PlayStation Now launches in UK, priced 12.99 a month

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Game-streaming subscription service PlayStation Now has launched in the UK, priced at £12.99 a month.

More than 100 PS3 games are now available to stream via the service for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita.

Alternatively, individual games cost £2.99 to rent, or you can try the service out via a free week's trial.

After the trial period ends you will be charged £12.99 a month, although you can turn the renewal off.

We just signed up for the trial ourselves and were told "your wallet will be charged £12.99 on 16th October".

Signing up for PlayStation Now will also test your connection to see if your internet can support streaming games.

Also, if you're inactive in your game for too long you are warned that you face being kicked in order to save server room for others.

Launch titles include PS3 hits such as The Last of Us and Uncharted, as well as a re-release of PS2 release Shadow of the Colossus.

If you don't have the games already, or their Definitive Edition re-releases on PS4, give them a go.

 

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-10-09-playstation-now-launches-in-uk-priced-12-99-a-month

For a one off month to burn through a few games it's actually not too badly priced.

[Skiver Veteran]

I think it would be cheaper to actually buy a PS3, I really can't see this being that popular at that price.

[President Devil]

Prices are a complete joke, typical Sony.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I think it would be cheaper to actually buy a PS3, I really can't see this being that popular at that price.

 

?

A PS3 will set you back near £100 and then you have to buy the games? One or two months at £12.99 would cover you for any PS3 games you missed as you jumped straight to a PS4. What price do you think is viable? We used to rent games from Blockbuster for £5/6 a pop for a few nights, and then online rentals took over for about £9.99 a month but it's one game at a time.

[Skiver Veteran]

 

?

A PS3 will set you back near £100 and then you have to buy the games? One or two months at £12.99 would cover you for any PS3 games you missed as you jumped straight to a PS4. What price do you think is viable? We used to rent games from Blockbuster for £5/6 a pop for a few nights, and then online rentals took over for about £9.99 a month but it's one game at a time.

I guess it depends on your view of things, I view the word subscription as a long term thing (I know it doesn't have to be) so if you look at that cost for a year that's £155 so if you get a console for around £100, you can buy games like The Last of Us new for around £25 (cheaper if you consider used) so in theory that's a console + 2 games for the same price. Ok so you're not getting the 100+ that's offered but then when it comes to the next year, is where you'd start saving your money. Or you don't buy a single new game as you got the two you wanted and that's it, no additional cost.

For some who want to play a lot of PS3 titles this is probably great, but I personally don't see a massive desire for this. This is just my own personal opinion, I'd rather buy a PS3 and the games so that they are mine to play whenever as there is a one time cost.

To be honest, I'm not a massive fan of subscriptions for anything full stop, I think my gold sub is probably the only thing I've ever subscribed to for a prolonged period. I'd rather buy my music or a movie and for me, same goes for games. 

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

 

I guess it depends on your view of things, I view the word subscription as a long term thing (I know it doesn't have to be) so if you look at that cost for a year that's £155 so if you get a console for around £100, you can buy games like The Last of Us new for around £25 (cheaper if you consider used) so in theory that's a console + 2 games for the same price. Ok so you're not getting the 100+ that's offered but then when it comes to the next year, is where you'd start saving your money. Or you don't buy a single new game as you got the two you wanted and that's it, no additional cost.

For some who want to play a lot of PS3 titles this is probably great, but I personally don't see a massive desire for this. This is just my own personal opinion, I'd rather buy a PS3 and the games so that they are mine to play whenever as there is a one time cost.

To be honest, I'm not a massive fan of subscriptions for anything full stop, I think my gold sub is probably the only thing I've ever subscribed to for a prolonged period. I'd rather buy my music or a movie and for me, same goes for games. 

 

I don't blame you for looking at it that way, but I really don't see this as a service that can hold down a year sub. It's not offering brand new games, just a back catalog. Which is why I think it's only real use for now is the occasional rental, or one or two months of a sub to catch up on games you haven't played. Long-term the only way things like this will ever materialize as an ongoing sub is through putting them on TVs, which is being tried, and possibly Android/iOS. Hardcore gamers have no real long-term use for renting when it's based on older titles.

Which is why I do not really think £12.99 is an awful price if you use the service for a few months and get to play a handful of games. Given what else is on the market to compete, and traditional rental costs as well. I won't sub, tried the beta and technically it worked fine, but I buy all the games I want to play.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

I guess with this Sony aren't expecting people to pay for this month in month out. It's more of a "I have a few weeks off over Christmas and don't want to pay a lot for games, I'll pay 12.99 and play a few older games" 

Are Sony do any sort of BC with the PS4? If there are not plans for the that, then again this sub (occasionally) looks pretty good. 

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Pretty decent pricing I'll certainly sign up once the library expands.

[+Asmodai MVC]

I guess with this Sony aren't expecting people to pay for this month in month out. It's more of a "I have a few weeks off over Christmas and don't want to pay a lot for games, I'll pay 12.99 and play a few older games" 

Are Sony do any sort of BC with the PS4? If there are not plans for the that, then again this sub (occasionally) looks pretty good. 

The PS4 is never going to be backwards compatible with the PS3.  The 8 core Jaguar CPU in the PS4 is not powerful enough to emulate the Cell processor in the PS3 when fully using the SPEs.  It was much easier (not EASY, just easier) for MS to emulate the more standard 3 core Xbox 360 CPU on the Xbox One.  The Cell was crazy complex with it's 1 PPE and 7 SPE setup which is why devs hated it and that same complexity makes it pretty much impossible to emulate, especially on "weak" Jaguar CPUs.  The only way they'd be able to make a PS4 backwards compatible with the PS3 is to make a PS4 with the Cell chip in there (like how the initial PS3's had PS2 chips) and that's not going to happen.  Rumors do keep floating around though that Sony is going to add PS1 and PS2 emulators but that's about the best you're going to get for backwards compatibility for PS4 (maybe PSP and Vita as well) as the PS4 does have the processing power to emulate all of those older/mobile devices.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

One thing I will say is there really should be a discount for PS+ members. £9.99 would be a better price if on +.