How PS Now, the video game streaming service works

PlayStation Now is a streaming platform that allows users to play one of the console’s video games directly from the computer

Gaming lovers surely know it, even if the Italian ones still haven’t had the chance to use it. We’re talking about PlayStation Now, Sony’s streaming service that allows users of the Japanese console to play online games directly from the computer.

PS Now, announced in 2014 at the CES in Las Vegas, counts on a vast catalog of games that you can tap into from the web, even if you’re not in possession of the PlayStation 4. The system rests, in fact, on streaming. To understand the technology employed by the company of the Rising Sun, we could take as an example the famous video streaming content platform Netflix. To watch a title (an episode of your favorite TV series, a documentary, a movie) we don’t have to download it. The file is saved on a server, accessible via the internet. Similarly, to play on PS Now there is no need to save the content locally.

How PS Now works

Having done this “technical” explanation, let’s try to understand how Sony’s streaming service works. It’s very simple. It is sufficient to subscribe, as it happens with Netflix, a subscription. PS Now, as mentioned, is accessible from your computer. The only ones, however, who can take advantage of the online gaming platform are Windows users. PlayStation Now is compatible, in fact, with different versions of Microsoft’s operating system: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. To play, the user need only subscribe to the service, download the PS Now app on the computer and connect the controller.

Will it be coming soon in Italy?

Until a few hours ago in the catalog (now over 500 titles) there were only games of the PlayStation 3. Sony has now added 20 PlayStation 4 games. And more will be added to the library soon. The paid service, unfortunately, has not yet arrived in Italy. PS Now in Europe, in fact, is only present in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. There is no doubt, however, that the arrival in Italy is only a matter of time.