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PS4 will stream PS3 games via Gaikai, WSJ says

Sony's next-gen console will pipe PS3 titles through the Internet ready for playing, according to a rumour.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

There are just days to go now until Sony unveils the PS4, and here's a fresh rumour to toss onto the pyre: you'll be able to stream PS3 titles to the next-generation console, if a report in the Wall Street Journal is to be believed.

Last year Sony bought games streaming service Gaikai and is rumoured to be putting the streaming tech to use in its new console. Apparently it won't be streaming new games though -- they'll still come on discs. (We'll have to wait and see if any high street shops still exist to buy them from though.)

Why has it chosen not to stream new titles? Nintendo recently opened its eShop, which lets you download games straight to your 3DS, and with broadband speeds on the up, surely piping games to the home is the future? One issue is the resolution -- Gaikai and its rival OnLive have maxed out at 720p, and even that requires a pretty speedy connection. Sony will want games to look their best, and won't fancy risking excluding some of its audience.

Gaikai has only streamed PC titles as well, so console games will be a step on for the service.

Previous PlayStations have been backwards compatible, but the PS4 is expected to use AMD x86 chips, which wouldn't play nice with earlier Sony consoles. That's where the streaming comes in.

Sony could also expand the service, streaming games to the PS Vita and PS3.

The PS4 controller is expected to get a makeover too, with rumours saying it'll feature a touchpad in the place of the Start, Select and PlayStation buttons. It could even feature Siri-style voice control, according to one rumour.

PlayStation, fetch me PS3 classics over the Internet!

Sony is holding an event on Wednesday, which is widely tipped to be the launch of the PS4. We'll be on hand to bring you all the news as it happens, so stay tuned. What do you want to see from Sony's next console? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.