Sony Introduces its PlayStation Now Game Streaming Subscription

Arguably the most glaring omission from Sony and Microsoft‘s feature-packed next-generation gaming consoles is the complete lack of backwards compatibility between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and their predecessors. Thankfully, that’s all about to change (at least to some degree) for the PS4 with the introduction of Sony’s PlayStation Now streaming service. First announced back in January of 2014 and finally set for an official debut — following last year’s rental-centric open beta — later this month, PlayStation Now’s new subscription will eschew rental periods and instead offer instant and unlimited access to a catalog of more than 100 PS3 games on your PS4. And since you’re streaming the games, there are no downloads, installs or patches (not to mention trips to the store) involved.

PlayStation Now will be available beginning January 13; one-month subscriptions will go for $19.99 USD while a three-month subscription will cost $44.99 USD. The service will first be available for PlayStation 4 consoles across North America before making its way to additional regions and devices later this year.