On Monday, January 5, 2015, SCE President and CEO Andy House presented details on Sony’s PlayStation Now (PS Now) game streaming service at the CES show in Las Vegas, Nevada along with an official North American release date. This new Web service streams full games to Sony consoles, televisions, and other devices while offering game rental and subscription service options.
Developed by Gaikia who initially streamed PC games, Sony’s PS Now game streaming service will release on January 13, 2015. Using PS Now, players can enjoy games in 720p resolution with full capabilities including game progress saves, messages, trophies, and online play, which makes latency a critical factor. Players can get a one-month ($19.99) or three-month ($44.99) subscription plan.
PS Now will be initially available on PS4 and PS3 game consoles, then PS Vita later. PlayStation 3 games will be available first then PS4 and possibly PS, PS2 and PSP in the future. In last year’s open PS Now beta, players could access more than 150 games and that library should continue to grow as players can enjoy the service without a download or console.
Gamers will also enjoy PS Now on PlayStation TV, smartphones, tablets, and “most 2014 US models” of Sony’s Bravia televisions ((DualShock controllers required). Sony also announced select Samsung Smart TVs (PS Now accessed using Samsung’s Smart Hub) coming in the first half of 2015.
Sony offered some bonuses as well. Sign up for a one-week free trial. Download a free PlayStation Now theme (releasing in early January) for a chance to win a free one-year PS Now subscription.
Sony’s 2015 announcement coincides with their previous initiating debut of the BETA version at CES in 2014. Hopefully more international release dates for the service come soon, so players can player with their international friends… and foes.
Do you think PS Now will be a great gaming option and accelerate the replacement of playing games with physical discs?