While us Kiwi’s were sleeping, PlayStation made an announcement on their blog that PlayStation Now is about to make the jump to Windows PC.
No firm go-live date has been given for the PC release of PlayStation Now, other than to say that it is coming to Europe soon with North America to follow suit soon after. At this point in time there are no details available for a local release for New Zealand or Australia.
When the app releases on Windows PC it will mean that PC gamers will have access to a library of over 400 PS games including Uncharted, God of War & The Last of Us. Up until now a PS Now subscription has been the go to method to play PS3 games on the PS4 so opening the platform up to PC users marks a considerable shift for PlayStation, likely to be the first stage of a plan to combat Xbox’s play anywhere strategy.
Of course, like any app or game on Windows PC there are minimum specs you need in order to make use of the platform. The minimum specs are:
- Windows 7 (SP1), 8.1 or 10
- 3.5 GHz Intel Core i3 or 3.8 GHz AMD A10 or faster
- 300 MB or more; 2 GB or more of RAM
- Sound card; USB port
Any games played through PS Now requires a decent connection as the games are streamed over the internet rather than downloaded. The minimum bandwidth required is 5Mbps, although to get a much better experience bandwidth that is at least triple that speed would be better.
To go with the announcement, PlayStation also announced that they will be releasing a DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter in September for $24.99US, the adapter will also be available in New Zealand for $39.95. Whilst it is currently possible to use the DualShock 4 on PC through a USB cable, the Wireless adapter will make for a more seamless experience using the controller on PC, particularly when using it with PS Now. The wireless adapter will work on both PC and Mac and will make use of all features available on the controller, subject to the game supporting those features of course.