One of the early selling points that Sony used to differentiate their new machine from the competition was it’s ‘innovative’ sharing functions. The features promised us that now, with the simple click of a button, your screenshots and videos would be whisked away by the internet fairies to be deposited on the social media outlet of your choice. More than a year on from launch, I had began to ask myself, does anyone actually care?

Part of the PS4’s sharing functionality is the inbuilt ability to stream live gameplay footage and commentary to both Twitch and Ustream. This feature, I’m sure, has been a boon to professional game-streamers all over, negating the need for unsightly (and costly) video capture equipment.

But for the average Joe, or in this case average Sebastian, how much of a revelation has the Share button proved to be? I’ve experimented with live streaming to Twitch, but found the process to be rather distracting and, since I have no channel, followers or otherwise interested parties, it seemed to be a rather pointless endeavour.

I’ve dabbled in saving the video footage of particularly great gaming moments, but the way the Share button works in this regard is a little sloppy. I have it set up so that a single tap of the Share button takes a screenshot, while a quick double tap starts recording video. But how do you save the last 5, 10, or 15 minutes of footage that the PS4 continually records, on the fly? Well then you need to hold the Share button down until a separate screen appears. Here you can select “save video” to capture that golden kill streak. Of course, while you’re busy pissing around with that, some obnoxious teenager has just fragged you and is now tea-bagging your corpse.

I also tried setting up my Share button to instantly upload my screenshots to Facebook. However, I soon realised that very few people on my friend list could have given two shits about my Destiny character dancing on the moon. I was also conscious of the fact that my Facebook page was very quickly becoming cluttered with pictures of games instead of the endless parade of wedding and baby photos for which I’ve become accustomed to. So, that too had to go.

There are now only two reasons that I ever want to use the Share button. One is for getting screenshots for game reviews for this site. The other is for the even rarer occasions when I think one of my gaming friends will appreciate seeing the high score streak I just pulled off in Plants Vs Zombies.

Rare as these moments might be, to actually get the pictures off the PS4 and onto my computer is a complete faff. First, I have to disconnect one of the USB cables from the front (why is there no rear-side USB port when bluetooth headsets require the exclusive use of one?) and plug in a FAT32 formatted USB stick. As a Mac user, that one caught me off guard.

Then you need to navigate into the Content Creator application, then into the game folder, then into the screenshots and then find the screenshot/s you want. Next you hit ‘start’ and copy to USB, then select each screen shot you want to copy, then click ‘OK’ then wait while it does it’s thing. Finally unplug the USB stick and whack it into your computer, navigate through another hundred million zillion folders and at last you have your pictures where you actually want them.

Of course, I’m being overly facetious here, but my point is that for all the talk about PS4’s connectivity, in practice it proves to be as much of a pain in the arse as it ever was. There is however, one noticeable exception which goes a long way to redeeming the PS4’s sharing mantra. It’s called Share Play and it’s brilliant.

Share Play is a feature that allows you to literally share your game with someone else over the internet. Your first thought might be, “why would I want to do that?” I was dubious myself, until I tried it.

To get going, simply start a Party and invite a friend to your group. Once they are in, click on the Share Play icon on the top right and the feature starts up. Now your friend will be able to watch you play, chat with you, take over control of the game and, in some games, play along side you even if they don’t own the game themselves.

The first chance I got to try it out was with my friend Michael, who wanted to play Injustice Gods Among Us, a PS Plus title for December last year. I didn’t have the game, but we fired up Share Play to test it out. Amazingly, in a time where nothing seems to ever work as intended, the game played flawlessly. As far as I could tell there was no lag whatsoever and, streaming over the internet, the picture quality was absolutely gorgeous.

When this same friend confessed to having never played Resident Evil, I immediately bought the HD REmake and we launched Share Play. Taking turns on the controller, playing through the game together, it brings back many great memories I have of playing the original way back in the 90’s. Back then, I was sitting in a dark room with my mate Noddy, shitting myself with fear every time I heard those groans and moans. Now, in 2015, I’m sitting in another dark room and soiling another pair of underpants. Even though Michael actually lives several hundred miles away, Share Play allowed it to feel like we were playing together in the same way I did all those years ago. It’s the first time in weeks that I’ve actually been excited to turn the PS4 on.

So, while the PS4’s Share button may have fallen slightly flat since all the hype, the amazing Share Play feature is a huge feather in the machine’s cap. Whether allowing friends to play new games together, or to reminisce over old favourites, it’s a wonderful feature that does a lot to set the PS4 apart from the competition. Go and give it a try!

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