Just yesterday, Sony announced their gaming streaming service which will launch later this year for the PS3 and PS4, followed by the PS Vita. Dubbed PlayStation Now, thanks to streaming technology provided by Gaikai which was bought by Sony, gamers can now enjoy games like The Last of Us and God of War: Ascension to name a few on the PS4 or PS Vita, despite the game never having been designed for either console. Consequently, your PS3 will have access to games never designed for it as well. While we were skeptical of the service and expected to find trouble due to latency issues, after some hands on time with the service, we walked away quite impressed. While the service is still not ready for prime time, we’ve learned a few nuggets of information worth sharing which you can find after the jump.
While speaking with the Gaikai team and doing some digging, we were able to learn the following:
- launch first on PS3 and PS4, followed by PS Vita
- launch second on Sony’s Bravia televisions
- launch third on Xperia smartphones
- launch eventually on additional Android devices (and maybe iOS?)
- closed beta in January, full service in the summer (likely after E3)
- recommended internet speed is 15 mbps
- games are limited to 720p
- up-conversion capabilities are currently unknown/unplanned
- games will have all the features of their disc counterparts (including full multiplayer)
- games can be rented a la carte or via a monthly subscription plan
That’s what we know, folks. Yes, we asked how to join the closed beta, but it looks like we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Until then, we will be daydreaming about playing our favorite previous generation games on our favorite current generation devices.
Discuss:
Do you see yourself utilizing PlayStation Now?