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PlayStation TV to cross pond, make way to US, Canada for $99

The device allows gamers to connect it to their home network and play PlayStation 4 on another television in the home.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read

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The Sony set-top box that allowed gamers to play PlayStation Vita games on their televisions and launched last year in Japan is heading to North America.

That device, formerly known as the PlayStation Vita TV and now known as the PlayStation TV, is headed to the US and Canada later this year, Sony announced at its E3 press conference on Monday.

The PlayStation TV, which was announced as the PlayStation Vita TV last September and was available in Japan, will ship later this year for $99. The device allows gamers to connect it to another television in their homes and play PlayStation 4 games on that other television, even though their console is connected to another set. The PlayStation TV is essentially a game-streamer that allows players to be wherever they'd like to play a particular title.

According to Sony, the PlayStation TV will also play most PlayStation Vita games, bridging the gap between its portable gaming device and the television. The hardware also works with older games that were previously available on elder PlayStation models. In total, over 1,000 games will be available to play at launch.

At $99 -- or $139 for customers who want to buy a bundle with a PlayStation 3 controller, among other features -- the set-top box will be pitted against other popular in-home hardware devices, including the Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. The core focus of the PlayStation TV will be gaming, but it's also expected to allow users to stream video entertainment content from services like Hulu and others.

Sony didn't say when its PlayStation TV will hit store shelves, but expect sometime later this year.

Check out CNET's full Sony E3 press conference coverage here.

Sony PlayStation takes center stage at E3 2014 (pictures)

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