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Sony discontinues PlayStation Now on PS3, Vita, and most other devices

Sony has significantly slashed the number of devices that support its PlayStation Now game streaming service in order to ‘further develop the user experience’ on PS4 and PC.

Alissa McAloon, Publisher

February 15, 2017

1 Min Read
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The number of devices that support Sony’s cloud-based game streaming service PlayStation Now will see a significant reduction later this year as the company refocuses its efforts on better support for PlayStation Now's two biggest platforms.

Put simply, Sony has dropped PlayStation Now support for everything but the PS4 and PC, but says that the decision was made in order to put itself "best position to grow the service even further," rather than to reduce support for PlayStation Now overall.

The decision to remove the service from older and less supported systems probably won’t come as a surprise to many developers, but the complete shift to support only the PS4 and PC PlayStation Now versions could mean new developments or all-around better performance for the cloud-based service down the line.

As of August 15, 2017 PlayStation Now will no longer be available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV, Sony Blu-ray players, Samsung TVs, and Sony Bravia TV models made between 2013 and 2016, though 2016 models will be cut off as early as April 1.

It’s also worth noting that, while this isn't necessarily the final nail in either system's coffin, both the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation TV have seen a slow reduction in overall support in recent years; the Vita has been noticeably absent from most major Sony announcements for some time now and the company stopped shipping PlayStation TVs to the U.S. and Europe entirely last year.

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About the Author

Alissa McAloon

Publisher, GameDeveloper.com

As the Publisher of Game Developer, Alissa McAloon brings a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. When not working in the world of B2B game journalism, Alissa enjoys spending her time in the worlds of immersive sandbox games or dabbling in the occasional TTRPG.

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