14 DAY TRIAL // The PlayStation Now closed beta is currently in full swing in North America, allowing a few lucky testers to try out Sony's video game streaming service.
The PlayStation Now service is one of Sony's two major technologies to be fully disclosed, the other one being Project Morpheus, the virtual-reality headset. PS Now is a game streaming service that will provide PlayStation content to the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita platforms, as well as to televisions and mobile devices.
The service was announced in January, and Sony presented demos of The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension and Beyond: Two Souls, playable through PS Now on Bravia TVs and PlayStation Vitas.
PlayStation Now also presents a solution to the contested discussion regarding backwards compatibility between console generations, by allowing gamers to enjoy their PS3 favorites on the PS4. For now, the system is rumored to offer both a subscription plan as well as individual renting options for games, but the details are yet to be set in stone.
One of said lucky gamers in the closed beta has decided to break the non-disclosure agreement required in order to make use of the feature, and has told VG247 all about it, complete with user interface and game photos and speed tests.
"My connection is wired and estimated at 97mbps. It took precisely 52 seconds of loading to boot up Dead Island. There are 20 games available and its all free rentals for the beta," the anonymous source reveals.
The source says that he is able to stream PS Now games at the highest quality, his wired connection offering him the possibility to boot up games such as MX vs. ATV in under a minute.
For now, the PlayStation Now beta counts 20 games, among which Dead Island Riptide, PixelJunk Eden, All Zombies Must Die!, Ben 10 Omniverse, Big Sky Infinity, Choplifter HD, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, Sniper Ghost Warrior 2, and Hunter's Trophy 2 – America.
All the games currently included in the beta can be rented for one day, a week, or an entire month, but it is yet unclear how much each of the options will end up costing once the service goes live. A game rental period begins the first time a user starts up the game, which he is able to do within 30 days of renting it.
The images show that users are able to keep the PS Now service running while they exit to the PS4's home screen and perform other tasks. Moreover, they confirm that the menus are similar to those currently found on the PlayStation Network, and that PS Now will be added to each user's activity stream on the new XMB interface.
