Sony has today announced new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers that will be available later this year. The new “Extra” and “Premium” tiers will include access to several PlayStation titles’ back libraries. However, if you want to play historical PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP games, you’ll have to pay for “Premium,” the most expensive option, indicating that Sony is following Nintendo’s lead in relegating some of its older titles to its most expensive subscription.
Sony is not new to subscription-based access to old titles. For years, the business has provided access to PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 3 (PS3), and PlayStation 2 (PS2) titles as part of PlayStation Now, a completely independent membership service from PlayStation Plus. However, rather than using the Plus shakeup to add additional titles to the regular tier, Sony has chosen to utilize classic games as a carrot to entice gamers to upgrade to Premium, which will cost $17.99 per month, $49.99 for three months, or $119.99 per year. That annual subscription is essentially the same as what you would have paid for a year of both Plus and Now — though Sony promises that Now subscribers will be moved to the new Plus Premium.
Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch Online service follows a similar tiered pricing model. Nintendo debuted the subscription in September 2018 with a handful of NES games, and nearly a year later, Nintendo added SNES games – all for the comparatively low price of $3.99 each month, $7.99 for three months, or $19.99 for a year. However, if you want to play Nintendo’s library of N64 or Sega Genesis games on your Switch, you’ll need to pay $49.99 for a complete year of the Expansion Pack, which is more than double the cost of a basic individual annual subscription.
On the other hand, Microsoft’s Game Pass library takes a different approach. With Xbox Game Pass, you may access the same Microsoft titles on your Xbox regardless of whether you subscribe to the $9.99 monthly Game Pass or the $14.99 monthly Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft has also invested heavily in backward compatibility, which means that many previous Xbox games can still be accessed and played on the Xbox Series X / S without requiring a subscription.
While many older PlayStation games have been remade or ported to other platforms, it’s always fun to experience them in their original form. And, while the PS5 is backward compatible with practically all PS4 games, the only option to play PS3 and PS2 games on Sony’s latest machine is via the soon-to-be-defunct PlayStation Now service or the redesigned PlayStation Plus.
Having said that, subscriptions are a convenient way to preserve rare older games. Subscriptions are one way to keep older games accessible as some digital game storefronts close and technology becomes antiquated. However, Sony — and Nintendo — appear to be moving toward making retro games subscription-based and relegating them to the most expensive tier. And, unlike with Nintendo’s Virtual Console, there is no opportunity to purchase older games individually on the PlayStation 5 or the Switch.
