“PlayStation Vue” offers convenient and affordable television service

PlayStation just launched a new service that could change the way we “Vue” television.

“PlayStation Vue” launched to select markets in places like New York and Chicago in 2015.

On March 14, it went nationwide with a few minor tweaks.

The major markets still have more features than the one that was launched nationwide, but PlayStation makes up for that by slashing the price by $10 for each package.

With the cost of cable and satellite up 9% since 2010, it might be time to switch to something more cost-effective. Currently, the average cable or satellite bill in America is $99 and the most expensive package from Vue comes in at $45. PlayStation is looking to break the monopoly that allows companies to raise their prices.

Let's look at the good and the bad of PlayStation Vue.

The Good:

Cost: For the price, you can't beat PlayStation Vue. At $45 a month, you get the elite package, which I will explain soon. If you just want the access package - which includes over 55 channels - it's an even better deal at $30 a month. At $45 vs. $99 with (almost) all the same channels, Vue is arguably changing the game by offering service at such a low rate.

Live sports/news: One thing that has kept my family from switching to a streaming service is the fear of losing out on live sports. As a sports fanatic, I personally loved the amount of options that the Vue provides. I watched a couple of the NCAA tournament games on the Vue. CNN is also one of my favorite news channels. Another benefit is that no other streaming service is offered without a subscription to a cable company. With the addition of live sports and news, it allows viewers to get the same experience as cable.

DVR: The ability to record shows is the biggest plus for me. My family and me almost never watches things on the first runthrough. With our busy lives, we constantly record our favorite shows to watch later. Until now, you could only get this feature through your cable or satellite provider. The Vue changes all of that. You can record and save shows up to 28 days after they air.

The Interface: While confusing at first, I found myself enjoying how the Vue was set up. It allows you to select your favorite shows and it automatically records them. The guide is listed side-to-side in alphabetical order instead of vertically by channel number. This made it easier to navigate in my opinion. The explore feature allows you to see the most popular shows with on-demand versions. I was able to catch up on all my favorite shows when nothing on live tv appealed to me.

Other good features: You can stream on up to five devices at once. This allows me to watch the Vue on my phone while my parents watch tv. It doesn't just lock me into watching one thing at a time, which is a feature that costs extra with a cable company. One last feature is the fact that the subscription is set up in the way Netflix and Hulu are. Customers pay for the service on a set day of the month and there are no taxes. It's the one set number and you can cancel it at anytime - you're not locked into a contract like with some other companies.

The Bad:

Internet: If your internet is slow, then you are going to have a bad time. The buffering times can take forever or cause the stream to be blurry. This is probably one of the biggest drawbacks to the streaming service, but if your internet is good, the Vue will work well.

No local channels: This is the only thing that is holding my family back from cutting the cable cord for good. After the free trial, I debated long and hard with my mom over which way we should go. At the end of the day, it's hard to switch to a service without local channels. Missing out on the nightly news as well as live sports on Fox and CBS was the deal breaker at this point. With a service that is almost perfect in every other way, it really only falls short here. However, I see a bright future ahead, as the bigger test markets that I mentioned earlier do include local channels. Of course, that comes at a cost — almost $10 more per package. Still, once the full packages are released nationwide, the Vue will be hands-down the best option for the price.

The Weather Channel: Despite having every other major channel, the Vue lacks the weather channel. I was really confused as to why. Again, this is probably a more personal preference, and I may be one of the few people who enjoy watching this channel. However, this is a really odd thing to leave out considering the lack of local channels, because viewers may miss out on weather altogether.

Owning a certain device to use: You must have a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 or an Amazon Fire TV stick in order to get a subscription to PlayStation Vue. Once you have the program, however, you can access the Vue on a number of devices including iPad, iPhone and Google Chromecast.

Bottom line: For a college kid who already pays for the cable I get in my residence hall, I can't really see myself shelling out the extra cash for this service. However, once I am back at home, there is a good chance that the Vue will be waiting for me. Despite the lack of local channels as well as a couple more that I enjoy, I find that this value is hard to pass up. If you're in the market for a new TV service or just want to cut out that cable bill, then the Vue is probably the way to go.