Sony Dropping PlayStation Now Support for Many Devices
You'll have fewer ways to access Sony's PlayStation Now game streaming service this summer. Sony is cutting back on the number of supported devices to focus on support for the PlayStation 4 and PCs.
At CES 2015, a Samsung TV shows off Sony's PlayStation Now service.
Sony made the announcement today (Feb. 15) in a blog post where it outlined plans to discontinue PlayStation Now support for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation TV as of August 15. Sony Bravia TVs released between 2013 and 2015, all Sony Blu-ray players, and all Samsung TV models will also lose their PlayStation Now support in August.
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Sony's 2016 Bravia TVs are getting an even earlier cut-off date, and will no longer have access to PlayStation Now as of April 1.
Sony's PlayStation Now aims to be a quasi-Netflix for gamers, allowing you to stream hundreds of PlayStation games to different devices for a $20-a-month fee. Some of the game industry's biggest franchises, including Castlevania and Tomb Raider are supported.
Sony has heavily promoted PlayStation Now as an alternative to services like Steam. Last August, it expanded PlayStation Now to the PC in hopes of making that point to customers. However, PlayStation Now hasn't achieved the kind of mainstream appeal that perhaps Sony would have liked. And although Sony seems unwilling to give up PlayStation Now, it's trying to save some resources and cash by focusing solely on the PlayStation 4 and PC with its service.
"After thoughtful consideration, we decided to shift our focus and resources to PS4 and Windows PC to further develop and improve the user experience on these two devices," PlayStation Now senior marketing manager Brian Dunn said in the blog post. "This move puts us in the best position to grow the service even further."
If you're one of the affected users and you plan to cut your ties with PlayStation Now, be aware that many accounts have auto-renew turned on and you might get charged for another billing period if you don't turn it off. You can disable auto-renew in your account settings.
See also : Best PS4 Games 2017
