PlayStation Now, Sony’s game streaming service, has been around for several years, yet has barely over 3 million subscribers. This sounds like a lot, but is a fraction of Xbox GamePass’ user base, which has grown to almost 20 million in just four years. This is partly because PS Now is not as central to the PlayStation experience as GamePass is to that of Xbox, so Sony simply doesn’t promote it as hard.But there are also a lot of misconceptions about PS Now, some of which put people off from signing up. Admittedly, there were some issues early in the service’s life, but Sony has gradually (and very quietly) made major improvements over time. Unfortunately, it seems that few people know about them. Here are a few lingering misunderstandings about the service.
9 There’s Input Lag
This one isn’t strictly a misconception because of course, yes, there is input lag. Whenever the player touches a button or stick, the signal doesn’t just have to travel to the other side of the room. It has to travel to a server that could be many miles away, and then come all the way back to the screen in front of the player. Inevitably, this takes time.
But is it noticable? 99% of the time, no. It’s dependent on the speed and stability of the player’s internet connection, and lag will occasionally happen even with a good connection. But for most players, most of the time, it feels as if the game is running locally.
8 Old Games Suck
This is a two-fold misconception. First of all, great game design is timeless, and doesn’t expire with the advent of higher screen resolution and more powerful processors. PS Now is an ideal platform for anyone wishing to revisit old favorites, or to have a dig around and uncover some previously overlooked gems.
The other aspect to this misconception is that there are a lot of games on PS Now that aren’t that old. Sure, first-party releases don’t go onto PS Now on day one, as they do on Xbox Game Pass. However, there are plenty of quality titles on PS Now that are only two or three years old.
7 Gamers Need The Fastest Internet Speed Available
This was closer to the truth when PS Now first launched in 2014. However, the fastest internet speed back then is fairly ordinary now, so the service will run just fine for the vast majority of users.
Before a user can even sign up, PS Now automatically tests the internet connection. If it’s not good enough, the user won’t be able to make the purchase. These tests are very “honest”, so any connection that passes won’t have major issues streaming games. There may be occasional minor issues, but that’s the reality of streaming anything.
6 It’s Available To Everyone
A lot of gamers seem to disregard PS Now because they haven’t heard of it, because they don’t know what it is, or because they’ve heard it’s no good. However, are millions of others who would like to give it a try, but can’t. This is because PS Now is currently only available in 19 countries.
It’s true that these 19 countries account for a large percentage of the total PlayStation user base. Still, PlayStation owners in major gaming nations like Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Israel can't help but feel they’re missing out.
5 The Selection Of Games Is Bad
It's not quite clear how a catalog of over 800 games can be considered a poor selection, but it’s still a common misconception regarding PS Now. Perhaps it’s because the launch line-up back in 2014 wasn’t so great, or maybe it’s because there are a lot of big-name games that aren’t on the service.
But pretty much every first-party title a gamer could want is on there, along with other heavy hitters like BioShock, Resident Evil 4, and Metal Gear Solid 5. And that’s without mentioning the numerous hidden gems that players can discover on-demand and risk-free.
4 You Need To Own A PlayStation To Use It
Most people assume, quite understandably, that in order to play games on PlayStation Now they need a PlayStation. That's actually not true. All gamers need is a PC (and it doesn’t even need to be an especially good one) and a suitable controller.
This is because the game is being run on a remote server. All that the player's own machine needs to do is stream it, and for streaming, the only spec that really counts is internet speed. The PS Now PC app is a little limited compared to those on the PS4 and PS5, but it’s a great option for casual players who want to dabble in games without investing in a new console.
3 It Doesn’t Exist
This is less a misconception, and more of a… non-conception. The fact is that, compared to how hard Microsoft pushes Xbox Game Pass, Sony still treats PS Now as an after-thought. So low-key is Sony’s promotion of the service that many PlayStation owners are simply unaware of what it is.
PS Now simply isn’t as central to Sony’s strategy as PS Plus, which boasts a healthy user base of almost 50 million. This is strange given the all-streaming future that many are predicting for the games industry, but Sony presumably has a lot of plans and ideas up its sleeves.
2 It’s Expensive
The root of this misconception is easy to identify. Up until October 2019, PS Now was quite expensive. Since then, though, Sony has cut the cost almost in half while continuing to expand and improve the service. In the US, a yearly subscription costs just $59.99. That’s basically 800 games for the price of one.
What’s more, PS Now subscriptions regularly appear in the PlayStation Store’s major seasonal sales. With a bit of patience, it’s possible to sign up for an even lower price, usually around $40.
1 Games Can Only Be Streamed
The biggest misconception of all is that PS Now is purely a streaming service. For the first four years it was, this is true. But since September 2018, most of the PS2 and PS4 games on the service have been downloadable. All PS3 games are still streaming only, as the PS4 and PS5 hardware can’t run them directly.
It’s even possible to play these downloaded games while offline, although players will be asked to log in to validate their PS Now account every few days or so. While the streaming quality on PS Now is generally very good, games are obviously noticeably smoother (and better in multiplayer) when running locally.