UPDATE: Billbil-Kun has confirmed the existence of the mysterious new “Cross-Buy” icon in an article on dealabs.com.

ORIGINAL STORY: Sony may be looking to follow in the footsteps of Microsoft by adding a new “Cross-buy” feature to PlayStation, if images of a mysterious new icon are to be believed.

The information comes from data miner @Amethxst who claims to have discovered new icons that are due to appear on the PlayStation website and console. He has uploaded a screenshot of the icons, as well as a video as extra proof.

The PS5/PC logo already exists, but the “Cross-Buy” is entirely new. Amethxst says it only exists on PS5, and uses the official PlayStation font. You might also have noticed that the icon’s border colours match the classic PlayStation face buttons.

So, what does this mean? Well, there are a few options. It could mean Sony is planning on implementing a system similar to Xbox’s Play Anywhere scheme. In other words, if you buy a PlayStation game, you get the PC version (if there is one) included and vice versa. For this to work, though, Sony would likely also need to introduce their own PC storefront rather than relying on Steam and Epic.

Some people have also speculated it could be related to the rumour PlayStation handheld capable of playing PS5 games natively. That seems unlikely, though, because it probably won’t be out until the PS6.

It could also be linked to another recent hiccup on the PlayStation store which allowed a user to briefly spot a snippet of text. The text said, “Buy this game, and then stream and play instantly on PS Portal or PS5 (Only with PS Plus Premium)”. It appeared again for a different user who was on the pre-order page for The Outer Worlds 2. It also appeared on the Ghost of Yotei page. This new PS Portal feature did have its own icon next to the text, but Sony might also seek to market this as “Cross-Buy”.

What do you guys think? Is this legic, and if so, what are you cross-buying with?