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 still don’t see the beta at what time does it come out?
SONY: too expensive…no thanks.
Finally got my questioned answered from a loyal beta tester!
1. Previous game saves from PS3 work as long as you back them up to the cloud +
2. Knowing this information now, myself and all of my Trophy hunting friends and upgrade to PS4 and not lose hunting progress!!
3. IF SONY HAD JUST COME OUT AND SAID OLD GAME SAVES / PROGRESS CARRIED OVER THEIR WOULDNT BE AS MANY PEOPLE HOLDING ON TO THEIR PS3’S.
When I talked to SONY tech support they said it was a secret, if you want to sell consoles don’t keep stuff like that a secret, it’s common sense!!!!!
A subscription model would be good. Maybe each month you get to 2 or 3 tickets, and a ticket is good to rent one game for 14 days. After you use the tickets, you’d have to pay per rental ($2 for 4 hrs, $6 for 7 days, etc). I’d be good with that.
But paying $2 for 4 hours, etc per game with no sub seems a bit high.
is playstation now available in east coast canada ? when will it be available? where can i find it ?
I would love to actually get my hands on the PSNow beta, but it doesn’t seem to be there. Also, would love to see subscription model to this. They say they are working on it, but there needs to be one. Turning down EA was a big mistake! I wouldn’t personally pay for it, but there are plenty who would have. Why would you not want to offer your gamers the most content you possibly can?
Playstation now is taking for ever to get into beta DX
I guess nobody watched the video because SONY is already working on a subcription plan!!! Quit crying about rental fees and just wait for the membership to Playstation Everything to be released haha
This is sounding like a broken record right now, but I have to give my thoughts on this to echo everyone else. Your pricing model is absolutely ridiculous. 1.99 for 4 hours is still WAY too expensive. Your pricing model is completely out to lunch considering how used games, sales and PS+ has changed the market. These prices are blockbuster style from their heyday.
If you want this to succeed you need rent to own, you need smarter rental pricing and absolutely need a subscription model that is within the 10-15/month mark. You can set limits on amount of games out at once (2-3) so you are not gutted, but the way the pricing stands now makes this service basically useless.
I’ve been reading and watching news about the closed beta with envy because I was not invited. In the closed beta, testers were treated to test the service at no charge. Finally, the open beta arrives and what does Sony choose to do? THEY CHARGE THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMERS TO USE AN OPEN BETA SERVICE???! This is pathetic and an outrage. Coming on the heels of turning down the EA service, charging customers to stress-test a streaming service is downright sleezy. I can’t understand why they don’t keep the the games free to try for a 5 day open beta period. I mean really, how many games out of the hundred offered can an individual gamer finish in five days? You’d probably get more gamers hooked offering the games free during this open beta than charging them(especially at those prices). As it stands now, Playstation Now is evolving into a huge customer relations nightmare. Get your act together you greedy blankity-blanks!
The last gen population is well over 100 million and next gen is well under 10 million so I don’t get why so many people are complaining when they don’t even have PS4’s
roflmao…So $30 per year for 4 games about a year old is a poor value for playstation users, but $29.99 for 1 game that’s about a year old is a good value? Wow, Sony needs smarter people making my gaming choices for me!
what happens if i already pay 40 bucks for the game and now i have to pay 2 bucks to rent a game that i pay 40 bucks for wtf sony why not just give me my games i already pay for why do i have to rent it
If anything PS now will just create more XBOX fans because MS is actually incorporating backwards compatibility into the XBONE.. If SONY did this with the PS4 they would sell like hot cakes just as the 60GB PS3 did. Or we could all jump ship to the master PC race and always have Backwards comp lol… JK.. PS is too badass to switch… Can’t wait for my boys at Rocksteady to release the 2015 GOTY!!!!
They probably haven’t released the open beta yet because they’ve been reading our comments and said “uhhhh.. Yeah we F’d up big time!” Lol
Dear sony ,why cant we just buy a game through the service are prepurchase are ps3 games we already have for a low price it sounds like a great idea if you think about it i have been a vita owner for a verry long time i have also owned a ps3 but i cant play my ps3 games anymore becuase i dont have 1 when i first heard about your service thats when i sold my ps3 if you can please fix this rental thing out that would be nice also a buy choice rentwl choice and prepurchase choice would be cool and i would like to speak ou tto playstation nation as well many of us cant afford a ps3 are ps4 so we haft to use what we got i love you sony and i know you can always fix a problem love jcgoodekillz.
Are there any plans to incorporate digital purchases made through PS3 for PS Now. For example I purchased Dead Space for my PS3. I want to play that same game without having to dig out my PS3. Will have have to rent it even though I’ve already purchased it or will PS Now see from my account that I purchased the game digitally and will allow it to play without a rent fee.
I don’t think anyone realizes that this is a BETA. The prices will change upon full release of the service…
The only way to avoid a rental fee at the moment is to dig out your PS3 with it’s super advanced terminator like Cell processor that’s supposedly impossible to emulate. So there will always be a price tag for convenience, I’d actually be willing to pay extra for a one time deal and digitally download the game and have it forever
As a Military veteran I really hope SONY takes into account that when service members deploy overseas you don’t have internet 24/7, that being said, hopefully they allow for digital downloads, being stuck on a navy Ship for 6-9 months at a time makes for more Digital DL business.
These prices are simply ridiculous.
Either give us a subscription plan with a good price with access to everything or, at least, let us play for free the games we already bought digitally from the store.
For those of us who kept our PS3, while purchasing a PS4, and crave backward compatibility in order to play our old games on the new system – why should we pay again for the same game?
With all the brains and technology we have in this world you would think we could solve this. I would be o.k. if you charged a very minimal fee for the upgraded PS3 game (now on PS4) for non-Plus members and no charge for PS Plus members.
I realize Sony PlayStation would have to develop a way to recognize the PS3 discs I have are mine and award me the PS4 twin on the PS4 platform – but that is your ballfield.
I guess I’m just somebody wanting true backward compatibility without having to be penalized for the contribution I made to Sony and it’s gaming companies on the previous platform.
OMG!! Just watched the video.
Used Game Price on Amazon
Battlefield 4 – $13.54
Madden 15 – $8.96
Fifa 14 – $30
Peggle 2 – Not available on PS – so let say $0 for arguments sake.
Total Value – $52.50
Subscription Price $15 / 90 Days
Sony Says POOR VALUE!!
Used Game Price on Amazon
Darksiders – $4.05
Total Value – $4.05
Subscription Price $14.99 / 90 days
Sony says – Look at this amazing new service we are offering you!
WTF Sony? You look like complete morons right now. Get your crap together!
I agree to this as well, as a veteran as well being deployed overseas this would be a great thing to have
I agree!! If so much of the PS nation is willing and ready to throw money at BC on PS4 then why not give it to us, your gonna make more money with offering true backwards compatibility versus a streaming service! Half of friends live in areas where the internet goes out for hours at a time. Listen to the Playstation Nation sony, we are all willing to buy a Backwards Comp PS4 or a software upgrade or even a digital version instead of streaming it.
How do you get into the Playstation Now? I live in Chattanooga, TN and I went to the Playstation Store and I’m not seeing it.
If your going to charge me to rent a game, atleast give me the option to download the game and play it when I travel for work, my internet goes out, etc etc.
PS now isn’t in the store yet because we’ve been complaining about the prices too much lmfao!!!!
I Think Sony may consider it a poor value because they would not be able to offer those games to PS+ Members as incentives. It also might be that EA wasn’t willing to offer a timetable on what would be avail to user through access. EA would be setting what is and isn’t allowed via EA access. Meaning you may only get last years games (Madden 25, FIFA 14…) for $30/year but would still have to either wait till EA update EA access with the current games that could be over a year late. (which no timetable has been set) or purchase the game with a 10% discount… I own PS3; PS4 and the XboxOne. I am currently in the beta for EA access. and after spending 30-45 mins in the hub i was done with it.
Darksiders is $13.61 on Amazon with free shipping. Why would anyone rent it for $14.99 and not be able to keep it? That’s utterly mind-blogging.
I am not here to say one is better than the other, but some of you need to get your facts straight. PS NOW is a 100% streaming services. EA Access is NOT a streaming service.
I sure do hope you are listening Sony to your fanbase. Over 250+ comments and a majority of them are negative. Before any of you start to bash me, just read through all of the comments here. You can’t deny that a majority of your customers are not thrilled.
I would like to see PS Now succeed, but right now, doesn’t look too promising.
Where do i find it?
Cyberdad4 I’m on your team brother, I want it to succeed too, and it’s not just because I hate LagBox One, I just love all the classic games that we don’t have on PS4, the PS2 is still the best selling console of all time for a reason, backwords compatible with PS1 and some of the classic PS2 games are better than some (not all) of the current library, especially those awful copy and paste games from 2007 (Call of Copy n Paste Warfare 7)
I think it has a good chance to succeed; I think the bigger issue is too much may still be uncertain. I for one will download it on my system (once it’s in the store) I think pricing can always be changed. Look at how iTunes has gone in an updated prices and adjusted setting over the years. And from what I could tell from my access it didn’t download the game to my system I launched EA access and had to launch the game from there. This would make me think it was a streaming subscription service
I think the prices sound reasonable (though still on the high side) for experiencing great PS3 titles on non-Playstation platforms, but perhaps they should be a little lower for someone playing on a Playstation platform.
Also, any chance that we will be able to purchase PS1 and PS2 classics off the PS Store and play them on PS4? (I mean not via streaming, in case that wasn’t clear)
@dmnknight Any digital purchases made on the PS3(according to Sony) are considered a “unique platform purchase” and do not carry over to the PS4 platform unless it was originally released with “cross platform compatibility” in mind. This is why movies, for instance, purchased using your PS3 don’t carry over to the PS4 platform. I love your idea of previous, digital, purchase recognition as a thing on Playstation Now but that’s too smart and customer-friendly a move for Sony to even think of . . .
@M_K_Sniper Until Microsoft actually releases a patch that allows BC on the XB1 I wouldn’t count on it as a certainty
Canada? CANADA??? Sempai noticed us?????
What a great day lol. When I first heard of Playstation Now, I was really excited until I learned it was going to be a States exclusive service. But I suppose Canada got added in the mix somehow, and I’m really glad to hear that.
I have big hopes for Now and I’m sure they’ll be met soon enough with the coming months :D Keep it up Sony + Gaikai!
I think we should take a vote….
1. Backwords compatible PS4 with digital download option
2. Playstation now
Take your pick, either option will make SONY a boat load of cash.
P.S. Option 1 would make the most money and here’s why..
Everyone would either sell their PS3’s or trade them in for an all in one PS4.
A Playstation that will play Playstion games? Sign me up!!! Lol
I know it will never happen but I can dream can’t i?
I’m not seeing the service in the PS Store.
I echo the notions provided by others that the pricing structures here are too high. Perhaps this cost is based on the service expenses (streaming, servers, purchasing GaiKai was it?). Integrating PSNow into PS Plus would be very smart and increase the value of your already great service. Even if it’s not for free with PS Plus, a significant discount on all PSNow services (both subscription and rental) certainly makes sense and would help you move forward with a cohesive service ecosystem. Having PS Now access as part of PS Plus would give you a real competitive edge over Microsoft methinks.
Anyways, I’m curious to see how it goes, so perhaps the PS store will update soon with PS Now material.
The rental model: What was wrong with being able to purchase a download for the PS1 or PS2 on our PS3 and actually get to keep the game? That still offers backwards compatibility and they could have stuck to that for the PS4. If I get a game I like I want to keep it and be able to play it whenever I want without spending a lot more for the game than what I would have to just but it outright before. Also, who wants to pay to play a demo? That’s pretty much what the 4 hour rental comes down to. Now if you beat a game in a week and won’t play it again then you would be saving money on the 7 day rental…but with really good games who doesn’t want to play them again?? If they would just expand the game library of the Playstation Store so PS4 users have access to all the games that the PS3 users do I would have been completely happy with that. I don’t even mind spending $59.99 on a new game download because it’s the same price I would pay for a hard copy and considering we can upgrade the hard drive in the PS4 storage shouldn’t be an issue. It also takes the whole internet connection for streaming out of the equation.
Playstation Plus Account: My husband, our son, and I all play the PS4 and I find it really annoying that we all have to play under the same profile just so we don’t have to purchase Playstation Plus for 3 accounts. Even Netflix has upgraded their service to accommodate this so that you can purchase a family account and have up to 4 profiles on one account. I would like to see Sony do the same. If they did it would definitely give them an edge over XBox.
2 Player Co-op: I would like to see more 2 player co-op games in the future, My husband and I love to play together but it’s very rare that we can actually find a game to play. We both love RPG’s but most of the ones that are 2 player are only 2 player during battle so otherwise the 2nd player just watches the first run around. We do play platform games from time to time like Rayman and we did play Knack. I wasn’t all that thrilled with Knack though in 2 player. The 2nd player didn’t even exist in the story, there were several times I couldn’t even see what I was fighting and ended up dying because the screen focused on the 1st player, and if the 1st player dies it automatically counts the 2nd player out as well. In the whole view of bringing gamers together why isn’t there more 2 player and multi player games?
True PS3 backwards compatibility on a PS4 is impossible. The PS3 uses the Cell architecture while PS4 is using x86. The only alternative is to rewrite all those PS3 games over and offer them as digital downloads, much like they do with PS2 Classics. Even that would be a slow release process, so expect extremely long waiting periods.
I dont see it i need help
Siting for 3 hours waiting for playstation now XD
@Sulumon great point. I was more hoping that with auth on 2 different consoles with the same PSN ID this would allow a change over. Or hope for a 1 time migration of those if they were purchased digitally. As someone who has lived overseas digitally has been the way to go. I could understand not allowing this for disc based games. I agree it may be too smart though. Just wishful thinking. I also agree. until MXB gets the update it’s all words.. and sadly as an owner of an XB1( a xmas present) I’ve had my hopes crushed too many times by promises… It’s why I only have 4 games for my XB1 and 17 for my PS4
I don’t care how long it would take to re write a PS3 game for PS4, as long as it was an option, I’d pay for it!! If they can re write The Last of Us for PS4 nothing is impossible my friend.
I hope all fees are waived during the Open Beta. I am excited to try this when I get home, but will not take part if I have to pay anything.
I have to agree with other gamers that the pricing model is not very inviting. I am not interested in Pay per Rent. Subscription model is the only way I’d ever use PS Now. Give me a discount for being a Plus member too.
i think the PS Now> Gaikai> Onlive approach makes it possibles to “own” the game so in theory backwards but not backwards. just a full streaming service.
@Nynja that’s what i didn’t like about EA access beta… you dl it and they make you choose right there is you want a month or yeah.. so you don’t get to play any games until you pay…