As we announced back at CES, PlayStation Now (PS Now) is the first-ever game streaming service available on a game console, where you can quickly access a rich and expanding library of PlayStation 3 (PS3) games from our cloud servers. Since January, PS Now has been in Private Beta for select gamers across the country, and I’m happy to announce that the Open Beta will be available to all PlayStation 4 (PS4) owners in the U.S. and Canada starting tomorrow.
As part of this Open Beta, PS4 users will see PS Now titles fully integrated into PlayStation Store, available to be streamed for various rental durations. Check out the video walkthrough of how it all works:
During the PS Now Open Beta, PS4 users will see a diverse library of more than 100 titles to rent, with more added regularly. PS Now will offer a variety of rental periods depending on the game, including 7-days, 30-days or 90-days, as well as a short 4-hour duration, so players can sample the experience first.
With a strong and stable broadband connection, visual and gameplay quality will be much like what you’re used to with other PS3 games. PS Now will also feature cloud game saves, as well as support for other popular network features such as Trophies, friend lists and leaderboards. You can also play seamlessly online with other people on PS Now, or even players who have the downloadable or disc based version of the game. As you know, the PS3 catalog of games is massive and incredibly diverse, and we’re thrilled to make these epic experiences available to PS4 first, followed by our other PlayStation platforms in the coming months.
Since we’re still in Beta, and in the very early days of PS Now, we plan to continue to collect feedback during this Open Beta phase to make further refinements to the service, so please provide us feedback once you’ve experienced the service.
We want to thank those that have been participating in the PS Now Private Beta for their time, dedication and valuable feedback, which have helped us continue to shape the service.
You will immediately see a clear breakdown of what’s included with game rentals, so it’s easier to tell what content you’re getting with your rental, especially since several games offered through PS Now include DLC that increase the value of the offering. Also, in a few weeks, you will start seeing reduced pricing on some 4-hour rentals which will appear at $1.99.
In addition, we’ve heard you loud and clear for an update on a PS Now subscription option and want to reassure you that we are working on it. We think PS Now represents the next step toward the future of gaming and we’re excited to have the PlayStation Nation come along with us on the beginning of this journey.
I can’t open game on PS Now, it says ”Closing your last gaming session…” and I stay blocked here. What I have to do?
@PS_man
what are you talking about illegal? I have hard copies of everything I own. How is this illegal?
Like everyone else I don’t think I’ll be using this service at all with it’s current pricing scheme. There is a huge discrepancy value between PS+ free games and PS Now charging so much for older titles. One service is a great value, one is terrible. Maybe I’ll feel different about it once it comes to the Vita.
The PS now beta for PS4 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering 90% of PS users are still on PS3, and the beta only offers PS3 games.. Hmmmmm??? Anyone else see a red flag here??
OK I just checked PS Now on the PS Store. The game selection is fantastic. Many of my all-time favorite PS3 games are there (Mega Man 9 & 10, Galaga Legions DX, but no Pac-Man Championship Edition DX). Give us a subscription model and we’re all set.
The prices are all over the place. Some games charge $5 to rent for 90 days, others charge $15-$30 for 90 days. There’s no consistency.
Also, PS Now games are NOT compatible with DLC or user-created content. So LittleBigPlanet will not be released for the service. :(
Damn most of The games I own already I want My ps3 back **** The four all The same games as The ps3 anyway
SONY, let me try some PS1/2 classics on the beta,, then and only then will I consider opening my wallet
Damn that sucks,,, guess I’ll keep my PS3 and play LittleBigPlanet for free with no late fees bahahahaha
@jibjab79
You still downloaded the games for free. That is piracy. Do you download all your movies and music for free too? Software piracy is illegal, regardless if you own the product physically or not.
And who wants to play those games on a phone? Buying a controller just to play the games on a phone is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of. It defeats the purpose of portability. Just buy a handheld if you want to play those games on the go.
You can play LBP 1 & 2 with DLC’s on PS3 for free if your a + member, I’ll stick to my free games each month and play them whenever wherever I want
Yep. Don’t people read the copyright infringement notices? Copying a game whether you own it or not without consent is illegal.
True. But I don’t have a PS3 anymore so PS Now is very appealing to me. If it was a subscription service I’d be using it every day. I’ll rent a couple cheap games for 90 days just to test the service. Mega Man 9 & 10 cost $8 for 90 days.
Pricing is an absolute joke. Furthermore, what this needs to include is open access to digital titles you’ve already bought. Already got a copy of Twisted Metal Black or Resident Evil 2? You should be able to stream that for free. Considering you’ve scrapped backwards compatibility, you’re robbing us of digital libraries we’ve built up over the years.
@354
355 comments and 300 of them from you. Are you kidding me, give it a rest. There are a ton of X360 gamers that defected to the PS4. I am looking forward to playing PS3 games on my PS4 and Vita. If Sony made the PS4 backwards compatible with PS1, PS2 and PS3 games the PS4 would be close to $600. This is also a great way for Sony, which may I remind you that they are a business, to make money. PS+ is a fantastic service which I am glad to say Sony goes way above and beyond for a small $50 charge per year. I am going to try it today however I am not going to use the service a lot in it’s current state. However, Sony is going to lower the prices and provide a subscription model soon. This is just a beta. Stop embarrassing yourself. Sony isn’t forcing you to use it, If you don’t like the service don’t use it.
Other than the obvious highway robbery of 2.99/4 hrs….I am a little disturbed by the 90 day rental cost being pretty much equivalent (and sometimes more) to the cost of purchasing the game. For that price I want to be able to have full access to the game FOREVER. I feel really burned by these prices. All you have done is ensured that you wont be getting my money. Not going to let you rape me.
Whoops, sorry msmont, I meant @355, 358, 359 and 361 and etc……
Prices are too high. I’m very interested in the subscription service IF it will include new games at a good price. and also maybe a discount for ps plus members?
They put like four games for free but then took them right off
Downloading LEGAL free software that converts my already bought hard copy that I have in my possession to a digital format is not illegal. I bought the rights to the games, I can legally do whatever I want with my hardcopy as long as I am not selling copies for financial gain.
Besides, you don’t know my gaming habits, my job does not allow me to be a hemit at my moms house and make up accusations on what is legal and not legal. Can’t bring my ps4 and TV into the Doctors office, Work, in the car… people will look at you funny.
Paying $2-$5 for a 4 hour rental is a huge ripoff. The 4 hour rental should be free so we can test the games before buying them.
Are there any free demos or is the minimum $1.99?
It’s still illegal. You can debate about whether it’s unethical/ethical for you, but still illegal. See copyright infringement.
Some suggestions:
1) Drop the 4 hour rental or make it free as a “trial period”.
2) Give us the option to buy the games, not just rent them.
3) Give us a subscription service (like Netflix).
@jibjab79
Buy a Vita or 3DS with built-in buttons. Playing PlayStation, Game Boy, Super Nintendo, etc. games on a phone with a controller is stupid. How do you hold the phone and controller at the same time? Phones weren’t designed to play those games, so you have to use an unstable emulator to play them. If companies actually wanted their games to be played on phones they’d make the emulators themselves and sell the games on the app stores.
If you don’t like my feedback, don’t read it.
I’m not going to buy a rental of a game I own, and won’t pay alot for a rental I don’t own. Can I play my fully bought Ninokuni PSN game free atleast..
Either way I’ll try and give my feedback.
But the first piece of feedback for me is, allow me to stream any game I own already free, it’ll make me buy so much more PSN games. Thanks :)
Can’t wait to try.
Will any games be free to test out?
So I’ve noticed that all the free games such as Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 nad Papo y yo have been removed. Why? I was able to get Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 before it was removed, but now I can’t play it. What’s going on?
After looking through the games offered, I went on amazon and looked at the used prices compared to the 4-hour rental price. I found that the prices are approximately the same, we could own the game with no connection requirements for a couple extra dollars more that the 4-hour rental. It seems it would be a waste of money for me to rent the game when I could buy it for the same price and keep it for however long I want to. Even if I only wanted to try the game out it would make more sense for me just to buy it outright.
Their probably still on the fence on whether to allow beta testing for free or not, as CrusaderForever mentioned before SONY will work all the bugs and kinks out, I’m dying to try out the beta today after work so I’m hoping there’s at least 1 free game to test.. Fingers crossed lol
These prices are ridiculous. R.I.P. Playstation Now……..
Nascar 14 – $40 for a 90 day rental……
Painkiller – $25 for a 90 day rental. Umm, the game costs $30 to own and keep forever.
@378 I tought it was only me or my PS4 had a problem. Thanks god. Now I understand why I can’t lauch Papo & Yo game… BECAUSE SONY REMOVED IT DAMN. -__-‘
Gonna put my money somewhere else..
All these prices are high. Why spend 50 dollars to rent a game. You might as well buy it. I know Sony wants to make their money back , but dam. You’ll be better going to Gamestop and BUY these games instead of renting
As a recent PS4 owner who switched from Microsoft i gotta say the thought of being allowed to play ps3 games in PSNow that ive been missing is great However the pricing sucks.
I would pay $8 a month, like net flix, to be allowed access to games 1 yr old or older. For new games a $5 rental “4 hr sneak peak” at a game with an option to get credit in psStore to buy it.
Net flix subscription would blow Microsoft HQ to smithers i would think. You have done an excellent job. I switched after much research and never looked back. Love my PS4.
Thank you for listening to us, I tried the Closed beta and i liked what i saw. but the Prices that went up was Horrendous. You set-up that Subscription Pricing something similar to the prices in PS Plus. and you have yourself a new Subscriber. Because i Assure you the way it’s priced now, no one foolish enough is going to buy it but idiots with deep pockets.
If I’m already paying for a subscription Service called playstation plus?
Thank you soo much Jason Buser for all your hard work. Im glad its finally here Amen lol
Prices are absolutely terrible. R.I.P. Playstation Now
Yeah, with current prices it’s better to buy most of the games from retail instead of renting. Hopefully Sony realizes this before it’s too late to change their pricing when final release comes around.
Huge rip off. Nothing more needs to be said. And I’m not paying for anything in a BETA stage. Paying per hour is such an archaic structure. I don’t know what Sony is thinking with this garbage.
When will ‘GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION’ be added?!! I heard it was coming, & was disappointed to NOT see it.
Also, I know there was mention of a subscription option.. though, how about a purchase option?
IF so, I’m buying ‘GoW: Ascension’ day 1.
After being a part of the Closed Beta for awhile now I have to say I don’t like this service at all. 1: The prices are RIDICULOUS. Whether it’s 4 hours or 3 months, the prices are horrible. $15 for 3 months to rent a game that I can just go out and buy for $5 at gamestop… $3-5 for 4 hours.. this is just crazy. 2: The service is an excuse not to give us backwards compatibility. I already own a bunch of PS3, PS2 and PS classics both physically and digitally and I’d much rather just be able to play those games. I shouldn’t have to pay more to use content that I already own. Give us a firmware update that allows us to pop in our old games and also throw in the ability to download and play our digital purchases.
THEY HAVE MGS HD COLLECTION AND MGS 4!? WORTH IT IDC WHAT THE PRICE IS IM GETTING IT ALL
ALL this complaining.. IF the prices are SO HIGH & it’s cheaper to buy the disc version, then go buy the game & play it on your PS3!!!!!!
STOP COMPLAINING, SO D*** MUCH, PEOPLE!!!
Personally I have yet to try out PlayStation Now, but I understand what this service is trying to be and have some feedback of my own.
Considering that Sony will be having servers to maintain a constant streaming service and that would cost money, free may only apply to like 10-40min demos. That way Sony is minimizing users to maintaining a constant connection to a game and it may provide just provide enough experience for the user to decide whether to purchase, rent, or pass.
4 hours are not needed considering it too short to have any real fun and consumers also feel the time given is too short. Since people usually sleep on an average of 8hr + other activities, Sony should just charge a 1 day (24hr) rental for 1/16 of the game’s retail price (ex: watchdogs 60/16 = $3.75). To stop users from constantly using the 1 day rental service Sony should restrict the use of the save files for less than one day rental. Forcing users to either rent the game for more than one day or buy the game.
The main focus of the rental sales should be on 7 day rental and that should be emphasize as a “good deal”. With most game lasting for about a week, the game should be *2.6 the price of the 1 day rental. (ex: watchdogs 60/16 = $3.75 * 2.6 = 9.75).
A renewal service should be added to both the one day or 1 week rental. For the one day users, they should be given the choice to pay the remain balance equal the 1 week rental price as long as they pay within the 24 hr time frame. For the one week users, they should be ask if they want to extend the service by paying a rate lower than the current one week rental rate.
From a consumer stand point I would like to access all the games from every console generation, but as a business standpoint I would be selective of the games I put up. Considering games usually take a week or two to finish the games I would allow my users to access would depend on the average game duration of the game, and the current price for the game. I would not put on new or highly demanded games such as Tales of Xillia 2, GTA 4 (ps4), etc. to not negate the loss of potential sales.
I think the 1 – 3 month rentals are not needed considering it may be more profitable to have the consumer keep renewing the 1 week rental instead of providing a one month rental for less than 4 times the amount of one week rental. Adding a “Buy it now” tab can emphasis and encourage users to buy the game instead of streaming it.
A subscription service will really emphasis the value of the service by providing a huge library for the user to have access to. From what I can imagine there should be a tier system. The higher the consumer’s tier, the better games the consumer can access. Pricing can be link and deducted to PS+ to have even more people to be incline to purchase PS+.
The concern I have is the quality of titles that would be put on PS Now considering that the games most likely to be on the services are Sony exclusives and more than four months old games. I see this more as a way to substitute for “backward compatibility” but allowing income to flow in.
Well that all I have to say about my thought on PS Now and I hope the best of luck with this service
Cool concept for those who don’t own a PS3 but it is overpiced. I currently can’t play any game and just finished chatting with playstation support, they were clueless on it. Anyone else having this issue?
Please add these soon
God of War Collection (God of War I & II)
God of War Origins Collection (God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta)
God of War III
God of War Ascension
I have rent Dead Rising 2 for 7 days and I can’t launch the game.. same problem. ”Closing your last gaming session…”
I don’t know what to do.. I want a refund.
I’d be interested in a subscription model, but I think the pricing structure currently makes it unappealing to me. Physical copies of the vast majority of the games can be purchased for much less than the 3-month long $20 rental price.
I guess if you don’t have a PS3 it may make sense for some folks. As a long time Playstation fan who still has my PS3 hooked up, it doesn’t appear to offer a lot of value in it’s current incarnation.