PlayStation Download Option Added To Game Streaming Service

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A new PlayStation download option may soon make their game streaming service a lot more useful

PlayStation Now

PlayStation now is Sony’s game streaming service, and it allows players on PS4 and even PC to play a large number of games over an internet connection.

The service has generally been well-received, but it didn’t catch on to the extent that Sony was hoping. For many games, streaming content can increase latency which can make competitive titles like First Person Shooters all but unplayable. When razor sharp reaction times are required to emerge victorious, streaming just doesn’t cut it — which was a large reason why many more serious gamers didn’t pick up on the service.

The expansive collection may be more accessible, however, after the addition of a new PlayStation download option that has appeared in the service.

PlayStation Download Option

It’s important to note that this feature has not been implemented — or even announced, for that matter — but the PlayStation download option has appeared in the PlayStation Now interface for one user on Reddit.

With a post to the forums, he noted a new PlayStation download option in the menus that simply says “Download Game” alongside a description that says, “return to Game Detail and start downloading the game.”

As mentioned above, the PlayStation download option doesn’t do anything at this point in time, but the fact that its present on the menu may mean that Sony is lining up to finally allow PlayStation Now subscribers to download games to their hard drives.

The ability to download games would make the service much more attractive to those who require minimal latency, and it would also put Sony’s service more in line with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass which offers game downloads to subscribers. At this point, PlayStation Now still lags behind Game Pass, and the addition of a PlayStation download option will likely only partially close the gap. Still, it’s a step in the right direction and a big win for gamers.

With PlayStation Now largely ignored due to the high bandwidth requirements that render the service pretty much unusable for those with data caps or slower internet, the addition of this new option may make it a much more attractive options and massively boost subscriber numbers.

With the PS4 generation, Sony has been on the receiving end of a decent amout of criticism regarding the lack of backward compatibility which would open up thousands and thousands of games to be played on the newest console. The PlayStation download option does add some neat perks, but those who are interested in older games may still be better suited buying an Xbox One.

It remains to be seen whether this is a one off improvement or a commitment from Sony to flesh out the PlayStation Now service. The latter would be preferable, obviously, but even if Sony doesn’t add too much more to the service it would remain a much more viable option for gamers around the world.

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