January 2011 Sounds intersting, but how secure is the service?
Stephen LeatherFace Popa at 4:37pm 31st January 2011 thanks, but no thanks...
Ran Dy at 4:36pm 31st January 2011 nice
khara at 8:25am 31st January 2011 I am kind of surprised that Sony or Microsoft has not purchase OnLive yet either. This would eliminate hard versions of games and let people technically play from any console as long as they are logged in. Obviously the console would haveto be used as part of the process though....
Khara Robison Bell at 8:22am 31st January 2011 What other benefits do you get as a Playstation Plus subscriber? Also, how much does it cost to join the service?
1. Nathan Woodward at 3:23pm 31st January 2011 One of the biggest benefits in my eyes, is automatic updating. Like a computer, your PS3 will automatically turn on at a preset time, check for updates, download and install them and turn itself off when complete. No more sitting down to play some quick games with your friends, and finding a 30 minute update to install!
  1. ioman at 3:33pm 31st January 2011 You don't need cloud access for that to happen though. They could technically do that now if they wanted too. I believe they have to ask your permission first before updating the console. Sony puts a huge legal terms and conditions on there that you have to check off before they update the console.