Sony’s much awaited service PlayStation Vue is finally available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 for customers in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. There is no word yet on when the service will be coming to the UK.
The TV streaming service will allow PlayStation 4 users to watch live TV content from a number of broadcast network channels for a monthly fee starting at $50.
PlayStation Vue is a combination of live TV, on-demand TV, and cloud based DVR. The biggest selling point for Playstation Vue will be the number of channels it will offer. Sony has managed to sign up with a number of impressive TV channels like CBS, Fox, NBC, Discovery, Viacom, AMC, and others which are typically only available with a cable connection. PlayStation Vue is going to be a cord cutters’ delight and hopefully the service will be launched in the UK and other territories soon.
Sony promises that it has built PlayStation Vue with gamers in mind. PlayStation 4 owners will be able to easily subscribe to packages and use powerful discovery tools built into the service to enable users to easily find the content they would like to watch. Users can also save their favourite TV shows using the cloud based DVR where the stored content will be available for access for up to 28 days.
PlayStation 4 owners will get access to a slick interface with PlayStation Vue, along with the capability to watch personalised content. Users can also search live and on-demand television content right from their console. Sony’s dream of plugging the PlayStation 4 as a perfect living room device is finally becoming a reality.
The interface on the PlayStation Vue service begins with a live TV mode, and picks up from the last channel that you’ve viewed on the service. Subscribers will be presented with a timeline of content that will display information like what’s playing, what is next, and so on. Vue will organise content with: My Shows, Favorite Channels, and Live TV.
Saving content via the cloud DVR service is also pretty easy. All you need to do is press the R1 button to save content once it has been highlighted on the timeline. Since the service is entirely powered by the cloud, you don’t have to worry about spending money on extra storage locally.
For $49.99 per month, PlayStation Vue subscribers will be able to access more than 50 television channels. Subscribers will also be able to go through the last three days of content and access personalisation features based on the viewing habits, much like what Netflix currently offers.
In the States, PlayStation Vue will feature a core package worth $59.99 which will include channels for sports viewers, and a $69.99 elite package which will include several niche channels although for most of the users, the standard pack will probably be just fine.
PlayStation Vue will work on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles. Even though it is currently limited to only three US cities at launch, the company is hoping to expand it to other cities by the end of this year. PlayStation Vue will also get an iPad app in the United States.
