Samsung looks to up the game in its smart TVs by adding PlayStation Now

By Kris Wouk December 31, 2015

samsung smart tvs playstation now games — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Over the past few days, Samsung has been announcing that its 2016 smart TV lineup is going to get a whole lot smarter. While the previously announced new features allow it to power your smart home and remain more secure, the latest feature announced is all about fun.

While Samsung’s smart TVs have had built-in games already, the company announced yesterday that its gaming lineup is about to get much more robust with the addition of Sony’s PlayStation Now service. With the addition of the service, owners of Samsung smart TVs will be able to play more than 100 downloadable and 400 streaming games.

“Samsung’s 2016 Smart TV lineup is a direct response to the expectation of consumers that their TVs should be more than just a device on which to watch content,” Samsung’s vice president of display business Youngchan Kim said in a prepared statement. “The new Smart TV gaming service is just one feature of a TV that offers all-round entertainment. Our game offering will continue to expand, as Samsung partners with publishers of popular games.”

In addition to the TV, users will need a few things in order to use PlayStation Now. First, the service requires a 5Mbps Internet connection or better, and to actually play the games, you’ll need a DualShock 4 controller from Sony. A subscription to the service costs $20 per month, but a seven-day free trial is available.

In November, Sony added over 100 PlayStation 3 games to the service’s unlimited-play lineup, bringing to total to over 300 games. Recently added games include a number of games in the Resident Evil franchise, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Dead Rising 2, Mega Man 9, Strider, Bionic Commando Rearmed, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

Samsung will be showing off its upgraded game service at CES next week alongside its new SmartThings Hub and GAIA security solution, all of which will feature heavily in the company’s 2016 smart TV lineup.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Gaming

Here’s how to get your PlayStation 2023 wrap-up

Every year, PlayStation lets you take a look back at your year of gaming on its platform. You'll get stats like number of hours played, top played games, trophies earned, and more. While you are free to get your stats right now, they will continue to be updated until January 12, 2024, so you can get the full picture of your year. What's new this time around is the addition of digital cards you can view and share with your friends that highlight some of your most impressive stats, as well as a free avatar and PlayStation Stars digital collectible. Here's how to get yours today.
Your PlayStation 2023 wrap-up

To get your own personalized PlayStation wrap-up, simply head to Sony's wrapup web page and sign in to your PlayStation Network account. If you would prefer, you can also opt to use this link to have Sony email you a breakdown directly. In either case, you may have to be patient when trying to access your stats since it seems like the servers are having trouble keeping up with the number of people attempting to access it at once.

Gaming

This psychedelic PlayStation platformer is already 2024’s most surprising game

A character faces down a massive insect in Ultros.

With a mercilessly busy 2023 winding down, you’d think that I’d be ready for a break from video games. And trust me, I am, but I still can’t help but look forward to what’s on the horizon in 2024. I already know that games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth are bound to consume me, but there’s one indie game that I especially have my eye on: Ultros. The ultrastylish Metroidvania left a strong impression on me at this May’s PlayStation Showcase. That was largely thanks to its eye-popping visual style that’s unlike anything I’ve seen in a video game before.

While Ultros has the look, I was less certain about how it would actually play. I’d finally get a sense of that during a sweeping 90-minute demo. The segment I played would give me a feel for its deceptively deep combat, oddball farming component, and surprising roguelike structure. It was a complicated gameplay snippet that I couldn’t fully get my head around by the end, but that just leaves me even more curious about the final product.
The cycle goes on
At first glance, Ultros appears to be a straightforward game. It seems like your typical 2D Metroidvania where players dash through a maze-like map collecting power-ups. Within minutes, I figured I understood the entire gameplay loop. That was fine by me, because it gave me more time to soak in its wild art style, which really makes it unique. Every room is a psychedelic wash of colors that looks like a Grateful Dead poster. All the painterly details can make it a little hard to navigate, but I loved making my way through all of its gooey alien locales, which are rich with vibrant flora.

Gaming

Horizon Forbidden West is the next PlayStation game to make its way to PC

Aloy swimming underwater.

PlayStation and Nixxes Software have confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition will be the next PlayStation 5 first-party game to come to PC. While it's not releasing on PC until sometime next year, Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition will drop on PS5 first on October 6.

Over the past few years, several previously PlayStation console-exclusive titles have made their way to PC. Games that made the transition include God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Returnal, The Last of Us Part 1, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Horizon Forbidden West was first released for PS4 and PS5 in February 2022, and will make the jump to PC about two years after launch in early 2024. We don't know what technical improvements this PC port will have yet, but we do know that it'll be available across Steam and the Epic Games Store for $60.
Nixxes Software and Sony also confirmed that it would be the Complete Edition of the game that comes to PC. Announced alongside this port, Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition comes with the base game, April 2023's Burning Shores DLC, a digital soundtrack and art book, a special pose and face paint for photo mode, and additional in-game items like outfits, bows, slings, and resources. It launches on October 6, so that'll be the best time to jump in for PS5 players who have been waiting to get Horizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games
Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition releases for PS5 on October 6 and will come to Steam and the Epic Games Store sometime in early 2024.