When PlayStation Now first launched, it wasn't exactly the best service around. Then Sony raised the price, and gamers who were already unsure about the service decided to pass on it entirely.
Back then, that was probably the right decision. That said, Sony has brought some major improvements to the service in the past year. If you were curious about PlayStation Now before, it might be time to give the service a look.
1. No More Buyer's Remorse
Publishers don't seem to offer game demos as much as they used to these days. This makes it tougher to decide whether you want to spend money on a game or not. If that game has been out for a while, you may be able to play it on PlayStation Now.
PS Now adds new games every month, and while not many of them are new, they aren't always older games. Of course, once it's on PlayStation Now, you don't have to purchase the game to play through it, which is a nice bonus.
2. 4-Hour and 30-Day Game Rentals
Like game demos, game rentals are quickly going the way of the flight sim. Unless you want to opt for a GameFly account, you're going to have to buy most of the games you're interested in.
This is another area where PlayStation Now comes in handy. Again, you're not going to find the latest games, but you'll find plenty of games released within the last year. Even better, you don't have to worry about returning them!
3. Catch Up on Older PS3 Gems
Were you put off by the high launch price of the PlayStation 3 last generation? You're not alone. Unfortunately, this means you missed on a few gems.
The good news is that many of these are available on PlayStation Now. They're not downloadable like PS4 games, so you're stuck with streaming. As long as you've got a relatively quick internet connection, this shouldn't be a problem.
4. Replay Series Before Sequels Release
One smart thing Sony has been doing is releasing older games in a series to coincide with sequel releases. As an example, around the time Wolfenstein: Youngblood launched, Wolfenstein: The New Order came to PlayStation Now.
If you're new to a series steeped in lore, this can be a nice way to catch up on the storyline before jumping into the sequel. You won't find previous entries in every series, but Sony seems to have been consciously doing this recently.
5. Enjoy Plenty of Indie Gems
There are so many talented developers creating games, it can be hard to keep up. A $15 PSN game isn't as much of a hit to the wallet as the latest retail release, but this can start to add up over time.
PlayStation Now must be a good deal for indie developers, because there are tons of great indie games on the service. If you want to stay caught up on these while still saving money for other new games, PlayStation Now may quickly pay for itself.
Don't Forget, There's a Free Trial!
If reading this has you thinking about trying out PlayStation Now, there are two things to keep in mind.
The first thing is that Sony does occasionally lower the price in conjunction with other sales. If the price seems too high, if you're patient you can get a year of the service for just a few dollars more than a new game.
The second thing to keep in mind is that Sony offers a 7-day free trial. This should be more than enough to let you get a feel!
PlayStation Now may not have completely caught up with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, but it's better than it ever has been.