Oh, PlayStation now. While Sony's video streaming service for video games seemed to be atypical, now it seems that everyone is getting involved in the action.
The transmission of games in real time is not a fantastic dream, even a few years ago. Google is now testing AAA game streams in its Chrome browser. Microsoft is planning an Xbox console just for streaming, whose code name is Xbox Scarlett Cloud. Even the much less powerful hardware of Nintendo Switch is taking action.
And yet, there are still huge obstacles with Internet connectivity and the provision of games, which means that nobody can offer an impeccable service yet, even if PS Now offers the most complete platform at this time.
Basically, PlayStation Now is a monthly subscription service that allows you to stream your PlayStation's legacy or current generation games, just as you would with a TV episode or online video. We have all the other details in our detailed review of PlayStation Now.
Here we are going to discuss something very specific: is it worth PS now a subscription?
The PlayStation case now
PS Now has existed in some form or another since 2014, when Sony started its closed beta version of the broadcast service in the United States, Europe and Japan. He saw a full public release later in 2015, and it has been developed and added in later years.
Sony has maintained the same competitive price since its inception. One month of the service will cost you $ 19.99 / £ 12.99, or a bit reduced from $ 99.99 / £ 84.99 for the year.
For that, you have access to a wide range of games, and Sony has increased its offer of 80 titles at the launch to more than 650 today. Its eclectic offerings vary between classic titles like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and Gravity Rush, and more recent AAA games like Batman: Arkham trilogy, The Last of Us, Heavy Rain, Borderlands 2 and Red Dead Redemption.
There and apos; There's a lot to move on, although as with the free games that come with a PlayStation Plus subscription, you're not getting the latest and most popular titles. These are largely games that we stopped buying at full price, and it's hard to get rid of the feeling that you're playing at PS Now for historical or curatorial reasons, so you know what came before the new releases.
Any PS4 owner can try the service for free for seven days before being charged for a month, which means he can prove how well his Internet connection can work. service before committing to payments.
Just a few weeks ago we saw how PS Now adds a new download feature for PS2 and PS4 games, which means you can & apos; save & apos; Rent the service games on your hard drive and then play offline without having to worry about the delay. Take advantage of the central role of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass and integrate a service focused on transmission. All the base work is preparing for a momentarily disruptive force in the way we play and access the games.
The problem is that this is still not enough.
Still waiting
The current lack of download features for PS3 games are disappointing: as the largest section of the library and, therefore, the one with the highest demand, PS Now still has A long way to go before we can offer the comfort we are still waiting to see.
Undoubtedly, PS Now has increased its library and the ways to access its content, but it has also restricted its service in some aspects. You can no longer use PS Now on the PS3, PS Vita, PlayStation TV or any compatible smart TV like the Sony Bravia TV range. If you want to use PS Now, you need a PS4.
It's naturally easier for Sony to focus its provision on a platform, and we do not blame them entirely for doing it. It is more important to have a service that works, than one that can be found everywhere, but that disappoints in execution.
But the real potential of streaming games is access and affordability. If Sony and Microsoft can offer a service with access to hundreds of games at a fraction of the cost of regular RRP purchases, while outsourcing the hard work of processing and rendering to their own servers, it is a big step to eliminate the barrier of prices for game hardware.
Brings old and essentially lost titles that are within reach of a modern audience. Open the Sony game catalog for discovery, for the game, without the bitter taste of having only a few hours in an AAA game that you paid £ 40 / $ 50 to buy.
At this time, however, streaming games are still something that can only be done realistically with above-average Internet speeds and a PS4 console of the current generation, and for a large selection of games Yes, but not everyone who wants to play.
And while players do not need addition, in the subscription to PlayStation Plus, there will be very few players who choose PS Now, with its variable performance and limited titles, through the Plus membership, which offers very specific returns such as competitive online games and free monthly games at a much lower cost.
We are still surprised that there is not a combined subscription for both at a reduced cost, because at this time, even if some players benefit from the service as a complement to their main purchases, PS Now is not yet & apos; Not enough for st and on his own feet.
- Undecided? Read our deep review of PlayStation Now before deciding