PlayStation Now PS4

Enthusiasm in PlayStation Now has plummeted since Sony’s beta pricing scheme was revealed, but while there’s tweaking to be done, it’s clear that the online streaming service represents a big portion of the platform holder’s future. Indeed, it’s unlikely to happen any time soon, but we can see a day where the Japanese giant’s entire library will exist inside an application on your Bravia TV – and, in fact, that’s what the company’s working towards.

Speaking with Game Informer, Sony Network Entertainment chief Eric Lempel admitted as much, hinting that the firm one day aims to make its entire back catalogue compatible with the cloud-based platform. “We’re looking at everything,” he said, “so there’s the real possibility that you’ll see PSone, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 4 titles available. Right now it’s just PlayStation 3, but these are all options for the future.”

Of course, licensing issues mean that you’re never likely to see every game ever made available online, but we’d consider the initiative a success if the company could get close to that. First, it needs to solve the format's financial issues, though – and fortunately, that’s something that it's working hard on, too. “We’re exploring a subscription option for PlayStation Now, and that would be basically a set price for a certain set of content,” Lempel added. “No details on that just yet.”

Sony’s breaking new ground with this service, so it’s got a long road ahead until it figures everything out. Perhaps the most impressive thing about all of this, though – and the biggest sign that the organisation’s onto a winner – is that very few of the complaints levelled at the initiative so far pertain to the technology itself. There’s work to be done on the business side, but David Perry and his gang of Gaikai staff deserve all of the technical innovation awards in the world.

[source gameinformer.com, via gamespot.com]