After getting off to a slow start, Sony’s PlayStation Vita handheld has become a key part of its video-gaming portfolio. The company’s PlayStation Plus free games for September 2014, for example, include four PS Vita games for paying PS Plus members, the latest example of the handheld playing a big role in Sony’s gaming strategy.
Then along comes a curveball nobody saw coming, a tidbit that makes one wonder whether the PS Vita will always have such a stout role. The news: the new Sony Xperia Z3 phone can stream PS4 games.
Until now, streaming PS4 games was exclusively the purview of the PS Vita and select Sony Bravia televisions.
The Sony Xperia Z3 streaming PS4 games isn’t done as seamlessly as it is through the PS Vita. It’s quite a bit clunkier, to be frank, and it’s not generally something you’ll do outside the living room.
PS4 owners who also have one of the new Sony Xperia Z3 phones will be able to attach the phone to an existing PS4 controller using a special mount. It’s not unlike the Moga mobile gaming system, in a sense (read our review). You can see a photo of the contraption here.
After attaching the Sony Xperia Z3 phone to the PS4 controller, gamers will then be able to stream PS4 games directly to their phone while relying on the PS4 console’s processing power to actually run the games.
The streaming functionality will also be available on the Z3 Compact and Z3 Tablet Compact. All three devices will use WiFi to connect to the PS4.
When unveiling the functionality, Calum MacDougall, head of Xperia marketing, told the BBC “Our promise to the consumer has been to bring the best of Sony – all our consumer electronics experience – into a smartphone.”
We were wondering how Sony would pull off that vision after they announced their decision to stop supporting PlayStation Mobile for Android. Apparently creating complementary technology like this that enables the Sony Xperia Z3 phone to stream PS4 games via odd mounts is their vision.
I’m not sold on it, myself. What about you? Do you think the Sony Xperia Z3 connections will take off or flop? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
