Sony travelling to the past, MS heading into the future....

With the announcement of Playstation Now, I'm even less interested in the PS4 console than I have been recently. Some of the money, time, and resources Sony could use to invest in the future of the PS4 is being diverted to this, and not surprisingly, because many people have been asking for it.

I've barely touched my 360 since getting an X1, but it is connected via the HDMI input and I have used it here and there for some 360 apps, and intend to use it for a few upcoming games like LoS2 and the Walking Dead Season 2. It's very hard to go back to the 360, I just feel the X1 experience is so much better......but should I feel the need to, my 360 is ready for action.

I'm all for oldies, and I love XBLA remakes, but none of the PS3 or 360 games have been out for that long, they are still fairly fresh in my mind.

At least the 300k-servers cloud that MS has invested so much in is being used to improve next-gen. gaming experiences. Racing online in Forza 5 is a first class experience, with almost no lag whatsoever. I have zero interest in playing old 360 games on a cloud, with guaranteed input lag.

Thank you very much Sony for taking the initiative on this, I hope MS ignores you and keeps the Xbox One and 360 ecosystems separate.

Keep telling yourself that. After a while, Stockholm Syndrome sets in.

While I don't see myself using the new service because I'm a collector and literally own the games I wanted from 7th generation, I can see if this thing took a low subscription netflix/hulu/gamefly approach, it could go over incredibly well with the masses...especially those that never owned a PS3, or other PS consoles and always wanted to play award winning games like "The Last of Us", "Uncharted 1-3", "Ratchet & Clank 1-current", "Gran Turismo 1-5", "Jak & Daxter 1-3", "God Of War 1-current", "Twisted Metal 1-current", "Infamous 1-2", "Kingdom Hearts 1-current", "Sly Cooper 1-current", "Metal Gear Solid 1-4", "Demon's Souls", "Little Big Planet 1-2", "Champions of Norrath 1-2", "Shadow of the Colossus", "ICO", "Ape Escape", "Singstar", "Legend of Dragoon", "Legend of Legaia", "Valkyria Chronicles", "Rogue Galaxy", "Dark Cloud 1-2", or whatever. They have a huge catalog of some award winning games at their disposal and it will surely grow as time marches on. Not even the mighty Netflix was a huge as it was today without it's humble beginnings.

Years back when Sony bought Gaikai, the vast majority of us knew this 'streaming games technology' was coming so I don't know why any gaming enthusiast would be surprised by this news and make threads about their disapproval as technically this is old news. If I just found out today what Sony's intentions were and I had no idea this move was years in the making, I would think I would be more optimistic about the business approach and what this offers consumers.

As as option, it's a nice one for new gamers getting into the 8th generation. As a kid, I would have loved getting a console and having an option to older prequel games to games like. It's all about the pricing, Sony needs to keep it low enough that people will rationalize it. It will save them from having to buy a PS1, PS2, or PS3 if all they have is a PS4.

I would rather own the games and machines myself, but I know others just want one box under the boobtube. They are trying to make the PS4 that box.

For me, I don't see much use for the subscription yet, but I think it's a good move for the general masses. It's just another option for gamers to play some games they didn't have access to before.

Xbox One is looking less and less appealing to me everyday.

Can't wait to catch up on games from thisgen on my vita in bed, straight chillin.

Yeah, Cable TV is the future. While you're in the 80's let me tell you about this thing called the Personal Computer and Power Rangers that is coming up.

Seriously, saying a console is future proof in the year 2014 because it has an HDMI-in for your fucking cable box and comparing it to a console that is already partnered with one of the biggest online content delivery systems (Netflix) for television programming AND using the cloud to leverage it's own IPTV service is about as ass-backwards as you could ever possibly get.

OP, you need a vacation from the console wars. Your head ain't right dude. Not even close.

Delusions are strong in this one.

playstation now could work very well, but it isn't without drawbacks.

yes, i agree with you that playing on last-genners isn't easy on the eyes. that's one reason i like pc - i can up the graphics on older titles.

one question i'd have - if they are streaming ps2/ps3 games, are they rendering them at ps2/ps3 quality? if yes, are they using compression to transmit the video? if yes, then surely we can accept the graphics would have to be worse than on a ps2/ps3!

but to play my own devil's advocate ... if someone is playing an older game then perhaps they wouldn't care about graphics at all? well, I know myself that when I play an older game I want it to look as good as possible.

Because they are allowing people to play older games? Something a lot of people bitched about when it was announced next gen would have no BC.

How stupid are you?

/thread

TC tears are verry salty

I agree with that, although it's a turn off for me and overall feels like a step backward at this time, that's not to say that there is no value in it. The PS4 console just came out with limited games, and instead of focusing on that aspect of the PS4, they are announcing this huge thing that allows you to play games of the past.

Meanwhile, MS has been very adamant about their cloud servers to be used in ways to improve next gen., and the instant switching/multitasking, Kinect, etc., basically mostly new things that were not available on the 360, and I prefer that direction, I hope they don't follow in Sony's footsteps for now, I just feel the timing for something like this would be better left until Next -Gen is more settled-in, so to speak. Only time will tell.

omnom

You know

I think Sony doesnt force you to use it

There is literally nothing bad about Playstation Now even if you want to stick to PS4 titles on your quad.

ITT:

OP talks about cloud being great for XBone despite having absolutely no concrete proof it does much of anything at all for said platform...

Lambasts the PS4 for using it for delivering gaming.

Well that's a pretty flawed view given the service could probably be improved to provide next gen experiences one day. If anything it's future proofing, some are predicting these'll be the last hardware based consoles we'll see with it all replaced by streaming in the future. If anything it's beta testing the future, it works with Bravia TVs, imagine just streaming next gen games to your TV, no need to throw hug amounts of cash at new console hardware. That's where the future is.

You've also ignored how Sony are hoping to offer TV and movies streamed too. Whilst MS cling to cable boxes that are declining as streaming grows, Sony have gone digital, it'll probably have a wider market too as cable isn't really very big here (UK) and much of Europe. I'm hoping we'll see Sky jump to the PS4 given they've just started some PS3 stuff.

For all this talk about the X1's dedicated servers there's only one title even using them.

Well, this streaming games technology has been in the making for literally years. It's not some new huge thing that they recently decided on. The Wii U, Xbone, and PS4 all shipped at launch with limited games, same as the Xbox 360, PS1, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, Dreamcast, N64, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, etc. That's how launches go, there is limited games. Sony are still focused on that aspect of making more games for the PS4, but this side project with Gaikai was finally ready to be announced. This announcement has nothing to do with Sony's PS4 games plan, those are two different parts of the company.

Years back, Sony bought Gaikai, and there were others interested including Xbox execs, but Sony ended up buying them and since that purchase, this streaming games technology has been in the works for a long time. There was a time when we gamers thought Gaikai's streaming games service would end up on PS3 before the PS4 was announced, it just so happens this thing took this long and now it's ready to be announced.

lol I see some people are still butthurt from the 1.2 million more sales and future of cloud streaming

No there is nothing inherently bad about it, I agree with you on that. I just feel the timing is bad, the PS4 just barely released and one of its biggest announcements is that it's going to play older games, that's not what I would want to hear as a new PS4 owner, and I just feel that for now, Xbox One's direction is more appealing to me, they seem to be mostly focusing on improving the 360 experience and adding new things that were not there before.

People keep bringing up that TV thing, all MS wanted to do was integrate the X1 with your current entertainment setup, that's all. I don't even have cable TV but I use the HDMI input for instant switching to my 360 and it works great like that.....bottom line there are some cool uses for it even if you don't like TV.

Fair points, it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

@BlessedChill: i agree, the PS4 is better than the X1 in my eyes

Beginning to thinks Lems are on Microsoft's pay roll.

Yeah I couldn't care less what you buy TC. Why post your blog here?

I no longer have a Playstation 3. I want to play Persona 5.

what makes this one of the PS4's biggest announcements? this a Sony announcement regarding a service they've been working on, which in my opinion, will allow them to leverage their games into the phone/tablet market, in the event that one day consoles do actually become obsolete. to me, that's forward thinking. and that's why announcing this at CES seems like perfect timing to me. PS4 and PS3 owners will have this service, so it shouldn't be viewed as some sort of insight into where the PS4 is headed, specifically.

I'm cautiously, optimistic myself, but i don't view the service as a bad thing.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

@TC

Sony introduces a tangible service that could change the way people play games and somehow it's perceived as being backwards? da ****? PlayStation Now is probably the most next gen initiative we've seen from either company thus far. It's a game changer in the long run.

You really need to stop doing drugs OP.

I don't care much for your misinterpretation of the English language, and for putting words in my mouth. I don't even have cable TV, nor do I care for it, and I never said the X1 was future-proof because of the HDMI input - that is merely a small perk I mentioned to illustrate the fact that I still have quick access to my 360 library, and I have no interest in a cloud streaming service such as PS Now.

Cloud dedicated servers/Instant Switching-Multitasking/Increased Kinect functionality, these are a few things from the Xbox One that are new compared to the 360 and that affect next generation gaming experiences, that's the kind of stuff that interests me in my next generation console. If you like your backward compatible cloud, that's fine, good for you, who am I to judge your ways of entertainment? I could care less, but I posted this thread as a comment to what these 2 companies are doing, and I wanted to see what others thought. I am not criticizing your taste.

This kid just went full retard.

This kid just went full retard.

No one gives a **** about your HDMI in port or your shitty camera, lem.

Not sure how any one thinks Xbone is "the future" or at least moreso than the ps4.

The future isn't cable television and it certainly isn't viewing tv by simply overlaying an interface over it by plugging the system into the tv box.

We already know of some cable companies making apps for viewing their stations and content without the need of a cable box, though this still requires a subscription. Consoles will most likely head in that direction, which would eliminate the need for the cable box (and Xbox One's HDMI input) entirely.

-

As for servers, again I must find it hilarious that now Xbox fanboys care. Microsoft has been charging for Xbox Live since 2002. How many games have we had since then that have given us dedicated servers? How many Halos or Gears of Wars had them? And from what I remember, the Gears of War games with servers were entirely funded by Epic using THEIR servers. How many games made use of dedis on ps3 with FREE service with paid only coming in later and being optional?

All games on the Xbox One CAN have servers, but not all will. Why? It's simple. Not everyone wants to be under MS's thumb and agreeing to their terms to use their servers may not be worth it for all of them. Instead of bragging to hell and back about these things though, let's wait until something actually does come along that truly needs "THE CLOUD" and couldn't be done otherwise.

I won't lie, Sony does no have the current infrastructure to compete with MS if they are serious, but I know they sure as hell actually TRY. As for the ps4, while they don't have as many servers and MS, they do have at least some great amount and they did recently have a meeting of partnership with Openstack.

And if it didn't have it youd probably be bitching about that instead.

And if you actually think all 300k of those servers are designated to help your xbox one experience then you live in a fools paradise. They are there to run the NFL fantasy football ap and to feed you advertisements pretty much.

Cows are definitely on Sony's payrole. If they're not, then they are working for Sony for FREE. lol!!

I'd rather have the feature than not have it, and if you don't want to use it you don't have to. Personally I think its a good way to get the chance to play any older games you may have missed out on.

@GrenadeLauncher said:

No one gives a **** about your HDMI in port or your shitty camera, lem.

bwahahahahahaha...

It's beacause the Ps3 has a library worth revisitng while the X360 does not.

Hey heres an idea....BUY BOTH CONSOLES AND USE THEM BOTH TO THEIR STRENGTHS!!!!

No it's not, BC is only a big deal in the short term. As soon as more and more games come out, the average gamers start to leave the previous gen behind, I have a back catalogue of games and can get more cheap second hand.

The most next gen initiative is MSs cloud service which is concerned with next gen gaming and is more likley to show dividends in the long term as games start to make more and more use of it.

Day one it was used for the ai in Forza 5. Now you can either want to play GT7 with more human ai or stay with the robotic ai the series has. The way Forza 5 uses it may not be 100% perfect, but it's clever and is pretty good for launch use, it has the potential to make improvements in future games.

That's a next gen feature and there's nothing next gen about being able to play last gen games. I'm not disputing whether PSNow is good, but it definitely isn't better than MSs cloud service.

So what? The best time to announce it is when you release. Gives consumers more information that may decide the purchase for them. I prefer physical copies and having game consoles. But if I wanted to play a game and I couldn't get it any other way without price gouging...it's a bonus.

OK let me get this straight PS4 cant stay online for a month straight without being shutdown Its unstable as hell but you gonna buy another SUB from them and they cant keep normal and basics running. Then you gonna buy the same games sony been shoving to you for the last 10 years I mean all the collectors editions, ultimates, and bundle packages SONY put im surprised you all don't have every game at least twice.

The future is cloud gaming based. Just look for all the services that are using cloud tech.

But the gaming industry is in its first steps, baby steps. I can see it being a major feature in 5 years or so when the tech will be there. But someone has to begin from some point, isnt it?

Sony has their foot to the floor, pedal to the mother fucking metal baby. They also got the radio turned up to 10 and a hot chick in the passenger seat. All is good in SONY land my friends, it's pedal to the mother fucking metal. awwwww yeahhhhhh

But that's not even remotely true. Sony actually demonstrated some uses for Gaikai as it relates to next-gen gaming. Past "Ghost Cars" and random PR from the Titanfall devs, we have absolutely no vision from MS in regards to their cloud services. So, you're wrong. On the Sony side, we've seen stuff up on a stage regarding cloud. All you have are marketing points to spew on a forum board.

Elaborate on that. I can't find anything past spreading PS games to various devices.

Also Forza 5 doesn't work by using ghost cars "That does not mean it will reproduce exactly the lap times you produced because it is not a simplistic replay system. If during training you drive consistent lap times at a given track then your Drivatar will exhibit a similar level of consistency. If your times show reasonable variance then so will those of your Drivatar."

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/drivatar/faq.aspx