Game News New PS Plus: A killer Game Pass? Our verdict on the PlayStation offer!
After months of waiting, it’s here! On June 23, Sony inaugurates in Europe the new version of its PlayStation Plus. Exit the good old PS Plus and PS Now and make way for Essential, Extra and Premium offers, on PS4 like PS5. Wondering what it’s worth? We screened the Japanese manufacturer’s Game Pass-killer. Here is our opinion right away!
Here we are, the one called “Spartacus Project” enters the arena! Under this name hides a new version of PlayStation Plus, the subscription service on PS4 | PS5. Since this Thursday, June 23, everywhere in Europe, the PS Now and the classic PS Plus disappear in favor ofa three-tier offer. The first, “PS Plus Essential”, gives the same advantages as good old PlayStation Plus (online play, save in the cloud, games included every month). The second, “Extra”, also benefits from a catalog of around 400 PS4 titles | PS5. While the third, “Premium”, adds on top of retro software (PSP, PS1, PS2, PSP), the reading of a selection of software remotely thanks to streaming and – icing on the cake – demos to test a handful of triple-As. For more information, you will find the prices below. Is the price worth it?
| PlayStation Plus offer | Price 1 month | Price 3 months | Price 12 months |
| Essential | €8.99 | €24.99 (€8.33/month) | €59.99 (about €5/month) |
| in addition | €13.99 | €39.99 (€13.33/month) | €99.99 (about €8/month) |
| Prime | €16.99 | €49.99 (about €16/month) | €119.99 (about €10/month) |
“Work in progress”
Come on, let’s get our hands dirty. On PS5, the new version of PlayStation Plus directly replaces the page dedicated to the old formula by subscription on the home screen (on PS4, it is now a separate application). It is therefore up to you to enjoy the tabs and sub-menus to access what is due to you according to your offer. This is a first point: the application of the new PlayStation Plus is not very ergonomicand there are some display awkwardness. On next-gen, for example, the first menu drops you into the 400 PS4 games | PS5 (included in PS Plus Extra / Premium) without the possibility of sorting them by platform or streaming compatibility. It’s even more restrictive in the second tab dedicated to retro titles, the “classics”. On PS5, we are initially perplexed when we see appearing, at the top of the list, the PS4 redesigns of The Last of Us and Uncharted. Know that there is, further down from the main page, a submenu where the PSP, PS1 and PS2 games are well arranged. So there is a lot of progress to be made!
A complete offer?
By the way, is the account there? Last March, on its blog, Sony announced around 700 apps for its new PlayStation Plus. And according to our calculations, the account is good! In the Games tab, we have listed 740 titles. There seem to be around 400 on the PS4 catalog | PS5 and just over 300 in the retro department. And that’s not all. As explained by the Japanese company, updates will gradually enrich the PlayStation Plus offer. And as it stands, there is already plenty to do. It was acquired: Sony has made a noticeable effort when it comes to big games and in particular exclusives present on the PS4 PS5 list. Beyond Spider-Man Miles Morales or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which are already two years old, we are very happy to see recent releases like Returnal, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut and Death Stranding Director’s Cut. An enthusiasm that we share a little less for the retro catalog, which for the moment still lacks big names PlayStation (Tomb Raider, Wipeout, Metal Gear).
> PlayStation Plus: All the games available for its launch in Europe
Retro and streaming
Yes, there are a lot of games, but you still have to discover them in good conditions! Of course, all PlayStation Plus titles can be downloaded (except those on PS3), which guarantees an optimal experience. Besides, for PS1 and PS2 software in 3D, we notice a rendering worthy of a remastervery clean and smooth. Get ready to rediscover Toy Story 2 or Tekken 2. A very good point. Note that the oldest software also benefit from a special menu to save at any time and rewind the action. But many games can also be tried in streaming (except the PS5 versions). As usual, if your internet connection holds up, you’ll be entitled to Full HD between 30 and 60 frames per second. Whether on PS4 or PS5, we had an equivalent experience from our premises. In the most ambitious 3D titles, we often notice artifacts in the background. Other than that, the result holds up and remains really playable, even in the fastest experiments (Doom). We only encountered quite a bit of lag in one game on Wreckfest.
Toy Story 2 – What does it look like on PS4 and PS5? (Gameplay)
The famous demos
We end with a very important point: the famous PS Plus Premium demos. As it stands, with the final level of the subscription offer, you can try 15 titles: Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077, Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection… Note that these are not just the biggest blockbusters. We note for example the presence of Farming Simulator 2022, Lego City Undercover, Elex II. Above all, it is not possible to play the same number of hours at each. It will be 5 hours for the adventures of Aloy, 2 hours for those of Nathan Drake or one hour for OlliOlliWorld. The trial window seems to adapt according to the genre and the time needed for a first opinion.
Another good point, the weight of the demo does not correspond to that of the complete software. For Cyberpunk, we uploaded 55GB (vs. 166GB) and 68GB vs. 89GB in Uncharted. For the trial period itself, the timer runs when you launch a title and also runs in the pause menus (but not on the home screen when a software is open). It is also possible to leave the game and then come back to it later: Sony then indicates the time remaining at startup. The firm finally specifies that “all purchases made during the trial period will be accessible in the full game”. We imagine that this also applies to the backups recorded during the demo.
Demos available in PS Plus (PS5)
To conclude :
With this new PlayStation Plus, Sony is taking an encouraging first step to walk on the flowerbeds of Game Pass. Admittedly, the PS4 and PS5 application lacks ergonomics, but this is something that will inevitably improve in the future. Yes, the exclusives are not included from the first day of release but the catalog includes big blockbusters and trial versions of some triple-A (and not only PlayStation). Even retro games have been visually enhanced! In short, all the ingredients are there. Perhaps not to make a Game Pass-killer, but rather to give even more readability and strength to the PS4 / PS5 offer. And it’s already very good like that.
About the new PlayStation Plus:
What is PlayStation Plus?
The PlayStation Plus is the subscription formula of the PS4 and PS5. Through different offers, you can enjoy hundreds of PlayStation titles, a list of retro games ranging from PS1 to PS3, and even streaming playback, depending on your subscription level.
What are the 3 PS Plus offers?
The PlayStation Plus consists of three levels: Essential (€8.99 / month), Extra (€13.99 / month) and Premium (€16.99 / month). The first offers the same advantages as the old PS Plus (online play, save in the cloud, games included each month, exclusive reductions via PlayStation Store). The second also benefits from a catalog of around 400 PS4 titles | PS5. And the third adds on top of retro software (PSP, PS1, PS2, PSP), the reading of a selection of games remotely thanks to streaming and – this is important – demos to test a handful of blockbusters.
Who can benefit from free games from PlayStation Plus?
Depending on your subscription, you will not have access to the same games. With the PlayStation Plus Essential, you are entitled to the PS Plus Collection (only on PS5) and to the titles offered each month. With the Extra, you have access to a PS4 catalog | PS5 of around 400 apps. And with Premium, you get nearly 340 retro games, streaming PS3 titles and demos.
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