14 DAY TRIAL // Sony released a small introductory video for PlayStation TV, meant to showcase some of the features of the upcoming product, letting customers know about the kind of services they might be able to access through it.
PlayStation TV was originally launched as PlayStation Vita TV in Japan, in November last year, enabling users to stream PlayStation 4 gameplay to another HD TV set in their home, as well as to play various games from other home consoles and portable devices on the big screen, through the use of the microconsole.
The microconsole is basically a non-portable version of the PlayStation Vita, hence the original name, and Sony intends to use it to penetrate markets that are traditionally resistant to consoles, or to those who don't want to buy a big, expensive box.
PS TV is also compatible with titles streaming through the PlayStation Now service, and will most likely become more and more popular as cloud computing infrastructure gets developed and streamed games become lag-free in more regions.
The system cannot be used with a PlayStation Network account located outside the launch territories as of August this year, and there are several other restrictions that limit the device's appeal outside a very narrow niche of users.
PS TV is coming to the West
PS TV is headed to North America on October 14, and to Europe on November 14, with two different kinds of deals in each region.
The North American offer features the standalone PS TV system going for $100, and a bundle priced at $140, including the microconsole, a wireless DualShock 3 controller, an 8 GB memory card, and The Lego Movie Videogame.
The European launch will see the PS TV retail for €100 / £85, bundled together with a voucher for three digital PlayStation Vita games, in the form of Worms Revolution Extreme, Velocity Ultra and OlliOlli.
European users will have to purchase either a DualShock 3 or a DualShock 4 controller separately, in case they don't already own one (or several) by now.
In addition to this, the PlayStation TV launch in western markets will also a include an extensive software launch lineup, featuring hundreds of PlayStation Portable, PlayStation One and PlayStation Vita games, as well as an ample collection of minis.
The device is set to become a big contender in the set-top box / home console hybrid niche, which started with the Ouya, GamePop and GameStick microconsoles, with titanic retailer Amazon also looking to move into the market sector with its own system, the Fire TV.
