Console wars be damned, Sony is actually letting PC gamers finally get their hands on PS3 and PS4 exclusive games! In a blog post yesterday Eric Lempel, the senior vice president of the PlayStation Network, announced the surprising direction PlayStation Now is taking. For those of you unfamiliar with the service, PlayStation Now is the Netflix equivalent of gaming; you could stream games to your PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 for a certain period of time without buying said games. Instead, you pay just $20 a month, or $40 for three months, to get unlimited access to over 400 games.
However, while the service has been out for a couple of years, it’s only available in a few markets, namely the US and Europe. Furthermore, the price tag is viewed as costly and while the list of games is numerous, users may not find time to play all of them if they even like all the games.
But, extending the PlayStation Now service to the PC opens up a new audience for Sony to pander to. What’s more, by having it stream to PCs, it means PlayStation Now subscribers can now play games wherever and whenever they want to do so, instead of being tethered to a flat screen TV. Although, you would still need a stable internet connection (recommended 5Mbps minimum) to get a reliable streaming performance. Furthermore, Sony states that your Windows device should have a 3.5Ghz or faster processor!
But if you do manage to meet all the requirements, you can start streaming the catalogue of games available via PlayStation Now directly to your PC. Furthermore, Sony has also announced a new device to help streamline the process of playing console games on a PC. The DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adaptor, which launches in early September for a suggested retail price of $24.99. This adapter will let you connect a DualShock 4 to PC and Mac wirelessly, and will enable every feature of the controller you know and love: buttons, analog sticks, touch pad, light bar, motion sensors, vibration, and stereo headset jack – as long as the gaming application supports these features. Furthermore, you can also use it to for PS4 Remote Play on PC and Mac.
As for Mac users out there, Sony has confirmed that they are looking into Mac support for PlayStation Now, so keep your fingers crossed!
Source: PlayStation Blog
