Sony Reveal Streaming Service: PlayStation Now 

After purchasing Gakai streaming technology in June 2012 it was no big leap of the imagination that this could be used to stream content to the PS3, PS4, Vita and other devices. It was only a matter of time.

At CES Sony has announced that the Gakai technology, now under the moniker "PlayStation Now" will be in closed beta in the United States at the end of the month with a fulll roll out in the summer. This will enable all the devices to access an online, cloud based library of PlayStation titles streamed over the net.

It has yet to be confirmed which titles will be in the library at launch, but journalists were able to try out Last of Us at CES in Las Vegas today. The full service will let users rent games or pay for a subscription that will let them experience a range of titles although whether it will basically be a conduit for what's already available for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 on PlayStation Network. No pricing has been announced yet either, but it fixes the lack of backwards compatibility in the PlayStation 4.

Sony have stated on their European Blog that

Unfortunately we’re not quite ready to confirm launch plans for PAL territories. When it comes to broadband provision, Europe is a considerably more complex region, with a huge number of different providers and varying connection speeds from country to country. In short, we need a little more time to ensure a smooth and successful roll-out.

 

Fred Dutton, the Sony Corporation Entertainment Europe Blog Manager continues to say that they are  working hard to bring PlayStation Now to Europe as quickly as possible.