Sony begins closed beta for PlayStation Now

Sony has started sending out invitations to a select group of PlayStation gamers to participate in a closed beta of its streaming game service PlayStation Now. The manufacturer recommends at least a fixed Ethernet connection and a bandwidth of 5Mbit/s.

IGN reports this on the basis of an e-mail that Sony has sent to a group of gamers. Interested parties were able to sign up for the closed beta shortly after the announcement of PlayStation Now’s arrival at CES early this month. It is unknown how many PlayStation gamers will participate in the beta. However, the company advises gamers to have an internet connection of at least 5Mbit/s and to use a fixed Ethernet connection instead of a WiFi connection.

Sony plans to make PlayStation Now publicly available in the US by the middle of this year. According to a leaked roadmap, the roll-out of the service in Europe should only start in the first quarter of 2015.

According to fresh rumors, PlayStation Now will offer PS1 and PS2 games via emulation software on the PlayStation 4. It was previously announced that old games would be offered as a stream, but that only seems to apply to PS3 games.