The PlayStation 4 has been an incredibly successful console, yet there have been issues along the way. For the last couple of months, there have been rumblings from fans with a PS Now subscription because of issues they’ve had accessing purchased games. Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t responded to the discrepancies of its users and it is increasingly becoming an issue as licences expire.
PlayStation recently celebrated its monumental legacy, but PlayStation Now, originally marketed as a streaming service with backwards compatibility, has been a disappointment for many. While there have been many issues with the service, the fact that players are losing access to games is raising questions about the commitment of Sony to PS Now.
RELATED:Sony Boss Talks Major Improvement PS5 Controller Will Have Over DualShock 4
The issue with PS Now is that when a player chooses to download a game from the streaming service, the game will be unavailable to add to a user’s cart if it is on the store or if it is free through PlayStation Plus. This means users can’t get the best deals on games while on PlayStation Now. Also, Now removes games from the service so players will lose the opportunity to play the game even if they got the game through PlayStation Plus. In short, the service can’t distinguish between PS Plus and Now games. If the licence of Now disappears, via a player not renewing or a game being taken off the service, then players will have to purchase the game, even if it’s listed for free on PS Plus.
Streaming services on consoles are becoming a competitive market and this can be seen by the release of the Google Stadia as well asSony’s response of cutting the price of PlayStation Now. It will be interesting to see if a price drop will make players overlook the issues with the service, what players won’t be happy with is losing games they enjoy. This is an issue that PlayStation will want to fix sooner rather than later.
Many PlayStation exclusive games weren’t available on PS Nowand alongside difficulty for players wanting to retain and purchase games, the service may struggle to keep fans onside. While Sony will undoubtedly fix issues, the PlayStation Now is having a bumpy start and many won’t want to use a service that isn’t finished or doesn’t work as intended. PlayStation is one of the biggest console franchises in the world, however, if Sony wants to secure its future in the streaming world, changes need to be made.
