PlayStation Now Beta

[fat_moogle]

Sony have started sending out codes for the PlayStation Now beta to NA PS3 / PS4 users.

Anyone here got in? And if so what are your thoughts on the service so far?

[Bolivar]

Haven't received in an invite. Very interested in EoFF takes on this, though.

[nirojan]

Nope :cry:
*Keeps checking Messages*

[Shauna]

What stuff is going to be available on PSNow when it starts up?

[Bolivar]

Supposedly "hundreds of titles."

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=819094

I was assuming it would be mostly first party PS3 games and some of the previously available PSOne Classics, but if it's really hundreds, well, that's a lot of games. It's also rumored Sony will unveil new PS1 and PS2 emulators with improved upscaling to help older games fit more naturally on modern TVs:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-ps1-ps2-games-heading-to-ps4

[NeoCracker]

I am much more interested in that rumored PS1 and 2 Emulation then the PSNow myself. (Mostly because I still have my PS3. :p)

[Shauna]

Yeah, I am super interested in the PS1/2 stuff more than PS3 game streaming. Perhaps Now is not what I am looking for.

[Bolivar]

Well, it appears they go hand in hand, with the emulators being developed primarily for streaming older titles off of PlayStation Now. Whether they would allow you to run games natively off the disc seems like it would be too good to be true.

But if it was, I'd sure as he'll be off to Dragon Quest VIII land, never to return again.

[fat_moogle]

I think what it's going to come down to at the end of the day is price and content. We still don't know how much Sony are planning on charging for the service, and what subscription models there will be.

I think it has the potential to do well and it'll be nice to have the option to go back and play some old titles that I may have missed out on.

I'm guessing we'll get more info at E3 regarding this.

[Bolivar]

Yep, it's almost a given that a big part of their E3 will be dedicated to this, as it is officially launching this summer IIRC.

I think they have to go really cheap for PS1 and PS2 rentals, as those games are already $5-10 dollars to own on the PlayStation Store. For PS3 and PS4 games, I imagine it could be $5-10, depending on how old it is and what it's going for used at GameStop.

They suggested there will be a subscription model as well. They should price competitively with Netflix, something like $7-10 a month, as I don't think anyone would go more than that when they presumably already have their own library of older games to play for free. I imagine it will tie into PlayStation Plus, either discounting the subscription or giving you a few free rentals every month. They also hinted that the subscription won't necessarily give you free reign to play whatever you want from the entire library, so they need to be careful with that as well.

[fat_moogle]

Looks like there's options to rent for 1, 7 or 30 days. Shows you at the end of this video:

http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/05/22/ps4-playstation-now-beta-ui-and-games-menu-leaked/

[Rocket Edge]

Is this like a Playstation MegaPlus² or a different type of model? The first I've heard of it was here.

[Bolivar]

Imagine the Netflix of gaming. It allows you to rent and begin playing games instantaneously (hence, PlayStation Now), while the game is being processed remotely on the Cloud. The natural drawback is there may be some noticeable controller input lag, which will be sub-optimal for really twitch reaction games. If it's anything like PS4 streaming on the Vita, though, it should be absolutely manageable for almost all games.

It will feature first and third party titles across the entire PlayStation catalog, going back to the PS1 days, with hundreds of games supposedly available at launch. All that really remains to be seen is the pricing.