While many regarded the launch of PlayStation Now—recently shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas—as one of the biggest events in gaming so far this year, a bit of post-exuberance hangover is starting to slip in as one of the key details emerged about the game streaming service. Indeed, the PlayStation Now system is set to work with a variety of devices, from televisions to tablets to—of course—the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, the control scheme is going to be substantially more limited, and will require a DualShock controller to get in on the action.

More specifically, Sony notes that those accessing PlayStation Now on a PlayStation 4 will be just fine with the DualShock 4, and the PlayStation Vita will be able to operate as normal as well. The DualShock 3, meanwhile, will be required most everywhere else, including on the Bravia televisions, the tablets, and the smartphones that will eventually play host to the mass of streaming game content.

On a certain level, the development makes sense, especially as described by PlayStation's vice president of marketing John Koller. Koller notes that Sony wanted to “continue the experiences as they were meant to be played on the controller.” That basically means that, picking up a game on PlayStation Now would feel just the same as if it were being played on the original system. There's no difference in controls, no new scheme to learn. That's got a lot of value, especially for long-term gamers who even have just a bit of muscle memory involved in reaching for this button to do that function, and so on.

However, it's the kind of development that comes at a bit of a price. In requiring the controller to be used, it throws a bit of a monkey wrench into mobile gaming. Unless a Vita is involved, that is, and that may well be the ultimate purpose here. For instance, those who were planning to game on a smartphone or a tablet will now have to not only carry the mobile device in question, but also the controller. It's not even necessary that such a step be put in place; it's been noted that “Beyond: Two Souls” has an app that allows the entire game to be played from a smartphone. So why would this be an issue?

The idea of keeping the controls standard makes some sense. It makes for less to do in terms of porting the games, especially with not needing to revamp games for touchscreen controls and the like and preserves the original experience. But there may be another facet of the operation at work here, particularly the PlayStation Vita. It does stand to reason that Sony may not be terribly interested in offering a way for users to enjoy PlayStation titles on mobile devices that aren't the Vita. After all, why buy a Vita when users can play the same games on a currently owned mobile device? Sure, there's an advantage in opening up the field—maybe some who wouldn't buy a Sony Bravia television would with the availability of PS3 games on top of it—but there's the danger that Sony may well cannibalize Vita demand by offering up PlayStation Now on other mobile devices.

That's strictly speculative, of course, and there are plenty of other explanations at work here. But still, it's a decision that's quite worth watching to see how it impacts the overall use of PlayStation Now and the accompanying purchases of related Sony hardware.