So what is 'Playstation Now' and is it time to switch?

Crossing to the streams...

 

I’ve just tried the Playstation game streaming service PlayStation Now and... I think it’s great.

 

Lots of games are streamed directly to your console (or windows PC). Tons of titles (750+ at this time), no need to download so much, no suddenly interfering updates, no getting up to put in disks at all… and reduced waiting. This is surely the future of gaming?

 

You can try the service for 7 days for free (and deactivate by turning off Auto-Renew via your account on the PS website at any time.) There are also monthly, three-monthly and yearly subscription options. 

 

 

What’s it like?

 

The service has been around for a while, and it's improving. I don’t have a super-fast internet connection or anything and it works fine, but I can see that maybe large families with multiple streaming services going on at once (and no super-fast connection), this could pose an issue for performance.

 

All the games I tried worked just fine and I was happy to find multiplayer features present, which worked well too. Quick shortcuts for all the games I tried out appeared on the main navigation menu for easy re-entry. My positions in the games were all saved.

 

'Steep' was an awesome game I tried, for all ages, which gives you a thorough blast of stunning winter sports in the mountains. New games are added each month, and you can download some of them (currently about 300) in order to access DLC. 

 

Got kids? There are some decent games for kids to get their teeth into including Lego City and the Lego Harry Potter and Star Wars adventures. 

 

 

Why cross to the streaming side?

 

Previously, I’ve been a contented owner of brand-new, major game titles and a big lover of disk boxes with huge manuals or maps of open world fantasy lands to explore. I cherish my first ever edition of No Man’s Sky with the comic book and the initial version that caused so much controversy. There’s nothing better than getting a new game box in the post, or as a gift. But... things do change. Since then, there have just been so many ‘massive’ titles that have escaped me and which I will never catch up on… but at least with Playstation Now there’s a possibility of having a quick dive in.

 

As with the rise of the Virtual Reality world as a whole, I can only see Playstation Now and game streaming becoming the norm. There will be more games, even the bigger and better ones being added and I can see the whole Playstation moulding around it. You can even play these on your desktop PC instead of, or in addition to a console. It’s just all too easy.

 

And... PlayStation Plus?

 

Playstation Plus remains the much-desired multiplayer service right now. It’s great for serious gamers with the latest major titles ready to go online into multiplayer dimensions. They are very focused on these latest games and will play them extensively. The extra 3 games per month (including one normally very good one) just adds that extra spice to keep your subscription lively. Just by completing surveys, viewing ads and testing games right here at Prizes Drop.com you can earn our points that will go towards a free PSN card or PSN code for your monthly/annual subscription. It’s also a more legitimate way to avoid scam sites and dodgy scam ‘code generator’ websites.

 

Still... along with this subscription comes the worry you have enough time (or interest in these big games), to warrant the multiplayer service that you’re - primarily - paying for. If you’re without the time or the energy to make complicated decisions in the PS Store including what new game to purchase forever, then PS Now is the perfect answer. PS Now is like browsing a version of the PS Store where decisions no longer matter, because any game is available to try out. You don’t even have to download them and worry about disk space.

 

 

Attention life-span

 

The other good point about PS Now is that you no longer have to take games so seriously.

 

Since there are so many there is enough choice to skip between them. You might even play a game you’ve never tried before. This is a good thing, because you can still enjoy the deeper games with a sense of satisfaction and respect. However, you don’t feel that you have to play one to death because you bought it in a store. You don’t feel obliged to get every penny's worth, which will make games more competitive, possibly more immediate and introduce people to a wider range, instead of pigeon-holing them into huge, cumbersome franchises that don’t actually deliver anything new. Perhaps they will start getting crafted a bit more carefully and have their often ridiculous size broken up into 'instalments' like a Netflix series.

 

There are exceptions, and it will depend on the type of game experience we're talking about. Skyrim, for example, was never conjured for online gamers at all, but catered to those without any subscriptions.

 

But the convenience of game streaming is coming so you'd better hang on to your old, cherished game boxes.

 

Check out the Playstation Now website and the current prices.

 

View the games available.