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Sony Businesses PlayStation (Games)

PlayStation Plans New Service To Take On Xbox Game Pass (bloomberg.com) 14

Posted by msmash from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.
Sony Group's PlayStation division is planning a new subscription service to compete with rival Microsoft's popular Xbox Game Pass, according to people familiar with Sony's plans and documents reviewed. Blooomberg: The service, code-named Spartacus, will allow PlayStation owners to pay a monthly fee for access to a catalog of modern and classic games, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak to the press about the plans. The offering will likely be available on the smash hit PlayStation 4, which has sold more than 116 million units, and its elusive successor, the PlayStation 5, which launched more than a year ago but is still difficult to buy due to supply chain issues.

When it launches, expected in the spring, the service will merge Sony's two existing subscription plans, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. Currently, PlayStation Plus is required for most online multiplayer games and offers free monthly titles, while PlayStation Now allows users to stream or download older games. Documents reviewed by Bloomberg suggest that Sony plans to retain the PlayStation Plus branding but phase out PlayStation Now.
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PlayStation Plans New Service To Take On Xbox Game Pass

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  • Unless you're allowed to play on PC it's not like XBox live.

    • The new service is good, but somehow I managed without it. The theme of PlayStation games is very relevant to me. I was looking somehow for gambling video games for my PlayStation and came across an article https://www.pensacolavoice.com... [pensacolavoice.com]. Indeed, I have picked one of the best games I've ever played. You also have a chance to find something on the huge Internet.

  • I have long been confused by why Playstation Plus and Playstation Now are two things.

    In fact it's even more confusing because If you have Playstation Plus, that gives you access to a library of older hit games if you have a PS5.

    The one thing not mentioned about Playstation Plus that I really like is the network backup of game saves. That saved me big time a few years ago when the PS4 HD had died in a way that bricked the drive and could not be recovered. I had actually let my Plus membership unknowingly l

    • I bought a used copy of Elder Scrolls Online (for $3) for the PS4. The case didn't mention requiring Playstation Plus for online play, but it was required... at least initially. I used the 30-day free trial and got the game started. After 30 days, I let the trial lapse, but the ESO game continued to work. That was almost 2 years ago, and it still works.
      • Interesting. I had to join PS+ so my kids could play Overwatch and SW Battlefront2. Those definitely know when your subscription lapses. I also got hit with the same BS from nintendo. Kids played Splatoon all the time on the Wii-U, so I got splatoon2 for the switch. No-go without their family plan. At least the days of buying skylander bullshit is over :-) talk about high cost to play a game.
    • PS+ is $60/yr and even cheaper on black friday. If they combined Plus and Now, those that only needed online gaming could be stuck paying a much higher amount for things they dont use. Unless i get all that for the same low price, which never seems to happen, it seems like a way to force me to pay more just so some titles work.

      • That's my concern, so I totally agree. I had a trial of XBox Game Pass on PC and I thought it was pretty crap (I'm fussy about the games I play).

        At the moment I pay £30 a year for PS plus because I buy it on sale, so if they think I'm going to start paying some Netflix level of money a month because they give me some crap games to stream, then they will lose a customer. Given the price of a PS5 it will not take much for me to just hook a PC up to my TV instead.

      • PS+ is $60/yr and even cheaper on black friday.

        Yep I always buy on Black Friday if possible, if you buy it extends the subscription you have.

        If they combined Plus and Now, those that only needed online gaming could be stuck paying a much higher amount for things they don't use

        Yep that is my concern also, how much more will it be? I almost never even play the bonus three free games they drop each month. Heck most of them I can't even be bothered to add to my library even though they are free.

        But the game

  • The new service is good, but somehow I managed without it. The theme of PlayStation games is very relevant to me. I was looking somehow for gambling video games for my PlayStation and came across an article https://www.pensacolavoice.com... [pensacolavoice.com]. Indeed, I have picked one of the best games I've ever played. You also have a chance to find something on the huge Internet.

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