Sony is second to show off its latest wares at E3 2015. Following Microsoft’s impressive lineup of first and third party games coming to Xbox One this year and beyond, was Sony about to keep up and keep the hits coming? Jump after the break for the full rundown. Continue reading E3 2015: Sony relies on classic franchises to invigorate the PS4
Four months after detailing its very own cloud-based TV service, Sony let loose PlayStation Vue in three major U.S. cities on March 18. If you own a PS3 and/or PS4 and live in Chicago, NYC, or Philadelphia, boot up your console to take it for a test run. As long as you have the latest firmware update running, you’ll find a new PS Vue app icon in your dash; click it to sign up for the service or start a seven-day trial.
Essentially, PS Vue streams live and on-demand TV (including TV shows, movies and sports) to your console and the service is boosted by a cloud-based DVR, all without a cable or satellite subscription. If you’ve been on the fence about cutting the cord, PS Vue may be your answer. Of course, you won’t find all of your favorite channels here; that being said, Sony is doing a fine job at boosting content provider support as new channels have been populating the service since launch. Click here to view the current channel lineup. Thanks to the cloud-based DVR, you won’t ever have to worry about recording conflicts or storage space; that’s the power of the cloud! PS Vue also makes it easy to record and get to your preferred content; by tagging a show you’ll have access to previously aired episodes of that show for 28 days.
The monthly subscription starts at $49.99 for the “Access” base package of channels; “Core” ($59.99) and “Elite” ($69.99) offer up additional content. See the breakdown here. Note that PS Vue does not lock consumers into contracts, and you’re free to switch between the packages at will. Sony says it’s hard at work on expanding the service’s outreach in the U.S., and you can expect support for iPad “in the near future.”
After fiddling with service for some time, I’m happy to report that the UI is slick and forward-thinking with its smart search tools and filters. Whether or not you’re ready to cut the cord today, services like PS Vue and Sling TV are the future of television and you best be ready.
[Via PlayStation Blog]
There certainly is no shortage of ways to consume entertainment these days, and Sony wants in. Sure, it’s got the PlayStation Store where gamers can stream movies, music, and TV shows to their big screen TVs. But the media giant is looking to capture even more eyeballs by providing a full-fledged cloud-based service whereby consumers can pay a monthly rate and watch their favorite TV programs to their heart’s content. Think of it as Hulu Plus or even Netflix, provided by Sony. Thankfully the company is securing deals with major content providers prior to PlayStation Vue’s launch and they include CBS, Discovery Communications, Fox, NBCUniversal, Scripps Networks Interactive, and Viacom. Here are a couple of cool features to mull over:
-PlayStation Vue delivers catch-up and on-demand TV, freeing viewers to watch TV on their own schedules. The service makes the past three days of popular programming available without the need to schedule recordings.
-Viewers can save their favorite shows to the cloud without storage restrictions or scheduling conflicts. Once viewers tag a favorite show, they will automatically have access to episodes of that show for 28 days so that they can watch on their own time.
In essence, if you’re lacking a DVR and if you prefer to watch TV on your own time like the majority of the world, PS Vue sounds like a promising effort from team Sony. In the end it all comes down to content provider support; if Sony can continue to lure in the big guns like CBS, Fox, and NBC (ABC, where you at?), Vue has the potential to become a go-to destination for PS4 and PS3 console owners.
“PlayStation Vue reinvents the traditional viewing experience so your programming effortlessly finds you, enabling you to watch much more of what you want and search a lot less,” says Andrew House, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. “PlayStation Vue brings the best of live TV and a robust catalog of the latest content, always keeping you connected to what’s popular, new and trending. Today’s announcement builds on the historic success of PlayStation 4 and demonstrates what our company is capable of when we embrace disruption and stay true to gamers.”
A beta preview for PS Vue is rolling out this month for select people, “with phased rollout starting in New York followed later by Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.” In time the service with become compatible with Apple’s iPad as well as more Sony and non-Sony devices. Sony plans to launch it commercially in early 2015. Stick it here for more details about pricing and availability as that becomes apparent.
[Via PRNewswire]