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Sony’s PlayStation TV box doesn’t support Sony’s own new streaming service

How could they let this happen?

 

Imad Khan

Streaming

Posted on Mar 20, 2015   Updated on May 29, 2021, 6:34 am CDT

The PlayStation TV is the odd stepchild that never gets enough attention from Sony. The set-top box has potential, but it needs to be nurtured, not just thrown out into the world to be mocked.

The latest example of PlayStation TV neglect surfaced after Sony launched a new cord-cutting TV service for the PlayStation 3 and PS4 called PlayStation Vue. Sony is currently testing the new service in New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

For $50 a month, Vue offers about 50 different channels, including networks like CBS, NBC, and Fox. Sadly ABC isn’t part of the deal, so ESPN and Disney channels are nowhere to be found.

But the strangest part of the Vue launch is that the PlayStation TV, which is mainly used to stream PS4 content and play PS Vita games, does not support the new streaming service. This is only the latest blunder from Sony in its handling of the PS Vita and PlayStation TV line.

Both devices have received little marketing or fanfare, and as a result they’ve been relegated to a novelty product, something for only the most hardcore of Sony gamers. Sony has struggled to position the Vita as a superior alternative to the Nintendo 3DS, partly because of the bad press it received for using proprietary memory instead of the more common SD card. At launch, a 32GB PS Vita memory card set gamers back $120. An equivalent MicroSD card cost between $30 and $50 at the time.

Perhaps enough negative press attention would convince Sony to add PlayStation Vue to its lineup of PS hardware.

H/T The Verge | Screengrab via GamesHQMedia/YouTube

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*First Published: Mar 20, 2015, 8:07 am CDT