When the PlayStation 4 was announced, Sony stated that it had some form of backward compatibility in mind for the system, but not in the way you expect. Rather than playing old disc-based games you purchased for the PS3, they would instead be streamed through the company’s Gaikai service.
Today, Sony shed a little more light on this program by confirming that it will launch sometime in 2014. During a roundtable interview at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said that the service is still on the way, even though games haven’t been revealed for it yet.
Yoshida did state that several games would be available to stream at launch. He feels that having a good selection of titles is key for its success, allowing users to browse Netflix-style to see what they want to play.
The kicker, though, is that the service isn’t just for PlayStation 4. Yoshida confirmed that gamers will also be able to play classic PS3 games on PS Vita and the forthcoming PS Vita TV as well – a huge addition to their line-ups.
We’ll let you know what games Sony has planned for the Gaikai service as they’re revealed.
The PlayStation 4 arrives in the U.S. on November 15th.
Published: Sep 19, 2013 09:05 pm