Subscription services are a necessity when it comes to the console half of the gaming community. Xbox, Nintendo, and Playstation all thrive with their services which force players to pay to play online with their friends. Gamepass in particular has found its way on the top of the food chain for years with so much to offer at an affordable price. That was until now. Playstation seems to have possibly turned the tides by revamping PS Plus all together.
The Rise of Gamepass
When Gamepass originally launched in 2017, it seemed to be off to a small start with what seemed to be insane ambitions. However, over the years it gradually increased its benefits, as well as bundling other options with it. Eventually it became the king of services for players, especially with the launch of its PC version being only 10 USD and including the EA membership bundle. All three options are very affordable for members, given that at all of them include live, cloud storage, and free games. The most expensive membership is the console version with EA and cloud costing only 15 USD. The library is constantly cycling games out for players to try when the library starts to wear down, but maintains its iconic staples so players can always come back to it. There are hundreds of dollars worth in games to try, and if you want one thats not on the list it may very well be knocked down 50 percent off as a gamepass bonus. This was a steal on top of the four free games players got per month for being live members.
Playstation Plus: Then and Now
Playstation plus was a must to play live and possibly get some amazing games free, but sadly did not have as much to offer other than discounted games. The only additional add on was PS Now which gave you the option to stream retro games. It was an additional 9.99 USD on top of plus, and was available on PC. The PC version ran ok, but does not even recognize Dual Sense 5 controllers which forced players to keep or buy their old Dual Shock 4s. The good news is that Sony finally changed up their membership with three different tiers. The sad news is, its a bit costly still and PS Now no longer exists as a stand alone service. However, players will get up to 700 games across the three memberships and the EA membership depending on the tier.
Plus Essential
This is the same membership as the original with a 9.99 USD monthly cost. Players will be able to play live, use cloud storage, and get their free games and discounts every month. This is the bare minimum to be able to play online.
Plus Extra
This membership includes all of the Essential benefits, but adds 400 playable games to the library. These games can range from lesser known games to top hits from the PS3, PS4, and PS5 Era. The cost for this membership is 14.99 USD monthly.
Plus Premium
While keeping all of the other membership benefits, this tier contains benefits that rival gamepass. It also adds the EA membership, an addition 370 games between Playstation studios and third party titles. We even get to experience classics from the PSP and PS2 Era by adding in the PS Now membership in the cost. Time limited game trials are also included. The price for this membership 17.99 USD.
Gamepass or PS Premium/Extra?
While both options have merits, I have found flaws. Starting with Gamepass, there is so much content to be explored with all the free games players have access too. The PC version works great and integrates the achievements with Steam versions of games. The cost is way more affordable with no extra charge to play retro games back to the original Xbox. The only downside is that many of the games will be obviously more geared to players that love multiplayer games, but for the most part the library is solid. Players will see classics like Oblivion and Deus Ex as well as newer hits or play day 1s like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Starfield and Wo Long. Another big bonus is the mobile app version which also streams very well.
Playstation made a huge jump to catch up with Gamepass and I found myself very impressed as I dived into the library. There are so many options to download, and while a good chunk of the games seemed to be more indie or JRPG, I also found a lot of games that I didn’t expect to find. Stray was free which caught me off guard since I had planned to buy it on Steam, but also iconic titles like Demon Souls, Ghost of Tsushima, and Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus were free. Playstation exclusives are the one big advantage when it comes to choosing a console, especially since they take years to make their way to PC. This membership feels like a gamechanger, and would honestly have been on par with Gamepass if it were not more expensive. Don’t get me wrong, it’s only 2 dollars more than the console version for the Xbox membership, but as a PC player it’s a whole 7 dollars more. Console wise they both have merits, but the 15 USD mark seemed more reasonable. If the membership on my PS account had not auto changed to the Essential tier, I probably would have looked the other way and kept the base tier since I spend less time on my PS5.
The Future of Gaming
Membership tiers are constantly evolving and seem to be catering more to the players. While giving a ton of full price games free for players to explore, we can now experience new and old launches at more affordable prices. This is a great direction for companies to head towards and really shows that Microsoft and Sony are putting us players first. However, I do hope that a membership war will not ensue to the point that they start jacking up prices for the different tiers. I also forsee other companies headed this direction, or more companies merging like EA and Ubisoft.
Veteran gamer, tech nerd, comic addict, anime lover, and just your average introverted weeb.
