After months of speculation and leaks, Sony has unveiled its revamped game subscription service.
Sony will bring together PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now for an all-new PlayStation Plus subscription service available in three membership tiers.
Here’s a quick break down:
PlayStation Plus Essential gives subscribers the same benefits PlayStation Plus members are currently getting, including two monthly downloadable games, exclusive discounts and online multiplayer access.
If you’re a PlayStation Plus member, you will automatically be slotted into this tier.
Prices for PlayStation Plus Essential go up to US$9.99 a month but will vary depending on the region you live in.
For example, if you’re in Singapore, it will cost you about US$6.50 a month.
PlayStation Plus Extra gives you all the benefits from the Essential tier, plus a catalogue of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. Games can be downloaded as well.
If you’re in the US, you’ll be paying about US$14.99 a month for this tier, but if you’re in Asia expect to pay a little less than that.
In Singapore, this tier will set you back US$10.30 a month.
PlayStation Plus Premium has all the benefits from the previous two tiers plus over 200 extra games. Subscribers will also be able to play PS3 games via cloud streaming (not downloads, unfortunately), while access to PS1, PS2 and PSP games are available via cloud streaming and downloads.
The catch? You have to live where PlayStation Now is available: that’ll be the US, Canada, Japan, and most of the European Union.
Prices start from US$17.99 a month or US$119.99 a year.
BUT if you’re in Asia (ie: markets without access to PlayStation’s cloud streaming), you will instead have access to the PlayStation Plus Deluxe. Subscribers will be able to access a catalogue of classic games from the PS1, PS2 and PSP generations to download them and play.
As usual, the pricing will vary depending on the market. If you’re in Singapore, expect to pay about US$11.80 a month or US$77 a year.
Sony is working to include popular games like Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding and God of War at launch.
Playstation Plus offerings will be rolled out in phases with the Asia market first, in June.
Sony says most of its Playstation Network territories will likely have access to the new subscription tiers by the end of the first half of this year.
The company said there are plans to expand its cloud streaming benefits to more markets, so hopefully they’re looking at Asia for this.
To be honest, I’m just disappointed they continued to go with the name PlayStation Plus and not PlayStation Spartacus.
*Featured image from PlayStation
By Samantha Chan \ 16:00, 5 April 2022