So some big news came out of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) this week. For those who don’t know, the Gaikai streaming initiative Sony spoke about before the PS4 launch is now a reality. It as been branded “Playstation Now” and it could be AMAZING. Or not. Let’s talk about it.

Let’s start with what it isn’t. Sony said themselves it is not the answer to backwards compatibility. That tells me they will be focusing on the most popular games from their library. So that obscure PS1 title you loved that barely sold anything? Don’t expect it on the service. It’s not free either. No sir. This will not be included in your Plus subscription. Sony isn’t THAT generous. Pricing has not been determined, but Sony has stated that there will be 2 pricing options. You can pay a flat rate monthly for full service access, or pay on a per game basis if that floats your boat.

Now let’s talk about what it is. The focus early on in the service will be the PS3. The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Beyond: Two Souls and Puppeteer were all running on the service at CES. If you notice, these were all released in 2013. This bodes well for the service if it can stream very recent PS3 titles. Online multiplayer and trophies will be present in those games where applicable, so trophy hunters will have a FIELD DAY going back and cashing in on easy games they didn’t get a chance to mine before.

*Cue huge grin on mah face*

Another huge plus is that the service extends across a wide range of hardware. Of course the PS3, PS4 and Vita support it. But it’s also supported by 2014 Sony Bravia models, smartphones, and tablets. Other non Sony hardware will be included soon, which means you can pretty much always have access to the Sony library in some way, shape or form. How real is that? Can you tell I’m excited? CAN YOU TELL?!?!?!

So to recap. Playstation Now. Streaming service. Full access fee or pay by game. Full PS library not available. PS3 early focus. Yes trophies. Yes online multiplayer. Get it? Got it? Good. Plans are for the service to launch around summertime. Let’s hope so. I hope this was able to clear up some questions about the service for you guys and gals. I’ll see you next time.