PlayStation Now will be the gaming equivalent of Netflix or Lovefilm, an official spokesperson for leading developer Square Enix has suggested.
Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, has explained that gamers should view the PlayStation Now streaming service as the gaming version of Netflix and LoveFilm, as opposed to a gaming cinema filled with all the latest blockbuster releases.
Speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews, Kitase spoke out about the recent branding of PlayStation Now as “a joke” by prominent industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities.
He clarified that gamers shouldn’t view PlayStation Now as a service for brand new releases, but rather as your on-demand back catalogue.
“PlayStation Now is different to the kind of environment where you’d have new game experiences. You shouldn’t see it as that kind of service”, Kitase said.
“You’re not going to have that getting excited about new releases kind of enjoyment out of it, but on the other hand, if you look at it like an archive of all titles and things you can play, there’s certainly a great convenience there I feel.”
Gamers who own a PS3, PS4 and PS Vita will still have to buy new releases in digital or physical form, but will be able to subscribe to a vast back catalogue of games that dates back to PSOne titles.
“For example, if you look at DVD and Blu-ray discs, you’re getting a lot of people who don’t go out and buy the disc to see a film, they’ll just do it via online streaming services so you can watch it on your machine or your computer or your games console. Things like that are very convenient, so if you look at [PlayStation Now] like the game version of that, offering the same kind of services. It will be quite a useful service in that way, I think there is merit to it.”
PlayStation Now will eventually enable you to access the back catalogue via your Sony Bravia smart TV and other devices, but initially it will be PS4 and PS3 exclusive.
Although the service is only confirmed for the US for now, Sony hinted in an interview with TrustedReviews that it could come soon to the UK.
“Why wouldn’t we do our best to bring new experiences to the UK as quickly as we can,” said Fergal Gara, Sony’s head of PlayStation UK.
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