Ars Technica Hands-On With PS Now on Samsung Smart TV

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I was really impressed with PS Now on my Smart TV. It took a computing platform that I thought was so slow it was useless and turned it into a fun gaming device.I was playing actual PS3 games on my TV and, to be honest, didn't really notice that it wasn't a local game.

The biggest downside to PlayStation Now is that it's just so darn expensive

[spacer]

Obviously, the quality of the experience will greatly depending on your internet connection. However, as the article mentioned, it's the pricing that will kill PS Now before it even begins. Right now, it's just way too expensive.

 

I'm honestly surprised that it runs well as a "built-in" add-on to a smart TV. I've never had what I would call a "good" experience with smart TV OS's.

[+Asmodai MVC]

The price is what they're using to scale the network.  They know it's too much for most people, that INTENTIONAL, if they launched and it ran on "even the most anemic hardware" as Ars stated and was priced so most people found it a great price then they'd be flooded with users, the network would crash, and the whole thing would just collapse.  Instead they launch with a high price so fewer people try it and gradually scale the price down as they build up the network.  I'm pretty sure they're getting enough users, even at the high price, to keep the project moving forward.

[jakem1]

Nice to see Sony finally working with other companies but the prices seem high.

[compl3x]

Nice to see Sony finally working with other companies but the prices seem high.

 

 

Isn't the memory in all PS4 manufactured by Samsung? Its APU is developed by AMD. I don't think Sony's problem is an inability to work with others. Sony has a fanatical obsession with proprietary nonsense, that is what they need to abandon.

[+Asmodai MVC]

Isn't the memory in all PS4 manufactured by Samsung? Its APU is developed by AMD. I don't think Sony's problem is an inability to work with others. Sony has a fanatical obsession with proprietary nonsense, that is what they need to abandon.

 

You are correct, the GDDR5 in the PS4 is from Samsung.  The new model PS4 in Japan is based on Samsung shifting those from a 28nm process to a 20nm process and doubling chip capacity.

 

As for their "fanatical obsession with proprietary nonsense" I'd say Sony's been the LEAST proprietary of the home (non-portable) console makers in the last two generations (PS3/PS4).

Standard USB ports, bluetooth controllers, standard headphone jack on the DualShock 4, standard replacable 2.5" HDD, standard Blu-Ray drive, etc.

This compared to MS's proprietary wired controller connection (Xbox360), proprietary headphone jack on the Xbox One controller (they just recently changed?), proprietary HDD, and heck Nintendo makes up a proprietary disc format as well.

 

The one area Sony seems obsessed with proprietary nonsense on the game side of the house is the removable storage for the mobile devices (PSP/Vita).  The whole Memory Stick and Vita Memory Card thing is annoying but at least the original PS3 included support for multiple flash card formats (SD/MultiMedia Card, CompactFlash Type I/Type II, Microdrive, etc.)

[Showan]

I've yet to try it out, but PS*Now is present on this nice little toy I recently purchased.

 

Maybe I'll give it a try this weekend.  Find something reasonable to play.

[trooper11]

I'm looking forward to this.  I plan on using this heavily once pricing comes down. It will allow me to avoid buying multiple ps4s down the line, so that is pretty cool.

 

What would be amazing is to see this service come to pc.  Win 10 support as a universal app would be great. 

[compl3x]

You are correct, the GDDR5 in the PS4 is from Samsung.  The new model PS4 in Japan is based on Samsung shifting those from a 28nm process to a 20nm process and doubling chip capacity.

 

As for their "fanatical obsession with proprietary nonsense" I'd say Sony's been the LEAST proprietary of the home (non-portable) console makers in the last two generations (PS3/PS4).

Standard USB ports, bluetooth controllers, standard headphone jack on the DualShock 4, standard replacable 2.5" HDD, standard Blu-Ray drive, etc.

This compared to MS's proprietary wired controller connection (Xbox360), proprietary headphone jack on the Xbox One controller (they just recently changed?), proprietary HDD, and heck Nintendo makes up a proprietary disc format as well.

 

The one area Sony seems obsessed with proprietary nonsense on the game side of the house is the removable storage for the mobile devices (PSP/Vita).  The whole Memory Stick and Vita Memory Card thing is annoying but at least the original PS3 included support for multiple flash card formats (SD/MultiMedia Card, CompactFlash Type I/Type II, Microdrive, etc.)

 

 

I really meant Sony as a whole seems to adopt or create proprietary hardware. Various connectors, memory cards, UMD, mini Disc, ATRAC, etc. I still think the proprietary memory cards played a role in hurting the Vita's success.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

The Vita move seemed to be to make money and curb piracy. Piracy though has nothing to do with memory cards but having a tight OS. The Vita has faired okay so far falling to exploits from the legacy PSP support. However I think it's just beginning to be opened up by native exploits now.

Still not an excuse to screw over consumers. Had the Vita used memory cards we all have it might have sold more by now.

[+Asmodai MVC]

I really meant Sony as a whole seems to adopt or create proprietary hardware. Various connectors, memory cards, UMD, mini Disc, ATRAC, etc. I still think the proprietary memory cards played a role in hurting the Vita's success.

 

I understood your point.  My point was that it's unfair to judge one division by the actions of another.  The "Games and Network Services" division (which includes consoles) specifically has been less proprietary than it's competitors (Xbox at Microsoft and Nintendo).  It isn't really relevant what Sony's "Home Entertainment and Sound" and other divisions are doing just like how open MS is with Windows doesn't really apply to Xbox.

 

I'm sure Vita would have sold a bit more if it didn't use proprietary memory but I don't think that one change would have made it jump past the 3DS or even outsell the PSP during it's lifetime.

 

Nintendo's target demographic seems to be kids who probably don't own smartphones.  Sony's is teens and older and probably do and it's hard to justify carrying around the Vita when your phone does most of the same things.  With phones (in the U.S. at least) typically being subsidized by carrier contracts and often being upgraded every 2 years or so the Vita was quickly outclassed in power by the typical cell phone.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

Nintendo's target demographic seems to be kids who probably don't own smartphones.  Sony's is teens and older and probably do and it's hard to justify carrying around the Vita when your phone does most of the same things.  With phones (in the U.S. at least) typically being subsidized by carrier contracts and often being upgraded every 2 years or so the Vita was quickly outclassed in power by the typical cell phone.

 

Just curious, do you own a Vita??

As a Vita and Smartphone owner, there is not a single smartphone out there, iPhone, Galaxy, Nexus, whatever it may be, that does what a Vita does. Would you say smartphones also do what the 3DS does? I sure would not, and it is the same deal for the Vita.

 

The Vita is a dedicated gaming platform and has games that take advantage of this fact. It has a proper controller with the exception of not having two shoulder buttons. No smartphones do, and even the controller cases you can get do not offer the same advantages the Vita does, nevermind the fact that most smartphone games are not designed with a controller in mind as 95% of smartphone users are not going to carry around a controller as well, so smartphone games have way simpler controls than Vita games do. Way simpler.