Playstation Now Won’t Give you Access to a Digital Copy of Games you Own on Disc

OnlySP: Playstation Now was unveiled to the world yesterday as the Gaikai powered streaming service that will bring PSOne, PS2, and PS3 games to the PS4.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Hmm kind of good or bad depending what u outlook is!

[MikeGdaGod]

i'm struggling to find the good

[jimbobwahey]

Yup, you shouldn't have to pay again to access something you own. If the PS4 had proper backwards compatibility then people could just put their disc in and play it fine (or play their digitally purchased version) and I can't help but wonder if they left b/c out with the sole intent of shaking more money out of people.

It's probably the success of HD rereleases that has spurred this development, with the market sending a clear message of, "Hey, we will literally pay for something twice" and now they're going full steam ahead with it.

[raWfodog]

Bottom line, if you REALLY want to play an older title that you already own (and for some reason you don't own the original console anymore or its broken), you will pay to play it. This service is not for people who would not do that. Just like every other consumer product out there, you will not buy it if it doesn't appeal to you.

Edit: Also, you have to understand that this service is still being developed and is in the very early stages. As with any technology or service, it can evolve and improve over time. The future may bring what everyone seems to be looking for but it has to start from somewhere.

[nukeitall]

@jimbobwahey:

You shouldn't, but Playstation NOW has real cost associated with your access. How is Sony going to pay for them?

Advertisement?

Remember, Sony has to keep data-warehouses with specialized hardware close to you to achieve this.

SO the costs are:

1. Technology research & development
2. Investment into datawarehouses or at least hardware in rented warehouses
3. Maintenaince cost
4. Data transport cost to end user

Somehow this is supposed to be free?

Even a paying Netflix user at $9 a month and over 30 million users, Netflix barely eeks out a profit. It is extremely low margin business.

Basically, Sony hasn't told you what is bad about the service yet, but watch it. Two things will rear it's ugly head:

a) terrible laggy experience due to latency intensive technology (i.e. think terrible multiplayer online and increase it, because of massive two way data communication)

b) cost that Sony hasn't told you yet!

[PLASTICA-MAN]

I don't care if you own physical copies of games, since the same thing happened with PSP and PS Vita and Sony stopped supporting those who bought UMDs,. Since then I only buy games digitally on any platform to avoid such problems and I can use the games tied to my account whenever and wherever I want. The bigger problem, that can be called even a treason (just like beginning to force PSN plus in order to play online on PS4, thus diminishing the nnumber of players)
is not allowing peopple to streamplay they games they own digitally on PSN or the ones he got free from PSN Plus and then proposing extra fees for a separte service. Personally, I won't use the service if so, paying for games and PSN Plus is enough for me. Can anyone please confirm whther or not we can play at least the games we own digitally ? Thanks.

[jimbobwahey]

Then they should have gone with real backwards compatibility or a better solution. Why is it the customers burden or fault for wanting to use something they paid for?

Besides, Sony said that making PS+ mandatory for online gaming on PS4 was so that they could use the money from subscription fees to improve their online service. So why have their customers got to pay a second subscription fee to play games they already own? It's ridiculous in my opinion.

Just think as well, with the current push towards purchasing games digitally how much money you will have thrown down the drain when the PS5 is released and once again, you can't play your old games?

If I buy digital music or movies, I can play them on a vast amount of devices, but once again the video game industry has to be "special" and stick it to the consumer, even though we pay much more money for games than we do movies/music. Then again, they seem to insist that we don't even own our games any more, and that we're simply purchasing a "license" to play them.

It's crazy.

Edit: @nukeitall Sony can pay with all the money they make from PS+ subscriptions. Remember, they went on record saying that the introduction of the mandatory fees for online play was to improve the service. This seems like an appropriate use of that money, doesn't it?

[fonger08]

This could be good but completely depends on what games they have available. I had a feeling they would probably charge you regardless of if you had the disc or not, but that's why I've kept my PS3, PS2, and PSX. Now if they add games like Einhander, Maximo, Katamari Damacy, games that are hard to find or no way wants to go on to Ebay and $50 dollars again for, then this could work out. I just wonder if they are going to have any of the indie games avaliable that they had for the PS3...

[Patrick_pk44]

As much as I love Sony, Playstation Now is pretty sketchy. I understand them charging a fee for backwards compatibility due to buying Gaikai for 380 million. From what I have heard, it is more like subscriptions and then paying additional fees to rent a game you already own. The problem is that I can easily click on the power button on my PS3 and play there, it doesn't matter. The whole point of Playstation Now is that it makes it more comfortable to play everything on the PS4. I hope Sony doesn't screw this shit up.

@jimbobwahey

"Then they should have gone with real backwards compatibility or a better solution."
The problem with real backwards compatibility is the price of developing it for the PS4. The original PS3 could play PS2 games, however that raised the price of the console itself.

"Besides, Sony said that making PS+ mandatory for online gaming on PS4 was so that they could use the money from subscription fees to improve their online service. So why have their customers got to pay a second subscription fee to play games they already own? It's ridiculous in my opinion."

The whole point of PS+ is to attract more consumers to the console itself and the provided service. It is a form of advertisement and sales. Sony themselves are paying a heavy price for certain games to be available for free, such as Bioshock Infinite, DMC, Metal Gear Rising, etc.

"Just think as well, with the current push towards purchasing games digitally how much money you will have thrown down the drain when the PS5 is released and once again, you can't play your old games?"
I understand the frustration, and I myself want to be able to play my owned PS3 games for free on a PS4. If not, then it isn't hard to turn on the PS3 itself.

"@nukeitall Sony can pay with all the money they make from PS+ subscriptions. Remember, they went on record saying that the introduction of the mandatory fees for online play was to improve the service. This seems like an appropriate use of that money, doesn't it?"
Improve services like online connectivity and bringing free games to our subscription. Sony themselves have to make a profit for the subscription, because then there is no point of having one if they are losing out on cash. Sony themselves aren't doing financially well in their other divisions.

[dboyman]

@jimbobwahey Are you willing to pay $600 for BC capable PS4? Due to PS3 cell processor being difficult to emulate, they would need to include the Cell/RSX for proper PS3 BC. Remember how people reacted to PS3 when first came out?

As for fees I somewhat agree but based on costs involved can see if charge further. But I do think if you own the disc, you shouldn't pay to stream the game

[scott182]

@nukeitall

The company Sony bought never had a problem with latency, they showed to be stable for game streaming even before Sony bought them out. Onlive had a little issue with that though, If I remember right.

Plus if you have a connection that Sony suggests it will be even better. Besides, that is why they are going to have a large beta right? To work out the kinks...

This sounds like a fantastic service to me, I would be willing to pay.

[testerg35]

scott182, there's going to be latency, unless their server is going to predict what button I'm going to press.

[frostypants]

@jimbobwahey, they technically aren't taking access away from something you own. You OWN THE DISC. When you buy a game, you aren't buying access to every media version of it that is ever made. When you buy a cross-platform game for the PS3, do you expect a free copy of it for the 360, too? I agree it would be nice if they'd give gamers who owned the game on disc free access, but the truth is that would be a massive feature/favor. EXPECTING them to do so is irrational as all hell.

[ginsunuva]

You don't just "leave backwards compatibility out."
Plus you're paying for the streaming of the game, not the game. You don't own the game. You own one disc copy of it.
Try going to Netflix and tell them you own a DVD for a movie and you demand they stream it to you for free. lol

Anyways, there are only two options: subscribe or rent. So it doesn't matter if you own some game, you have to subscribe to all of them at a flat rate anyway
.

If you have no knowledge of CS or EE whatsoever, your comments mean nothing so do not make them. Thank you!

[devwan]

@jimbob If you knew anything about the ps3's esoteric hardware and how it compares to the ps4 (ie, hardly at all) you'd know they would have practically had to include a ps3 in the unit as well. If you need proof, take a look at how fantastic ps3 emulation is on PCs... oh right.

Personally never seen the problem with keeping your hardware and your games... and... well... there's absolutely zero added latency playing my ps3 games on my ps3, it doesn't need any kind of connection, it's just there and works. You bought the ps3 game with a license to use it in a ps3, nothing more.

Sony have patented technology for adding trophies to games that were not originally designed with them. They're adding value to old games (OK, not for everyone, but for plenty of us). They're bringing a huge portion of the PS game library to people who won't even have to or have ever owned a PS console. That's big.

Whining because Sony won't let you eat their bandwidth for a service you never paid for is pretty damn entitled. Take your ps3 game, stick it in a ps3 - that's what it's for, that's what we've been enjoying doing for 6 years now.

[theDivision]

I think it is great for people who have switch from X360 to PS4 (like myself) but agree you should get a discount or something if you own the game already... that doesn't make sense to me that they would make avid PS3 supporters repurchase their games.

[SilentNegotiator]

There's certainly no "good" to this situation, but who really expected Sony to do this? What company can afford to give people thousands of TBs of games for free because they purchased MGS2 12 years ago?

[PeaSFor]

iif you already own the disc version, you probably already own the console to go with it, its not like someone is forcing you to buy the same game multiples times, its up to you to decide.

[esemce]

Why sell a game once when you can sell it twice. Easy money.

[LordMaim]

Well, its not good but its not bad either. Why would you need to stream something that you had a physical disc for? Everything I've heard of describes this as a subscription service like Netflix, which would allow you to access multiple titles rather than specific ones.

Its not like you should have access to the stream for free for one particular title that you physically own, and not have to pay for the infrastructure that comes with the service.

@jimbobwahey: So the paid Xbox Live subscription should come with a free access to stream every game in the Xbox 360 library? Of course not. Its a different service entirely. Why would you hold Playstation Now to a different standard?

[Highlife]

@everyone who says that they should be able to stream the game they own for free. You already got what you paid for. You bought a game that was made for said system and that's it that is all that was promised to you. a game that would work on that system. So now you are asking for them to pay for the bandwidth and servers so you can play a game for free. If PlayStation now is going to work people are going to have to pay for it.

[joeorc]

@jimbobwahey

Hey i bought the xbox ver of GTAIII so i deserve a copy of GTAIII for Android or iOS right?

when you purchase a game its for what ever platform it was designed for, you know that when you buy the game, just because you buy another device later on down the line does not mean you get free copy's of that game to play on another box.

The fact that some games do get that benefit , does not mean all will. The games were made for a PS3 than that was what the game is made for when you buy it, you know its for that platform. wanting it on more than one platform is great, no argument there but like i said just because you buy another console does not mean you get your entire back catalog to run on the new one for free.

[Bobby Kotex]

So users should be able to just stream and use the servers for free? I hate to defend Sony, but there's nothing shocking about this. Maybe a discount would be nice, but you people who expect free streaming for life are kinda clueless.

[harrisk954]

Why should Sony (or MS or Nintendo or Apple or any other media company) give their intellectual property away? No one complains when the movie companies charge you for "newer" versions of the same old movies. I can't tell you how many movies I've owned on VHS, DVD and the Bluray, with multiple versions of each -- Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, the Godfather, Disney classics, etc... The PS1, PS2 and PS3 eras are over and there is no obligation for Sony to allow us to use older formatted games on their new platforms... Gamers need to stop acting so entitled. Would I like to be able to use my PS2 and PS3 games on my PS4? Absolutely. Does Sony owe me that? No. I've bought the Beatles albums on vinyl, CDs and digitally. I never felt that Paul McCartney should give me the digital version of Sgt. Peppers just because I owned the vinyl album. If you don't want to buy a game you've already bought, then don't buy it.

[nukeitall]

@scott182:
"@nukeitall

The company Sony bought never had a problem with latency, they showed to be stable for game streaming even before Sony bought them out. Onlive had a little issue with that though, If I remember right."

Really?

Because if it was true, Gakai would be a godsend and worth gazillion more than what it was sold for to Sony for just the patents and technology. /sarcasm

Bottom line is there is no technology that can fix the way the internet is purposely built for. The only solution, is to wait for the internet infrastructure to get faster.

Why do you think a CDN exist and why every multiplayer internet experience is still laggy?

So no! All the issues existed back then, still exist today. No magic pill, but a faster internet infrastructure!

[dedicatedtogamers]

I own a Blu Ray at home, so why can't I stream it for free on Amazon!?!?!

I mean, this is really quite silly. If you already own the game, then play the game you own. People thing they should get a ton of games for free just because they own the disc?

[DragonKnight]

My question is: Why would someone have the game disc but not the console to play it on?

Why should you expect to be able to play your copy of Crash Bandicoot when you don't own a PS1 to play it on? Either way you don't get to play the game, so where is this huge problem suddenly popping up from?

I love how people think BC has been this industry wide standard for years when it hasn't been. Nintendo didn't have a BC console until the Gamecube, Microsoft never had a full BC console ever (Xbox 360 was software emulation that worked for most, but not all, games), Sony had the PS2 and early PS3 consoles but people whined about the price so Sony removed non-essential parts and since they wanted people to buy new games, BC was a logical choice. Especially with how many "I never play PS2 games on my PS3 anyway" comments there were.

But all of a sudden, BC is such an important feature. Really? Is it really important to you? Or is it that you sold your previous console to get a new console at launch and aren't satisfied with the launch titles you have and now are without older games to tide you over?

This is why you keep older consoles until you literally have no further use for them. And if you're going to whine about "there's not enough space in my entertainment unit for all of these consoles" then either A)Get a bigger entertainment unit/organize it better, or B)Use the various wall mounts designed for gaming consoles and have near unlimited space.

There are options out there people, you have no excuse to not use them.

[ssj27]

I guess is good if you want to trools Playstation now. so is good for the trools.

Sony should allow me to be able to play tlou on my PS4, bluray player through playstation now. not allowing it is stupid.

[badz149]

who ever thought that it would be free if you have the game on disc to begin with is delusional! there will be too many flaws in it.

for instance, how would they know you own the disc? sure you might have played it and have trophies for it but how could they verify you still own it as the game disc itself has never been registered under your account? if they allow for free access as long as you have the disc, then you can simply rent, borrow and share the disc with multiple users. they will lose big time!

PSNow is Netflix for games and Sony has made that intention clear since the beginning. it's good enough for them to allow multiple users play online on the PS4 as long as there is 1 account on that console has PS+ while all the other accounts just reap the benefits, but PSNow is a separate service. I don't understand why people are OK with Netflix, but when Sony does it, it's money grabbing!

all I can say is, "Haters...haters everywhere!"

[joab777]

This is big picture. This isn't a program so that we can play the games that we own on a ps4. Its creating a library of past games that ppl will now have access to for a long time to come. I see only the good for us and Sony. Also, think of the ps+ bonuses we will get. I am happy.

Think about it. If we could do that, we could buy any game we wanted for as little as we could find it and they would have to give us a digital copy for free.

[Prime157]

Some of you sound like you are saying you should be able to stream Netflix for free if you own the digital movie already.

You pay to use their data centers to stream to your device as a service (which apparently you think it's cheap), if you don't like that, purchase the old system and disc, then hook it up to your tv and play.

And a side note: Yes, ps+ is required now, but they've already given you $80 in free games with the addition of don't starve.

[rainslacker]

I know Sony is providing the service, and people seem to be blaming them for not allowing this, but looking at it realistically, Sony is only able to offer it's own content in such a manner.

They can not speak for every publisher and it is highly unlikely any publisher out there would want to give away a free digital version of a game, just because someone brought a retail copy some years ago.

Proof of this comes from the fact that cross-buy is only available from a few Sony published games. You don't see EA, Ubi, Activision, or any other big or small publisher giving away free digital copies.

The possibility being talked about here means the possible loss of hundreds of millions of dollars per year, as people can easily pick up cheap used games and possibly get them for a fraction of the price that a digital version would entail. Unless Sony offers some substantial payments to publishers to offer a subscription service such as this, it isn't likely to ever happen.

[avengers1978]

To me this seems like a great service... Depending on the price.

[trancefreak]

Is it really that hard to put your new super small PS4 right next to your Ps3.

I know I do and is it really to hard to switch HDMI inputs on the little source selection button to play whatever console you feel like playing ATM.

Backwards compatibility is always a huge plus along with a digital catalog of my ps3 games but people expect to damn much from a console that cost 399USD. How would that work anyways? Mail our game to Sony than they give you a code voucher to play it on their cloud system?

Sony needs to make $ obviously, and if people want this feature its a choice. If not then oh well. I got all my consoles, the later models are slimmer and can fit in tighter spots so I don't have an issue.

[Jvaughn661]

How is this not good? I have an xone and i think PSnow is awesome. I think your looking at this the wrong way. PSnow is like netflix. Netflix doesn't give you copies of the movies you already own do they? You'll be getting all the old games you own plus ones you've never played so i don't see whats so bad.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

My DVD players can't play my Blu-Ray Discs. Bohoo... Had you guys been all born on the 90 or what? BC was never a standard within the industry, stop crying about it, no one owns you nothing if you had choosen to sell your console.

[user5575708]

they cant do it like that its an entire service.

it would be like saying i own the dvds of breaking bad and the league and that i shouldnt have to pay for netflix because of that

[Kevin ButIer]

It makes sense, you cant get ps2 or ps1 titles for free just because you owned the game in the past... they are offering the service of playing those games on a PS4, you can always undust your ps1,2,3 to play those games right?

[UltimateMaster]

As I expected it to be. Like they said, it's a rental service.
You either rent a game individually or have a monthly subscription like Netflix with a bunch of games to play.
Servers cost money to operate so it won't be free.

[Sarcasm]

A B/C PS4 would probably cost $600 as someone mentioned.

You know who killed proper B/C? The consumers. Those who complained and yelled and cried about how much the PS3 costed too much. Sony had no choice but to cut cost one way or another.

Now I'm no advocate of a super expensive console, but I'm just saying that's the trade off.

Sure it would have been nice to play PS3 games on the PS4, but I still keep my PS3 for that reason. If you are one of those people who buy a console to play old games, then Gaikai is the service for you.

[AndrewLB]

I think a lot of people are failing to realize that when you pay for a physical game disc, it's no different than a digital copy in that you are NOT purchasing the game. You're purchasing usage rights. Ownership of the software and intellectual property rights are always retained by the game's creator.
As part of of your purchase of usage rights are a laundry list of rules, terms, conditions, etc which you are required to follow. If you actually owned the software, you would be able to do whatever you want with it.

[Gamer1982]

How could you prove you own the disc and still own it while they let you play it through playstation now? If they allowed it say through trophys in your profile then you could just borrow a friends game, get a trophy then you would get the game free on your profile. This makes perfect sense plus if you own the physical media why do you need playstation now? You obviously own the console.. If you don't then why you still own the discs anyway?

[fanboybeatdown]

Yeah.

So, bottom line, Sony is all about DRM and always on digital distribution, after all.

There is just no way for the fanboys to contest this.

[nukeitall]

It was expected.

Netflix pays money to stream content to you per GB. What do you think Playstation NOW will do?

It will pay the same fee, except higher because Sony doesn't have the streaming scale of Netflix, nor does it have specialized hardware located in ISPs infrastructure placed closer to their users.

This means there is impossible to offer you free access without incurring massive costs every time a user accesses the service?

It was impossible for OnLive to sell you a game and offer access to it perpetually unless they kept growing faster than their cost would catch up to them.

Basically, it is a failed business model. The only way to work it is if you pay for access per hour (that accounts for the streaming cost).

My guess is Sony's overhead will be huge, and that cost has to pass to the consumer which in turn will turn them off.

[incredibleMULK]

Finally someone with a brain. Which is why i am now building a gaming pc. We all know (well not these dorks) sony and microsoft could have made their consoles play previous gen games they chose not too because they want to get rid of their hardware and didnt want all these kids selling their consoles screwing up their sales.
So i prefer not to own every console ever made,. Ie gaming pc, controller, steam, and a torrent for shit games and emulators.

[harrisk954]

@nukeitall

Yeah... this makes perfect sense. /s

Sony will spend $380 million to acquire Gaikai, spend money to re-brand it as Playstation Now, spend money to market the new platform, spend money to include deals with other media companies (movies, television content), and then Sony will charge so much that they won't be able to sell subscriptions to the service that the spent hundreds of millions of dollars on so that they will lose hundreds of millions of dollars? Is that what you are saying??

In reality, Sony has to price the service to be commensurate with what consumers are willing to pay. Sony has shown over the last few years (culminating with the launch of the PS4) that they learned from their mistakes and have become extremely consumer focused. It is obviously Sony's goal to go beyond (BEYOND!!) its gaming consoles and expand to televisions, tablets, smart phones, PCs... To hit the "Mass Market"...

This is the first foray into the streaming market on this scale (sorry, OnLive, it just wasn't happening) and Sony will take a hit (they have to), but their goal right now (is and should be) market share and becoming synonymous with game streaming, just as Netflix is with movies and television. This move allows them to tout the fact that people can potentially play any one of hundreds/thousands of games from Sony's vast library going back to the PS1. MS can't do that.

[nypifisel]

It's kind of weird for people to be upset by this. The cost of providing this streamed media was not part of the original retail purchasing price of your games. Running these servers will be expensive.People really need to stop feeling companies owe them when it comes to things like this, cause they really wouldn't be able to turn profit if they gave everything away while having to pay astronomical sums of money to keep those services up.

[Ricegum]

Ergh, nukeitall is so annoying. He just pops up in PlayStation articles just trying to spin negative crap.

Christ boy.

[kneon]

It's neither good nor bad, it's expected and necessary.

How are they to know you own the physical disk? How can they tell whether you've borrowed it or lent it to someone?

Microsoft tried to fix that issue by making the disk useless after install, but we all know how well that went over with gamers.

[nukeitall]

Sony can do what they did with BF4 PS3 disc in PS4.

Problem isn't verifying discs, but rather the cost associated with this. It is costly every time you access the game.

Think anywhere from 1-5 GB of streamed data per hour of usage on top of tied up hardware time (yes, one system can only churn out so much usable time) so you do the math!

There is no way there could ever be free access, unless they supplement it elsewhere. It is a failed business model to offer free access to existing games unless they account for it elsewhere.

Money has to flow in for it to pay out and Sony is in no position to take heavy losses right now anywhere in the company to sustain a risky venture.

[kneon]

Whether cost is an issue will depend on how they intend to charge for the service. Even if they started bundling an activation code along with physical games that would give you access to the streamed version there would still be some sort of monthly/hourly fee required just for basic access.

It's unlikely that you would ever get free unrestricted access to a streamed version of a game just by buying the physical copy.

[JsonHenry]

Most likely so you can't loan out your physical copy then play the streaming version as well.

And if you own a physical copy why would you want the downgraded visuals (the video that is streamed to you is compressed just like every other streaming service) and lag on input?

[Edsword]

You pay the subscription no matter what. This is like saying you don't get a free streaming version of a movie you already own on Netflix. You either buy the subscription to have access to the service or you do not.

[Flipgeneral]

Considering I OWN the disc, I don't see it as being a big deal

[MiloGarret]

Replace "Playstation" with "Xbox" and think about you just said.

[BoriboyShoGUN]

How is the ability to stream games from Playstations extensive library of titles not a great idea???? People really expect this to be free?? you cheap bastards would never purchase another PS4 game if that was the case. Its an optional service like Netflix, I personally would cancel the hell out of Netflix and give these guys $8 month to play some classics!!!!!

[ninjahunter]

Wait, So, I have to pay a subscription, then I have to pay for the games on top of that? Then, if I stop paying the subscription, I cant play the game that I paid for. That is an incredibly disgusting business model.

[WickedLester]

No that is not correct. From what I understand there are 4 options to the gamer.

1. You pay a monthly/yearly subscription fee to have access to the entire PS Now library "buffet" style and play whatever you want, whenever you want.

2.) You can rent games individually without the need for a subscription. Probably for a buck or two per rental.

3.) You can purchase titles individually without a subscription. They will be stored in the cloud and you can access them any time you want.

4.) You can ignore the whole thing, not pay a dime, and continue to play your PS3 titles on your PS3 system and your PS4 titles on your PS4 system.

[360ICE]

Haha! I'll take that as a pretty funny joke.

[SuicideKing]

What's the good side?

[Rifkens]

I don't see why you should get a copy. You get a digital copy, sell the disc, they've gave you a free copy of a game. If you were to buy a digital copy however, which binds to your account; that sounds better or more logical

[GordonKnight]

Physical & Digital games are different.

Just because you have a physical copy doesn't entitle you to a digital copy for free.

What gets me is not being able to play all digital games that you have purchased for PS3 on PS4. I understand it's not backward compatible, but that should be for only physical games.

Nintendo has the same problem, but at least it's only $1.50 to upgrade the digital game. Once it's been released on the Wii U VC though. They have the same games for the Wii U & 3DS, but you have to buy the game on each system to be able to play it on both systems.

Years ago I always though Digital would be able to play on any device made by it's company, but that only seems to be true for everything except Video Games.

I guess that's what happens when Video Games gross more money than Hollywood.

[Concertoine]

Why would you want a digital copy when you have the disc? Its obvious why they didnt give you the option, im just wondering why youd want it other than selling or giving away the disc.
@PockyKing
Oh, right. Too tired, not thinking clearly :P

[Wingsfan24]

What if you don't have a PS3 anymore cause you traded it to get the PS4?

[ruefrak]

Why would you keep a PS3 disc then if you don't have the PS3?

[YellowTempes]

@ruefrak

Yea, why not just break the disc in two and throw it over the window with a smile on your face?

[Wingsfan24]

Can play it at a friends house if you really want to? Or maybe had the idea that this streaming service would require you to keep the disc to get a digital copy for free?

[DanielGearSolid]

Sony didn't force you to do that man... When you get rid of a product you lose its features... Common sense

Would you trade in a hybrid for a Hummer and expect the same gas effiency?

[nategrigs]

@ ruefrak

This is a good point, but you could sell your ps3 now if this service allowed you to play the discs on the ps4. Imagine how many ps3 would be sold if they announced that you could do this....Though I still wouldn't sell mine

[scott182]

How would they know you own a game on disc? You could have borrowed it, rented it ect... I could see many people try to cheat the system to get free digital copies of games. Maybe with digitally bought downloaded games though, I hope they work with people on that.

[MadLad]

Why would you trade a system with games, both available now and coming in the future, for one that has a minimal, at best, catalog and only releases sprinkling out here and there for the next year or so?

[raWfodog]

Then why would you still hold on the PS3 games? I mean I know some people hold on to old games for nostalgia or collectors items but if you can't play them then I, personally, don't really see the point.

[JohnnyTower]

Good call. My ps3 died 6 months ago and I had a limited number of games. PS Now will bring a gamer like me back to the ps3 and hopefully some righteous ps2 games. PSNow will propel me to get a ps4 and Vita (hopefully in a bundle).

[ginsunuva]

That would just encourage the whole world to sell their ps3's.

Think.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

Why trade your PS3 in the 1st place?

[joeorc]

@PockyKing

"What if you don't have a PS3 anymore cause you traded it to get the PS4?'

And?

does that game say for the PS3 does it not?, the digital release clearly states what the game system you can play the game on, does it not?

despite being a publisher, sony cannot just
re-release the game on any platform they may make if they are the ip holder ; than that is not the same as any game that they publish.

just because you buy a game once does not mean its for any and every new system you buy that you may own.

its a licence not an ownership to the iP.

[Pogmathoin]

Wow, you want to buy my PS3?

[Wingsfan24]

Lol, all good :)

[claterz]

Also it would make the PS4 backwards compatible which I thought was the whole point of Gaikai. PS fans were defending non compatibility on the PS4 by saying Gaikai will solve the issue but I guess not. The only benefit of this is that people who never owned a PS3 will be able to play some amazing games.

[Back-to-Back]

Bottom Line is keep your ps3s. Dont trade them to Gamestop for ~$60-$80.

[starchild]

My PS3 has a damaged GPU and can't play some games correctly. I'm not going to buy a new PS3 to play a handful of games. I already spent way too much in the first place on the PS3 since I mostly game on the PC.

[ZorinInc]

I hope all the PS3 games I've bought digitally will play on PS4.

It was one of the reason I choose to download GTA V.

[Rhaigun]

Not gonna happen.

[Maxor]

LOL that's naive. Why would they let you play something you already own when they can charge you twice for it?

[Bathyj]

Well that sucks. It's would be great if you could pop a Ps3 game into your Ps4 and play it.

[Deividas]

Then the whole Playstation Now becomes irrelevant. The whole point of it is for a way for backwards compatibility to work. If you can just pop in your PS3 game in your PS4 and play the game then this service is pointless. Yea it would be great but they already explained why thats not possible and this is a way around it.

[HeavenlySnipes]

I don't think you read between the lines

He meant pop the PS3 game in the system and be able to stream it using Playstation Now

[ginsunuva]

Streaming is very expensive for Sony.

[incredibleMULK]

All hail sony. Great and merciful sony. Please step on my nuts. "Crunch". Thank you, may i have another.

Statements like that one is why sony is getting like microsoft. I suppose paying for online is ok if "sony" does it but evil when microsoft does it.

BUT now they want to charge for online PLUS pay to stream. $50 a year aint good enough?

By the way you dont get a price break on games you own.

Thats ok merciful sony step on my nuts again. Oh, i dont got none!

[dragon82]

@incredibleMulk

You don't get a discount on Netflix if you own the movie on VHS? Why should you get one on PlayStation Now just because you own the game for a completely different platform?? If you buy a game for PS2 you are only entitled to that copy of that game that you purchased. You are not entitled to all releases of any format in the future for any potential platform.

Use your brain a little next time.

[Maxor]

Name a single console company that gives a damn about backward compatibility. The entire idea is to render your existing content worthless so you can buy the new $60 Definitive Edition.

[Eonjay]

Um... if you have the disc...

[raWfodog]

Yeah Eonjay, I'm right there with you :)

But I guess you might have some people who got rid of their PS3's (or its broken) but still have their games. Me, personally, if I still had a significant library of PS3 games, I would make sure that I had a working PS3 to play them on. It's only $200 if you really want to replay the games that much. And it'll play better than a streaming service (no lag).

[maniacmayhem]

I still have N64 games and no N64. So I realize what people are referring too but when has any company ever allowed that and why would people expect Sony to do the same?

[ruefrak]

Ok... PlayStation doesn't give me digital access to games I own on a disc right now. Why would I expect that to be different with PS Now?

[moujahed]

...So me purchasing The Last Of Us & GTA V digitally from the store just totally went to waste unless I still own a PS3? See... this is the sh*t I'm talking about Sony.

[DanielGearSolid]

So.. You misled yourself into thinking they would work on PS4 even tho Sony made it clear that PS4 would not be backwards compatible... But yea this is Sony's fault

Soo... When you bought these games you miraculously based it on the existence of a streaming service that was just announced yesterday... But yea, it's Sony's fault

[moujahed]

Uhhh, no Sony blatantly said instead of the PS4 playing disc they will allow for streaming of PS3 games, they never said anything about people who previously owned the title having to pay all over again. Those Xbox1 fans must've stirred you into something serious... chill the hell out.

[webeblazing]

They talked about this since they announced the ps4. And people knew disc games wasn't going to be supported, but why not DD. If they're offering subs and renting, why not give gamers a unlimited rent for digital games they brought. But I know y'all Dont see his point blind fanboys Dont except construtive criticism

[Rhaigun]

They never said the digital ones would either. It's your fault for just assuming they would.

[Sci0n]

people are so unappreciative and spoiled, this service is better for the people who passed on PS3 PS4 or consoles all together. If you want to play PS3 games so bad hang on to your PS3s. This services will draw the casuals in and expand the PlayStation gaming brand to a larger audience. Just because you bought a music CD doesn't mean you are entitled to the MP3 digital version of the album.

[raWfodog]

Why wouldn't you still own a PS3? If you still have your PS3 then it's not a waste.

[frostypants]

I know, right? I bought Skyrim for my PS3, and Bethesda REFUSED to give me a free copy of it for my 360 and PC as well! I AM OUTRAGED!!!!

/s

[webeblazing]

Moujahed concerns is right if you brought the digital version why should you be able to stream it. He's not saying the same thing as peoplle above. So y'all are say that y'all are happy to throw y'all money away when you supported dd. Y'all gonna snap at him but clap for Sony when you could easily see he purchased the game by looking in his transaction history. What he said is right because unlike disc DD are now tie to the system. You can't sell DDs and you can't use them through PS now. This just made DD on the store point less and investing the stupid.

Y'all are trying to hard. A valid custom feels like his investment in DD went waste but y'all downplay it because it make Sony look bad. Last year when they talked about this they made it seem like people that invested in buying through the PS store was safe, but I guess not.

[raWfodog]

But just because you buy the digital rights does not mean you now have unobstructed access to play it anywhere and anytime. You are only buying the rights to play in that format, on that specific platform(s), according to the set-forth user agreement. Much like how you are only able to download content to a certain number of authorized devices. You need restrictions in place so that people do not take advantage of the system and the proper costs are recouped.

[Ninjamonkey82]

Truth be told if i own the game already on disk I'm hardly gonna be interested in the digital stream version. I do own a massive back catalog off games.

But there will still be games here i don't have I'm presuming and that's the reason I'll have interest. I can see this being a fantastic option for people with good internet connections.

People in rural areas will have issues but that's the case with everything. I'm thinking a once a year subscription to a massive back catalog no other fees would be a massive pull to a lot off gamers if that's the way it works out.

[bub16]

if you own the disc version, they should charge you, because how do sony know if you rented the game or borrowed it.

if you have purchased the digital version it should be free on psn

[Double_O_Revan]

Agreed. Digital purchases should be the only ones that even get considered for a discount. Otherwise, you could just go to Gamestop, buy a bunch of games used tie them to your account, and return all for a full refund within the 7 days. There is absolutely no way to know what a person has or doesn't have on disc.

Now if Sony would consider changing this in the future, Every game would need to come with a code you can enter to tie it to your account. But once again, that can't account for you selling the game or buying it used. And at this point, were talking exactly about the old Xbox One policies.

[WickedLester]

Why should it be free? If you own the digital version, continue playing it on your PS3. Some of you act like Sony is trying to prevent gamers from continuing to play their purchased digital content on one platform just because they are offering it to be streamed on another. The sense of entitlement some of you have is ridiculous.

[thehitman]

This is a given. When we bought and buy the games we dont buy availability for it to be anywhere. It is like me buying a movie from off of amazon then complaining to them why they dont give me the streaming version. Doesn't work that way and anyone who thinks it should are just probably a spoiled entitled idiot.

Now if Sony was smart, they would have a way to get discounted versions of the streaming versions. Maybe same way they did the upgrade versions of the last gen games. Put the disc in and it enables you to buy the streaming version for maybe 10 bucks more or something, but to expect it out the gate w/ no additional cost is stupid.

[XtraTrstrL]

I don't like how everything is a service with them and you can't use any of those types of media without paying for their service.

Like, who really believes they just didn't have time to focus on mp3 playback or a media server? Stupidest excuse, they basically had to do more work to take out the mp3 playback and block music cds. Then, to not add a media server, how hard would it have been to have a media server from day one? Seriously, come on. Yet, Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited are flawlessly setup. The only reason they now say they'll add mp3 playback (at some point in the future) is because they got bombarded, and they need to look better than Microsoft all throughout this critical launch period.

I don't like that my PS3 is more full featured overall than my PS4 right now, all these features should have been there day one. My friends that are holding off on getting a PS4 for now that haven't been keeping up laughed when I told them there was no mp3 playback or media server currently. Either the system launched way prematurely or they are screwing us, I think it's a bit of both.

They better just hurry with some of the top games, cuz I was forced to get Cod: Ghosts, after I promised myself I wouldn't get another Cod after MW3, but my nephew is the only other person I know in person that has a PS4, and ofcourse he got Ghosts immediately. And ofcourse there are performance issues, even though the game doesn't look like it should be stressing out the hardware, and doesn't have a higher character count. Damn hActivision and it's crap.

[CRASHBASHUK]

here a question if you own the digital game now can you get/have the PlayStation go ver free?

[strigoi814]

thats a different situation..maybe sony will make that happen digital is much easier to track down and authenticate (games like flow, flower,escape plan that even if you purchase psvita or ps3 before it came to ps4 as free), but physical copy since they are made back then before this was announced it maybe hard for them to authenticate and distinguish the disc inside your drive..

[strigoi814]

clear example is, you wont keep a ps3 disc if you have no ps3..coz even a 12years old knows ps4 is not backwards compatible..

[ninjahunter]

Most people I talk to about PS4 who arent mega nerds, such as myself, assume that the PS4 can play PS3, PS2 and PS1 games.

[WickedLester]

Well, you know what happens when you assume.

[KrisButtar]

My biggest problem with the PS4 is that it does not offer true backwards compatibility. Then not being able to see my trophies while offline.

[iKenny]

I concur! They (SONY) can add BC. But choose not to because like I said- they had a plan (Nickel & Dime) ya and went for it. Seriously- what is the purpose of this?! If we had true BC this wouldn't be needed but someone in the higher greed is thinking let's charge these bastards more money for what they already have. Alas... Tomb Raider.

[jonboi24]

Did you want the cost of the PS4 to go up for b/c? The two systems are made on two different system archetype. Just to offer true b/c and not just emulated, they would have to put the cell chip and maybe other PS3 components in every PS4. That alone could jack the price an extra $100. They are already selling the system at a lost why increase the lost even more?

[KrisButtar]

@KSantiago

I fear that BC is gone forever since they revealed PS Now. They could have still had this service but made it for there TV, Vita and Mobile.

I think that greed had something to do with it but also all the fans who were defending the issue with taking out/not including BC. I would have paid more for a premium PS4 that had BC.

I have only turned on my PS4 once in the last month I think, maybe twice but my PS3 is turned on daily. Which makes me feel a bit bitter as I would love to just use my PS4, even if it was only to play PS3 games.

Edit: @ jonboi24
I would have gladly paid more to have a premium model PS4 with true BC and after just looking at the last of us bundle for $249 I would have gladly added that to the price of my PS4 if it could play PS3 games.

[isarai]

oh, well that kinda sucks, but i keep my consoles so that won't be much of an issue to me. Sorry for people who need to trade in previous console to get a new one

[DanielGearSolid]

I don't think ppl understand the difference between a streaming service and a digital distribution service... Even tho they clearly know how Netflix works...

Do any of you want your Netflix subscription waived because you own 5 or 10 of their 100s of movies?

[aftrdark21]

My thoughts exactly. Have a bubble.

[Wingsfan24]

That's a horrible analogy. People are referring to having to RE-BUY the games they already purchased to play them. They aren't talking about the subscription fee.

On Netflix you pay to have access to a LIBRARY of movies. You aren't purchasing a single movie. So, no, people shouldn't expect that fee to be waived, obviously.

But, if you already downloaded the game on PS3, why shouldn't that get carried over to the PS4. Your comparing apples to oranges with how Netflix and PSNow work. Hell, we don't even know yet how it'll work so most of the people here are making baseless assumptions.

[e-p-ayeaH]

i paid 60 bucks on The Last of Us Digital ver the least they could do is giving a discount since that game is clearly on my Dl list.

[WickedLester]

Because PS4 is a totally different platform! If you like the games you downloaded on your PS3, keep your PS3 and continue to enjoy them! I don't understand why this is so confusing to some of you. Sony is not PREVENTING you from continuing to enjoy your purchased content. Sony is not asking you to re purchase anything. That's YOUR choice. Just because you bought a PS4 it doesn't entitle you to free versions of games you bought on previous platforms. Should I expect a free copy of Tetris for my smart phone because I owned it on NES 20 years ago?

[Duke19]

Sucks for those that bought digital games for PS3, but maybe they will find a way to allow those to work as well in time.

I wonder if a disk is scratched, what is considered having the disk in the drive? Just recognizing what title it is at startup? Cant imagine its pulling any significant info from the disk...

[ipach]

it would be like amazon prime giving you access to stream a movie that you own a dvd of. while interesting and nice, not some sort of crazy missing function. vudu has the closest thing with the whole ultraviolet and digital library service. that might be feasible: pay $5 or something and permanently 'archive' a disc game into your Now library... hopefully all these questions are making them consider it seriously

[webeblazing]

If you brought the digital copy and you have prime what happens? See how bad that example was. People problem are in two categories one that just wanted a BC vers that would have cost more and the group that feel that their DDs should be supported, you can sell digital games. Dont bother paying attention to the xb fanboys tho.

[iKenny]

Playstation now is nothing but a rip-off! And I'm pro SONY!! C'mon- you mean to tell me we can't digitally stream games we already own?! Bull fcking shit!!! I know I might be hurting some feelings but honestly- I never bought into the fact that SONY can't include backwards compatability in PPS4.They knew what they were doing and that is to nickel and dime ya each and every way possible. Yeah- I know business is business but this is cheap!

[HeavenlySnipes]

YEAH!!

Why is Netflix not letting me stream movies I already own for free!!

[SonyNGP]

You mean the movies you own on DVD/Blu-Ray that work absolutely fine on the PS4?

[iKenny]

I go into Best Buy- buy a blu ray movie that has digital copy. Why can't gaming be this way. Your analogy is false. NETFLIX....REALLY?

[HeavenlySnipes]

Because Netflix is a movie/tv show streaming service and Playstation Now is a gaming streaming service

The act of streaming the media costs money. You're not redownloading the movie/game to your system

[starchild]

I didn't know that Netflix sold movie streaming hardware.

The fact is I bought a console from SONY, I bought many games from SONY, yet they want to charge me again to play games I already own. Its bad enough that the PS3 I bought from them went bad after only three years of owning it, and the PS4 has no backwards compatibility, but asking me to pay all over again to play the games I already own is ridiculous. I'm sick of the nickel and diming that goes on with consoles. I'm glad I do most of my gaming on PC.

[SoulSercher620]

So what you're saying is Sony should've included BC so it could be $600 or more and sell worse than PS3 did at launch?

Yeah they totally wanna nickel and dime us.

[hankmoody]

I can only think about Sony stating that they were "all about the gamers" a few months back and now they're pulling this nonsense?

[Hicken]

I can only think that's the weakest argument yet.

Do any of the counter-arguments even register in your head?

How do they know you own the disc?
How do they know you still have it?
If you DO have the disc, why don't you have the system to play it on?
If you got rid of the hardware, why did you keep the software?
In what other arena does this idea of entitlement even make sense?

It's not that this makes them not "all about the gamers." It's that there's no logical reason why you should get a PS4 digital version of a game because you own it on PS3. There's this continued bull about "Sony forcing you to buy your games all over again," but how are they forcing you to do anything? It's an OPTION, nothing more, nothing less.

I should ask: what method is Microsoft delivering for you to play your old Xbox games on your new console? None at all? Damn. That explains why you're in here making a big deal about this: cuz you've got NO options, period.

Oh, except keeping your old console, just like with PlayStation.

Edit: And why would the have waited? Microsoft had to have known this was coming; that's obviously what Gaikai was for. And yet, for all their talk about the marvelous cloud, they did NOTHING with it. With all the things going against them, why on earth would they want to be second in this?

[hankmoody]

Oh come on, you really think MS isn't going to have some sort of an answer to this? What, because they didn't announce something immediately? Pfft.

I think PSNow is very interesting but I'm holding judgment until I see how a)they're pricing it and b)how it works in the real world and not one where they've got servers on the same floor.

[baodeus]

"And yet, for all their talk about the marvelous cloud, they did NOTHING with it" because you can't see a bigger picture Hicken. Let me ask you these:

1. Is there a difference between a cloud provider and a cloud user? Example: Netflix is a streaming app that supported by Amazon. Which one is the user and which one is the provider? Which one is actually the back bone, the foundation that support all of these cloud applications?

2. Is Gaikai a cloud user or a cloud provider?

3. Do you think that cloud applications/services would improve with a strong cloud infrastructure (more data center and widely distributed on a global scale)? You really don't think a strong foundation is needed to build solid cloud services or anything for that matter?

5. Currently, Amazon, Google and MS azure are the top 3 cloud providers, with MS probably has the second largest cloud infrastructure, only behind google, that are distributed globally. With that said, do you think Sony is even anywhere near their level on cloud services currently and in the near future?

5. Do you think Sony even have the capability to built their own cloud infrastructure currently or they only able to rent them from cloud providers? Example: Sony only able to purchase Gaikai at ~$300 million when it cost MS ~$500 million just to build a data center (MS are in full force on this front and has many data center built around the world, recently in China, Australia, Japan, etc....)?

6. What are the possible issues stem from renting servers?
- better servers = more expansive (very expansive)?
- Do you have control on pricing?
- how do you manage a unify service on a global scale?
a) using a single cloud provider that has larger servers center that are distributed globally?
b) using different cloud providers for different regions?

This is particularly very important because latency and stability really depend on how many servers there are (the more they have, the better they can manage larger distribution of information, which are increasing drastically) and the closer people are to a center, the less latency they'll get.

so put all of that together, what do you think MS has been doing? Sony is not even on the map for cloud infrastructure, so who do you think would have a better outlook when everything are moving toward cloud base application and services? Who has a solid foundation for cloud base application? does Sony even have a foundation of their own?

That is the problem with this site. The only thing you guys can see is Sony, but you guys are so oblivious to everything else. No one like to read or research on anything, therefore having such a narrow viewed on something that you don't even understand in the first place. That is why you don't see anything Hicken.

Sony is pretty good at taking small jab at MS to rile up the fanboys and their large fan who seems to know nothing, i'm basing on n4g crowd here, because i believe others out there aren't these uneducated right?

[Good-Smurf]

Where's Shu?
Listen to your gamers,don't fuck up your momentum at least allow your service some flexibility.
Don't be so greedy let's bombard Shu's Twitter give him some feedback people!

[Joseph225]

Are you serious? Do you have any idea how much Sony spent buying Gaikai and creating this service. They need recover the money they spent. They are not giving this out free and I understand it. If you already have the game, why do you wanna play it with lag and increased latency?
Netflix doesn't give you free access to movies you own on disk. This is just an optional service, dedicated for those who didn't played the games of previous generations. If they gave things for free they wouldn't have the money to maintain it

[Soupaman66]

I would rather just keep my ps3 just like how I've kept my ps2 and psp(still working). And I wouldnt recomend buying games when you dont have the device to use it or if you are planning on selling it and have the console, at least consider that you may not play the game again without having to pay some money for the ability to again do so.

[jonboi24]

I really do hate all this whining. Just because you own a physical copy or digital license of a game why should you be able to stream it for free? Your paying for a product or license not a service. This is what this is a service, an optional one. No one is forcing you to pay for it. So all of you entitled sorry bums get over it.

[SilentSolid]

Understandable.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

This makes sense from a business standpoint. The service is going to cost Sony quite a bit on the back end to get up and running right so they need to ensure they are recouping their money. You will need to pay to use the digital service regardless of what discs you own, etc... This will also help prevent people from "cheating the system" by sharring discs to get free access, etc...

[wishingW3L]

but that's not the point. The point is that not every single game will be on the service. So you paying a monthly fee to have access to a digital emulator is not a bad idea from a business standpoint at all you know.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Maybe my wording is off, I don't find the idea of the service or how they are implementing it a bad idea. I actually think its the direction of the industry to be honest.

[JackVagina]

netflix does the same thing

[KontryBoy706]

first of all.... who in their right mind thought it would? Picture this, you own the disc... they give you a digital copy. You TRADE your disc... you still have the digital copy. SEE THE PROBLEM???

[king_george]

Actually quite a few people thought they would get some form of BC. Its lame of sony if we end up having to pay more money to play games we already own. The pc guys and gals dont have to and theres no reason the console peeps should either. We shouldnt justify it. And thats coming from a sony fan :)

[pyramidshead]

This is why I'm glad I still have working PS1,2 and 3 in the homestead. It's a nice service, but this kinda sucks I guess. I doubt I'll be using this any time soon.

[xetiro]

Off course not!

[PSVita]

Right! If you got the game play it lol

[JMaine518]

It's called keep your old systems. Solves everything.

[shuuwai]

Simple solution.
A. Emulator software for PS3 on the PS4 for 79.99.
I would gladly pay that amount.
Thats easy money Sony!

Lasty The now app for who dont own discs.

[TheGrimReaper0011]

Hmmmmm
Gues I will just keep my PS3
I'm not seeing this happening is Europe for at least 5 years
Where I live, we have download caps
If we go over those, our download speed and upload speed are decreased immensly
Here, we dont even have Netflix because of the internet caps
It seems like PlayStation is becoming an American Product
And to those who think I'm stupid, all I'm saying is, I feel we Europeans have been left in the dust:
- PS4 launches in America first
- PS Now, this summer already in America, no idea when in europe
- Many games are delayed (dragon's crown around 3 months!)
- many games in japan and america, but not in europe
- Special editions way less interesting (last of us)
- Some vita games are released everywhere but europe

[kewlkat007]

Not just Sony but they shouldn't charge you extra if you own the damn thing..

There should be a service where individual games can be scanned against Sony's digital catalogs and allow you to get a discount or play for free.

[Joseph225]

The shouldn't until they recover the money they spent on it. They are already struggling giving recent games for free on PS+ and selling PS4's for 400. Netflix doesn't give you free access either.

[NeloAnjelo]

How are they going to prove that you bought that copy new? Or that you actually own that copy...?

I have 8 PS3 games on loan at the moment... Does that mean does people can get "my" digital copy? How can this be managed or verified, without implemeting some sort of one use or disk scannng policy. If so this will then lead to people crying foul on DRM.

[ded1020]

well the money I was willing to pay for this just shrunk drastically. This is your Backwards compatibility solution?

[curtis92]

You mean I still have to pay for ALL of netflix even though I own over 50 dvds/blurays! Blasphemy! /s

Get real, people.

[Necro_559]

God i love this site. Nothing but hypocritical Sony fanboys. If this was coming from MS, it would be nothing but bashing and hating. Since its from Sony, you find every way to stick up for it. Pathetic fanboys. You people are sad losers.

[SoulSercher620]

Wow I love how losers like you take shots at Sony and have nothing to back up their reasoning. So this is a bad thing when Netflix won't let me stream movies I already own for free?

Care to explain how this is bad?

[curtis92]

@necro Way to lump everyone all into one category. That's not the pot calling the kettle black at all.

[kenshiro100]

Says the fanboy calling other people sad losers.
Grow up.

[ELpork]

YOU MEAN I CAN'T PLAY ANY GAME I OWN ON MY PS4!?! I PAID FOR THIS COPY OF Wii SPORTS! I DESERVE TO PLAY IT ANYWHERE!

Grow up. Think of the legality of all those old games, contracts and ownership rights. Chances are they can't legally stream a bunch of that older stuff. And to top it off, they are a company and like money. Why let you play a copy of a game you bought from god knows where for nothing, when they can charge you for it? Can't be cheap to maintain all of that.

If they were streaming PS4 games, I could see a reason to get kinda upset? but then again, they wouldn't let you do that ether. Because then you'd just stream and trade your disc in. This is the reality of the digital future folks.... You all asked for it.

[Dan_scruggs]

They could do it but they wont. It's greed and that's the end of it. It may not be cheap to maintain it but then again that's why they are going to charge for the service. Customers get screwed coming and going. Bend over and take it.

[ELpork]

If you bought them digitally through PSN, yea sure, that makes sense. And they SHOULD let you stream that (IDK if they are or not tho). But how do you expect them to say "Yea, sure, stream this game because you say you bought it on disc when it originally game out 10 years ago".... That's just insane.

[Dan_scruggs]

I for one refuse to believe that there is absolutely no way to register a 10 year old game for a Sony account. They could do it through the bar code and item numbers on the packaging but they wouldn't dare do that because that would severely cut in to the amount of money they could stand to make. It greedy DRM crap that the entire internet turn on Microsoft for attempting. its locking games to an account without the ability to share or resell. But now that Sony is doing it ti suddenly a great thing. Memory on the internet is short indeed.

[ELpork]

...You... you do realize that barcodes are all the same right? Like, for a singular game? Every copy of SSX Tricky has the same one. All you'd have to do is post a photo of it online (which I'm sure you could find on google) and then everybody could "own" the game.

And yea, that's what the "Digital future" is, and it's been around long before Microsoft announced the Xone and it's DRM policies.... You see there is the service called iTunes... And these iPhones.

If you want to play your old games, you'll need to ether pay for them via a service, or use an old system... Deal with it? or don't I don't really care, just don't whine because a company wants to make money.

[ocelot07]

To be expected really. Just because I own Battlefield 4 on disc does not mean I should also get the digital version as well right?

[Takwin]

PS4 is my first Sony console, and I'm loving it completely. This doesn't bother me at all and I am sure it will be priced very nicely. What if it is $15 a month like an MMO for unlimited playing of all games on the service? I would jump on that for sure!

[MuhammadJA]

if you bought the game digitally, then it's a bad thing, but sony's not responsible if you have the game in physical.

[Pro_TactX]

The bottom line is that Sony doesn't owe you a digital copy of the game you bought. When you purchased that physical copy, it was with the intent of playing the game on the PS3. You were not promised that said game would be playable on the PS4. You had no reasonable expectation that the game would work on another piece of hardware, because it wasn't advertised to do so. Hell, buying the physical copy of the game doesn't even get you the digital copy of the game on the PS3.

The terms of your purchase are simple. You spent money on a product that you expected to work on the PS3. Why is it that some of you now expect the terms to change to suit you?

[captain_slow82]

a digital copy is stored on your own hard drive this is just streaming theres no owning the game at all

i think if you own a copy of the game ie the disc and have say ps+ we should be able to stream the game at no extra cost.

this feels like a money grab to me.

[TeflonHahn]

The best way I can think of PSNow, is Netflix, except it's games. Do you get upset that you pay a subscription fee to stream movies that you potentially already own? And let's say Sony offers a discount on your subscription. How would they calculate that? I own a TON of PS games over the years. How would they regulate who pays what based on ownership?

[Joe913]

This sucks oh well will probably just rebuy anyway lol will only play two ps3 games on my ps4 anyway TLOU and GTA5 and that is if they do not bring GTA5 to ps4 like the rumor says.

[SynestheticRoar]

I'm not paying shit.

[Dan_scruggs]

Yup it's called DRM ladies and gentlemen. You get one copy and it has to be through the network. Have fun rebuying all your games again.

Oh and for the record if you have Amazon prime and buy a physical copy on Amazon it becomes available on Prime for you to watch anytime for free. Why cant Sony do this. Because money.

[Silly gameAr]

SOrry. I'm trying to find something about PSNow that I can get up in arms about but...I just can't. I fail.

[Salta_nelas]

Unless they make games cheap like 10€ or so to replay (similar to FFVII ect, games I own), count me out.

[kryteris]

This could be easily obtainable, at the very least on the PS4 the same way BF4, Ghosts digital upgrades work. "verify the disc is in drive"

And to be scrooge, charge a small fee.

[air1]

Is it too hard for them to make a premium ps4 console with bc? Obviously it will cost more but why not make a limited amount at first and see how it sells if the demand is their then keep making them.

Instead we get the bull shit "premium" in the form of hdd space and or colors. These ass holes, ms too, knew they was making another console for years and on top of it all its not there damn first console yet they still cant figure out a real solution for bc..

[Qwagy UK]

Shite

[Moose9898]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about "paying extra for games you already own". Don't look at it as, "I own GTAV, I don't want to pay for it again." You're not paying for it again, you're paying a subscription fee for a whole library of games, some of which you might already own. It's like somebody bitching that Netflix streams a movie they already own, so they're unhappy they have to pay "extra" for it. You're not paying extra. The game you own, just so happens to be one of the many in their library that's part of the subscription.

[Bowzabub]

It takes me literally .5 seconds to switch from HDMI1 to HDMI2. They still sell PS3s as far as I know. Non-issue.

[Juangie3]

If you kept your copy of an older game, would you not have the system to play it on? hmmm....

[silvacrest]

people wont like this but, keep your old console if you want to play your already purchased old games

use PS NOW as a method to play old games you never had a chance to enjoy

[DoubleM70]

Wait a minute let me get this straight. I have to pay again to access games I already own physically?

[SirBradders]

People these days are so stupid if you own the physical copy in the first place why in hell would you pay for a subscription service to play it over the net when you have the physical game in front of you.

Logic has just gone missing these days.

[DVAcme]

If Sony did allow the digital copies, what would stop me from, say, borrowing the game from a friend, getting the digital copy and then giving the physical one back and having a free game I never had in the first place?

Look, guys, Sony is very good to us already. Don't push it. They can't be nice to us if they're not able to make money. Just have PS Plus and Now and you'll have enough free gaming and old game access to never have to complain.

[joel_c17]

And how would you confirm with sony that you own the original copy of the game? i see many loopholes so people can get free games here. All of a sudden 20 gamers would own the same copy of FFX

[PharaohX]

Here is a novel Idea. Don't buy the subscription and don't play streamed games. Guess what will happen. I will wait it out. There in no way I am going to pay to play games I own on disc for the ability to stream them. I would rather wait till the price of a new PS3 goes down to $100 or $79.99 and buy that then to stream games.

[PharaohX]

I laugh at the people who act like Sony is doing us a favor by doing the digital streaming service. They only saw this as a way to milk and have another steam of money. They won't get mine. I know when someone is double dipping and this is a prime example. PS3 was abandoned to quick I mean look at Last OF Us, Beyond, and yet they give up on that to give us a console that can't play the games I am still enjoying. Nah PASS!! Double dipping with the Music Service, The PS Plus, and now PS NOW. Go Chop yourselves with a Ginsu Sony!!

[assdan]

I would love it if it did, but how would it work?

[MasterofMagnetism]

Doesn't matter to me since the only reason I would be using the service would be to play games that I don't have, not games that I do have.

[spoonard]

I don't need PS Now to give me access to all my PS3 games I own on disc. I already have access to them on my PS3. And I have access to all my disc based 360 games on my 360. My PS4 is not the focal point of gaming. It plays the PS4 games and that's all it needs to do.

[titans9999]

What a rip off!!!! This is why I loved my launch ps3 until it burned up because it could play all ps games - ps1, ps2 and ps3....this is why we need the ps4 to be able to play ps3, ps2 and ps1 games....thanks for the shaft SONY!!!

[tontontam0]

I thank sony for not including BC on ps4, It would have cost a lot more.

I still have my ps3 and ps2.

[Adolph Fitler]

"I laugh at the people who act like Sony is doing us a favor by doing the digital streaming service"

And I laugh at people like this, who are probably the same ones that refused to buy a PS3 from the start, claiming it was too expensive, then whined like b1tches when Sony pulled features like b/c.

I also laugh at people like you for thinking we deserve jack sh1t, when Sony have given us a fair bit in the way of consumer friendly consoles, since the PS1 days, by being the 1st & only console maker to offer backwards compatible machines for not only games, but peripherals....
The PS3 also gave us the opportunity to put a new OS onto the machine.....& who were the f^ckwits that spoilt that????? Morons may say Sony, but people with a brain know that scumbags spoilt what Sony were generous enough to offer consumers, for everyone, by being tools & hacking & ruining sh1t for those that do the right thing.
So, lets stop pretending & playing the blame game, as Sony as a corporate giant have done a lot of consumer friendly things that no one else dared do, & all they got back for it was a kick in the teeth....

Now the less educated are going to blame Sony for offering this service, but it not being free for those that already bought the game.... So does that mean Sony should give EVERY PS3 game you already own, out to people for FREE? And if yes, who pays the 3rd parties for this, as they are probably baying for the extra money, if not as much as, but more than Sony....Even though it is Sony's expense to set up the service.

If you wanna play your old games, keep or re-buy a PS3, PS2, whatever.....
Consumers already proved how dumb they are, when they refused to buy a launch PS3 & support Sony more, for putting MORE into the machine.....If you whinged that Sony stripped the b/c from PS3, yet refused to buy one at launch because of price...Then you should STFU....I paid $999Au for my launch Australian PS3 & because of stupid, ignorant Americans being too stingy to pay the price, they gave us an already gimped console with no Evolution chip, but instead emulation software.

So stop whinging, PS4 is nearly half PS3's price HERE...It is an awesome machine for the price, & is & will continue to get more & more features.....
But dreamers need to realize that consumers were given opportunity after opportunity, yet all we wanted to do is scream, "MORE, MORE, GIVE US MORE,....OH, & WE WANT TO PAY LESS".

[cheetah]

I know how I can access the copies I own...........play them on my ps3. What is the big deal people? two extra cords! Most TV's have 3 of 4 HDMI inputs nowadays.

[HacSawJimThugin]

And here I thought that Sony could do no wrong in the eyes of their beloved...lol.

Greatness Awaits...as long as you can afford it. Lol!!

I know I'm trolling but this is soooooo rich. MS got the piss beat out of them over the last couple of months and the law of physics states the Sony's turn would be inevitable. Maybe if you (the ppl who despise this plan) whine loud enough,Sony will take a page out of MS book and 180 it. LOL.

[Underworld]

I'm a big Sony fan but I kinda hope this fails. I don't like the idea of being able to play Playstation games on other devices. You should need a Playstation to play them. What does this mean for the PS3 which is still selling well? It pretty much makes it redundant now :( And how can we call games like The Last of Us PS3 exclusives anymore?

Matt Harper, Senior Manager of PlayStation Digital Platforms said, “We are considering measures to offer other content in the future (such as PS1, PS2, and PS4 games).” http://www.playstationlifes...
So are they also going to have PS4 games on there too? When will that be and what does that mean for PS4? Will you even need a PS4 in the future?

All this makes me nervous about what the future of Playstation is. Is Sony's plan to completely get rid of the hardware and just have a streaming/digital service? I really hope not, I love my Playstation, my physical copies and my game stores. If they're eventually going to offer PS4 games then why not just get a gaming PC or an X1 instead and just stream all your Playstation games to your other devices? I don't like this direction and this kinda makes me not want to get a PS4.

[Joseph225]

Same. Let's see what the future holds.

[MrUndrhill]

I understand the sentiment, but the entertainment industry has turned to streaming models to combat piracy, used media sales etc. and I think it is the future. You aren't force to buy in and it allows for media on a huge number of platforms. If it means Sony gets to keep putting out awesome games then I am all for it, and I think those games being available to more people it a positive thing in the long run.

[Underworld]

If you think it is the future then how am I not forced to buy in? If streaming and digital only is the future then it looks like I won't be gaming then :( Might seem extreme to say that but I absolutely love my physical copies and in no way would I want all my games just being streamed to me.

The PS4 is doing amazing why change things by possibly getting rid of the hardware? I just like how it is now. You wanna play Playstation games you buy a Playstation. You wanna play Xbox games you buy an Xbox.

And if the future is streaming/digital and so many people seem to be so excited about this then why was Microsoft attacked so hard for what they tried to do? Both require Internet.

[Rageanitus]

This will only work if they include a digital copy code in each physical disc.... like how BD's are doing nowadays

[Thomaticus]

This is a streaming service not a backwards compatibility feature. So I have no issues not being able to access games I own. I don't like it, but it's not a deal breaker.

[lawgone]

Sony was originally not going to charge for this service but M$ forced them to change their business model to survive! It's all M$ fault for screwing over the gamers! /s

Seriously, had this been announced this late by M$ you Sony fanboys would be all over it. I kind of expected there would be a charge for it so it's not a big deal to me but the hypocrisy here is overwhelming.

[zero_gamer]

I knew this is how it's going to work since the announcement of the PS4 in early 2013. It did sound too good to be true, and it appears it was, indeed, too good to be true.

Sony will have to emulate PS1 and PS2 games locally on the PS4 hardware if you wanted to play games from disks you own. PS3 emulation on PS4 isn't to be expected.

[just-joe]

So this is basically Onlive?

[Dannycr]

I don't understand why people asume that "Now" = Backwards Compatibility. Where does it say that it is BC?

Everyone said that it is a rental/subscription based service so we can play games in several hardware.

[acidfox]

Well this is not a problem for me since I don't own a PS3, but I've missed a lot of games. So I'll be using this service to play some of the games I've missed (if they are available)on my Vita.

[Orionsangel]

I no longer buy games in physical form. I went all digital. So I'm alright with this.

[tweet75]

how would sony know on a ps4 if you own a ps3 game disc that you never put in the ps4?

[Benjaminkno]

I remember people bitching about Nintendo charging a buck fifty to play already bought vc games on WiiU...

At least it plays Wii games if you have the disc.
Score Nintendo.

[MrUndrhill]

And this was expected by people? Your cable company doesn't give you free access to movies they stream, but you own, and this is allowing you to play the games on a huge number of devices. There is no logic to thinking the copy you previously bought would allow that. I think the service sounds amazing, especially for the Vita owners.

[PFFT]

And it begins.

[babis1974]

so i have bought many games in my ps3 and now i have to buy them again in my ps4??? this is so wrong!!! i won't

[Sci0n]

No u idiot you keep your PS3 and your PS3 games and play them on there. This service is mainly aimed at those who have not purchased a PS3 or PS4 yet. The people complaining who still have there PS3 and a there games sitting in front of them along with the PS4 are the biggest spoiled brats ever. Why would you even want to stream when it would degrade the quality a bit and you have the physical copy and console? ppl will just complain just to complain.

[babis1974]

u idiot? who do you think you are talking to? keep your opinion to yourself "you idiot" and don't reply.

[Sci0n]

lol you are complaining and can't even see that you are winning already by owning a PS3 PS4 and games for each. This service will be great for those who have not dove into console gaming yet and pefer there tablets or smartphones. You get them to play a game like tlou or uncharted and they just may consider picking up a PS3 or PS4 or perhaps both. You own the physical console along with the games so you dont even have to think about paying a subscription to play the games over the cloud at lesser quality so why you mad? Because Sony is releasing something new that doesn't cater to you right away? oh please.

[s45gr32]

The PS3 suffers from ylod, hard drive errors, blu-ray errors, etc. So what is so special of having to repair your current console or re-buy your console buy it's successor for about $700.00 plus tax. Oh look at that as much as a high end gaming PC with full backwards compatibility.

[1lawrence]

U dont have to buy anything idiot

[babis1974]

and you don't have to open your mouth and speak like an ass

[babis1974]

and why you reply prick? look into the mirror to see the idiot fucking ashole

[nigelp520]

Will i get to play games likes

Final Fantasy 8
Tekken 4
Folklore
Tokyo Jungle?

[s45gr32]

Yes for a fee despite owning one of those games in physical form.

[nigelp520]

weak :(

[xCOWBOYx78x]

BRING BACK CARTRIDGES !!! SUPER NINTENDO 4 LIFE !!!

[s45gr32]

Ok lol

[jjonez18]

I never expected it to.
But honestly all of this is irrelevant until we get through the beta phase and discuss how the content will be packaged and priced.

[s45gr32]

It would of been a great addition to the service come on you really want to have no options and have Sony dictate your gaming experience. Don't you want anything in return or are you to concerned for the financial well being of Sony.

[jjonez18]

There is no denying that it would have been a killer feature. But, I am more concerned with the amount of content this opens up for users in general. Getting access to generations of games from one device is what psnow offers. The good far outweighs the bad. Anyways, from what I read it is not backwards compatibility but a service. And when I think of great services I think of the likes of Netflix or spotify. With these major players you get nothing for owning content they already offer, no discount, no digital copy, nothing. Everyone pays the same 7$ or 10$ And everyone gets the same perks.

Oh and yes I do care about the financial well-being of Sony because I own some of their products. Buying any electronic product is an investment.

[s45gr32]

Curses Sony read my mind or read my n4g comments. It was a brilliant idea to be able to stream your Playstation library the gamer owns in physical form via Playstation Now. But no Sony desperately wants gamers to re-buy their Playstation library. Think about it you can't transfer your bought and paid for digital PS3 library which included PS One and PS2 games. Games that could easily be played on the PS4 it also included indie games which hardly stress any system as far as hardware is concerned. Plus don't forget third party games which say games already had a x86 architecture version of the same game on Steam (yes Steam uses x86 architecture). You get my point. Anyhow pay to play online and re-buy your Playstation library some great next generation of console gaming. No Sony makes billions of dollars not pennies which yes they can afford it. It was supposed to be an option anyways, an option to benefit gamers, publishers, developers, and console manufacturers. My point is this keep Playstation Now with a monthly subscription; as well, allowing gamers to rent whatever game through Playstation Now. On top of that to have the option to stream the games from their current physical Playstation library through this cloud service for free. Hence option .

[_FantasmA_]

I don't get the hate. If you already have a PS1, or PS2 game disc, why would you need to stream it? How would a future service be able to recognize that you bought Silent Hill in 1999? Again this service is a Plus. The PlayStation 4 is here. I don't mind playing old games and here and there but I'm always looking forward to new and exciting games instead of trying to relive memories that just aren't the same after a while.

[Tidybrutes]

I never presumed it would give me acess to games I already own, anyone who presumed so is rather nieive as Sony already confirmed there will be a subscription model and there will be the option for people to rent games.

On the surface it seems like Netflix but for videogames, intersting to see how this will develop.

[TotallyNotGlenn]

There's something you guys are forgetting. This is not backwards compatibility. Sony said so themselves. This is merely an alternative to backwards compatibility, which makes sense.

http://www.psu.com/a022126/...

If you already own the game, chances are you also own a PS3. Simply playing the game on the other console shouldn't be a terrible thing to do. PS Now is designed to give you access to games you DON'T have on multiple devices, not to make the PS4 backwards compatible.

Even so, it IS a form of backwards compatibility. You can play these older games on PS4--and on PS Vita, and on your Sony TV, and on your mobile devices. It's not something that was necessarily designed FOR PS4, but it still offers that feature, and that's pretty great.

[Onenyte]

For the system to recognise if you own a game or not am assuming some DRM is used somewhere if this system was to allow you to use the game you own as a key, i wouldn't want that.

[ianyoung3]

As I read a lot of these comments I can't help but feel like the gaming community reacts at times to things without any critical thinking and with entitlement to everything. Is the first response to any gaming service news "we should not have to pay for this". I mean come on let's think this through a bit. PS Now is basically a video game version of Netflix. Now do you complain to Netflix that you should own the digital version of the movie that your watching? You don't because what your paying for is a streaming service and if you don't want that you have the option to rent. If Sony were saying that this service will supercede the digital versions of the games you already OWN that would something worth complaining about. Am I missing something about this service? I mean if you want your own version of the game can't you still go to PS Store and buy it.....If it's available?

[misutama]

Microsoft DRM idea just painted different same purposes

[MilkMan]

EPIC FAIL!

[MCTJim]

As I read the comments of people complaining they should get it for free since they own the game, I say that this is Sony's online version of gamefly. You pay a monthly/yearly fee..its a rental service..you dont pay, you lose the service.

unfortunately, Backwards compatibility for moving into new architecture is not straight forward and the cost associated with making it backwards compatible would have driven the cost of the system beyond the reach of most peoples wallets.

[Visiblemarc]

I love how people are enraged about this, despite it not having been promised or owed. I'd like to think there would be some magical backup way to play ps3 game discs I own on PS4, so I could move my ps3 to another room or not need to buy another one if it craps out...but I bought those PS3 games for the PS3...I got what I paid for. I'm not sure why it is that people are always acting so entitled.

[gazgriff2k12]

the ps4 can already reconsize ps3 disk come on people lets complain to ony

[ncc-017]

I'm confused, sony hasn't announced their payment plans yet, why are people so angry about this? Sony hasn't said that their going to charge us separately for individual games! One of Sony's payment options for this could be a monthly fee like Netflix giving you access to the full library of games on the service.Besides the smart thing to do is to hang on to your PS3 and your PS3 games, I'm getting PS Now to play games I missed for whatever reason,not for games I already own.

[WickedLester]

I have a very simple solution for all of you who are whining and complaining about this. Don't subscribe to PS Now! Keep your PS3 and continue to enjoy the titles you purchasesd on that platform. There! Problem solved!