PS3 cloud saves incoming - Report

From online e-mail to Google documents, cloud computing is all the rage these days. The trend has even extended to the game community in the form of Steam Cloud, which lets players of Valve's titles save their games and other data (keyboard shortcuts, and the like) on servers.

Now, according to a Kotaku report, the PlayStation 3 may soon be getting server-side game saves as well. Citing unnamed sources, the gaming blog says the forthcoming v3.6 firmware update will bring cloud saves to the console--or to its premium subscribers, anyway. The service will apparently be limited to PlayStation Plus members, who pay $50 per year for the privilege of being part of the top-tier service.

The report says that Sony will brand the cloud saves as "Online Saving" and will play up the fact that it will let players access their saves anywhere via their PlayStation Network ID. The report did not mention the possibility of saving PS3 games and then playing them on Sony's just-announced Next Generation Portable. Such functionality was heavily hinted at Sony's press event last week by Metal Gear Solid series director Hideo Kojima, who said he was working on such a project for an Electronic Entertainment Expo reveal.

As of press time, Sony had not responded to requests for comment on the report. However, Kotaku said that the cloud save ability will be optional for developers, allowing studios concerned about copying of saves to opt out should they so choose.