Sony’s next-gen PlayStation Now vision includes games streaming without console

By Charles Singletary Jr. May 21, 2019

PlayStation Now cloud game streaming PS5 next gen Sony investor relations meeting — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony hosted its investor relations meeting for 2019 and, as expected, one of the main topics was the PS5 and plans for the PlayStation brand going into the next generation of home console gaming. One of the more curious developments at the tail end of the current generation is the reveal of Google Stadia and how the competition will respond. As revealed in the IR documents for the game and network services segment of the meeting, Sony didn’t consider cloud game streaming a true part of current gen but is dedicating resources and evolving it for next-gen services.

In a previous report, we pondered whether or not a newly revealed patent meant Sony would be introducing a streaming service alongside the PlayStation 5. The idea is that it would compete with the Stadia, Google’s cloud game streaming platform which launches this fall, but the IR report shows that Sony is aiming to enhance PlayStation Now and present it as one of the three ways gamers can experience the next generation of PlayStation. Here’s the vision Sony laid out for streaming in the future:

“A massively enhanced PlayStation community where enriched and shared PlayStation experiences can be seamlessly enjoyed independent of time and place – with or without a console.”

The “without a console” part is key here as PlayStation Now is currently limited to PC and PS4 (stream to both, download on PS4 only). Google Stadia will work with laptops, televisions, and tablets without a need for additional hardware and it seems like Sony is gearing up to do the same with PlayStation Now. Sony also points toward the new partnership with Microsoft as a means to achieve the ideal growth and scale. That handshake between the two gaming giants allows Sony to utilize Microsoft’s platform for content streaming. The last interesting footnote is the mention that the 780 games that are on PlayStation Now require “no developer effort.”

One of Google Stadia’s focal points has been how the platform will seamlessly work with tools game developers already utilize, allowing them to just work on one version of their game and not have to work on porting to all the different devices Stadia will stream to.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Charles Singletary Jr.

I'm a Birmingham, AL raised author, journalist, and gaming enthusiast currently residing in San Antonio, TX. My work has…

Gaming

You need to try PlayStation VR2’s most psychedelic game yet

Key art for Akka Arrh shows psychedelic images.

You know that it's a busy year for gaming when a project by an industry legend launches with hardly any fanfare. That's exactly what happened in February 2023 with Akka Arrh. Created by Jeff Minter and his eccentric studio Llamasoft, the neon-tinted shooter is a remake of a 1982 Atari game that never saw the light of day after being deemed too difficult. Minter got the greenlight to revive the project, bringing it to life as a retro arcade shooter built in his unmistakable style.

While the project was exciting for game historians, it didn't exactly crack into the mainstream (it only has 37 user reviews on Steam). Thankfully, Akka Arrh getting a second chance to shine this week as its new PlayStation 5 version adds PlayStation VR2 support. While that might not be enough to make it a commercial hit, it does give PSVR2 owners a good reason to dust off their headset and check out a delightfully oddball project from one of gaming's true visionaries.
It's a trip
Akka Arrh is the rare example of a game that might be easier to explain on paper than in practice. In this throwback arcade shooter, players control a stationary ship that's tasked with protecting pods from attacking aliens. To fend off foes, players drop bombs that blow up in a different geometric pattern on each level's map. Every time an enemy touches that blast radius, it blows up in the same pattern, chaining to other enemies. The goal is to keep an uninterrupted chain going as long as possible by using a limited number of bullets to knock out foes that can't be destroyed by bombs and grabbing power-ups by hovering the cursor over them.

Gaming

How to use an external hard drive on PS5

Two versions of the PS5 side by side.

The PlayStation 5 is a remarkable system, but it doesn't come with much storage space. Breaking from the 1TB the Xbox Series X offers, the PS5 only offers 825GB. Worse, after accounting for the storage space the PS5 takes up by default, users are left with just over 650GB of space. Thankfully, you can use external storage to expand your space, and in this guide, we're going to show you how to use an external hard drive on PS5.
How to use an external HDD or SSD on PS5

Before you can use an external hard drive on PS5, you need to make sure it's compatible. It doesn't matter if your external drive is a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), you can use it on PS5 as long as it uses USB 3.0 or later. USB 2.0 external hard drives won't work. Because they won't work, you'll need to connect your external hard drive to one of the two USB-A ports on the back of the PS5. The USB-A port on the front is only rated for USB 2.0, so it won't work. Also, plug the drive directly into a console (don't use a USB hub or extension cable).

Gaming

I made my own special-edition, Mario-themed PlayStation 5

A red and blue PS5 stands on a table with matching controllers.

While we can argue all day about which console is best, there's one PlayStation 5 feature that no other system can claim: customization. On the original PS5, players could easily snap off the system's faceplates and replace them with new ones. Sony would naturally keep that feature for its slimmer PS5 model, creating an entirely new line of console covers, starting with its Deep Earth Collection.

I didn't think much of that initially, considering that it was an expected feature. That is, until I turned my PS5 into my own custom, "special edition" Mario-themed console.