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PlayStation Now Public Beta Starts Today on PS4 With 100+ Games; Check Out This Walkthrough Video

Game streaming service now available to anyone on PlayStation 4 in the United States and Canada.

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Sony's much-anticipated game streaming service, PlayStation Now, is now available through a public beta in the United States and Canada for the PlayStation 4. The service has been in closed beta since January, and will come to other platforms and regions sometime in the future.

To help get you up to speed on everything the PlayStation Now beta has to offer, Sony released a walkthrough video featuring commentary from Jack Buser, who is senior director for the service. More than 100 games are available through PlayStation Now currently, and you can rent them for a variety of durations (as short as four hours) and for a range of prices (as low as $1.99).

If you rent a game and then want to purchase the full product later on, your progress will be saved through Sony's cloud servers, allowing you to pick up where you left off.

The first thing you'll want to do when you fire up the PlayStation Now beta (available in the PlayStation Store on PS4) is access the "Connection Test." This will determine if your broadband connection is beefy enough to run PlayStation Now and get good results. Sony recommends at least a 5Mbps connection for an optimal experience on PlayStation Now.

PlayStation Now supports both wired and wireless connection types, but Buser says a wired connection is preferable because it is often more stable than wireless.

In addition, Buser stressed that the PlayStation Now beta you see today is just that, a beta. It's "early days," he says, adding that it is important that users share feedback with Sony so they can make the product better in the long run. "We're going to be listening closely to what the gamers tell us, and [PlayStation Now] will evolve over time."

Though you will only find a la carte rental options on PlayStation Now today, Buser reiterated that Sony is planning to offer a Netflix-style subscription plan sometime in the future. "It's definitely something [that's] in the works. So stay tuned for that," he said.

For more on PlayStation Now, check out GameSpot's in-depth interview with Sony about the streaming service.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

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mkeezay22

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100+ games available, EA take notes, this is how you do a gaming service.

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Khasym

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<< LINK REMOVED >> True, but I'm seriously iffy on the prices. I'm sure they will come down, but I've always held that once you start charging for something, you're no longer in a position to say it's a beta or greenlight or whatever. Because the customer can't get their money back if your pre-release, for whatever reason, suddenly goes down the drain.

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fredyellowone

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Prices are too high. 15$ to rent a game for 90 days... while you can buy that game used for around the same price.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> I agree the prices are way too high, I think Sony will realize this and drop them by the time it's out of beta, they have the content, now they just need the right price.

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fredyellowone

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> I already have 70 games for the PS3, so for me, the service will be interesting only if there is PS2 games.

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Khasym

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> From what I understand, Sony's pulling out the stops. PS4, 3, 2, and Vita games will all be up for grabs.

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DEadliNE-Zero0

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> In a Kotaku interview, he avoided talkign about PS1 and PS2 games for PSnow

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Khasym

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> PS1 games are unlikely, as I think they weren't able to really do a good converter for them. At least not as a streaming service. But just checking wikipedia, their most recent stuff, is all going on the rental block.

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fredyellowone

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> I only have two games for the PS1. MGS and FFVI collection. At that time, I was still playing on the N64.


Good times, if you ask me.

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fredyellowone

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> IMO, that would make far more sense than PS3 games. It's easy to get a PS3 for cheap with all the games you want.

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fredyellowone

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Great. Timesplitters, Amplitude and Frequency, Soul Calibur 3, Guitar Hero. :)

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deactivated-642321fb121ca

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Is there no 12 months sub?

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fredyellowone

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Didn't see any on the video.

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Khasym

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Not yet. Sony said that they are going to offer a fixed monthly subscription price in the future like a Netflix or Hulu membership. But, not at this point. I think this pricing system, is meant more to finalize THAT cost.

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