As announced at E3 2014 in June, the PlayStation Now open beta is now available in North America, open to all PS4 owners in both the US and Canada. As part of this Open Beta, PS4 users will see PS Now titles fully integrated into PlayStation Store, available to be streamed for various rental durations, including 7-days, 30-days or 90-days.
During the PS Now Open Beta, PS4 users will see a diverse library of more than 100 titles to rent, with more added regularly. You’ll need a strong and stable broadband connection to make the most of PlayStation Now. In most cases, visual and gameplay quality will be much like what you’re used to with other PS3 games.
PS Now will also feature cloud game saves, as well as support for other popular network features such as Trophies, friend lists and leaderboards. You can also play seamlessly online with other people on PS Now, or even players who have the downloadable or disc based version of the game.
You will immediately see a clear breakdown of what’s included with game rentals, so it’s easier to tell what content you’re getting with your rental, especially since several games offered through PS Now include DLC that increase the value of the offering. Also, in a few weeks, you will start seeing reduced pricing on some 4-hour rentals which will appear at $1.99.
The beta is limited to North America only. If you attempt to use a US account from another country, IP restrictions will prevent you from using the service. As for Europe, there is no beta planned at the moment, but if things go well with this open beta, we’ll hopefully see a European version before the end of the year.