Sony Announces new game streaming service - Playstation Now!

Written by: Nathan P. Gibson
Twitter: @NathanPGibson  Click here for Nathan's Website
Source: NextGenUpdate
Link:  NextGenUpdate - Playstation Now Article
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The service will allow older PlayStation games to be played on a large number of devices.

Sony have formally announced PlayStation Now, a streaming service allowing users to play older PlayStation games on more recent hardware. The game streaming service was previously known as Gaikai.

We’ve known about Gaikai for a while now. The cloud-based streaming service was bought by Sony in 2012 for a reported $380 million. Sony had previously revealed that it would allow PlayStation 4 users to stream PlayStation 3 games, but the information released today shows that the service is capable of much more than that.

PlayStation Now will allow subscribers to play classic PlayStation titles, including those from the PS3 and PS2, on a large number of devices. So far they have revealed that the service will run on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita and Sony Bravia televisions. However it will also eventually be able to be used on computers, tablets and smartphones.

The service will offer two different payment options. Users can either rent titles on a game-by-game basis or pay for a monthly subscription allowing access to unlimited games. Importantly it will also support current features such as online multiplayer and trophies. This means that PlayStation Now offers a full backwards compatible experience.

Although Sony have yet to reveal a full list games that will be available, it is unlikely that their entire library of games will be available. PlayStation 1, 2 and 3 games which are already available on the PlayStation Network are most likely to be available when the service launches.

A closed beta for the service will begin at the end of January with the service due to launch formally later in the summer.

New Xbox in Development?

By -Kurt- of NextGenUpdate.com

 

Whether you cannot wait for the next generation of consoles, or dread the day of their announcement, Microsoft could be well underway in developing a futuristic system which will set the bar for gamers. As of recent, confidential word of certain Microsoft employees have been leaked throughout the world. What has been suggested is that a future Xbox device, perhaps called the Xbox 720, is in the works. Though no confirmed announcement regarding the launch and/ or console, many now believe it is only a matter of time.

Fellow Microsoft employee, Jeff Faulkner, has been working under the title of “Xbox Next Gen Creative Director”. Given this title back in January, Faulkner holds the responsibility of “guiding the vision for Xbox’s User Experience Design across Social Media, User Experience, Entertainment, Gesture and Voice Input, Information Design and Brand and Visual design.” Though this job description does not insinuate a new console, it supports the idea of content which will be featured in one. Nevertheless, Jonathan Harris, another employee at the Microsoft corporation has been “Designing the next generation of entertainment” for the past fourteen months. In analysis, this rather important job would be for the development of any new item Microsoft were to put on the market. All in all, these two specific jobs seem to be in preparation for an upcoming console.

Additionally, Joe Lagevin, an Xbox Hardware intern at Microsoft, has been designing and simulating high speed data buses which prevent electromagnetic interference in next generation devices. Moreover, a man also by the name of Patrick Corrigan, previously employed from Feburary to June 2011, held the responsibility of “Providing groundwork and integration for branding elements for next-gen Xbox on all forms of media. Ranging from print to UI across future releases of Xbox Platform.” A major job that hints at a ground breaking product (possibility a new console) which could come into the market. A person employed for this duty must be incorporating a relatively large project for Microsoft.

No one can for sure predict whether all of this adds up to a new device from Microsoft. Only time can tell whether or not a console will be unveiled within the matter of time. These small hints however illustrate the possibility of a new upcoming Xbox system.

View the original post here: New Xbox coming?

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