In the gaming world, there is almost no better deal currently running than the Xbox Game Pass from Microsoft. For only $15 USD per month, fans have access to an incredibly massive catalog of Xbox video games from years past and from the console’s current run of products; this even includes backward compatibility for games from past Xbox consoles.
With Microsoft having mastered this concept over the past few years, fans have wondered whether Sony would come back with an answer to this service for PlayStation gamers. Even though the PlayStation consoles have outsold Xbox systems in recent times, particularly with the frenzy surrounding the debut of the PlayStation 5 in November 2020, Sony is still working to match Microsoft’s success in the streaming service department.
In April 2021, rumors pointed to Sony being in the early stages of developing a competitor to the Xbox Game Pass, although the only confirmed news on that front is that plans were in place to make it happen.
Now, those plans have more details that should make PlayStation gamers quite happy.
PlayStation Announces Answer to Xbox Game Pass
Bloomberg revealed that Sony's PlayStation division officially has plans for a gaming subscription service to compete with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass.
The pass will give PlayStation gamers the opportunity to play through a massive catalog of both modern and classic games for a small monthly fee, and it will likely be available on both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 consoles. Upon its expected Spring 2022 launch, it will merge the current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now plans.
Sony's plan for the service is currently codenamed Spartacus, and reports detail that it will be available in three different tiers, although no price point has been revealed yet.
The first tier (the most basic) is said to include PlayStation Plus benefits, while Tier 2 adds an extensive catalog of PlayStation 4 titles, eventually expanding to PS5 games as well. Tier 3 offers the most, adding extended demos, game streaming, and a cache of classic games from the first three PlayStation consoles and the PSP.
PlayStation Gamers Will Soon Have a Streaming Service
Microsoft has found incredible success with the Xbox Game Pass service, continually adding fresh titles for fans to enjoy, such as MLB The Show 21, Fallout 4, and even the console's version of Among Us. Now, PlayStation gamers will finally be able to have a similar subscription service where they can enjoy similar benefits from the company's long history of titles.
With nearly 30 years of history since the PlayStation first debuted in 1994, Sony has hundreds of classic games that have stayed widely popular through multiple generations and consoles. Even for as good of a job as PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus do of making those past games available to current players, this new service should serve as the one-stop-shop fans have craved for years.
The main point of interest differentiating this service from the Xbox Game Pass is the multi-tiered price point that will give fans different levels of access to games of PlayStation past. The price should be comparable to the Xbox's $15/month tag, although that will probably be revealed closer to when the service becomes available.
No matter what the details turn out to be, Spring 2022 will be a key turning point for Sony in its competition with Microsoft from a gaming perspective. The company boasts widely-popular entries like the growing Spider-Man franchise and the ever-present Fortnite, which should just be the tip of the iceberg when the PlayStation's streaming service fully arrives.