It’s clear that cloud gaming is here to stay. Microsoft made a big push with it by offering it as aGame Pass Ultimate add-on, providing many of the service’s newest additions in instant-access streaming form. You can play directly on Xbox, of course, but Microsoft has since brought the service to major mobile devices and web browsers too.

Sony isn’t new to the streaming game either, with the company having used the cloud for its ownPlayStation Nowservice, which was similarly rolled into the premium PlayStation Plus tier. With it, gamers can play classic titles from almost any PlayStation era, from the PS1 all the way up to some of the latest PlayStation 5 games, all without having to download them. While the service still requires a PlayStation console, anewly revealed patentsuggests Sony could be looking to offer a mainstream device that will offer streaming functionality in a form factor that’s portable and much more affordable.

Sony patent showing diagram of streaming interface

Which company will launch its cloud gaming stick first?

According to thepatent, Sony is developing a “pass-through device for cloud gaming,” with examples likening it to products like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, and Roku. It broadly suggests integrating the service with existing ones, the same way Microsoft offersGame Pass streaming on Samsung TVs.

While the patent mostly conceptualizes the service as an add-on for any streaming-oriented device, it could foreshadow an actual product offering. There’s nothing suggesting Sony couldn’t eventually create its own hardware, which is something its rival Microsoft is alsotoying around with.

This would be an advantageous development in the current landscape of console gaming, where PlayStation 5 unit supply is still spotty and fairly costly for many households to invest in. Not only would Sony be able to offer contemporary games to more people, but it could do so at a much lower cost barrier.

Sony seemed reluctant to go all-in on subscription-based gaming services heading into this generation, but with the explosive success of Xbox Game Pass (Microsoft reportedly makes close to$3 billion in annual revenue on Game Passalone), it’s likely concluded that it can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines and wait for its flagship hardware to turn a profit on its own.