Cloud streaming is now an option for PlayStation 5 owners, thanks to the launch of the new PS5 streaming feature. Sony has revealed that PS5 streaming is now available in Japan and will launch in Europe and North America on October 23 and October 30 respectively.
The streaming service does exactly what the name suggests – PlayStation 5 owners can stream games over the cloud instead of downloading them to the console. That basically means gamers will be able to jump into a game instantly and won't need to use the console's internal storage, which is great considering modern games can require 100GB+ of space. Save data and progress will also be synced via the cloud.
PS5 streaming eliminates the need to download games
Streaming is only available for those who get a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription and will support games from all PlayStations (including the original one and the PlayStation Portable) as long as they are available in the PlayStation Plus game catalog. First-party exclusives, such as God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Forbidden West, are also supported even if they aren't a part of PlayStation Plus, as long as they have been purchased by the player.
Coming to the technical bits, PS5 streaming will support the four popular gaming resolutions: 720p, 1080p (Full HD), 1440p (Quad HD), and 2160p (4K). However, the refresh rate will be limited to a maximum of 60Hz even for games that have a 120Hz mode.
Sony recommends a minimum internet speed of 5 Mbps for 720p, 15 Mbps for 1080p, and 38 Mbps for 4K resolution. The experience probably won't be that great at the minimum speeds, but it's good to see the internet requirements aren't too insane.
Premium PlayStation Plus membership required
PlayStation Plus is offered in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
To access PS5 streaming, you can subscribe to the PlayStation Plus Premium plan here (the Extra and Essential plans don't include streaming) for $17.99 a month, $49.99 for three months, and $159.99 for 12 months in the US. In Europe, the prices for the Premium plan for a monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription are €16.99, €49.99, and €151.99 respectively.
Sony will also be launching a new slimmer and smaller PlayStation 5 globally starting next month. The new PS5 will replace the original model once stock of the latter are depleted, and it will offer features such as more usable storage out of the box and the option to add or remove a Blu-ray Disc Drive to and from both the standard and digital editions of the console.
Image credit: Sony PlayStation Blog
