PlayStation Now offers a Netflix-like subscription streaming service for games in U.S.
Andrew House, president and group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment, announces PlayStation Now streaming game service.
Tamara Sestanj
Netflix-like subscription streaming services aren't just for watching TV shows and movies anymore. Sony announced Monday that it will be offering its PlayStation Now streaming service for video games as an 100-game-inclusive subscription.
Details about a Canadian release date have yet to be announced, but subscribers on the American side of the border will be able to start streaming games from the PlayStation Now library on PS4 starting Jan. 13. The subscription service will be brought to other PlayStation Now enabled devices at a later date.
Although streaming is not new to PlayStation Now users, the option to have a subscription to all streaming games — rather than having to pay for each time you want to play — is a welcome change. Those who pay for a subscription to the PlayStation Now streaming service will have unlimited access to the Playstation 3 games available from the PlayStation Now library.
In the U.S. the PlayStation Now streaming service will have a subscription rate of $19.99 for one month or $44.99 for three months.
Other services such as OnLive have offered streaming games in the past, but have struggled with offering an affordable subscription option. Streaming a game is more difficult than streaming a movie because games require very little latency between inputs and the on-screen action.
We will update this story when we hear more specifics on Sony's Canadian PlayStation Now offerings.
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