Sony announced today that its PlayStation Now streaming service is no longer tethered to first-party devices after the Japanese giant confirmed plans to bring the Gakai-powered technology to Samsung Smart TVs in 2015.
We already knew that Sony had long-term plans to launch the service on other platforms, but today’s tidbit is the first confirmation that those first third-party devices will belong to Samsung.
In a statement to The Verge, Sony’s executive Vice President of Entertinament Masayasu Ito outlined the company’s reasoning behind the decision, stating that it will help Sony bring the Gakai-powered streaming to a larger demographic.
“Partnering with Samsung is a key step toward realizing this vision, as we can reach a broader audience of consumers who may not own a PlayStation console to show them why gaming with PlayStation is such a unique and amazing experience.”
As lofty and ambitious as PlayStation Now is, the tech itself is still very much in its infancy. Having launched for those in North America back in July, the early build is only a vertical slice of what Sony has promised for the Netflix-esque platform. Still, this recent update is very promising indeed as it means people will be able to access the digital catalogue of games without the need to own a console. At present, budding players need to own either a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita or PlayStation TV to play Sony’s online library of titles.
We’ll likely learn more about PlayStation Now and how its coming along during the annual CES event, which is due to take place from January 6 through to January 9 in Las Vegas. In the meantime, tell us, are you excited about Sony bringing the service to other platforms? Let us know below.
