Sony announced on Tuesday that its PlayStation-themed set-top box is now available in North America. Called PlayStation TV, this device brings PlayStation content to your HDTV such as “hundreds” of games, movies, TV episodes and more offered on the PlayStation Store. The system starts at $99.99.
Sony’s new set-top box measures 2.6 x 4.1 x .5 inches and weighs around 3.9 ounces. The device includes a PlayStation Vita card slot, a memory card slot, one USB port, one HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. The innards are similar to the PlayStation Vita: four Cortex-A9 cores, four PowerVR SGX543MP4-plus GPU cores, 512 MB of RAM, 128 GB of VRAM, and 1 GB of internal storage.
In addition to those specs, the PlayStation TV “mini-console” also includes Wireless N and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR connectivity, access to PlayStation Now, and the ability to stream games from the PlayStation 4 via Remote Play. The box is compatible with DualShock 3 and DualShock 4 controllers, as well as the PlayStation Vita.
According to the blog, PlayStation Now is currently available in most areas of the United States and Canada. This game streaming service will launch with popular titles such as Sly Cooper: HD Collection, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault. The PlayStation Now website also mentions Final Fantasy XIII, Dead Island: Riptide, Killzone 3, Darksiders II, and Guacamelee. More than 150 games are coming to the service.
For a complete list of games that are compatible with the set-top-box, go here. The list includes PlayStation Vita games, Vita demos and trials, PSP games, PlayStation One classics, PlayStation Minis, and PlayStation Mobile games.
Will Sony fans buy into the PlayStation TV set-top box? That remains to be seen, but the device is certainly packed with potential. With all those games ready to roll out of the box, and with support for PlayStation Now and Remote Play compatibility with the PlayStation 4, fans of the PlayStation brand should devour this device in no time.
The PlayStation blog also reports that Sony will be selling a PlayStation TV bundle this holiday season that includes the PlayStation TV device, a DualShock 3 controller, a memory card with 8 GB of space, and a voucher to download The Lego Movie Videogame (fun!) for free. This bundle will cost $139.99, while the micro-console costs $99.99 by itself.
