Every PlayStation 4 Game to be Downloadable

After officially announcing the PlayStation 4 in New York on 20 February, Sony has confirmed that every game on the console will be available in downloadable form from the PlayStation Store.

Speaking to The Guardian, Sony Worldwide President Shuhei Yoshida said: "We're shifting our platform more and more to the digital side...PS4 will be similar to PS Vita in that every game will be available as a digital download, and some will also be available as a disc."

Streaming has been touted as a major focus for Sony's next console. In 2012, the company purchased content streaming provider Gaikai for $380m (£250m) and will use it to offer quicker and more seamless digital downloads on the PlayStation 4. At the official announcement of the PS4, Gaikai founder David Perry explained how users would be able to download games incrementally, so that they could play the first level instantly while the rest of the game downloaded in the background. It will also be possible, Perry explained, to stream small games or demos straight away without any downloading whatsoever.

Yoshida explained that Sony's focus on streaming with the PlayStation 4 could lead to a Spotify-like subscription service whereby users pay a monthly fee to access limited or unlimited numbers of games:

"Because of the flexibility of the digital distribution scheme, we can have more small games that might be free or available for a couple of dollars, or different services like free-to-play or subscription models. As more and more services and contents become available digitally, we'll have more of an option to create attractive packages.

"So hypothetically we can look at different models - like a cable TV company. We could have gold, silver or platinum levels of membership, something like that. We can do subscription services when we have more content - especially now that we have the Gaikai technology available. With one subscription you have access to thousands of games - that's our dream"