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PlayStation 4 Just Got A Lot Better

VERY Good News For PlayStation Fans
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A picture taken on November 29, 2013 in a Parisian store shows the joystick of the new Sony Playstation 4 video game console (PS4). AFP PHOTO/JOEL SAGET (Photo credit should read JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images)

Feeling sad that you can't play old PlayStation games on your brand-new PlayStation 4?

Cheer up! On Tuesday, PS4 maker Sony announced a new service that will enable owners of its latest console to play old PlayStation games. Called PlayStation Now, the service will provide instant access to classic games for the PS1, PS2 and PS3 across a wide range of devices including PlayStation 4, Vita, mobile devices and many of Sony's Bravia televisions.

The announcement, made in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics trade show, comes little more than a year after Sony acquired cloud gaming service Gaikai for $380 million in July 2012, fueling speculation that the company would create a streaming network of PS 2 games on PS 3 and Vita.

The push to backwards compatibility serves to further differentiate the PS4 from its gaming rival XBox. Though Microsoft's Xbox 360 featured some backwards compatibility with games for the original Xbox, the company's latest console, the Xbox One, features no backwards compatibility at all.

Sony's move will undoubtedly please PlayStation fans who were used to backwards compatibility in the PS2 and PS3.

The company also on Tuesday unveiled a cloud-based TV service featuring live TV, DVR and video on demand. Andrew House, group CEO for Sony Computer Entertainment, provided few specifics on how the service would operate, but said that the new service would let those without consoles play old games.

The Now game streaming service will be offered through subscription-based plans, with a closed beta beginning in the U.S. at the end of January before a full rollout during the summer. Players can also choose to opt out of the subscription, instead choosing to rent games on a game-by-game basis. It is unclear how much either of these models will cost.

Sony also revealed their sales figures for the PlayStation 4 as of December 28th, saying that they had moved 4.2 million consoles. The number trumps Microsoft's Xbox One, which moved 3 million units in 2013.

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Before You Go

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4
(01 of14)
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This product image released by Microsoft shows the new Xbox One entertainment console that will go on sale later this year. Microsoft is seeking to stay ahead of rivals in announcing that new content that can be downloaded for the popular "Call of Duty" game will launch first on Xbox One. Microsoft says more games will be shown at next month's E3 video game conference in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Microsoft) (credit:AP)
(02 of14)
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Show attendees take pictures of the Xbox 360 and Xbox One at the Microsoft booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (credit:AP)
(03 of14)
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Don Mattrick, President of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft unveils Xbox One on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Redmond, Wash. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Invision for Microsoft/AP Images) (credit:AP)
(04 of14)
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Kinect Group Program Manager Scott Evans demonstrates the new Kinect sensor on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 in Redmond, Wash. (Photo by STEPHEN BRASHEAR/Invision for Microsoft/AP Images) (credit:AP)
(05 of14)
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Press photograph Xbox One following the Xbox One reveal event on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Redmond, Wash. (Photo by KAREN DUCEY/Invision for Microsoft/AP Images) (credit:AP)
(06 of14)
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This video game image released by Activision shows a scene from "Call of Duty: Ghosts," the tenth installment in the Call of Duty series. Microsoft is seeking to stay ahead of rivals in announcing that new content that can be downloaded for the popular "Call of Duty" game will launch first on Xbox One. (AP Photo/Activision) (credit:AP)
(07 of14)
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This video game image released by Activision shows a scene from "Call of Duty: Ghosts," the tenth installment in the Call of Duty series. Microsoft is seeking to stay ahead of rivals in announcing that new content that can be downloaded for the popular "Call of Duty" game will launch first on Xbox One. (AP Photo/Activision) (credit:AP)
PlayStation 4(08 of14)
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A show attendee looks at the new PlayStation 4 at the Sony booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (credit:AP)
E3 Gaming And Technology Conference Begins In L.A.(09 of14)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: A Playstation 4 and its controller on display at the Sony Playstation E3 2013 booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Thousands are expected to attend the annual three-day convention to see the latest games and announcements from the gaming industry. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
E3 Gaming And Technology Conference Begins In L.A.(10 of14)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: A Playstation 4 and its controller is on display at the Sony Playstation E3 2013 booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Thousands are expected to attend the annual three-day convention to see the latest games and announcements from the gaming industry. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Andrew House(11 of14)
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Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Andrew House introduces the new PlayStation 4 at the Sony PlayStation E3 media briefing in Los Angeles, Monday, June 10, 2013. Sony is giving gamers their first look at the PlayStation 4 and it's a rectangular black box, just like all the previous PlayStations. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (credit:AP)
Andrew House(12 of14)
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Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Andrew House introduces the new PlayStation 4 at the Sony PlayStation E3 media briefing in Los Angeles, Monday, June 10, 2013. Sony is giving gamers their first look at the PlayStation 4 and it's a rectangular black box, just like all the previous PlayStations. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (credit:AP)
E3 Gaming And Technology Conference Begins In L.A.(13 of14)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: A Playstation 4 and its controllers on display at the Sony Playstation E3 2013 booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Thousands are expected to attend the annual three-day convention to see the latest games and announcements from the gaming industry. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
E3 Gaming And Technology Conference Begins In L.A.(14 of14)
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: A fan tries The Last Of Us Sony Playstation 4 game at the E3 Gaming and Technology Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 11, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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