ps4
A staff at the PlayStation 4 launch event poses with the PlayStation 4's game controller before its domestic launch event at the Sony Showroom in Tokyo February 21, 2014. Sony Corp said it has sold 5.3 million Playstation 4 game consoles as of Feb. 8, surpassing its full-year target ahead of its release in Japan on February 22, the last country currently scheduled to handle the device. REUTERS/Yuya Shino Reuters

When speculations of PS2 emulation for the PS4 broke, a lot of fans were excited for the possible backward compatibility feature. It had even been leaked quietly, building up the expectation for more details during the PlayStation Experience 2015 event.

However, now that Sony has given more details about the feature, it appears that the hype was not all that fans were expecting it to be. Only a few PS4 games will find their way to the PS4 via emulation. Worse, it seems that Sony is planning to make players pay for these games instead of having them backwards compatible with disc-based games, Forbes reported.

When compared to the Xbox One’s backward compatible feature, this does seem a tad unfair to players who may have been expecting the feature to be more of a bonus. It remains to be seen how Sony will handle the incoming reactions from fans on this one. It had proven to listen to community feedback, but this may be the biggest hurdle that it has to cross in terms of keeping pace with its biggest competitor, the Xbox One.

The PS4’s other paid service, the streaming subscription service, dubbed as the PlayStation Now, has also received another update. Detailed over the PlayStation Blog, Sony has announced that it will be introducing time-limited 12-month subscription for US$99.99 (approx. AU$136).

According to the company, this offer will save players over 50 percent compared to the current monthly subscription scheme. Since the offer will start on Dec. 6, with no announcement yet as to when it will end, Sony is also offering current PlayStation Now subscribers to extend the current subscription with the discounted 12-month scheme.

Just recently, Sony has announced over 105 PS3 titles coming into the PlayStation Now so they can be playable on the PS4. At the start of December alone, a couple of “BioShock” and “Borderlands” titles joined the PlayStation Now. Earlier still, a couple of “Assassin’s Creed” titles were added.

This month, a batch of nine new games from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are coming to the PlayStation Now. According to the PlayStation Blog, the new games will come on Dec. 8, on the same date that PS4 players should mark to avail the new 12-month subscription scheme.

Some of the titles coming include “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” “Batman: Arkham Origins,” “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” “Mortal Kombat” and the single-players campaign mode for “F.E.A.R.” Apart from these, there are also some LEGO titles that are perfect for younger players. There’s the “LEGO Harry Potter” for years 1 and 4 as well as 5 and 7. There’s also the “LEGO Batman: The Videogame” where players will have to go through 30 levels of LEGO action and be able to play either as a hero or a villain.

PS2 emulation on the PS4 (Credit: YouTube/KingMickD)

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