PlayStation Now is coming to the PlayStation 3. That means it's time to start streaming PlayStation 4 games.
Sony's intrepid stab at streaming videogames across the interwebs works pretty well as a proof of concept; firing games over the infobahn to compatible PlayStation consoles at roughly the speed of changing TV channels. And since PlayStation 4 doesn't natively run PlayStation 3 software, the service has become a method of delivering ersatz backward compatibility---if only of the sort you have to pay a $20 monthly fee for.
But it’s also a reminder of what PlayStation Now is not: a games catalog with its flag planted squarely in the present.
PS Now's library is only made up of last generation's games, but that choice is arbitrary. Now that Sony is about to roll out the streaming service on to PlayStation 3, in a bizarre PS3-on-PS3 feedback loop, the next step should be obvious: You should be able to stream PlayStation 4 games on your PS3, without having to actually upgrade the hardware.
Game streaming's still finding its legs, grappling with quirks like squirrelly visuals when broadband connections hit bumps or potholes. But one of its virtues is that it's an equal opportunity provider, capable of operating agnostically on minimalist hardware.
