Of course, there has to be a catch with something so awesome as that first paragraph makes it sound, and the kicker is that this is PlayStation Now rather than PlayStation 4 content, which means that you’re effectively streaming games over the Internet using the still-beta service that Sony has been working on for a little while. People who have tried PlayStation Now out already have been largely uncomplimentary about it, but the fact that gamers will be able to at least get some sort of PlayStation experience without a PlayStation console should not be underestimated.
In its current form PlayStation Now amounts to a handful of PlayStation 3 titles, but Sony does plan to make PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4 games available in due course.
PlayStation Now relies on streaming protocols to effectively run the chosen game remotely, with video being pushed back to the gamer and control input going in the opposite direction. Because of that no actual Sony hardware is needed, but a decent broadband connection is paramount to making the whole thing viable. Sony reckons a 5Mbps connection should suffice, but we haven’t been able to test it out ourselves so will have to take the Japanese firm’s word for it for now. And we’re pretty certain that the ‘quality’ of that 5Mbps connection matters a lot here. You just can’t go on and stream a game with very high ping rates.
Neither Samsung nor Sony are saying when the new TVs will be available other than a vague ‘first half of 2015′ timescale.
If that’s the timescale we’re given then we’ll just wait and see how the whole thing goes.
Are you excited about this new PlayStation Now integration in Samsung’s upcoming smart television? Do let us know when you think about it.
