Sony is planning to combine PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now to create a new PlayStation subscription service that can compete with Xbox Game Pass, according to a fresh report from Bloomberg. Citing trusted sources and leaked documents, the report states that this service is set to launch around Spring 2022, and could also result in Sony phasing out PS Now as its own thing.
The service is apparently codenamed 'Spartacus', and the gist is that by slapping PS Plus and PS Now together, subscribers will have access to a huge catalogue of games. Again, it all sounds very similar to Microsoft's massively popular Game Pass model.
The report doesn't stop there, however. It also claims that this new service is currently set to be split into three tiers. The first includes the existing PS Plus subscription — that's access to online multiplayer, cloud saves, and the monthly games. The second tier adds a large selection of PS4 games — with PS5 games being added down the line. And finally, the third tier throws in "extended" demos and game streaming, along with access to PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. Wowzer.
We've said for years that Sony should consider combining PS Plus and PS Now into one service — especially since PS Plus has always been much more popular. And now, it sounds like it's finally happening.
If this thing really is launching within the next few months, then we should be getting official confirmation soon.
[source bloomberg.com]
Comments 165
FINALLY! They took their time...
And they need to have more games on release date to be able to compete!
I assume those Classic Games would be Emulated since its a differenr Tier than PS Now? I believe it when I see PS3 Games actually running on PS5 lol
For the right price I'd sign up for that third tier. Not sure I believe this is happening, though.
I am Spartacus
Thata great news, I just hope the price doesn't go up...
I'm Spartacus
Hoping Vita games get added as well. So far, if this is true, then Im glad that Sony is taking notes from Microsoft for once.
This is exactly what I was hoping they would do.
The only thing missing is an anime option, which hopefully they'll add once that Crunchyroll deal with Game Pass ends. Merge CR and Funimation, and toss it all in to this please.
Finally! Sounds great if true.
Why have they got to complicate things with the 3 tier system? GamePass is simple, and all the better for it.
It was bound to happen. But where's the catch? It's Sony, so there has to be one. Only releasing in a few select countries? Content varies per region (like Netflix)?
Also phasing out Now is a really good call seeing as its not even available everywhere.
And while we are at it, can't they add Crunchyroll/Wakanim/Funimation into the sub as well?
HUGE if true!
I would actually be interested nin this so I hope it happens
@Icey664 of course it will. You don’t expect to get access to all those PS Now games at no extra cost?
Only issue I would have is the possible pricing of this. Personally I find the gamepass too expensive, and Sony is not one known for decent pricing as of late.
I need something more concrete before I get my hopes up but it would be a very smart move, I would have liked to have a tier that just includes online access without the Plus games but I'll take anything at this point that increases the value even a bit.
Wow, that sounds really bonkers, tier 3 sounds amazing. Hopefully they learn their lesson by Nintendo to not give it an overpriced tag
Great and while you're at it can you just reset your ONLINE Multiplayer to FREE like it used to be if you actually want to compete.
What a genius idea why hasn't anyone else thought of this....
Sounds good. I wish we could download the classic games instead of just stream them but I'm sure the PS4 and PS5 cannot play PS3/PS2/PS1 natively. If they could this would be something more.
When a whole year of game pass costs less than three Sony PS5 games and let’s you play all the new Xbox games and 100+ other games including Sonys own MLB game the day it comes out something has to be done as being a PS5 gamer is drastically more expensive than being a gamepass gamer. I get that gamepass is a rental service but most games you play it once and you’re done so I’m all for it.
Good job getting this article up quickly I appreciate y'all work.
@rawzeku They probably will, but Crunchyroll have a deal with MS on GamePass at the moment.
Once that's done Sony will probably merge it with Funimation and put it all on this.
Classic games tier has me very excited. Though so did PS2 on PS4 and that didn't really catch on. Still excited for now though
No, I'm Spartacus!
Tier 3 for me.
Finally. Dont shaft Vita in tier 3 please Sony
I would defo be in for tier 3 though. Sounds brilliant (cost dependent)
I'd recommend no half way house though. Get rid of tier 2 to avoid over complication and keep tier 1 as the current plus service, and then make tier 2 the catch all service
I'm on board for that. I'm sure it'll be called PS Max, but if it were up to me, I'd call it PS Plus Ultra.
This is good news for sure. However, the report doesn't mention availability. It doesn''t surprise me, as American outlets have a habit of forgetting there's a world outside of North America, but I'd like a confirmation that most of the world (including half of Europe) isn't getting left behind.
Hope this is true, the thing that would seal it for me though is the ability to download ALL games and not just PS4 and 5 games
I have pretty decent internet connection at home but still struggle with lagging when streaming the PS3 and PS2 games
Finally. Not bothered about streaming, but hopefully the third tier does involve emulations of PS1,2 (and maybe 3?) games with trophy support! Even if it only gives a game or two a month of those. Ideally with the ability to vote certain titles in.
Rumor is that the older games would still be streaming only. For me that’s a hard pass, streaming still isn’t up to snuff even on GamePass. What makes GP work is that every game can be downloaded.
Removed - unconstructive feedback
'' It doesn''t surprise me, as American outlets have a habit of forgetting there's a world outside of North America''
Hey , thats not true , were into news about latin america and south america too .
I’ll believe it when I see it. And given the speed Sony move, you can probably add a year or two to what you are suggesting and it will probably be over priced.
It's important to get this right but it sounds pretty good. Library and price will be all important
And also how are they going to cope with people who already have long subscriptions to both?
If this is suppose to be a "competitor" it is poorly conceived as Gamepass offers all 1st party games day one and they(MS) offer some 3rd party games day one. I really hope Jim and Hermen didn't sit up in a room and discuss among themselves that this is the thing they need to do to counter Gamepass.
Awesome and totally believable. Sony said they’d have an answer to Gamepass and this is it. Wish it was sooner than Spring but sure I’ll manage the first quarter of 2022 because of the Feb line up alone.
Ps1 and 2 as well? God that would be awesome.
Third tier could be compelling or a complete waste. For me, it mostly depends on whether the games are natively playable on the hardware or not. I'd happily pay a premium for access to the PS1/PS2 Classics line if I could download them.
In terms of modern games, it won't be up to snuff with GamePass unless it gives you access to Sony's first-party releases on PS5, though, which we all know they aren't going to do.
Still, better than that pathetic plan to bundle Crunchyroll with PS+ or whatever, lol.
@Robinsad there will probably be an upgrade option available for those.
@-Sigma- they don't have to do the same or better than gamepass to be able to compete. They're already winning. Steam doesn't need to do much to compete with Epic store.
Assuming reasonable pricing, I would signup for this.
This is Sony. If they are not down and beaten they will not do anything they don't have to (MS is no different), so no, I am not holding my hopes too high, especially I am not hoping that we will see Sony's first party games day 1 on such a service.
Remeber, GamePass is not profitable yet (it is sustainable, as MS says) and Sony is not ready to dump their profits just for some chance to play a second fiddle.
This would be pretty cool if combining both would mean a bundled discount. I definitely think they should keep the PS plus subscription because I have little interest in a yearly game pass type service unless it really delivers, that is where Microsoft disappointed me, you can't pay just 60 bucks for the yearly gold anymore.
If the news is coming out of Bloomberg that means the new service will only be available on the Nintendo Switch Pro.
@Cikajovazmaj cca. $13 or €13 a month sound reasonable? That's how much their competitors are charging.
Sadly I expect the pricing will be high
Could be intresting
This is great news. Game Pass was extremely appealing and influential in my re-entering the Xbox ecosystem. Microsoft upped the game; and now Sony can counter. Competition is great for us consumers.👍
Meh. This doesn't excite me in the slightest.
If I was that bothered about a Game Pass model, I'd have bought an Xbox!
@mus422 I would expect it to be on-par with Game Pass pricing. If Game Pass Ultimate is $15/mo., I could see Sony going as high as $20 for their highest tier — Their library (size) far exceeds Xbox's.
Doesn't interest me either. I don't want to rent my games. Sometimes I play a game 1-2 years after I buy it.
But that's just me, maybe I am a minority. Also I have over 130 PS4 and 20 PS5 physical games.
I would take free multiplayer, though.
Finally! I'll be even more excited if they can bolster their ps3 lineup, with Tools of Destruction and Resistance 2 in particular.
Already subscribe to both, so I'm in.
Just call it PLAY.
Don't get your hopes high for non streaming of PS3 games guys. I already see many here excited. Pretty sure they will be disapointed.
This plus that patent of the PlayStation controller you can put on your phone… has me HYPPPPPPEED. Finally Sony, FINALLY!
Backbone for my mobile and Xbox Game Pass games
That patented PlayStation mobile controller (if become real) for PlayStation games!
In order for this to be a win for Sony, tier 3 needs to be $9.99 a month.
I really like how you can cancel PS Plus and when you reinstate it all of your previous Plus downloads/catalog stays intact. I'm really excited for this since Plus has been a great value for years with their free games.
I'm already excited!! Tier 3 for me. I just hope the mention of PSP also includes the Vita
Oh noez, does that mean we won't get free demos of iffy online games in exchange for money anymore?
Seriously, this has been a long time coming, and I'm amazed it's taken them so long, though I do worry exactly what shape it will take and how the value will line up. And the monetization gets a little tricky given that Plus is required for cloud saves whereas MS doesn't require subscriptions for cloud saves, so they can be more aggressive in what they offer and charge. Locking cloud save behind $60 a year kinda sucks, but it sucks more if the tiers are set up so that now you need to pay $120 a year for cloud saves. But they could also open that up if they do this.
Pricing matters a lot in this, so if the first tier really is just Plus at a new price, it's actually worse. The top tier sounds like it's really where the incentive is, and what includes the part that Now was originally meant for, PS3, but with that kitchen sink model and Sony's tendency on prices recently, I'm worried that the price will be an NSO+ situation again where the fee is outrageously out of step with what's offered. If it's going to compete with Game Pass, it also needs to represent value like Game Pass. If it's a good price it could surpass Game Pass value. If it's a bad price it could look like a joke. If it's a moderate price the differentiation will be more "stuff" than Game Pass while Game Pass has all the new exclusives day and date. Sounds interesting, and I'm excited, but it could go from exciting to laughable hinging entirely on the price. Who here trusts Jimbo and friends to price things attractively?
On the extreme other hand, if we could trust Bloomberg reports on games at all, I'd be playing my Switch Pro right now....
@LuisCruz13 "Hoping Vita games get added as well. "
(In Siri voice) I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. Did you mean "WiiU games"?
@bimboliquido it's gonna be expensive (close to £100 imo) Def won't be cheap, at least I can still play PS3 PS2 ps1 games locally! I don't need all of this top tier stuff, I'll stick to the standard ps+ deal
I need more details before I'd get too excited about this. I subscribe and un-subscribe to Game Pass generally when a big new game is coming like Halo next week. Downloadable PS1,2,3, PSP and Vita games are a must if I'd get the top tier. If its still streaming only which I expect will be the case then I'll probably pass.
Then there's pricing. Microsoft is a big enough company to handle a service like this. I'm not so sure Sony is though. Could be wrong but that's also a concern.
We will just have to wait and see before thinking about it further. Plus this could be completely false too so best to keep expectations in check.
Oh and also put games you want to buy that are on the service at a discount too if this turns out to be true. I appreciate that little feature on Game Pass as well.
@Sil_Am same here I'd rather just stick with ps+ if I was ever to go to any of those tiers I'd wait for a black Friday deal
Why is this news and the other article just a rumour? Is this confirmed?
What about the people who stacked their PS plus on Black Friday, are we going to be on Tier 1 until it runs out, or top up to Tiers 2 or 3?
I would still take this with a pinch of salt. After all, they (along with others) got the Switch Pro stuff wrong, so I wouldn't take everything that comes out from Bloomberg as gospel.
@rjejr
It’s not from that fraud Mochizuki though. It’s from Jason who saw the man who saw the man.
I’d rather not. Let’s just leave this kind of steaming out in the cold frankly.
Thinking further about it, I'm not sure what the dripfeed of PS5 titles a a later date really means. It could mean they announce that Ragnarok and 1st party exclusives drop day and date. It could mean they go Nintendo style and add Bugsnax and Godfall Demo Edition in 2024. But the fact that Game Pass is largely Series titles including all the first party exclusives and this sounds like an "old games library + a drip feed of newer titles" I would hope/expect it to still weigh in cheaper than GP. And if it doesn't, I'm still not sure it's a great value. Better than NSO+ by miles, but still on the shallow end of the pool, if they don't price it at as much of a relative bargain as Now currently is. I think it sounds like it could be great if positioned well. I just don't have a lot of faith in management to position it well, and I have even less faith in the market to not reward it financially if poorly positioned.
@Nightcrawler71 Technically GP does have 2 tiers, GP and GPU. GPU includes cloud streaming, PC games, and XBL Gold. (Plus a semi third tier that's just PC games and not console or Gold, but that's for a different platform, PC, so I didn't include it.) So in that sense this is only one more tier that sounds like it's just Plus renamed?
@Ralizah It'll probably have exclusives, just late. Obviously it would have to roll in the PS Legacy Collection or whatever it's called, and the stuff that's already on Now (GoW, Uncharted, etc.) so I think it would probably look like Now or their PC offerings with end of sale exclusives ending up on it. That doesn't really come close to competing with a subscription to get all the first party hype games like GP, but it's something.
It's a safe bet that PS3 is still locked to streaming just because PS3 is PS3. PS1 and 2, there's zero reason they can't run an emulator on a PS5, I'm optimistic they'd do at least that. But after seeing the PSX Mini I don't have a lot of optimism the emulation would be particularly well done. Especially after Nintendo proved you don't actually have to pretend you care to still rake in cash when it comes to legacy.
I hope this means that they will drop the need for subs to play games online. Then I can ignore all this nonsense.
Kratos is spartacus.good news .its about time.word up son
@Nightcrawler71
Game Pass has two tiers, three if you count the PC-only version.
If, and that's a big if, some of the old games get enhancements, I am all in for tier 3.
Sign me up ... Take my money already.
Exciting stuff, if the price is right 👍
Took Sony long enough to catch up. Xbox has been owning them in services for years.
I hope for those of us who have PS Plus and PS Now, that we automatically get subbed to the new subscription service until our current subs run out.
Just re-upped on both for Black Friday so I hope they don't just cancel us if this is true.
If it’s releasing in Spring, does that mean the Southern Hemisphere gets it six months after the Northern Hemisphere…
I wonder if the PS1 and PS2 games will have Trophies...
Hell. Yes. Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
@Nightcrawler71
Because not everyone is waiting for a gamepass service. And so at least there is something to choose from. You are not obliged to take the total package. Very customer friendly.
@EVIL-C That's not too bad. And apparently not everyone is waiting for those services when you look at the number of hardware sales.
This is just what I wanted, sign me up for tier 3! Be interesting to see the price structure.
Those saying it needs to have day one 1st party releases like GP are going to be disappointed. I honestly don't think it will ever happen. Sony spends too much money on these games to be able to afford that. MS can afford to bank roll GP for years until its really sustainable, don't think Sony can.
And personally I hope they don't, I'd rather have a service like this and buy their latest releases that I know are going to be high quality. If they were released onto the service day one I would worry quality would suffer! MS have yet to proof they can release high quality games over a long period(and I say this as a GP subscriber for over 2 years).
Welp, I am foaming at the mouth.
@NEStalgia They're going to need to toss a big new game on there every now and then unless they want it to be a failure. No point in paying for a subscription service with years-old PS4 games that go for $10 in PSN sales. The current collection of old games included with PS+ on PS5 is a nice bonus at no extra cost, but it sounds like this is going to be expensive.
Nintendo might be succeeding with only old ROMs, but a lot of that is down to their subscription service being cheaper even with the expansion pass. I don't mind paying for a robust library of games from older PS consoles like PS1 and PS2, but I have a hard time believing this is going to be a major point of growth for them.
A modern equivalent of the Playstation Classics line is a great idea, but it's not a "GamePass competitor," lol.
@TommyNL Hardware sales have no direct indication of what services will be popular or unpopular. A Gamepass-type service would make PS even more popular with gamers. Don't kid yourself otherwise.
OK, this sounds pretty cool and already interests me since I love retro games. The only problem is that they'd probably need to change the price structure considering that I don't think they'd make the third tier 70-80 dollars a year.
@JJ2 I don't know who Jason is, I just know this article was written like news, based on "Citing trusted sources and leaked documents". At least the other article was written as "roumour".
1) Depends on price (tier 2 sounds useless so tier 3 is the only one of interest)
2) It'll be streaming only as apparently even the almighty PS5 can't emulate a PS3.
3) Finally, depends if Sony can be arsed to put a shed load of PS1, PS2 & PSP games on the service as the current selection of retro titles is a joke.
Maybe this will be revealed at the game awards guys?
@Ralizah $1000 in Shark Card bucks and 5000 CoD CP points this month for subscribers! Early Access for members for new CoD Generic Expansion - play 4 days early! Sounds more Sony Style(TM) than actually throwing a big new game one there. But if the idea is merging Plus and Now with some amount of changes to make it more substantial, I can't see them changing much about their model of not including their big new games. And like NSO+ I'm sure their market is big enough that too many people will be suckered by it and make it profitable.
But we're still in rumor phase so I wouldn't be TOTALLY surprised if they announce that it will indeed include big first party games. But if they do that I also expect the price will be offensive. And that too many people will be suckered by it and make it profitable.
I could also see, though, them keeping it in the spirit of the current Now and just using some minor incentives to jack up prices for the same quality service and charge more for it. You're right though, I really don't see this becoming an actual GP competitor without big new games. Just a competitor in terms of offering a subscription that offers something very different than what GP does. There's no replacement for one flat fee to play every big new major game. And playing Vib-Ribbon streamed won't fix that If MS is letting me play FH5, Halo:I, Starfield and Psychonauts 2 for $180, and Sony wants me to also pay $180 to play games I could have played 5 years ago and then pay another $210 to play HFW, Ragnarok, and GT7...yeah...that's kind of a fail. But I bet it'll make money.... Unfortunately. Maybe they could add TurboGrafix 16 and Lynx? Worked for Nintendo.
For the right price... Count me in
PS+ has been pretty bad for the first year of the PS5 and PSnow is awful so I don’t see how just chucking the 2 together is any different apart from what they’re going to charge.
Pricing will be everything on this.
@Fenbops PS plus hasn't been all that bad, there's been quite a few decent titles added this year, and looks even more worthy when comparing to the games offered by gold.
In terms of AAA big games being offered then you won't start seeing them until next year, no one wants to give away their big hitters on ps plus day one unless they are an indie
Agree on ps now though, it's utter crap in its current state
Sounds like I would get myself a tier two. Hopefully the pricing is going to be adequate for what we get.
@UltimateOtaku91 I’ve only downloaded a few games on PS5 this year I’ve found the offerings very lacking. Everyone’s different someone might think it’s been the best ever year for PS+ offerings idk. I did enjoy playing Control and A Plague Tale again thanks to +.
If I get the chance to play Silent Hill 1, 2, 3 and Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, 3 again, that's going to be worth it alone.
I will not, I repeat, I will not be subscribing if I cannot download the titles like I always have been able to do. I will not be streaming these.
Can't wait for it to not be available in my region!
@Shepherd_Tallon someone get this man a medal.
If Sony doesn’t allow first party games day one on this new subscription model then it’s not a Game Pass competitor, not even in the same league. As someone who only plays PlayStation exclusives, this new sub model would only appeal to me if it included many exclusives like Days Gone, HZD, Spider-Man, R&C, GT etc then and only then I’d consider to subscribe to it.
So, if PS+ is currently $60, I wonder if the new tiers would be even more expensive than that or if they'll adjust prices and actually lower regular PS+
Also, if the big sell for tier 3 is "access to PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. ", is the slogan going to be :
PlayStation Plus Premier(TM)
"Looks Ancient. Why Would Anybody Play This?"
But I thought it didn't fit into their business model??
Couldn't really care less, to be honest. I like playing good video games, so if those are still being made I'll be happy.
It could be interesting, I've found gamepass ultimate transformative as I play more games day 1 than ever before. Will be interesting to see how long it takes for sony games to hit the service. I thought with Sony moving to 70 quid pricing, there was an attempt to move to a more nintendo like pricing model and get your big games to retain a higher price point longer. If you put them on a subscription service after 18 months , your games will devalue in price pretty quick. All I know is competition is good for consumers and despite some of the gaas bs flying round, there's probably never been a better time to be into video games!
Hmm wondering what the pricing options will be. $60 $80 $100 for yearly? Or probably more like $70 $100 $125. Id think about tier 3 at $100. Id definitely buy tier 2 at $80.
@NEStalgia the reason to buy tier 3 is all in your name
@Juvenlast Sony bosses: Looks at each other, looks back at you dies laughing GOOD ONE!
Sounds like it could be really great if all of this ends up actually happening, although it will be a bummer if a large selection of the classic titles end up being streaming only like a decent portion of the games are now. Game Pass would still be easily the best service of the two if so as you can download everything. People like me, which is unfortunately still a sizable amount overall, don't have good enough internet to make streaming a good and reliable option.
I'm not sure where everyone is getting the game pass pricing from but it's only £7.99 pm for me to play anything and I have had a couple of free months from points earned on game pass. So about the price off one Sony first party game a year. Sony is not going to drop that low. I hope this is more than just renaming PS Now to PS + +
@IonMagi PSNOW doesn't use emulation, PS3 ganes run on actual custom PS3 servers
@TooBarFoo
So £96 a year? I didn’t think Gamepass was that expensive. That’s as much as PS Plus and PS Now combined!
It sounds too good to be true regarding legacy games. Just have to wait and see, I suppose. After the switchs n64 balls up, I'm being tentative.
What way is it going to work if u already have PS plus and PS now subscriptions?
@Nexozi Nothing but speculation in this answer, but what I'm imagining is if you have a plus sub you've already got Tier 1, and if you have a Now sub it might count as Tier 2.
Again, this is nothing but speculation and how I hope they would handle it.
Eh. They need to do this properly or not do it at all, to be honest. There is certainly sense in merging two similar but opposing services, so I think they need the rebrand element this will bring.
But in my opinion, they're just inviting unfavourable comparisons even more strongly if they're being reactionary and approaching this grudgingly.
@Shepherd_Tallon Yea, will be interesting to see how they handle it. They'll need to give people some options on combining what they have and moving it into the new tier system. Or even just choosing what tier they want it converted into. For example a year ps plus is worth tier X for X amount of time, or tier Y for Y amount of time, or tier Z for Z amount of time.
@Juvenlast PS Plus is already that price and you get plenty for it. You're kidding yourself at that price. If they can manage $20, they'll be fine.
@danzoEX I'd chime in that as well. Hard to say what the actual price will be, but it won't be the same as the standard PS Plus price for sure.
@Shepherd_Tallon Perhaps they'll give a discount to those who are already subscribed to PS Plus, PSNow or both.
@marty8370 since the "classic" Tier is separate from PS Now I assume those Games are actually emulated and not streamed. Some quite specific Patents were released recently in that regard
@AFCC no they don’t have to release aaa games on a service day one
Interesting to see what PS fans have to say after spending 3 years slagging off GP! Where
Microsoft lead Sony have to follow. If they don't get 1st party in day one though it's not going to compete
@TheArt Xbox live ain't free either dude 😂
@Eldritch777 Right now it seems to just be rumors. It doesn't have to compete, as it's likely not the same as gamepass. You aren't going to see 1st party launch games on it day one. That cuts into Sony's profits where MS can afford to take losses to bulk up their user base.
@daveofduncan Aw c'mon man you don't think I know that... unlike LIVE, PSN has been free BEFORE, I'm suggesting if they go back to that it'd one-up LIVE.
This must be why the ps plus games have sucked and may continue to suck. Trying to sell us on the best packages
PS Plus still being stand alone makes me happy! I got PS Now for a year and did not have time to even use it.
"..three tiers. The first includes the existing PS Plus subscription — that's access to online multiplayer, cloud saves, and the monthly games. The second tier adds a large selection of PS4 games — with PS5 games being added down the line. And finally, the third tier throws in "extended" demos and game streaming, along with access to PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games.."
So the first tier doesn't include the "gamepass".
Second tier does, with ps5 games coming later.
And the third tier gives access to a lot of games, across generations. It seems they're gonna keep the older games as streaming, while the newer ones will be downloadable, like how things are now. New name, maybe higher price for the same thing. Hope I'm wrong. Also, no mention of whether exclusives will hit the service day one.
@Elodin The reason not to buy it isn't in my wallet 😆
But yeah, I'm actually a bigger fan of "old Sony" then modern Sony. So it's appealing to me.... If the price isn't extortionate. Unlike nso+. I love the Sega Genesis but don't love it THAT much!
I just hope this works in a lot more countries. I pay for Now but can only download PS4 games. Streaming doesn’t work for me, as like the majority of countries, Now isn’t supported here.
@EVIL-C No, I understand what you mean. But I mean to say that if gamepass would be so great everyone would buy an xbox. And in this case, hardware sales are necessary because you do need them to be able to use the service.
"...along with access to PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games."
cries in Vita
True emulation maybe???
Imports too? I always wanted to play imports for the PS2.
@AdamNovice @Shepherd_Tallon
No! I am Spartacus!
@Dalejrfanfreak just curious, how is it more expensive? I buy 2nd hand disk versions. Usually for about 20$ or so.
Quite a fundamental correction... XBGP does not combine Xbox Live Gold and GamePass, they are two distinct things.
What you mean is XBGP Ultimate, the top tier.
So in Xbox land you have
1. XBLive - online gaming
2. Game Pass - (you have to buy XBlive separately)
3. XBGP Ultimate - which combines the two
At present PS+ competes with XBL, and PS Now competes with XBGP.
The combined PS+ and PSNow would compete with XBGP Ultimate. Currently XBGPU is £11 a month and if Sony could match that including access to AAA first party games on day 1 of release it would have a winner especially given XB 1st party titles are so few and far between compared to Sony's.
Long as the classic games have trophies im in.
They could've combined the tier 2 and 3, as pro. Why 3 levels then?
Throw in Spotify and we're talking.
Sony exclusives cost too much and are too good, to be released day one for 'free' on a subscription service. These titles are often single player games with no online elements, the opposite of Xbox one's where the single player section is just an advert for the MP segment. At best you may see a price drop for members on day one and/or extra content.
My fear is that people will whine and stamp their feet as always, Sony eventually relents but the quality of their studio games suffers.
MS have deeper pockets than Sony, much deeper. Xbox division could be a loss leader for decades and it would have nary and effect on their business. People who want Sony to ape what MS are doing, are either ignorant of this or actively want Sony to fail.
@Col_McCafferty i think a good comprise would be maybe adding something to ps+ like a discount for preordering games like amazon used to have. unless they made launch ps5 games streaming only i don't see how it would be worth it for them to give their major games away for nothing. unless they just do the free trail where you can play like the first 30mins to an hr of the full game.
@ChromaticDracula it will be streaming , so i guess you won't be using this.
@twitchtvpat Definitely streaming only unless Sony have been sitting on a PS1, PS2 and PSP emulator for a while?
Either way, PS3 is going to be streaming only as I doubt even the PS5 can emulate the complicated Cell architecture at a reasonable rate.
Trouble is the PS1 & PS2 games selection on Now is absolute rubbish and needs a truck load of other titles, including 3rd party stuff, adding before it even becomes relevant.
Best case scenario for me:
Ps1,2,3, VITA , and PSP games are emulated and downloadable, with trophies! A couple added a month (maybe we can all vote on which ones),
Multiple PS4 and at least one PS5 game added per month
A mobile game added per month, downloadable to our phones, and with trophies.
NO first party games released day one (I don’t want quality to be compromised, or a move towards micro transaction and games as a service). I’m quite happy to wait given an ever growing list of games I’ll likely not have time to play in my lifetime.
@caradenino289 they do! But not their exclusives like God of War or Horizon. Make partnerships with studios and release AAA games like MS does that aren't exclusives
i was just saying this to myself a while back... why doesnt sony just combine PS Now and PS Plus?! but to be honest, i dont wanna really pay over $60 a year like we do now. i never had a psp, wish i did, the games looked good, looked better than most of the junk on nintendo's 3DS. i still have a 3DS (well, a 2DS XL) and its excellent if you get the right games. but only the 1st party games were ever good really. psp woulda been more up my alley and i'd flip if they put psp games on ps5, that'd be huge for me.
For me are they releasing Sony studios games on day of release. Simple as that.
That will save me £70 a game.
But being honest I can’t see it happening.
@rawzeku This is already a thing in different countries. For example, only Japanese PS Now has Sonic '06. In fact, it is the only way to get a somewhat digital version of Sonic '06 since Sega never released it on PSN or Xbox Live, and it's not Xbox One/Series Backwards Compatible.
I personally love Sonic '06.
I have both ps plus and ps now… if the price for tier 3 is more than plus+now, I’ll be disappointed.
This is good news, but it won't have day 1 releases on it! Backwards compatibility with PS4 games alone is higher than all of xflop offerings let alone PS1 to PS3 + PSP!! Game pass only working for xflop cuz majority is PC users! Else game pass is actually ***** for devs! Sony won't do that for day 1 releases! huge loss of money putting it on a game pass.
At least they are doing what many gamers wanted (combine the two). But tbh, day one is an important one for me. I usually buy the exclusives, but not always day one because of Sony’s pricing. Game Pass is a blast. Not buying less games but tried many others. MS is not making the big bucks for now but GP bad for devs? Why are they putting their game on GP? Not making any money must be great 🤦
Man all I want to do is to play my ALREADY PURCHASED ps1 - ps2 - ps3 - psp/vita digital games on my PlayStation without paying another expensive infinite recurring subscription! Please Sony stop milking us dry with these never ending gaming taxes. You are forcing people to PC with your greed
@TheArt they spun charging for it as helping to improve security etc and there's been nothing close happened compared to the outages they had back on PS3.
It's just something I don't see happening anytime soon. They've got far too many subscribers who are willing to pay for it from a financial standpoint.
@SilentS I pay my game pass with my Microsoft reward points every month. Takes a little bit of time and effort but I’m a few months ahead now.
@Halucigens Fair enough. Personally I have not really looked into that reward system. For those who play lots, sure it may be worth their while, however as I get older I find myself less interested in doing things like that and just playing casually when I feel like it.
@SilentS totally understand. I love trying out games so it works well for my life. It’s a lot of little nonsense to do everyday in bing and get achievements.
I hope Sonys service leans more towards game pas then Nintendo online.
@sanderson72 maybe this gets them to release more ps1 + ps2 games on psnow then. maybe they already have them ready to release when they announce this package. i guess we'll have to wait and see.
@Netbean sorry to break this to you. but that's not happening.
@Gamer83 sony seems to love that £79.99 number my guess if true they will stick with £49.99/$59.99 and add 3rd tier extra £10 or 20 so basically like £69.99 /$79.99 see there's that number 😆
Amazing news if true, but will be keeping my expectations low to be safe.
@Netbean You'd be better off buying an OG PS3 (with PS2 compatibility) and a Vita.
Sony are going to charge you to play them again and that's if any of the PS1/2/3 titles are of any interest. As for PS4 gen games, you'd be better off buying the disc for less than the comedy Store prices.
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