PLAYSTATION NOW
Sony has the games, but the streaming service is a little lacking
There’s filler in there, but that’s overshadowed by the good stuff
PlayStation Now takes an all-you-can-eat approach to game streaming. For a flat rate of £8.99 a month, you get unlimited streaming access to hundreds of PlayStation games, some from the current PS4 generation and a handful of vintage PS2 titles, but the majority being older titles from the PS3 era. Fire up the app, and there’s near-instant access to more than 700 titles in total.
The quality of the catalogue is undeniable. Though it’s a slowly rotating line-up (games stay on the service a long time), stellar PS4 titles like Bloodborne, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and God of War have all featured on PS Now, while the PS3 library is extensive, with the likes of Metal Gear, Fallout 3 and Red Dead Redemption all available instantly. There’s certainly some filler in there, but that’s overshadowed by the good stuff. Though true backwards compatibility with the PS3 for the PS4 would have been better, having them all in one browsable app is great for the curious game historian, and lets PC gamers tap into titles previously exclusive to the Sony console.
But the streaming quality can be found lacking. For starters, you’re limited to just a lowly 720p resolution – seriously short of the 4K standard that Google Stadia has now set, and that’s without mentioning the fact that many of the PS4 titles have 4K options if played from a disc or download on the premium PS4 Pro console. Sony gets around this with the option of offering regular downloads for a small number of PS4 games served up through PlayStation Now, opening up their full range of resolution settings. But that’s not much recompense for anyone looking to play the majority of the games available.
Equally problematic is PlayStation Now’s propensity to kick you out of a game if your network connection flags at all. Other services have better provision for fluctuating connectivity, whereas PlayStation Now seems all too eager to send you back to a menu screen. Save your game, and save it often, if you’re planning on playing through a lengthy game using Sony’s service.
Price is worth considering too – £8.99 is fair for the amount of games that can be accessed. But given you’re limited to just two platform choices in the shape of the PS4 and PC (Mac owners are left out in the cold), and with no mobile option or high-resolution streaming capabilities, PlayStation Now feels like a half-hearted inflexible, presentation of an otherwise generous line-up.