Sony releases new PlayStation gaming subscription service to bring on Microsoft
Key takeaways:
- Sony is bundling its current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services into one single subscription service named PlayStation Plus.
- The new PlayStation Plus will come in June in three levels: Essential, Extra, and Premium.
- The action is viewed as Sony’s answer to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s game subscription service.
This summer, Sony is ready to release a new video game subscription service, aiming to push sales of its PlayStation consoles and contend with a similar offering from Microsoft.
The firm said Tuesday it would bundle its current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services into one single subscription service named PlayStation Plus. The new PlayStation Plus will be open in June and comes in three tiers:
- The basic package, PS Plus Essential, supersedes the initial PS Plus, which shows players two free games each month and entry to online multiplayer. It costs $10 a month or $60 for a yearly subscription.
- A step further, Essential is PS Plus Extra, which arrives with all the same perks as Essential but has a choice of 400 downloadable PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 titles. It’s priced at $15 monthly or $100 a year.
- The most costly package is PS Plus Premium. This one has 340 more games than Extra and allows players to stream a selection of PS, PS2, PSP, PS3, PS4, and PS5 games over the internet. PS Plus Premium costs $18 a month or $120 per year.
Industry insiders view the action as Sony’s answer to Xbox Game Pass, a game subscription benefit from Microsoft which allows users to download and stream many different games.
Microsoft is paying big on Game Pass, receiving giant video game publishers like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda for $76 billion to get their famous titles onto the service.