The PlayStation Server (PSS) (Suggestion)

[Deathon6]

Okay first I would like to clear a few things up first. This is a suggestion an idea for Sony. This is not something Sony is currently making. Second yes I know Sony will not see this thread. This thread is for you guys to sumbit your feedback. I have posted this idea here and have also submitted the idea to the PlayStation Share Blog. 

 

So I had an idea for Sony and I would like to get your feedback on it. 

 

What if Sony created the PlayStation Server or PSS. 

 

What would be the PSS?

 

The PSS would be a server to host online games. These games could be games that have been offline for years or games that are still online. Rather or not the PSS will be able to host a particular game would depend on if the people that own it gives permission for there games to be run on it. 

 

What consoles would it support?

 

The PSS will enable online games to be played on the PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, PS Vita and any future generation consoles. 

 

How do I get the server information for a game?

 

The server information for a game would be obtained by purchasing and downloading it from the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation Store would be different on the PSS then it is on a regular gaming console. When you buy something off the PlayStation Store on the PSS you are not buying the game to play but instead you are buying the server information for that game to be able to host an online game on your PSS.

 

Is the PSS a gaming console? 

 

The PSS is not a gaming console. It is simply a server that acts as a host that other consoles and other PSSs can connect to. This enables consoles to play online games with each other that rely on a dedicated server. And it enables other PSSs to act as a backup for that PSSs they are connected to. 

 

PSS connecting to PSS

 

The purpose of PSSs being able to connect to each other serves multiple purposes. If one PSS goes down the other one can take over and the game continues. They can also sync there data with each other such as leaderboard statistics, server lists and ban lists. 

 

What is the server list?

 

The server list is like a friends list for your PSS. It allows you to connect with other people’s PSSs so you can have a backup server Incase something goes wrong with yours. Connected PSSs also sync leaderboard statistics with each other. 

 

What is the ban list? 

 

The ban list is like the block list for your PSS. You can either temporarily ban someone or permanently ban someone. 

 

There are 3 different types of bans. 

 

Server ban: Does not allow the banned PSS to connect to your PSS.

 

Console Ban: Does not allow the banned console to connect to your PSS. 

 

Account Ban: Does not allow the banned psn account to connect to your PSS. 

 

How does banning work?

 

When you ban a PSS, game console or PSN account from your PSS you are telling your PSS to not allow the banned server, console or account to connect to it. If your PSS is connected to other people’s PSSs then those people will be notified of the ban and the reason why and will be able to decide rather or not to ban the server, console or account from their PSS as well. 

 

If I get banned from someone’s PSS does that mean I will no longer be able to play the game online? 

 

As long as there are plenty of PSSs you are not banned from you will still be able to play online. You just won’t be able to play on the PSSs you are banned from. 

 

How does leaderboard statistics work? 

 

This one is a tough one. For starters since everyone will be hosting their own PSS they will have different rules of what is allowed and what’s not allowed. 

 

For example let’s break it down into 4 different types of leaderboard. 

 

We have the legitimate leaderboards hosted by the legitimate gaming community. These people want the stats on their leaderboards to be legit. So if they catch you boosting, modding, hacking or any other form of cheating you can expect to be banned from their PSSs. 

 

Then you have the people who like to boost. They allow boosting but may not allow modding or hacking. So if you mod or hack you can expect to be banned from this group’s leaderboards.

 

Then you have the modding community leaderboards. Every thing pretty much goes here and the chances of being banned are slim at best.

 

Finally you have friends leaderboards. These leaderboards allow you to compare stats with just your friends. 

 

The biggest problem I see is how do you tell your console or game to post your stats to a certain leaderboard? Maybe you’re boosting and want to post your stats to the boosting leaderboards with out effecting the stats of the legitimate gaming community’s leaderboards. Perhaps an update to the game or console that would allow you to decide what PSSs to connect to would work but some games are so old and the companies that made them are no longer in business so an update to old games would be out of the question. Perhaps Sony would bring an update to the consoles that would allow you to configure your consoles to connect to a certain PSS or PSSs. This would mean that when you post your stats you are posting it to the leaderboards of the PSSs you are connected to. So if you are connected to the boosting PSSs you are posting your stats to the boosting leaderboards and not the legitimate gaming leaderboards. 

 

How would connecting your console to a PSS work?

 

Once Sony creates the PSS there would be an update to all PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP and PS Vita consoles. That would allow you to choose what PSSs to connect to which would be found in your console’s network settings. 

 

I would assume you would either connect to a PSS by either adding the name of the PSS to your list or by adding the port numbers or ip address for that particular PSS. 

 

Perhaps someone here could give an idea of how this could work. 

 

What would the PSS look like and have?

 

It would be boxed shaped perhaps around the same size as a desktop pc tower. 

 

On the back you would have a power outlet, an hdmi output, and an ethernet port. 

 

On the inside you would have one Multi Terabyte hard drive that is used for game server information downloaded from the PlayStation Store. You would also have additional internal hard drive bays to add extra hard drives should you need to. You will also be able to add additional network adapters that will allow you to host multiple online games at the same time. 

 

How many games and players could each PSS support? 

 

That would depend on how Sony builds and makes the PSS. It would also depend on the Internet connection of the person hosting the PSS. I would hope Sony would make it where multiple games can be hosted at the same time. 

 

How much would it cost to buy? 

 

I would assume the cost of the PSS could be anywhere from $300 - $800 depending on how Sony makes it. 

 

How much would server information for an online game cost on the PlayStation Store?

 

That would be up to Sony and the game developers and owners to decide. 

 

Would this be profitable for Sony? 

 

They would be making money from selling the PSS consoles plus they would also be making money from the purchases made from the PlayStation Store. They would also not have to worry about spending money on maintaining game servers as that would now be in the hands of the players themselves. So I would say it would be highly profitable. 

 

Would it be profitable to the game developers or owners? 

 

They would be making a profit off of the server information you buy from the PlayStation Store and would also be able to cut cost on server maintenance by letting the player host the servers instead.

 

Game developers and owners. May decide to either let players host servers for their games, not let players host servers for their games or let players host but still maintain their own server as well. 

 

So would it be profitable for the game developers and owners? I would say in a way yes it would be. 

 

To wrap things up here.

 

The PSS would bring online games  that were taken offline back online. Imagine being able to play a game you played years ago on ps2 or ps3 or any other console and being able to play that game online with your friends again. Imagine not having to worry about a server shutdown. Imagine, with PSS there would be no such thing as an online game that can’t be played online. 

 

Twisted Metal black (PS2) online.

Twisted Metal (PS3) online. 

Warhawk (PS3) online.

ModNation Racers (PS3) online.

And many more. 

 

If I missed anything I will be sure to come back and add it. 

 

So would you buy a PSS? How many games would you host with it? 

 

Give your feedback in the posts below. 

 

Thank You! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lonemankane]

I know it sounds cool and all but it is a pipe dream, as if they did do this only a handful of games will be back online I bet, so games such as bulletstorm, unreal 3 and dead space 2 will not come back online.

[Lordguwa]

i would say all the online games if they set a reasonable price to host it.

would unlock so much more potential to improve completion percentages

 

i missed out due to a back injury on one of my hitman games i didn't complete a couple online trophy's and that's gone for good.

[RextoR_XP]

brilliant idea! wish they would do it

[Zykstaar]

Nice idea!

[MMDE]

This is based on not really fully understanding how the servers work.

[Richtoon]

I love this idea and I can able to play MotorStrom online again!

[JohnCenaSong-]

This sounds like utter nonsense to me personally.

[Sergen]

Unfortunately this is way too wishful thinking. Sony doesn't own the rights to every game that was shut down on PSN, they allowed companies to release their games to their platform, but for the most part they weren't involved any further than that. A lot of servers that have been shut down have been heavily encrypted with cryptography keys, making it currently impossible to get back online on those games, unless the company who made the game removes those checks from the game by re-making the entire multiplayer for a game. A lot of companies with servers that went down are now defunct and former networking staff have likely moved on. Also, if this could be done in any way, I don't feel it would be profitable for Sony, not many highly popular games get shut down, it's not something a company would want to take the risk doing because there'd be no simple way to test the market for it. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Sergen

[nyonmyan]

We're supposed to pay $800-400 for p2p servers when Sony is making billions on PS+? I don't want to preach, but hiding that unfinished game from your profile and donating to local animal shelter is probably a better idea, on many levels.

[SnowxSakura]

In other words, you want it to be like xbox live then.