Sony PlayStation Now: How Good is Gaming Without PS4, PS3?

With a lot of people opting to use streaming services like Netflix and Spotify nowadays, Sony has found a way to be in with its newly unveiled PlayStation Now.

For those who are on a tight budget, here's Sony's new subscription program for the PlayStation Now. In a statement posted on its blog, Sony announced that the new subscription program which is scheduled to launch on January 13 in the US and Canada will now allow users to stream over a hundred PlayStation 3 games on a fixed cost of $19.99 a month or $44.99 for three months. During the launch, new subscribers will also be given a free seven-day trial.

"Users have been able to rent games through PlayStation Now for several months, and one of the top requests we get is for an overall subscription to the service. We're excited to formally announce it today, as the PlayStation Now subscription service will deliver a ton of value by providing instant access to a large and diverse catalogue of games for one low price. We know there are lots of PS4 owners that never owned a PS3, and this is a great way to catch up on games they may have missed," Phil Rosenberg, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Publisher Relations at Sony Computer Entertainment was quoted as saying.

So should you subscribe? The new setup has earned mixed reviews.

The new PlayStation Now allows users to stream the games even without the gaming consoles. All you need is an equipment that can run the PS Now app like PS TV or Sony smart TV and a strong Internet connection. Hence, it is really cheap and affordable considering the price of PlayStation consoles. Plus, it is easier as you no longer have to go to stores to buy it. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and play.

The downsides? International Business Times' Vincent Balestriere said they were able to try the PlayStation Now during the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 and he has something to say about it. He said that there were some issues with its graphics. He says that it is not "perfect" and that there was "fuzziness" and "artifacting." On the other hand, input lag was very little. Balestriere said that the flaws were obviously noticeable during their try as the TVs used during the event were over 40-inch ones. However, he thinks these graphics issues may likely not happen when using PlayStation Vita due to its smaller screen.

Meanwhile, the main concern raised by Fresno Bee's Rory Appleton was that the new program relies on the PlayStation Network, which may be a huge problem when attacks happen. He cited the Christmas incident when users were not able to access the service after it was taken down due to attacks. Sony has also recently suffered hacks and threats related to the movie "The Interview." When an attack happen again, there is a huge possibility that users might not be able to access it and play again. Although Appleton considers the idea as some kind of "innovation" which cannot be stopped considering the huge shift to digital technology, he said he would still not try it at the moment as he still likes to use his old consoles.

The idea of PlayStation Now, Appleton says, may have been caused by the backlash it received when it declared that new consoles will not be "backwards compatible," which means that users cannot be able to play games from the previous console generation. With this new streaming service, users can now play old games and Sony no longer has to re-release these games.

Currently, games available on the online library are PlayStation 3 games. However, Sony promised that it will definitely make older games available. "There are some amazing games for PS1 and PS2 and our longer term vision is to go back further into the PlayStation generational library and offer those with PlayStation Now...Right now however, we are focused on bringing to users experiences from the amazing PS3 library," PlayStation Now marketing director Peter Jamshidi was quoted in a report saying.

PlayStation Now is available on PS4, PS3, PS Vita, PlayStation TV, and some Sony Bravia TVs. Pocket Lint says there is also a possibility that the service will be soon available on internet connected Android mobile and tablet devices. There is also a possibility that it will be available on Apple products. A global roll out of the service is also believed to come soon.