Gamers in the U.S. and Canada can now try out the beta for Sony's PlayStation Now streaming service.
The service was made open to the public Thursday, and while it is currently available exclusively for the PlayStation 4 console, the Japanese company said it will bring it to the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita handheld, PlayStation TV micro-console, and other platforms, according to The Next Web.
PS Now was first announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and has been in private beta since that time for select gamers across the U.S., PC Magazine reported.
The service brings games to Sony's consoles without the user need a disc or downloading anything. PS4 users now have access to over 1,000 PS Now titles to rent in the PlayStation store. The rental periods depend on the game, and include options to play for increments of seven days, 30 days, 90 days, or only four hours.
"With a strong and stable broadband connection, visual and gameplay quality will be much like what you're used to with other PS3 games," Sony said.
The prices for the service include $2.99 for the 4-hour period, $5.99 for the 7-day period, $7.99 for the 30-day period, and $14.99 for the 90-day period, The Next Web reported. The prices can change, with Sony saying that an additional $1.99 will eventually be added. The company added that it is looking into offering a subscription plan, something many fans have requested in the recent past.
"We've heard you loud and clear for an update on a PS Now subscription option and want to reassure you that we're working on it," Jack Buser, senior director for PS Now, said.
In the meantime, Sony is asking beta testers to give the company feedback about PS Now so it knows how the service is working and what improvements need to be made.
"Since we're still in Beta, and in the very early days of PS Now, we plan to continue to collect feedback during this Open Beta phase to make further refinements to the service," the company said.
