PlayStation Now on PS4: Hands on with Sony's cloud gaming service

PlayStation Now was a mixed bag of fun and frustration due to PSN connection issues

MY experience with PlayStation Now has been a mix between gameplay with an underlying feeling of frustration.

 

PlayStation Now is a cloud gaming service that allows users to play selection of original PlayStation 3 titles on either a per-game basis or via a subscription. 

There are plans to expand the library in the future to include games released on previous PlayStation consoles.

The service is Sony's attempt at having the PlayStation 4 to have backwards compatibility.

This is not a feature that has been thrown together as Sony purchased Gaikai in 2012, a company which provides technology for the streaming of high-end video games. 

The service is different to Microsoft's recently announced backwards compatibility on Xbox One. This allows users to play Xbox-360 games that they have previously purchased digitally or disc games that will require a download to play. 

Neither service is providing a full library of games at the moment, and Microsoft have confirmed that some games will not work.

 

The PlayStation Now service allowed me to play Sims 3, The Baconing, Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2 and Catherine.

I also attempted to play Guacamelee! but the game kept failing to load when installing trophies.

When they worked they were great fun and it was good to go back and play some classics from the PS3 like Catherine and Uncharted 2.

I noticed minor instances of lag when playing the games, the same as when playing an online multiplayer game. The controls are very responsive and I didn't notice any delays in character movement.

I’m not entirely convinced with the visual output. Although the games I played are last generation and I expect there to be graphic difference compared to this current generation, in my experience, the resolution seemed to be reduced and less than 720p.

The biggest problem with the service is that it relies on an internet connection to play the games. Although this is not seen as a big deal for PC users on steam, for console owners this goes against the benefit of the system in that it is a dedicated gaming machine.

Furthermore, I have a good internet connection but due to problems with the PSN I could sometimes not play these games and went through great frustration rewiring the house to attempt an ethernet connection as opposed to my standard wifi.

Pricing is part of the issue with the service. Games are split into two price categories.

• £4.99 for two days or £9.99 for 30 days. This is for PS3 games
• £2.99 for two days or £7.99 for 30 days. This is for PSN games

This is around the same price that Blockbuster use to charge on PS3 games that were brand new. To pay that much for a five year old game is a bit much.

The service has the room to improve, which is what I'm hoping for, but for now PS4 fans will be somewhat envious of Xbox One's currently limited Backward Compatibility offering.