Sony will give users/gamers the ability to play successful games that have been released for older versions of the Playstation, without even owning the consoles in question, with its new service, Playstation Now, which it unveiled at CES 2014 in Las Vegas.
The service will operate by streaming content (games from older Playstations) from the company's servers, and will be supported by a variety of devices, including tablets, smartphones, Playstation 4, PS Vita, and the company's "smart" TVs. As part of it, Playstation 4 owners will be able to play Playstation 3 games (something that was not possible until now), while it will also significantly expand the range of titles available for the PS Vita.
As announced, PlayStation Now will begin testing in the US at the end of the month. It is expected to launch in the summer. It seems that users will probably be able to either pay for individual titles, or opt for a monthly subscription to access the entire catalog - however, no prices were announced.
The service is based on technology developed by Gaikai, a cloud gaming startup that Sony acquired in 2012 for $380 million. The technology is fast enough to allow for seamless, real-time gameplay. While some journalists who tried out PlayStation Now at CES reported a small, barely noticeable lag, initial impressions were generally very good.
Sony seems to be making a general shift towards cloud services, as it announced, without revealing many details, that it is also preparing a service for streaming television material on various devices.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
