by Danreb Victorio
It’s not backwards compatibility, but it’s pretty damn close.
The 5 W’s
Sony announced PlayStation Now during their CES presser in Las Vegas this morning.
Thanks to their acquisition of the game-streaming company, Gaikai, PlayStation Now gives users the ability to play select PlayStation games on their PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita platforms as well as other internet-enabled devices, such as smart TVs or tablets.
Basically this premium service has the potential to pretty much be a PlayStation version of Netflix.
Sony hasn’t confirmed the pricing rates for PlayStation Now, but they’ll be doing a closed beta for the service at the end of the month.
We’ll be sure to update you as we receive more information.
Analysis
When we talked about the announcement on Twitter, user @DiamondRyce tweeted, “at least they acknowledge that people want their previous games.”
I definitely agree with @DiamondRyce. I’m sure thousands to millions of other console owners invested a lot in physical copies of that particular platform’s exclusives. I personally have a backlog of more than 50 games, but it would be hell to get back to them because my PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U are already connected. If I wanted to play something else, I’d have to unhook something.
The price of the service is also something I’d be wary of. If gamers already spent full price for titles they never sold or traded in, why should we pay again for games we already have? On top of that, I don’t have the best internet connection, and I highly doubt streaming a video game is the same thing as streaming a Netflix movie.
Then there’s the whole mobile device thing. How would I play a game like Uncharted on my iPhone? Would I still be able to use my controller?
Those are just some things to think about as this service gets on its feet. A part of me just wishes they just announce some backward compatibility ploy. That’s something I’d actually pay for.