PlayStation Now is generally given short shrift in gaming circles, with more attention placed on Microsoft’s heavily promoted Xbox Game Pass service. However, it seems Sony’s streaming and download subscription has been quietly bringing home the bacon, as new research from SuperData makes it the market leader by some margin – excluding services like PlayStation Plus.
According to a new report, PS Now commanded 52 per cent of the gaming subscription market in the quarter ending 30th September, which means that downloads were only implemented at the very tail end of this analysis. Right now, for around $19.99 a month, you can stream almost 700 PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 games, as well as download many of the latter titles.
PS Now has obviously been around a lot longer than comparable services, and it also costs more, which will boost its standing in terms of revenue share – but could also turn consumers away. All in all it’s quite a surprising piece of research, although it is extrapolated from a sample and shouldn’t be considered hard fact.
It’s also worth pointing out that the top three gaming subscriptions counted for just 6 per cent of overall PC and console revenue during the tracked period, so none of these services appear to be particularly popular just yet. There’s definitely something for Sony to work with here, though, and with the likes of Google and Microsoft about to join the streaming race, it needs to make its headstart count.
[source superdataresearch.com]
Comments 20
I'm assuming Plus isn't included here? And honestly, I hope it gets no bigger because it won't mean anything good for gaming if streaming get expanded like this.
PS Plus isn't included.
Sony Always Wins
"Playstation Now Earned $143M in 2018"
@Jaz007 streaming is a part of gaming future. I trust Sony to make good decisions to be consumer friendly and also for them to profit. And if things aren't great, to adjust policies to better benefit the consumer. But I personally do not want to stream my games. I don't believe in the technology at the moment.
@Jaz007 That will ultimately be the future of PlayStation and indeed all gaming, my friend. The box will eventually disappear.
The day gaming becomes fully streaming is the day I stop. Its unfair on people/countries with rubbish internet connections and you just know each big company will want their own service for you to subscribe to, and that doesnt count the outrageously high prices already for some digital games, it'll just get worse when there is no physical equivalent to get in the way.
Shudder
Shame it's trash.
Good news! I've never had too many issues with PS now the few times I've tried it. I'm currently playing through Assassin's Creed Odyssey on Googles Project Stream and it works flawlessly. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area with great internet but I know many others don't. I do hope game streaming grows but at the same time I sincerely hope it doesn't become the only option and leaves some behind.
I don't think this will end gaming as we know it personally. We still have multitudes of trash mobile games and console gaming is still strong.
I subscribed to the service once PS4 downloads were added.
I like it. Played through Red Dead Redemption and Asura's Wrath so far.
I like to think that I have decent broadband but using PS Now makes it seem like I'm sucking data through a straw.
Okay that's impressive, I though microsoft gamepass has the biggest subs but it seems playstation now is quietly the champ
My internet isn't fast enough for psnow though
I noticed Yakuza 4 and 5 are on it but not 3. Does this mean Kiwami 3 could be happening?
What a shock! the system with a massive install base lead over its competitors, with a longer running and probably larger selection of games subscription service has a lead over the others.
I wonder though if it has a higher percentage of subscribers if you were to look at the numbers. With 85m possible subscribers, what percentage of PS4 owners actually subscribe? Is that 'higher' than say Game Pass on Xbox? If both are equally as popular then you would expect to see a similar advantage for PSNow as you see for PS4. Game Pass could appeal to 100% of Xbox users and PSNow only appeal to 50% of PS4 owners and it would have a bigger market share just because of the significantly higher numbers of PS4 owners there are.
Its the same as Game sales where more PS4 versions are sold than Xbox versions but then they should sell more - at least 2 PS4 versions or every Xbox version due to have more than twice the number of gamers. It doesn't mean the PS4 version is more 'popular' though. Popularity is governed by sales divided by consoles. A game that sells 5m on Xbox and 8m on PS4 is more popular on Xbox - as a higher percentage of Xbox owners bought it than PS4 owners - 1 in 7 bought the Xbox version whilst 1 in 11 bought the PS4 version.
Point is, Sony should have the market share, because it has the biggest user base. It would be 'poor' if Sony can't beat the competition with more than double the users of its closest rival. You would expect a 70/30 split when comparing PS4 to XB because that is approx the split of users. I know this isn't just Game Pass vs PSNow (I don't think anyway) but if Game Pass is 48%, that would make it much more popular (as in a higher % of Xbox owners subscribe to Game pass than Sony owners subscribe to PSnow).
@BAMozzy Except PS Now isn't available on every PS4 so that comparison doesn't really count.
Also if a game sold more on PS4 compared to Xbox then it's quite simply more popular on PS4. Attact rates don't come into it, publishers are only bothered by how many copies a game sells, not which platform has the higher attact rate percentage.
Now if only I could have the Playstation Now theme I used to have before I gave my son the old ps4 and got my pro I'd be happy. Loved that theme and it was on his account. Poops.
@Kidfried The future is already here:
@BAMozzy "the system with a massive install base"
Thanks, saved me the trouble.
@Octane That gif needs to end with a dove flying out of the top, or the hands pulling a rabbit out of it.
I know it's real, but it does look like a magic trick.
It may be the biggest but I certainly do not think its the best. There are a number of other services I would take over this any day of the week.
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