PlayStation Now goes live for Samsung Smart TVs

If you don't happen to own a PlayStation console but would love to be able to still play some popular PS titles, then you're in luck. That is, if you have a 2015 Samsung Smart TV. The PlayStation Now game streaming service has just started rolling out to these high-end TVs, allowing even those without Sony-branded devices to enjoy some of the content offered to the Sony faithful. This is just one of the latest ways that Sony has started spreading its PS ecosystem outside the exclusive realm of its gaming hardware.

The surprising fact that Samsung Smart TVs, a rival to Sony's own lineup, would be getting support for PlayStation Now was revealed back in December. It was one of the first non-Sony products to get support for the nascent game streaming service. It also represented a shift in Sony's focus, at least as far as some of its gaming-related properties go.

Sony has been pushing PlayStation Now and game streaming/rental services as the next huge gaming wave. But it might make more sense if it weren't tethered to a single class of devices only. It's a double edged sword as far as Sony is concerned. On the one hand, it lets the company squeeze out every bit that it can from its platform, no matter the device or manufacturer. On the other hand, the promise of backward compatibility for some games, as well as the ability to run them on non-Sony devices, runs the risk of making Sony's own gaming hardware somewhat moot.

PlayStation Now first became available on the PlayStation 4, the PlayStation Vita, and the PlayStation TV. Last month, Sony finally took the PS3 version out of beta. Outside of gaming devices, PS Now was also announced to land on 2015 models of Sony's own Blu-ray players. The service currently boats of 100 titles, with the promise of new additions every month.

The complete list of Samsung Smart TV models that support PS Now hasn 't been released yet, though the announcement implied that all 2015 models would have it. That said, TV owners will still need to avail of a PS4 DUALSHOCK controller in order to use it. PS Now should be appearing in Samsung's Smart Hub app store for compatible units.

VIA: VentureBeat