Sony May Stream PlayStation Games to PC
Sony is investigating how to stream PlayStation games to PC, smartphones and tablets.
SCE Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida recently stated that he wants to see Sony streaming PlayStation games not only to the two PlayStation consoles, but to the PC, HDTVs, tablets and other devices. This comes from the same company that promised to provide PlayStation One games on Android-based "Certified PlayStation" phones, but only managed to cough up Crash Bandicoot here in the States.
Yoshida made his streaming revelation while speaking with Dengeki Online, stating that Sony is investigating how its library of PlayStation games can be expanded to both Sony and non-Sony devices without disrupting the core PlayStation console business. Form factors under consideration also include smartphones and Blu-ray players.
"We previously spoke about PlayStation going from hardware to something closer to a service, regardless of the device," he said. "Of course PlayStation will still be the center, but I think we would like to expand to different things."
PlayStation as a service does seem to be Sony's eventual goal. Last week, Yoshida confirmed that its newly-acquired Gaikai cloud platform will begin streaming PlayStation 3 games to the new console in North America next year. A limited selection of games will be available at launch, but Sony will continue to add titles throughout the year. These games will also be playable on the PlayStation Vita and the new Vita TV set-top box.
Last week Sony shocked Tokyo Game Show attendees with the reveal of its Vita TV device, a 4 inch long, 2 inch high "micro-console" that plugs directly into an HDTV. The device can play both PlayStation Vita (card slot) and PlayStation Portable (downloadable) games as well as stream music, movies and TV shows. The set-top box is currently only launching in Japan.
"Of course we are thinking of launching it in the US and Europe," said Sony Japan exec Masayasu Ito. "But when it comes to the timing, we'll have to watch the environment and identify what other services are available in the US and Europe and whether we'll have to add other services."
Unlike OnLive, Gaika doesn't offer a cloud-based subscription service, but instead provides the backbone for content makers to sell and stream their games over the cloud. And because Gaikai can be embedded in any site, customers aren't required to navigate an online portal or download software. Sony purchased Gaikai on July 2, 2012.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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CaedenV This is what I want Sony! I am more than capable of making a computer good enough to play your games, just throw software at me and I will throw money back your direction!Reply
Now if only there was another console company who designed a console around PC hardware, and a PC OS who could also figure this out... -
michael908 What's the point of this? I can do the same by turning settings on low and playing on my netbook..Reply -
bchan009 @michael908Reply
Assuming your internet connection is strong enough, the game will look good because all of the actual heavy lifting is being done elsewhere. Your netbook will be able to play the game at high settings because your netbook isn't actually doing anything but playing back the video feed.
Seems like a lot of people don't understand how streaming works. =/ -
michael908 I was being given sarcastic since my netbook is more powerful than the ps4. And low settings would be the pc equivalent to console.Reply -
jamger still missed the part of ''streaming'' and u can lower the graphics to make it look like a console, the point of this, what i think that it may be good, if that they may stream some ps games exclusive. thats the whole point of streaming a ps game to a pc. else why would anyone do that.l just my point of view :)Reply -
bchan009 @michael908Reply
Your...your NETBOOK?! D: What kind of netbook are you packing? Please tell me you mean ultrabook. >_>