Samsung smart TVs will have access to the PlayStation Now game streaming service in the first half of next year.
Sony and Samsung are teaming up to offer gamers a festive treat: PlayStation games without a PlayStation on Samsung smart TVs.
Samsung's Internet-connected TVs in the US and Canada will be able to access the PlayStation Now service in the first half of next year.
PlayStation Now enables you to stream games from the Web straight to the TV without needing a PlayStation console. You do need a Sony Dualshock controller, but once that's plugged in all you have to do is fire up an app on the TV and you can choose from over 200 PS3 games to start playing immediately.
Games are streamed from the cloud so there's no need for downloads. You can play games online against friends, and save your progress in the cloud ready to pick up next time where you left off. Streaming does mean lag could be an issue, however, so you'll have to make sure your Internet connection is fast enough to do the game justice.
No exact date has yet been offered for the new service. And neither company has responded yet to a request for more information on whether the service will be available outside of the US and Canada.
E-sports attract huge crowds - but can it become and Olympic sport?
Competitive video gaming -
known as e-sports - should be included in the Olympic Games, the
creator of World of Warcraft has told the BBC.
Rob Pardo, who until July was chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment, said "sport" now had a broad definition.
"Video games are well positioned to be a spectator sport," he told Afternoon Edition on BBC 5live.
Professional e-sports events currently attract audiences of millions.
A recent major final held in Seoul, South Korea, filled a
stadium of 40,000 people - with many more watching either online or at
meet-ups around the world.
"There's a very good argument for e-sports being in the
Olympics," said Mr Pardo, who was also lead designer on Starcraft: Brood
War, a game often credited with kickstarting the e-sports phenomenon.
Millions watch the most popular games, both at stadium sized events and online."I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it's a very
competitive skillset and you look at these professional gamers and the
reflexes are lightning quick and they're having to make very quick
decisions on the fly."When you look at their 'actions per minute', they're clearing over 300."
However, he conceded that video gaming faced a cultural battle to win over those who followed more physical sports.
"That starts getting into how you define sport," he said.
"If you want to define sport as something that takes a lot of
physical exertion, then it's hard to argue that video games should be a
sport, but at the same time, when I'm looking at things that are
already in the Olympics, I start questioning the definition."
'Mind sport'
Having new sports admitted into the Olympic roster is a
long-winded process and, since the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
capped the number of sports allowed in the Games, has become
increasingly difficult.
Even if e-sports were to be recognised as an Olympic sport,
that does not mean they would be included in the Games - it merely means
a case can be presented to the IOC.
Take chess, for instance. Supporters of the game have long called for its inclusion the Games, but the IOC has been reluctant, considering it a "mind sport" and therefore not welcome in the Games.
Video games face the same hurdle, but have done their best to at least act like a sport, by adding measures such as an anti-doping programme.
Mr Pardo argues that e-sports could be visually appealing to a broad audience.
"You can do whatever you want with the graphics, you can make it be really exciting and competitive," he said.
Thousands turned up for the League of Legends World Championship in Seoul.
PlayStation Now enables you to stream games from the Web straight to the TV without needing a PlayStation console. You do need a Sony Dualshock controller, but once that's plugged in all you have to do is fire up an app on the TV and you can choose from over 200 PS3 games to start playing immediately.
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