PlayStation Now- Beta Pricing

There has been a lot of talk about video game streaming and subscription services lately with the announcement of EA Access. Now, we have gotten a peek behind the curtain at PlayStation Now, as the open beta is underway.  Though the beta is limited in content and options, most opinions of the service seem to focus on one core issue, price.  As of right now there is no option for a subscription, so games can only be rented individually.  Currently the rental options are 4 hours, 7 days, 30 days and 90 days.  While prices vary depending on the game, the shortest option of a mere 4 hours can cost $4.99.  If you wanted a more lengthy rental on a  popular game it could end up costing you as much, or even more than it would to purchase the title outright.

The beta library includes more than 100 PlayStation 3 titles ranging from smaller downloadable titles to popular franchises such as Final Fantasy.  Titles from other Sony consoles will also be coming to PlayStation Now at some point later on, which should add more appeal to the service, and possibly more value.  Titles that are available now appear in full force.  Online play is enabled and even allows for connection with players using the disc format of the game.

We will have to wait and see if Sony makes any changes to the service post beta.  However, at this time it seems as though PlayStation Now has some roadblocks to address in order to convince fans of their vision for cloud based gaming.