Details revealed about PlayStation Now

Last Updated: January 7, 2014

playstation-now

Sony has officially revealed information about PlayStation Now, the streaming service built on Gaikai. Their earliest announcement of it generated much excitement with the news that it would allow players to stream video games from previous generations, and now more details are known. PlayStation Now will stream games to the PS4, PS Vita, PS3, and Bravia TVs, with further support to come. Players using a Bravia TV will still need a DualShock 3 controller.

Players have an option of how to pay for the service—they can either rent individual titles or purchase a subscription. The rental option is also a way players can try out a game they are considering buying. Prices have not been revealed, as Sony hopes to gather feedback from the community on that and other issues. An Internet connection with a speed of 5MBPS and higher is recommended. Sony may implement a feature so that if a player loses their connection while streaming a game, the game will remain responsive.

A closed beta will be available for people to try by the end of January, although details on how to access it have not yet been revealed. The United States mainland will have access to PlayStation Now first, with information about its availability in other regions to be announced in the future.

The first games to be available are all PS3 titles—none have been officially confirmed, but tech demonstrations are being performed with Beyond: Two Souls, The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, and Puppeteer—but Sony plans to expand to games from other generations as well. PlayStation Now will also involve cloud storage of saved game files, so players can log into their account from multiple devices and have access to their games. Streamed games will have trophy support, multiplayer support (for games that normally have multiplayer modes), and will be the most recent version of the title.