http://youtu.be/QmXfKa22PZg
Sony announced in a press release today that its game streaming service PlayStation Now will be officially available Jan. 13 in the U.S. and Canada with subscription pricing and over 100 games.
Rather than going with the per-game plan they used during testing, Sony is going with a more standardized subscription plan: $19.99 per month or $44.99 for three months. There’s also a seven day trial period so that you can make sure your Internet connection can handle the service before you commit to it.
The list of games, as listed on Sony’s community forum, features a variety of games of differing quality levels. There’s some Telltale stuff, including Back to the Future and Sam and Max, both Infamous games, both Darksiders games, and some less popular but still interesting stuff like El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. There’s also some pretty generic stuff like Truck Racer and Wakeboarding HD.Whatever your preference, though, there looks to be something available to satisfy your need for PlayStation 3 games.
If you have a PlayStation 4, Sony will be making available a free PlayStation Now theme. If you download it before Jan. 31, you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win a year subscription to the service.
If Sony keeps adding more games to the service, PlayStation Now could justify the purchase of a PlayStation TV device better than the somewhat limited list of Vita games available for the device. In addition to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation TV, the service will also be available on PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, and is planned to come to other devices (such as Sony and Samsung television sets) a bit later.
With a subscription price replacing the per-game plan they used before ($3 for four hours, $6 for a week, $8 for 30 days, and $15 for 90 days with one game), is Sony doing enough to get you into the PlayStation Now service?
SCEA Announces Subscription Service for PlayStationNow, Providing Unlimited Access
to Over 100 PS3 Games
Launching January 13, subscriptions will be available in two plans – $19.99 per month, or a three month package for $44.99 / about $15 per month
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced that a subscription for the streaming game service PlayStationNow will launch on January 13 across US and Canada. The subscription, available first on PlayStation® 4 (PS4TM) systems followed by other PlayStation Now enabled devices, will offer unlimited access to over 100 PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) games. That includes titles from major publishers like SCE Worldwide Studios, Warner Brothers, Bandai Namco Games America Inc., SEGA, and more. Gamers will be able to choose from a monthly subscription plan for $19.99 per month or a three-month plan for $44.99, breaking down to about $15 per month. A free seven-day trial that provides access to all games in the subscription service will also be offered at launch.
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. Were 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, said Phil Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Publisher Relations, SCEA. 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.
PlayStation Now provides the ability to stream PS3 games without game downloads, installs, or patches. Users can save their game progress on PlayStation Now proprietary cloud servers and seamlessly resume their progress on any PlayStation Now-enabled device. For instance, users can start playing a game through PlayStation Now on their PS4 system in their living room and continue playing on their PlayStation Vita handheld system in their bedroom. Users that have subscribed to PlayStation Now will also receive entitlements to access the games included with their subscription on other devices at no extra charge.
To celebrate the launch of the subscription service, a free PlayStation Now theme will be available for PS4 owners to download starting in early January. Those who download the theme before January 31 will be automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win a one-year subscription to PlayStation Now.
Additional details on the PlayStation Now subscription service, including the full list of games included, is available here: http://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/psnow/
