Last year's model

Sony may have whipped backward compatibility out of the PlayStation 4, but you’ll be able to enjoy some of the PlayStation 3’s best titles on the next generation console next year courtesy of streaming service Gaikai. Siliconera reports that the platform holder intends to make a slew of “critically acclaimed” current generation games available in the cloud, which you’ll be able to access on-demand.

Sadly, there’s still no firm time-frame attached to the launch. A recent Eurogamer.net article speculated that the technology will go into beta early next year in North America, ahead of a full launch in the third quarter. Due to infrastructure challenges overseas, though, the online platform may not arrive in Europe until 2015. The company’s supposedly focusing on the PS4 for now, but compatibility will be added to the Vita over time.

“Our goal is to be able to have a new form of game distribution streamed from the server side, initially to PS4 consoles [and] then gradually moving that out to the Vita,” group president Andrew House revealed. “Eventually, the endgame is to have this available on a multitude of network-connected devices, essentially delivering a console-quality gaming experience on devices which are not innately capable of doing that.”

It’s clear that Sony sees a future in which the PlayStation brand exists as not just a box under your television, but as an application on your smartphone, tablet, and, potentially, fridge freezer. The big question is: are you attracted to this idea of games living everywhere in the cloud, or are you worried that it will rain on the traditional console model’s parade? Put up an umbrella in the comments section below.

[source siliconera.com, via eurogamer.net, digitalspy.co.uk]