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PS5 games will be region-free
Sony cleared up details about 1440p output, PlayStation Now and much more in an FAQ.
PlayStation Now game streaming expands throughout Europe
PlayStation Now still isn't widely available around the world, but Sony aims to fix that. It's expanding the game streaming service to Italy, Portugal and Spain in Europe in the near future, as well as Nordic countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. There's no mention of a firm release date just yet. However, would-be players can register for a PS4 beta test due to start in early February.
PlayStation Now users can download certain PS4 and PS2 games
The biggest hindrance to Sony's PlayStation Now streaming service is lag. Because the game isn't stored locally, whatever device you're playing on has to send your button mashing back to Sony's servers to process the input and then feed it back to your TV screen. That's changing. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 2 games remastered for PS4 on the service will be downloadable as well as streamable starting today, according to the PlayStation Blog.
Sony adds 'Bloodborne' to PlayStation Now's game streaming lineup
Sony's PlayStation Now game streaming service is adding perhaps its highest-profile PS4 title to date in Bloodborne. The infamously difficult action RPG from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware racked up a litany of awards and nominations after it was released in 2015. It's available on PS Now starting today.
Sony adds a slew of PS2 games to PlayStation Now
Sony's PlayStation Now hasn't been of much use for nostalgia trips unless most of your memories revolve around the PS3, but that's about to change: the first wave of PS2 titles is available through the game streaming service. They're not must-have blockbusters, but they're definitely titles you'll recognize, including Ape Escape 2, Dark Cloud 2 and Hot Shots Tennis. And importantly, these aren't straight content dumps -- each of these games plays in HD (no 4K, alas) with trophy support.
A cloud service for mobile gaming isn't as dumb as it sounds
We're reached a point where cloud gaming finally makes sense. The technology that exists now is beyond what was available to famous failures like OnLive and many others you could say were ahead of their time. Servers, the consoles and computers we have in our homes, and the speedy internet connections that feed them are now capable of mimicking the experience of playing a game stored on your local machine. Big companies like Sony and NVIDIA have gotten involved over the past few years for just this reason, and one upstart believes it's spotted an unfilled niche in the market. What Spotify has done for music and Netflix for TV, Hatch wants to do for mobile gaming.
PlayStation boss Andrew House will leave Sony at the end of 2017
In 2011 Andrew House took over a troubled PlayStation brand from Kaz Hirai and has since restored its place as a leader in the gaming industry. Now, Sony has announced he's stepping down from his post as president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. SIE came to be in early 2016, spinning off everything PlayStation and Sony Network as a subsidiary of Sony based in California. According to a press release, he will be replaced by current deputy president John (Tsuyoshi) Kodera effective immediately but will remain in a new position as chairman through the end of the year to smooth the transition. These days the PlayStation 4 family is on top of the sales charts, sports a game library stocked with desirable exclusives and is reaching into new technology like VR. But when House originally took the reins, he had a tough job ahead of him coming off of a disappointing run with the PS3 that included "$599 US dollars" and a hacking incident that took down PlayStation Network for more than a month. House has been with PlayStation since the beginning, working in Sony's marketing and communications department on the launch of the original console, eventually running the PlayStation business in Europe as of 2009.
The best apps and streaming services for students
It's true that most of Engadget's back-to-school guide has comprised, well, gadgets, but as every nerd knows, a piece of hardware is only as good as the software it runs. That's why, to close out our guide, we wanted to highlight some apps and services worth downloading or subscribing to. On the media front, this is as good a time as any to see if you can survive in the adult world as a cord-cutter -- it's not like you're going to have a cable subscription in your dorm room, after all. If your parents are willing to share (or at least foot the bill), we recommend loading up on subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and HBO Now -- you'll want different programs from each at some point. If you're a gamer and own a PlayStation, Sony's PS Now service is also worth the extra bucks, while Xbox One owners might want to pony up for EA Access. Music lovers will enjoy either Apple Music or Spotify, but your choice will come down partially to the other devices you own. As for schoolwork (yes, that thing), Google Drive is our favorite cloud-storage service, while Evernote and Bear both rank highly against other note-taking apps. Adobe's Creative Cloud could be worth it (or even necessary), depending on your major. Oh, and if you're worried about the "freshman 15," try MyFitnessPal -- it's a free app many of Engadget's own editors use to keep their calorie intake in check.
Sony streams PS4 games on PlayStation Now for the first time
Sony's game-streaming service, PlayStation Now, is getting a huge boost today thanks to the addition of 20 PS4 titles. The company announced that, for the first time, subscribers can use its offering to play games like God of War III Remastered, Killzone Shadow Fall, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Resogun, Ultimate Street Fighter IV and WWE 2K16, to mention a few. With the newly included PlayStation 4 games, Sony's PS Now digital library has reached more than 500 total. That means if you have a PS4 or Windows PC, now may be a good time to sign up for that seven-day trial and see if the service is worth it.
'Lego Star Wars' and more Lucasfilm nostalgia come to PS Now
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is out on DVD and Blu Ray today, and (perhaps not-so) coincidentally four classic Star Wars video games have joined Sony's subscription-based streaming service, PlayStation Now. Oh, and there's some Lego Indiana Jones titles in there too.
PlayStation Now will bring PS4 games to your PC
You could soon play PlayStation 4 exclusives like Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Remastered on your PC. Sony is bringing the PS4 catalog to its streaming game service PlayStation Now, the company said today in a blog post. The announcement is light on details, but we know that every game in the service, including PS4 games, will be part of a single PS Now subscription. Sony is holding a private test in the next few weeks, and said it will share more information closer to launch.
Sony plans to make PlayStation Now exclusive to PC and PS4
If you're a PlayStation Now user that doesn't actually own a PS4, get ready to cancel your subscription -- Sony just announced that its cloud gaming service is going to drop support for everything but its flagship console and Windows PC users later this year. On August 15th 2017, PlayStation Now will stop functioning on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV as well as all Sony Bravia TVs, every Sony Blu-ray player and all Samsung smart TVs with access to the service. That's a lot of devices to drop, but Sony is optimistic about the choice, explaining in a blog post that it will help it build a better user experience on the remaining two platforms.
Should we get our hopes up again for cloud gaming?
"We, in no way, take credit for the idea." LiquidSky CEO Ian McLoughlin knows video game streaming isn't a new concept. For years, various companies have promised players they'd be able to load up any game on any device via cloud streaming. Play the latest Fallout on an Android tablet or boot up the new Witcher at max settings on a four-year-old MacBook Air. It sounds too good to be true, and since the early 2010s, it has been.
'Red Dead Redemption' is coming to PlayStation 4 December 6th
Red Dead Redemption 2 may not arrive until next fall, but next week you'll be able to play both its predecessor and Undead Nightmare on PlayStation 4 and PC. Thanks to PlayStation Now streaming, you can get reacquainted with the PS3 classic on December 6th. Of course, Xbox One owners have been able to gather their posses for action since this summer. PS4 players did get Red Dead Revolver last month, but Redemption is the title a lot of fans were waiting for.
PlayStation Now is available on your PC
Sony was vague about when PlayStation Now would reach PCs, but apparently you didn't have to wait long at all -- it's available today. If you have a sufficiently beefy Windows PC (a 3.5GHz Core i3 or better), you can stream PS3 games to your computer that include recent additions like Tomb Raider: GOTY Edition or Heavy Rain. You'll still need a fairly pricey subscription. You'll ideally want a DualShock 4 controller (either wired or through the $25 wireless adapter due in September) to play as well, although it's not strictly necessary -- an Xbox 360 gamepad is fine if you don't need Sixaxis support, for instance. As it is, Sony is sweetening the pot through a promo that gives you a year of PS Now for $100. That's inexpensive enough that it could be worth a shot, especially if you've never owned a PlayStation and want to see what the fuss is about.
PlayStation Now will soon let you play anywhere you have a PC
Analysts have been predicted the death of game consoles for years -- and while they're usually wrong, PlayStation Now is the strongest living argument for a gaming industry without iterative hardware. Sony's internet-streaming games service puts PlayStation games on micro-consoles, full-sized PlayStation 4 machines and even standalone televisions. Today, Sony announced that the service is coming to an even wider platform: Windows.
PlayStation Now just got 40-plus new PS3 games
Sony announced the addition of more than 40 PS3 games to its Now service, bringing the total number of available PS3 games to 300, 100 of which are PS3 exclusives. Additionally, Sony's offering a pretty steep discount on the Now service itself for the holidays -- $100 for a full year's subscription. That's more than half off what they normally charge. The discount offer runs through Monday, January 11th. [Image Credit: Getty]
PlayStation Now offers 12 months of game streaming for $100
For a game streaming service to succeed, it needs three crucial components: a decent library, competitive pricing and reliable, silky-smooth performance. PlayStation Now struggles on all three fronts, but slowly those shortcomings are being rectified. For instance, Sony is offering a better value subscription plan -- now, you can pay $99.99 for 12 months of access, which works out at just over $8 per month. Compared with the company's existing one-month ($19.99, or $240 per year) and three-month ($44.99, or $180 per year) plans, it's a steal.
PlayStation Now adds 105 games, including 21 from Capcom
PlayStation Now is Sony's game-streaming subscription service, and its library basically just doubled in size. With today's addition of 105 titles, PlayStation Now offers more than 250 subscription games for the PlayStation 3, PS4, Vita and PS TV, all of which should keep you occupied through 2016 at least. Today's game dump features 21 Capcom titles, including six Resident Evil installments, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Mega Man 9 and 10, Dead Rising 2 and Asura's Wrath. Other new games available via PlayStation Now include Guilty Gear Xrd - SIGN, Proteus, Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark, Double Dragon Neon, Dragon's Lair, Karateka, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Penny Arcade Adventures 1 and 2, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD, Starwhal, MX vs. ATV Alive and Fatal Fury. PlayStation Now subscriptions start at $20 per month in the US (£13 in the UK).
PlayStation Now's subscription option hits the UK for £13 per month
PlayStation Now still hasn't managed to shake its open beta label in the UK, but today it's moved into what could be its final phase, with Sony adding a new subscription payment option for its game streaming service. Previously, early adopters were only able to rent titles for two- or 30-day periods at a cost of between £3 and £10, depending on the game. As of now, though, you can sign-up to an all-you-can-play subscription for £13 per month, which could be right up your street should you have an appetite to explore the whole library. The subscription model was an inevitable addition that's been available since the start of the year in the US, where you can also make a longer-term commitment to get a slightly discounted rate. Now that the subscription model has come to the UK, interested users can also opt-in to a seven-day free trial to see what all the fuss is about, provided they own a PS3, PS4 or compatible Sony Bravia TV or Blu-ray player.
