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Sony to stream PSOne and PS2 games?

Sony is rumoured to be launching a service to stream games from its old consoles.

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

Fans of retro games could well have good reason to celebrate. Sony is rumoured to be making available PSOne and PS2 games for streaming to its PS3 console, SlashGear reports. That's right, Driver and The Warriors could be about to become playable online.

The deal will most likely be a tie-in between Sony and one of the existing streaming services, most likely Gaikai, according to Geek. So it most probably won't be a Sony-branded service. But hey, as long as I get to play the classics, I'm not arguing.

The official announcement is expected at gamesfest E3 next week. Some gamers may find the idea a little strange, especially when faced with more modern titles offered online from OnLive and Gaikai, but retro fans will be thrilled.

When the PS3 originally shipped, it had the ability to play PSOne and PS2 games, but Sony later removed it to save on manufacturing costs.

Apparently it won't be a free service, so bad news if you already own the games you want to play. As well as Sony's own first-party games, it'll be available to publishers wanting to offer their third-party wares. And here's hoping they all sign up.

If true, it'll be a welcome move from Sony, especially considering its online offerings have been lacking compared to the Xbox 360's. It could pave the way for the service to be a launch feature of the PS4, too. If it does charge, hopefully Sony will listen to customers and put the kibosh on that. Especially considering the number of dodgy ROMs flying around cyberspace, letting you play old games on your Mac or PC for free. Not that we'd endorse doing so, of course.

Which PSOne and PS2 games would top your list? Let me know in the comments, or over on our Facebook page.