PlayStation Now Is Getting a Download Option for Select Games

While it has been a long-requested and even rumored feature, PlayStation Now has been purely a streaming service since it launched in 2014. While this service, which emerged from Sony’s purchase of Gaikai, was meant to be an answer for backwards compatibility, problems like latency have prevented it from really being the standout, marquee service it could be. Now, after Xbox Game Pass has shown that a download-based service can be a viable option when streaming technology is still a work in progress, Sony has confirmed with a PlayStation Blog post that downloads are indeed coming to PlayStation Now in some capacity.

The download feature is not quite happening “now” in a blanket sense, but will be gradually rolled out to subscribers over the course of the next few days. Downloading will primarily be supported by most of PlayStation Now’s PlayStation 4 library, and the option will also come to a selection of the PlayStation 2 games on offer as well. Downloaded games will support all add-on content, and playing online with PlayStation Now games does not require a PlayStation Plus subscription. However, if you do have both, you can transfer save data from the streaming to the downloaded versions of a game by utilizing PlayStation Plus’ cloud save feature.

PlayStation Now will also require an online check-in “every few games,” to make sure you’re still paying for your downloaded games.

Until September 25, 2018, there is also a special introductory price of $9.99, which will go up to the normal $19.99 after the first month. A full year costs $99.99, and PlayStation Plus members can also snag a three-month deal for $29.99, instead of the usual $44.99.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

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