PlayStation Now: Everything you need to know – PlayStation Now is a service from Sony PlayStation that allows you to play various games from the rich library. It is a nice alternative to play older games, but also recent games. This without having to pull out the wallet for a separate purchase every time. For a fixed amount per month you can download or stream various games to your console, as well as the PC. The service has been available for a long time and in this informative article we explain all important aspects, so that you get an (even) better picture of the service.
Different way for entertainment
With the wide range of games PlayStation Now is an interesting service to get your entertainment. The choice is very wide in terms of genres and the service is very flexible. Because there is enough to consider, you can find all the ins and outs here. It is more than just streaming older games and it can be a valuable addition to your way of experiencing entertainment, in addition to having access to games via PlayStation Plus.
What kind of content?
There are over 700+ games you can find in the PlayStation Now library. This number is increasing monthly as Sony keeps adding new games, but that’s twofold about which more. An easy breakdown is that you can download or stream PS2, PS3 and PS4 games. You cannot play PS5 games through this service at this time. But that is not bad and also understandable. On the one hand because the previous consoles have enough to offer, on the other because there aren’t as many PS5 games as Sony ever plans to add at all.
It’s no secret that the PlayStation 5 unfortunately cannot read your old PS2 or PS3 discs, so you have to rely on the older platform to play. PlayStation Now forms a nice bridge here, because by streaming the games you can still experience the classics of yesteryear and that on the PlayStation 5. For example, did you miss the Killzone franchise that has appeared on previous Sony consoles? Then PlayStation Now offers you the opportunity to play these games on the PlayStation 5.
The offerings vary from time to time, returning to our earlier point about adding games. Most of the content is from the old pile, but there are also recent games in the PlayStation Now library. This from both Sony and third-party publishers and they are certainly not the least games. There is a nuance to that type of Triple-A titles, mainly PS4 games. These games are made available temporarily, so they will eventually be removed from the service.
In that context, the advice is to always look carefully at what is available per PS4 title and until when. After all, it would be a shame that a game disappears while you are in the middle of the adventure. We will notify you of this via the monthly PlayStation Now updates here on PSX-Sense.
Download or stream
PlayStation Now includes two ways to play a game. You can download or stream a game. With download you get the entire game on your system and you play the game natively, as if you had purchased it digitally. As long as you have subscribed to the service, you will therefore be able to play the game in a ‘normal’ way, as long as it is offered through PlayStation Now. The download option applies to many games, but not all. So if you don’t see the option, then playing is only possible through the stream option. So you don’t overlook anything, that is a certain choice made by Sony.
By streaming the game, you don’t have to bring in a certain amount of gigabytes, which saves space on your console. You can also get started with the game right away. The only downside is that the service has to prepare the game for you in advance, as it were. However, that is done in no time and it has no further delays or obstacles, which makes it very user-friendly.
Because streaming naturally goes directly via the internet, a good (stable) connection is recommended. After all, this ensures the smoothest experience. However, this comes with a disadvantage compared to downloading a game, which must be mentioned. There is a difference in the quality between streaming and playing a downloaded game. You see – when streaming – that a lot of visual quality is compressed and the game also has to do with a small amount of input lag. It’s inevitable with streaming games right now; this is expected to improve in the coming years. However, for this one is dependent on the technology that is available. Still, the response is good enough to play games, which themselves have a low input lag, via PlayStation Now.
Ease of use
We previously mentioned that PlayStation Now is a flexible service, we would like to explain that. PlayStation Now is available on the PS4, PS5 and also on PC. This way you have several options to use this service, so that you are not bound to a specific platform. In the case of a PC, it is necessary to use a controller, which you can purchase separately if you do not have a PlayStation console.
On the PlayStation 5, PlayStation Now, like the PlayStation Store, is integrated into the console’s dashboard. You do not have to download a separate app, start it up and go through other activities to get to the available content. Everything runs smoothly and you have everything at hand. Once in the application, you will receive clear layouts within PlayStation Now. This allows you to efficiently explore the library. You can also search for games by genre, just like per Sony console.
It’s all very easy on a PC too. You do need to download a specific application for that, but it is very light for your system and only around 300MB in size, so it does not involve much. You also don’t have to worry about limitations if your PC is a bit on the weak side. The PlayStation Now application is basically a streaming conduit, so it will run smoothly on most computers. All that’s added to this is that you need a DualShock 4 for the most optimal experience. If a game happens to have no touchpad support, then a DualShock 3 is also sufficient.
If you want to try this out right away, you can here Click to download the PlayStation Now application for your PC.
An extra layer of ease of use
As mentioned, the use of the application and its operation are very pleasant and efficient. This benefits the ease of use, but there is another important set of features at play. These form an extra layer within the total user experience, as it were, which we would like to emphasize. That is how the service deals with save data from games on different platforms.
Regardless of what you use PlayStation Now on, the service will see whether you have saved data from a particular game in the cloud (only possible via PlayStation Plus). If so, PlayStation Now will ask if you want to copy this data to the service so that you can use it. This is ideal if you want to continue with a game you once started via PlayStation Now on console or PC. Especially in situations when you have sold a game or console, this is an excellent solution to be able to continue your adventure while you no longer have the original material. This way you can always continue with your game via PlayStation Now, where you left off on a console.
How do you sign up?
On PlayStation 5, you can find PlayStation Now in PlayStation Store, under the ‘Subscriptions’ category. If you have linked a payment method to your PSN ID, PlayStation Now will immediately offer you to add this service to it. After the expiry of a period, your subscription will be automatically renewed. However, you are not bound by it, as you can turn off the ‘automatic renewal’ at any time, which will automatically terminate the subscription after the subscription period. Obviously, this is the easiest way to sign up to PlayStation Now.
A payment method for your PSN account is of course a credit card, but that is not possible for everyone. This is of course not the only option for purchasing a PlayStation Now subscription. You can also link an active PayPal account to the service in order to make the payment. It is also possible to purchase subscriptions separately through different channels. This works in the same way as PlayStation Store credit, but specifically aimed at PlayStation Now. So there are various options for taking out a subscription and registering yourself.
PlayStation Now is a paid service and as long as you have a PlayStation Network account, you can use it. So you do not have to go through any steps with regard to creating an account. However, it is necessary to either pay in advance with a voucher or to link a payment method, which, as already indicated, can be switched off at any time. If you play on PC, it works in a similar way. You will then need to log in via the PC application with an existing PSN ID. If you don’t have one, you can create one via that application, which lowers the threshold for accessing PlayStation Now.
Try it out for free
Just as important to mention is that a free trial for PlayStation Now is available. Have you never used the service before? Then you are entitled to 7 days free access. This trial will run the moment you start it up and you are given complete freedom with regard to the service. You do need to link a payment method and to avoid having to pay, you can disable the aforementioned ‘automatic renewal’ option in your private settings. This trial is available on all mentioned platforms and comes without any restriction on content. So when in doubt, this is a great way to get to know the service better.
In this way, we hope to have given you some more information about PlayStation Now. You can decide for yourself whether it is worth taking out a PlayStation Now membership. In any case, taking a look can certainly not hurt, because there is something for everyone! Questions? Let us know below!
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