Share Play on PS4 will let you play with friends, even if they don't own your game

The version 2.0 system software update for PlayStation 4 this fall will introduce a feature called Share Play that lets you invite friends to play a game, even if they don't own a copy.

According to a post on the PlayStation Blog today by Scott McCarthy, director of product planning and software innovation at Sony Computer Entertainment America, Share Play works like a "virtual couch."

"With this first-of-its-kind feature, you'll be able to play games with a friend just as if you were together in the same room," McCarthy wrote. "Let's say that with games ... you'll be able to invite your friend online to play against the Miami Heat for the championship as the San Antonio Spurs in NBA 2K, tackle the challenging Towerfall Ascension Quest Mode together, or aide, heal and protect you as Igniculus in Child of Light's local co-op mode."

Share Play will also let users virtually hand control of their game over to a friend, as if they were sitting in the same room.

The 2.0 update will also introduce a dedicated YouTube app and the ability to upload captured game footage to the video service. The What's New section of the PS4's interface will be updated to include new links to friends' broadcasts. A real name search will also make its way into the interface.

For more on Sony's announcements this week, be sure to browse Polygon's StoryStream, which corrals every PlayStation story from Gamescom 2014.