Stream if you wanna go faster

It's already grim here in muggy old England, but things are about to get a lot more cloudy. Sony has announced that it will launch a PlayStation Now beta in the UK this spring, marking the service's first steps outside of North America. PlayStation Plus members will be given preferential treatment, but you'll need a PlayStation 4 to be considered for the private stress test at first. You'll also need to fill in the form through here.

Don't worry if you don't fit the aforementioned criteria, as later phases of the beta will involve the PlayStation 3, Vita, and various Bravia television models. The initiative will be free initially, but the firm does state that the latter stages will include "rental periods and pricing models, which will require payment". You'll obviously also need a pretty decent Internet connection – a minimum of 5mbps is recommended – in order to get things working.

Should you gracefully leap through all of the hoops and land on your feet, you'll be able to play through the likes of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, God of War: Ascension, and Just Cause 2. There'll be a fairly small selection of software to start with, but if the US is any indication, this will gradually grow over time. Are you going gaga over the service formerly known as Gaikai? Share your weather report in the comments section below.

[source playstation.com, via eurogamer.net]