Andrew House, President and Group CEO Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., holds up a Playstation 4 at the Sony Playstation E3 2013 press conference. (Photo : Getty Images/Eric Thayer)
Sony is planning to launch their PlayStation Now streaming service for PC gamers which puts another point against console gaming in general as users can just buy a PC and stream their games.
Unfortunately, only the PlayStation 3 games are available for the streaming service. Still, that puts console gaming at a disadvantage once again considering that there are already PlayStation 1 and PS2 emulators available for the PC.
PlayStation 4 games are still exclusive to the console but there are still a number of cross platform titles that are also available on the PC. The upcoming PlayStation Neo also does not really provide more benefits for console gamers besides better framerates, which is achieved almost every year for PC gamers thanks to the constant release of video cards.
Sony's PlayStation Now streaming service will require customers to have a stable 5Mbps connection at least to be able to play the PlayStation 3 games without latency issues, CNET has learned. The pricing for PC gamers have not yet been revealed but the current price goes for $20 per month and $45 for three in select countries such as Canada and Japan.
It is also unclear whether the service will be available for customers across the globe considering that the current market is still limited. Since it is a streaming service, PC gamers would not have any high spec requirements besides the Internet connection.
Interested PC gamers should have at least an Intel Core i3 3.5GHz or an AMD A10 with 3.8GHz plus 2GB of RAM, PlayStation Lifestyle reported. Laptops today mostly meet the requirements but the Wi-Fi could be a problem for some.
Another huge news for PC gamers is the release of the DualShock 4 USD Wireless Adaptor which allows them to use the controller for PC and Mac computers. The price tag is $24.99 and will be available in Europe starting on September 15.
Sony has yet to announce the release dates for the PlayStation Now and the DualShock 4 USD Wireless Adaptor for the United States and global launch. PC gamers will have to wait if they want to avail of the streaming service for PS3 games.
