PlayStation Now Turned My Awful Samsung Smart TV Into A Fun Gaming System

PlayStation Now is a neat little service. Sony purchased Gaikai a few years ago and turned it into a way to play PlayStation games without necessarily having a PlayStation. If you have a compatible set top box and a PlayStation controller, you can subscribe to the service and stream PlayStation 3 games to your TV over the Internet—basically PlayStation-as-a-service.

[MasterCornholio]

"If you have a compatible set top box and a PlayStation controller, you can subscribe to the service and stream PlayStation 3 games to your TV over the Internet—basically PlayStation-as-a-service." ;

I'm happy the author understands the purpose of the service and enjoys it.

:)

[Rookie_Monster]

This piece was written by arstechnica and not just any avg joe made up site, why wouldn't they understand the purpose of a pay game streaming service when they had covered Onlive with the same technology for years? They are smarter and know more about technology than most of the population and is a respected source for technical analysis of technology.

[Letthewookiewin]

Woa there fella...

[TheColbertinator]

@Rookie_Monster

You doing all right,champ? I recommend a nice walk outside if something is troubling you

[MasterCornholio]

I know that very well.

:)

But even an expert can have a bias and I'm glad that the author doesn't.

I don't think you understood me very well. Perhaps I should have explained myself better.

[GameDev1]

Well what he is saying is that it is good that the author understands it so that the average joe understands it

People actually think its Sony's PS solution to backwards compatibility, *cough Microsoft joke about paying for backwards compability cough* actually shows they also didnt get it

[donthate]

Actually I like Arstechnica despite them being quite biased at times.

I enjoy a lot of their law related articles, and they from time to time cover interresting technical stuff as well.

However, reading this story apart from the authors excitement really highlights the main issue with PS Now:

* terrible instructions
* need a controller (if you are a instant gratification type, you aren't going to run out and buy a controller)
* the high prices

Also, the author has 21ms ping with almost actual throughput of 80 Mbps bandwidth. Try that on a normal connection with around 70-80 ms ping and let's see if you notice the lag. What will the screen look like at 5 Mbps?

I see another write-off coming in two years.

[morganfell]

@Rookie,

"They are smarter and know more about technology than most of the population and is a respected source for technical analysis of technology."

Thanks you for propping up why this article's opinion should be respected.

[Spotie]

@Rookie: The point was that, unlike what you and others try to perpetrate, the author gets what PS Now is actually for. It's not BC, because that would, at the least, require something Sony-branded(and be something that plays Sony games now, too).

It's a game streaming service. The Netflix of games, if you will. And while the prices may not be pleasing to everyone, they'll be fine for many others.

[MasterCornholio]

@Spotie

"It's a game streaming service. The Netflix of games, if you will. And while the prices may not be pleasing to everyone, they'll be fine for many others."

The author mentioned that pretty clearly in the article which was my point.

The author could have said that it was Sonys way to deliver BC to the PS4 but he didn't. Instead he said it was a game streaming service similar to Netflix which is a completely accurate description of the product.

Don't understand why some people thought I was calling the author on a tech website an idiot.

The reason why Rookie responded this way is simply because he doesn't like me. I understand why because I did cause him to lose some bubbles in the past but that was mostly due to him attacking me.

Anyways I'm glad that plently of others understood what I was trying to say. I appreciate it when people do that instead of fabricating something to make me look bad.

[Gority]

There's no such thing as a bad Samsung TV.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Why did you buy a awful TV lol?

Personally PS Now is better than nothing for backwards compatibility and I was able to complete Uncharted on it but the lag on my 20mbps connection left much to be desired.

[CYCLEGAMER]

I agree....I really like ps now but, the lag is annoying. And don't try to play a fighting game...its pretty bad.

At the moment I am playing puppeteer and Shadow of Colossus.

[mkis007]

I recently switched from an att 18mbps connection with 1mbps up to a time warner 100mbps connection with 10 up , and the difference is night and day! Not a single lag problem on my end. I could not believe it! They are doing psnow a disservice by saying that 6mbps is enough to have a good experience with it.

My PlayStation 4 normally reads 78mbps down 7mbps up so I think having a 50mbps connection and 5 up will be enough for a perfect experience.

[donthate]

Did you switch provider as well?

That is only one of two explanations for how I can see an upgrade in your bandwidth will change your experience.

Keep in mind that controller "lag" is dependent on routes the packet takes and has nothing to do with bandwidth which is going from 18 Mbps connection to say 100 Mbps. The bandwidth affect how much data you can receive at once, which might affect the quality of what you see on screen.

The only time is when there is cross contamination between latency and bandwidth is when the upstream is clogged i.e. 1 Mbps isn't enough to submit the data i.e. maybe your Dropbox is uploading a file.

[mkis007]

I switched from AT&T to Time Warner. The ping was greatly improved as well tests show under 20 ping average, while mmo's show under 70 ping average.

I meant the lag was non-existent as well as the screen clarity being perfect. On my previous attempt when I hate ATT it was terrible. They need to advertize it for 25mbps starting.

[Sora_1994]

I keep telling ppl this is the main focus for psnow not ppl with ps4s yes its a nice bonus but its more so for others to subscribe to add move revenue to sonys pocket. All they need to work on now is getting more games on there and putting it on more tvs and phones

[uth11]

That and Sony wants to future-proof its position in gaming, that's why they are focused on things like streaming and VR- in case they take off, they are ahead of the game.

[Letthewookiewin]

I glad to see people like you. I've been saying this since day one. This holiday 4K blu-Ray players and new tvs are going to be sold with PS-Now loaded. Now dad has a stealth console that wife would look down upon but boom came with the new TV! Sony is getting its system into people's homes and no one even realizes it.

[mxguy93]

I can't wait until until psnow is fully up and running with games from ps1 to ps4. It'll really shut up the ignorant people saying psnow is a failure.

[ocelot07]

I really like PlayStation Now. I played half of Bioshock Infinite on it. I had the odd 2 or 3 crashes due to the service losing connection but I put that down to it being in beta.

I just don't agree with the prices. I hope they add the option to permanently buy a title instead of renting it.

[IamTylerDurden1]

15$ a month is too much for you?

I love PS Now, i experience little lag on 25mbps, and what makes it incredible is the ability to play as many games as you want without having to wait for lengthy hdd hogging intalls, just pick a game and play.

I love it.

[ocelot07]

Currently in the UK beta we do not have a option to buy a $15 pass to play as much and as many games as we want for a month.

When we finally get this option then sure £10/$15 is pretty good. However I would still prefer to have a option to buy a permanent licence to steam a game for as long as the PS Now service is active.

[mkis007]

I have a feeling that sony will try to counter xb1 bc by allowing you to play games you own for free.

[WelkinCole]

It would be a huge opportunity for Sony.

Say they sell games with a code for access on PS now that is registered to your account with a $5 mark up for covering cost.

Not only you have the physical copy but it is also available as a digital collection online you can access from any PS Now compatible device.

Once you sell your physical copy the code is deregistered from your account so that the other buyer can use it.

Or if you can prove you have the physical CD you can get 50% discount for the game on PS Now etc.

Many possibilities that will be a win win situation for everyone involved.

[donthate]

Then you are mistaken!

Allowing you to stream games for free means a huge loss to Sony everytime you decide to play a game Sony sold to you and profited from a long time ago. Those profits have long been used.

Part of the reason why Sony charges so much is because the service actually cost quite a bit to maintain and stream to you.

Sony have two better options, introduce a PS4 with PS3 hardware internally or make the PS3 cheaper by a lot.

[mkis007]

Donthate:

Not if they make it a psplus offering.

[WelkinCole]

If you have a console and you play 4hrs or more per day then it is expensive. For those that don't have a console and just want to play a few hrs a week i believe it is reasonable to them

[FallenAngel1984]

I seriously want to know who would have a DualShock 3 or 4, will continue to subscribe to PS Now, but don't have a PlayStation platform.

[FallenAngel1984]

Double post

[WelkinCole]

Finally someone gets it.

PlayStation now is what is refereed to as a SaaS (System as a service) or as the author puts it is a playstation as a service. It is model that is extremely popular right now in delivering systems/services to the masses. Similar to other cloud tech like IaaS, PaaS etc. It is not something new. Sony are just thinking ahead.

It is not meant to replace consoles or for those that own consoles. It is suppose to provide a virtual PS console as a service that you can use on different platforms through cloud technology.

This is why it is different from what MS are trying with using cloud technology to argument the power of existing console (X1). Sony are using cloud computing tech (PS now) as a Virtual console with content while MS are using cloud computing to try and make the X1 more powerful by offloading task to the cloud to free up more local resources.

While you can use it to play old games as in akin to having BC. This is not its main purpose. Its main purpose if for streaming on different platforms for people that normally would never buy a console. It is for those that just want to try a few hours of gaming once in a while.

If you are a hardcore gamer or even a casual. You will be better off buying a console and your games that you can have as a collection. PS now is not really aimed for you.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Ppl that claim PS Now is "Sony making you pay for bc" are foolish, it has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with bringing PS3 games to PS4 owners who never owned a PS3, bringing ps accessibility to a multitude of devices, bringing ps gaming to ppl who normally wouldn't buy a console, and being a huge library of games available to ppl with no install or waiting required.

I am a PS4 owner who owns a PS3 and Vita and i adore ps Now bc it allows me to jump in and try out games i've never played b4 without having to wait or take up hdd space. I can try 10 games in 15min if i wanted to.

[Bollnassoki]

WHEN WILL PlayStation now COME TO SWEDEN???????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????