Arguably the most exciting tidbit that Sony dropped at CES today (besides how amazingly well the system is selling) was Playstation Now (PS Now). New details have emerged via the Playstation Blog that details just what you can expect from the streaming service. The gist? You'll be able to stream PS3 titles to every other Sony platform- and more.
At first PS Now will allow you to stream the PS3 library to PS4 and PS3 systems, followed by the PS Vita. Many 2014 models of Sony's BRAVIA TV will also support PS Now so yes, you'll eventually be able to stream PS3 games right to your tv. Who needs a console? The service will expand beyond Playstation platforms and Sony devices, although there's no details on which sort of internet-connected devices those might be just yet. (How about the Xbox One, Sony?)
This will utilize Dave Perry's Gaikai technology, and here's what they promise with PS Now-
- Play video games instantly across multiple devices, similar to the way you might stream TV, movies, and music.
- Stream full games to all of your compatible PlayStation devices including PS4, PS3, and PlayStation Vita as well as non-PlayStation devices, beginning with 2014 BRAVIA TV models and expanding to numerous other Internet-connected devices.
- Always play the most updated version of your game. With games hosted in the cloud, you can take your game with you – just log in with your Sony Entertainment Network account on a compatible device and your games and saved progress will be easily available.
Games will be available to rent or buy and they will also offer some sort of subscription that lets you play a large range of titles. Details haven't been nailed down just yet but expect them to be soon- PS Now is kicking off a a Beta at the end of January and is expected to launch in the U.S. this summer.
Along with the official notes here's some new details about the service.
- Multiplayer will be supported not only among Playstation Now users but anyone using a disc as well
- A 5Mbps minimum broadband connection is recommended, although of course the faster the better
- PS3 games are it for now but the note of "Classic" games in the library seems to suggest that PS One and PS2 titles will be supported sometime in the future
- Games get saved in the cloud. If you use PS Plus you likely have saves on there already, you can use those for PS Now
- Games will stream at 720p resolution
People trying the service out at CES has positive things to say about it, where The Last of US, God of War: Ascension, Beyond: Two Souls, and The Pupeteer were available for play. The image quality has taken a little bit of a hit but the latency was apparently a non-issue.
This really could be a game-changer. Everyone complains about the lack of backwards compatibility on the new consoles but if you're able to just stream old titles- who cares? Of course, one problem arises about what happens if you've already purchased a PS3 title and want to stream it. Is there a free or cheap way that would allow you to stream it over PS Now? Regardless, the idea of being able to stream the entire PS3 library on your PS Vita is too exciting to ignore. This is likely to be huge if Gaikai can pull off what they promise. More as we hear it.
