So despite whining about the games thread earlier I have looked at the list and there's enough there for me. What brought me over the edge was actually Dark Pictures Anthology because Little Hope is on there and I want to play that with my friend who is staying with me, but I can get the upgraded tier for like $15 for the remainder of my subscription and that's the price of the game. Add in some other cool stuff, the PS1 classics, and even though I whined about the offerings it's a compelling enough package for the $10 a month or whatever it costs.

Is it as good a deal as Game Pass? Not IMO. But it's good enough to be worth it for someone who plays a lot of games and is okay renting some of them and not owning them or buying them later when they are much cheaper. And that person...is me.

I don't think it's really an issue if it's a service you'd actually use.

Yeah. I've got a little less than a month on my subscription less, so it only cost me $3 to upgrade to the super mega tier or whatever. Seems like enough time for me to check out whatever few things I can and cancel before I have to renew. Nothing I see there that has compelled me to stay subscribed.

Looks great to me and always has, but I'm that guy that spends more time talking about games than playing or certainly buying them. Lot of games I've been on the fence for months if not years about. Haven't upgraded yet though, I've got my usual summer grind through MLB The Show as well as replays as God of War and GTA V cooking right now. The only thing pressuring me to upgrade right away is the curiosity whether some of the bigger games in the Extra tier will be around for a pretty limited time?

There are a dozen or so games that I'd be into playing. And considering I only play one or two games a month, it's already paid for itself (and as a bonus, I used that PS Now deal thing to get a couple years).

And this is just the launch line up. I feel like people start up a counter of what they consider good games but then wind up playing a fraction of them, anyway.

Yeah, after hearing all the complaints I was expecting nothing, but checked my wishlist of games and nearly half of them are on there if I bump up one tier. Returnal, Demon's Souls, and Miles Morales were all games I was looking to get now that I finally got a PS5 this month. Even if I bought them all on a like 50-60% off sale like I was expecting, that's still more than the price of a year subscription.

Though I suppose the problem will be down the road when Sony releases the new God of War or other notable games and gives everyone the choice of buying for $70 at launch or waiting the 1-2+ years until they decide to put it on your subscription service. At that point it's going to be pretty annoying to have to do that dance and wonder what you're paying for compared to Game Pass.

As somebody who had PS Now already because I hate my bank account, along with a stacked up PS+, I've now got the fanciest PS+ until December 2023. I'm excited to finally get around to playing Ghost of Tsushima and pretending I'll play Death Stranding.

The classics offering however is a real bummer. Seems like there's a lot of PS3 games, but those are all streaming which just isn't a fun experience. Personally, my time with Game Pass hasn't been so much enriched by the first-party stuff as it was the indies. An improved indie slate would make me very happy, but it really seems like Sony has alienated those studios as Microsoft has embraced them.

I didn’t really see a problem to begin with so this all seems fine. I’ll probably sign up.

I thought I might use this subscription to play the Ghost of Tsushima DLC but turns out I have no idea how to play that game anymore. Bummer.

So, I have 233 days left on my PS+ and the premium upgrade is like $40, so I’m on the fence. Usually, I’m not an early adopter but getting returnal was already something I wanted and that would be full price alone so I’m leaning towards a buy. I haven reviewed the full list, but for those that have, is the PS1 section just a few big titles or is it pretty sizable? It seems all mixed in with the other consoles.

I have PS+ and was aware that things were changing, but I haven't really bothered to read up on it too much since it was made clear to me that there wouldn't be a price increase or change in services unless I opt into it.

I tried navigating the PS5 UI for the new Plus tiers and benefits and found it harder to parse than I'd like. As far as I can tell there's some decent games included with the higher priced tiers, but I already own most of them. I don't think I'd personally get much out of upgrading, but maybe I have to dig into it some more.

@tartyron: The PS1 section is a very small number of titles and many of them aren't "big" (does Mr. Driller count as a "big" title?) It's paltry. PS2 is a little better but they're all already on PS4 as those emulated PS2 games with trophies Sony put out for a while and then stopped.

I'm happier with the list of classic games than I expected to be. It's nice to see a decent amount of Ratchet games, Tokyo Jungle, the Jak & Daxter games, and Red Dead Redemption (plus Undead Nightmare). Unfortunately for me, my ps plus renewed yesterday so I don't get any pro rated amount. If I want to upgrade, it's another $60 right now and I'm just not in the position to pony that up.

Also, the no DLC still kinda bugs me. I know the aforementioned Undead Nightmare is there, and The Last of Us: Left Behind is too, but no DLC for Asura's Wrath still stings.

But I think the whole thing is a slightly better deal now than when it was first announced and I might sign up in the future.

I would definitely save some money upgrading over just buying everything i want, but i still have the never ending backlog so im waiting it out. I just hope there is a steady stream of some of the old PS1 games on there every month or so. I need more ways to play Xenogears and such for a reasonable price.

I'm into the last month of my sub. I like the list but my problem is now finding time to play the games I'm interested in. If I've bought a game, I can get to it whenever.

I'm just wondering, I already subscribe to PS+ and PS Vue, so paying about €120 a year already, will just automatically switch to the PS+ Premium?

To me, this list is pretty underwhelming, because only a handful of games that I'm interested something like R-Type Final 2, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Raiden V: Director's Cut & WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship.

Seems like something I'd grab every 6 months or so just to catch up with any exclusives I didn't get around to playing or didn't have $60/$70 worth of interest in.

I'm part of the problem. A few months ago, there's a sale on PS Now subscriptions so I got a year when they announced how they will be converting existing subs and now I'm good until April 2023. Playing Tekken 2 is cool, although I much prefer the changes they introduced in Tekken 3 such as removing the floaty jumps and what not. I eagerly await Ridge Racer Type 4 and classic RE 2/3.

The selection is absolutely incredible. It's making me want to buy a PS4 just to try some stuff out I never did

I don't know if I really need it since most PS games are coming to PC right now, but I'll check it out if I can expense it!

@rorie: That is a thing, innit? I finally got a PS5 in January and I barely use it because I also got a 3080, so why wouldn't I trace those rays at 60fps. And I've already burned through my PS5 exclusives. But, it's also making me think, when, then I should definitely get this because otherwise it was totally a bad investment. Sunk-cost phallics and all that.

I have mine through end of '23 so if I was to jump into the Premium tier, it would be 92ish bucks. Pretty steep but I'm kinda the same way as OP, was a lot more pleasantly surprised with the list than initially expected. Also I've been increasingly interested in trying out the PC streaming as well.

At work at the moment but I've kinda already convinced myself that I'll pay the 92 since my initial thoughts were to support it for about a year initially anyway to and then decide after then if I wanted to re-up at that Premium level.

Also knowing Sony and how they are I don't mind supporting early cuz I do honestly think that they can take this service and turn it into a very compelling service, even without the Day 1 First Parties. I just also know that they are weirdly hesitant and will back away if the numbers look bad initially (*cough* *cough* VITA) and I definitely don't want this to be a similar situation where they give up.

it was 17 bones to bump it up to the mid tier for me, which feels like a nice trial price. i guess we'll see how much use i get out of it!

As someone who had both PSPlus and PSNow for a couple of years, the service as it is now is an upgrade, though a small one. I get to play some games I would've had to buy like Ghost of Tsushima: Directors Cut among others. I also like that all I had to do was renew one of the services till next year and the other was added on till next year as well, of course now it's all under one bill. So I have one full year to see what this service is ultimately going to look like. If they add many more games, especially in the classic category, I'll probably keep the full premium service.

It's odd that they have the latest NBA 2K22 to play, but not the latest MLB: The Show, since XBox Game Pass Ultimate have it. You'd think that would be one of the games Sony made sure was now available to correct that issue.

I have been playing some Ape Escape 1 on my PS4 and...I love it. It just legitimately makes me happy to be able to play this game with the DS4 and the other modern conveniences (including suspend game and rewind.) I feel a little guilty for being suckered in so easily but I can't help it. I like what I like and one of the things I like is retro games on modern systems.

That list looks pretty good. It does have me considering it, even though I already have Game Pass. I already have too many games on Game Pass I still want to play and a lot of games on PS4/5 I own to play. I'll probably get this at some point. Maybe after Elden Ring.

I mean saying you're "part of the problem" is a bit like owning a gym membership that you actually use. If you're getting something out of it, then it's not really a "problem."

Hell, I'm on the Switch online because it's cheap enough, and I can't get enough of their weirdass NES/SNES offerings! Do I actually engage with them beyond a single night? Not really, but for accessible Earthbound and Super Punch-Out? Turns out: I'm willing (and able) to pay money VS time.

Gamepass is great, but I just learnt that hard way that even downloading stuff doesn't guarantee access, so some of the bloom is off that rose.

Edit: And having gotten back into Homestar Runner in the last year, the chance to play the Strongbad game for "free" actually has a ton of appeal.

@bigsocrates: Also I've bought Earthbound more times than I can count. Welcome, my son. Welcome to the machine. It runs on nostalgia.

I'm sorry, what? Can you elaborate? I have had no issues playing a downloaded GamePass game. So, I'm curious, and curious what to look out for.

@ginormous76: Certain games run out and are just 100% GONE. Maybe I'm just unlucky enough to have picked 2 that it happened with, and there was some fine-print, or it was a "demo version," but I try to play "Pandemic" on Gamepass and get a "This game is no longer available on this service," despite the fact that I downloaded it. Not even available for purchase.

Edit: That new mediocre "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance" is leaving the service tomorrow, for instance. Even if you have it downloaded, it presumably just won't work because you don't "own" any of the games on the service, you're renting them for a nominal fee paid to the service. I'll update if it does still work and I'm just misunderstanding.

@undeadpool: Game Pass is not intended as permanent access to any games (except arguably the Microsoft First Party games, though some do leave because of licensing issues.) It's like Netflix. If you download a show off Netflix it expires when the show leaves the service. You definitely will not have access after the games rotate out and you're not supposed to. The Sony PS+ stuff will work the same way (though presumably you will keep the base tier PS+ games just like you get to keep the Xbox Games With Gold games as long as you're subscribed.)

Oh, I see your confusion. Gamepass games are different from Games with Gold. Games with Gold you get to keep (forever if Xbox 360 title, while you have Gold if Xbox One or Series title). Gamepass is more or less Netflix for video games. Once the game leaves the service, you don't have access to it any more. It is interesting that Pandemic is not on the store. I wonder if it got pulled for legal reasons.

If I remember correctly, Pandemic was pulled by the publishers around the start of the…pandemic.

Actually, seems to have been pulled from everything just this year with no specific reason amid speculation it just can’t keep up with the progress of the actual board game.

@nodima: I mean the timing is weird, but I'd be VERY curious if it was some kind of knee-jerk "oh no, my fictional game about a war between Ukraine and Russia certainly was badly timed for publishers!" situation VS just bad timing. I recall the mobile game Plague Inc. actually flourished in 2020, for instance, I think a fake boardgame about fake plagues getting pulled for being "too real" might be what they call "an overcorrection."

@ginormous76:Ah! Thanks for clearing that up for me. That'll learn me to just sign up for something without checking it out first...as I eyeball Sony's equivalent to the service...

I'm not even remotely interested in this but that is also good because I'm not a fan of Game Pass either. Lots of older games there (really seems like quantity over quantity) so you can't make the Game Pass argument that "it would cost me the yearly subscription to buy only 3 games" because a lot of these games have been for sale for several years already. And here is where I have the problem with it than Game Pass... why rent when you can own at essentially the same price? You just have to pay in advance versus over time. I can see the value for people who are low-income, who are new to gaming and thus have no existing game libraries, or people who play a hell of a lot (like students for example).

The classic library is what could have gotten me excited, but it seems pretty poor, and that was not at all unexpected. Nintendo's best games are made by Nintendo so it's no surprise that Mario, Zelda and Metroid are all on Switch Online, but Sony's best games, your Final Fantasies, Metal Gear Solids, Tekkens and Castlevanias all are made by somebody else which requires Sony to go out and make deals with them, and they most likely want more money than is reasonable for Sony to pay.

But like I said I'm glad that Sony seems to be half-assing it. I don't want the Playstation to become a Game Pass console with a different name because I have all kinds of concerns about long-term quality and ownership there. If Sony keeps making games as good as God of War, I have no issue paying for them.

@apewins: Still few of those games on sale enough to beat paying 15$ in a given month and picking one or two up.

The second tier is interesting and looks like great value if you actually go on to play the recent titles. The third tier (streaming games) is just disappointing and actually had a large amount of titles removed BEFORE the transfer. I see no reason to get premium tier anymore when my PSNow expires. And they hardly added ANY PS1/PS2/PSP games that weren't there before.

@efesell said:

I'm not trying to derail this conversation into the value proposition because that is ultimately subjective, but I'll say to this that just because they have several hundred games available doesn't mean that you're going to play all of them in the first month. A more realistic scenario is one where you play 1-2 games a month that you can just as well buy with around $15 especially if you're not against older games and indie titles. Or then you have games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla that costs a little more but you can play it for 3 months. There is always some sale going on. And if you play free-to-play titles or have other platforms available then you're not getting any value out of your subscription. Of course there is some fluctuation, I have months where I spend $100 on new games, but that can easily be followed by six months where I spend $0. But again, if you play a hell of a lot of games every month then I can see the value getting worthwhile.

@apewins: You're ignoring the advantage of being able to sample a bunch of games and then pick the one you want to play more of. You can pick and choose what you want to finish or even what games you want to buy when they're on sale by checking them out on the service. It functions a lot like video game rentals back in the day in that way, you would rent a bunch of stuff to try it out and then you might rent a game for a longer period to finish it or you might buy a game you really liked at a reduced price.

People easily spent the cost of these passes on those rental services and felt they were getting good value for money. You're operating from the assumption that people know what they want to play and don't get disappointed or lose interest in games once they start them and for many that's not the case.

I mean the value is always worthwhile because the subscription is only active when I want it to be active, IE when there are $15 or whatever worth of games on the service that I would be interested in playing.

That's why I think it's generally hard to find knocks against these services unless you zoom out broadly and just assume that you are locked in for the full year sub.

It's $86 for me to upgrade to Premium and $59 for Pro tier, I have Essential membership till 2023 though paid for a discounted Plus last year for $43 so I am paying $15 more. I have a lot of the PS4 games on the service so wouldn't really service me paying $86. I don't have a good enough internet for streaming, plus have my PS3 for my games. Game Pass has really impressed me with it's games as I recently got a few for cheap compared to Plus.