PlayStation Now Adds ‘Uncharted 3,’ ‘Ninja Gaiden,’ ‘Dead Or Alive,’ More To Lineup

Gamers play "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" developed by Naughty Dog on Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) during the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 in Los Angeles June 7, 2011. Reuters

When Sony first unveiled its cloud-based, game streaming service, PlayStation Now in January 2014, gamers were sceptical about price, performance and the depth of the catalogue on offer. A year later, issues with performance have largely been addressed, various pricing options have been implemented to allow greater choice, and the catalogue is expanded with each passing month.

News comes via the PlayStation Blog that this month will see a quintet of classic PlayStation 3 titles added to the service, including "Ninja Gaiden Sigma," "Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate," "Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception," "Super Stardust HD" and "Hustle Kings." While the marquee addition is definitely “Uncharted 3,” gamers would be best served to check out the other four titles as well.

"Ninja Gaiden Sigma" is an enhanced port of the original Xbox hack n’ slash classic “Ninja Gaiden.” “Super Stardust HD” offers hours and hours of fast-paced, addictive gameplay, as does the highly polished pool game, "Hustle Kings."Gamers looking for some pre-”Mortal Kombat X” fighting game practise can take a trip down memory lane with "Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate."

Meanwhile, "Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception," offers the perfect opportunity to look back on the entire “Uncharted” series, prior to the release of the recently-delayed “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.” Following the breakout success of “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,” the sequel offers an in-depth look into Drake’s past, fleshing him out as a character and providing context for his actions, relationships and personality over the course of the series.

PlayStation Now is powered by GaiKai technology, a cloud streaming service which Sony purchased in 2012 for $380M. As noted by Eurogamer, GaKai’s competitor OnLive recently announced its impending closure. The company will cease operations at the end of April, and has opened its service up to gamers for free until then. Sony has swooped in to purchase around 140 of OnLive’s cloud gaming technology patents. While neither company released details of the transaction, Philip Rosenberg, VP, Global Business Development of SCE spoke briefly about the purchase.

“These strategic purchases open up great opportunities for our gamers, and gives Sony a formidable patent portfolio in cloud gaming.It is yet another proof point that demonstrates our commitment to changing the way gamers experience the world of PlayStation,” he said.

PlayStation now offers a catalogue of over 100 PS3 games to stream to fans in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. The service offers games for rent at various price points over a 4-hours, 7-day, 30-day and 90-day period, as well as a subscription model that costs $20 per month, or $45 for a three month period. Sony recommends that users have a minimum 5Mbps internet connection in order to achieve acceptable performance levels.