PS Plus Is Playing Catch Up with Game Pass, Won't Be a Game-Changer for New Users, Says Analyst

Wccftech talked to Karol Severin, Senior Analyst and Product Manager at MIDiA Research, to get his perspective on the updated PS Plus offering and how it stacks against Game Pass.

[Silly gameAr]

Playing catch up? Does anyone seethe difference in how MS and Sony are handling their services? MS is throwing everything into gamepass, like it's a make or break service for them, as far as their gaming section goes. Sony is treating theirs like it's an option. Like you can join the service, or you can just keep PS Plus without the PS Now option.

They're not throwing all their eggs, plus the chicken into PS Plus, because they know they don't have everything riding on their sub service. Why does PS Plus have to be a game changer, and why play catch up to a company that was never ahead in the first place?

[1nsomniac]

Shall we ignore that everyone and their dog has called out Sony for lowering the quality of their PS+ service in order to gouge prices once it turns into a 3 tier system…. Which we’ve now seen is exactly what Sony has done.

Ignoring the fact you’re paying for the merger. If you’re sticking to the normal service ( now PS+ Essential). Your paying the same but getting one game less each month and what now appears to be demos of games instead of the full product.

Sony have publicly self acknowledged that they need to get in on the Gamepass action. Yet they’re going to let the standard normal fans and consumers burn for it. Sony are just a bunch of suits now. The whole “for the players” is long gone.

[Eonjay]

$18 a month for 700+ games isn't price gouging by any stretch of the imagination. Its gonna be hard to convince people to brainwash themselves into thinking it is. In fact pound for pound you are paying less per game than what you get from GP.

[ChasterMies]

If you pay annually, the middle tier of PS+ is $80 less per year than Game Pass Ultimate. After 5 years, that’s enough savings to find a PS5 digital.

[kayoss]

Have you looked at what’s the price differences are between the two before yapping?

[VenomUK]

At the time of me typing this comment, this news story by Wccftech sits under the most read story which is also about PlayStation Plus and Game Pass, which reports that in its present form PS Plus has more than double the subscribers of Game Pass. So once PS Plus is relaunched there is the potential for it to grow further.

A quote from the analyst on the new PS Plus "The move is more about playing catch up with Game Pass, rather than about driving innovation in the market." The use of the word innovation here is actually a complaint that Sony is not including its first party games day and date. In fact the whole stance is that it is a complaint that the Sony service will not be as good for this reason.

I think it's quite clear that Wccftech deliberately targeted a single analyst (who perhaps is known to them) who is sceptical on PS Plus in this aspect to repeat a narrative that one service is inferior. Although, to be fair he recognises the importance for Sony to make profit from games which Microsoft doesn't need to do. I would have contacted more than one analyst to achieve a sense of balance.

[Crows90]

They haven't lowered their quality though.

[1nsomniac]

@Eonjay that’s not what I said tho. The normal standard £40 PS+ Now gets you a much worse deal than before which in turn tries to push you into paying more than you were before.

I have absolutely zero interest in PlayStation Now in its current form. Literally no interest whatsoever. Why should I lose the quality of what I was previously paying. So they can introduce something I don’t want and they’re removing game trials from me too.

[itsmebryan]

@Eonjay
700+ old games compared to day 1 new titles. These are old games you probably already owned and now have to pay for a service to pay them again.

Also, look at all the money you save because you don't have to pay $70 for a new game. Just one example ,Sony owners have to pay $70 each for Sony's "MLB the show '21 and '22 while they are included day 1 with Gamepass. That's the big advantage of Gamepass over PS+. Sony can't afford new games for their service and that is why they are playing catch up.

[Eonjay]

@1nsomniac
"Eonjay that’s not what I said tho."
Um we can see your comment clear as day. Enough with the psychological spin. This is straight up crazy.

@itsmebryan
I don't own anywhere near the 400 PS4/PS5 games they are offering just by itself. I don't have 350 classic PlayStation games and I have never owned anything near that amount of Classic games. What you are trying to do is act like Microsofts games are automatically worth the same thing as the 700 games you get with plus. That is both subjective, unproven and forcing a false narative. Microsoft has never proven itself to be the best of the best in gaming at all. GP doesn't change this. Trust me, I'm sure there are hundreds of games on the Plus that will be worth playing. Why are you trying to trun me against the 700 game catalog before I get to see it? You want me to go in thinking that everyting automatically sucks and I reject the your pre-programming.

"Sony can't afford new games for their service and that is why they are playing catch up."

First its probably true that they can't afford to deliver top teir quality and not recoup money for it. Yes thats the first reasonable thing you said. But then you said they are playing catch up. I submit to you that they are not trying to catch up at all. They are trying to do their own thing that might actually be financially lucrative to them. They are a company after all and they aren't one of the richest companys on Earth if I remember correctly. Yes their actions seem both reasonable and responsible. I don't expect them to be able to spend money like Microsoft spends money and I doubt Microsoft even invests as much money into its own games.

[wiz7191]

@Deus yeah it’s $80 more a year , but at this point it’s other benefits outside of having access to a bunch of games. Discounts on top of perks to where I can get my gamepass membership without paying a dime

[1nsomniac]

@SuperStan83 absolutely I agree with you about MS in fact even more so. But my comment was absolutely nothing to do with MS.

It seems lots of people are struggling to understand it or are making their own conclusions trying to make it a console war. I’m simply saying why should I pay the same now but get lower quality titles, less games, demo products instead of the full package, also removal of game trials.

[LOGICWINS]

"Why does PS Plus have to be a game changer, and why play catch up to a company that was never ahead in the first place?"

The simple answer is that every major player this space (Amazon, Apple, Tencent, Epic, Sony, Microsoft etc.) understands that subscriptions/cloud streaming services will be the #1 way most people will consume games within the next 5 - 15 years.

Kudos to Sony for kicking both Microsoft and Nintendo's butt in the gaming space for the past two decades (Nintendo and Microsoft improved dramatically because of this). However, we're at the point where the student has become the teacher so to speak.

Sony still hasn't boasted about the numbers for Horizon Forbidden West...and with good reason. The $60/$70 model simply doesn't make sense anymore (especially when the data shows that less than half of gamers actually finish story campaigns).

[rippermcrip]

Microsoft is limping around in a distant 3rd still. GP has done nothing to help that.

Amazon,Apple and those other companies have done nothing for console gaming.

[kayoss]

You’re going to be very upset. Prices will get higher and higher. That’s the law of Economics. Haven’t you noticed that everything went up in prices in the last 10-15 years? However, video games hasn’t (just only recently)? It’s not the developer or Sonys fault that players don’t finish single campaign games. Do you want Sony to send out reminders to players who hasn’t finished their games? You’re pretty delusional.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Who is this person? Some random coming out of the woodwork. Even worse than Pachter.

If you all notice, Xbox fans have extended their pricing to $60 games too. First it was $70 games being too much to buy a top quality game when everything has gone up in price from eggs to gas. Now, $60 is too much to buy a top quality game like Ghost of Tsushima or Horizon FW. The number will keep dropping until even paying $10 is too much for them.

Just like I've said before, these guys are being groomed by Microsoft, who has never won a generation, who has mostly been third, who wants to spend 70 billion to still be third behind Sony by taking away games from Sony's platform that actually sells games and gets exclusives by default like Spider-Man because they make quality games. They're trying to push the idea of BUYING GAMES and supporting the developers as bad. Where Microsoft makes all the money at the top of the pyramid scheme and developers get scraps that will come back to bite them when their games have to rely on a service, Microsoft has never garnered a huge following like Sony worldwide. So, they seek to cheapen games value because their games don't sell as well and level the playing field. Their games come across as unfinished most of the time for over a decade like Halo is today even being a year late. Or were getting 60% in reviews that pushed Xbox fans to not want to buy games because of Microsoft's laziness.

You can even see the example of them being lazy like the idea that MLB, which was pushed by Microsoft to be multiplatform because look, 2 trillion dollars supposedly isn't enough for Microsoft to make their own like Sony. They had to do shady deals under the table. Instead of putting in the work, they forced Sony to give up theirs. And what do they do? They put it in a service to make it look like buying a baseball game is bad compared a service. Microsoft isn't pushing gamers to buy it. Only use it against Sony in pricing. And Xbox fans wish all sports games were in a service instead of pushing the developers to make better games and not do what EA does every year.

Xbox fans think they're playing those games for free on game pass. They think it costs no money to create these games or want companies like Sony to give them away in a cheap service. Their mindset now is that they deserve top quality games for almost nothing. But have the nerve to call themselves gamers. Or not understand that it costs money to make them.

[Atom666]

@Shadow

I love the MLB conspiracy theories. They're some of my favorites.

Playing it Day 1 on GP btw. Also managed to get a used copy of FW for $40 this week.

Good time to be a gamer who doesn't pretend that overspending makes you a "real gamer."

[darthv72]

@ripper... "distant 3rd..." this isnt wiiu vs xbo vs ps4. That is an example of distant 3rd.

@shadow... maybe you are revising history but XB has only finished 3rd one time and it was a pretty close 3rd. Every other gen their platform has finished in 2nd. So your "mostly been third" is just smoke coming out of your ass.

$60 is not expensive to pay for a quality game. However asking $70 for a slightly better version or even $10 to upgrade the previous to the same slightly better version ... is.

[Aloymetal]

''MS is throwing everything into gamepass''

What else can they do, Gamepass is just the ''latest'' overhyped tactic from Phil & company (glorified by the biased media as well) to keep the xbox brand somehow relevant, especially here in the U.S. and gain some traction in the gaming industry. It was introduced in 2017 and after almost 6 long years it's clear it hasn't changed anything. They're still last on market share, last on sales, last on software sales and dead last on popularity with console gamers around the GLOBE!
The're playing their lastest cards, Throw 'em up against the wall hoping to see which ones stick AKA Gamepass.

[LOGICWINS]

If they're "dead last", then why are you and others so concerned about the moves they're making? 😆

[Aloymetal]

@LOGIC

''then why are you and others so concerned about the moves they're making?''
They've been ''making moves'' since June 2017 (6 yrs), how much longer do people need to wait and see results? 10, 15 years?. The only ones concerned are the xbox fans and the biased media trying their best. No one from any other platform is gonna jump ship to join xbox/gamepass.

[Lightning77]

The mass market is already adopting to the series s and gamepass combo. It's extremely clear you live in a small little bubble away from real life. Have you thought maybe Sony's competitor is presenting a different proposition to attract consumers? You know a thing called being competitive.

"No one from any other platform is gonna jump ship to join xbox/gamepass."

Correction ppl like you will never jump ship to xbox and gamepass. Which is completely fine because you aren't MS target, extreme fanboys are never the target on either platform period.

[Atom666]

I hope to have an "irrelevant" business one day that allows me to write $68b checks.

[Aloymetal]

@atom666
''I hope to have an "irrelevant" business one day that allows me to write $68b checks.''

We're talking about xbox not Windows, which everybody knows is subsidizing xbox division or do you really think those billions came from xbox division alone?
You all love to bring up window's money when convenient and ignore it when the narrative don't fit. You guys gotta make up your minds.
The only reason they stay in the Console market is because even being third place, they still make enough profit to justify its existence to corporate.
There’s very little that Microsoft can do that could increase the appeal of the Xbox brand outside of North America.

[Atom666]

I'll rephrase then.

I hope to have an "irrelevant" business that generates 16b in revenue a year, is supported by a parent company that generates 15b in profit each quarter, and manages to trigger fanboys into stuttering rants by its mere existence.

Is that better?

Quit crying and move on. The insecurity in these rants is entertaining to see, but it's foolish.

[Obscure_Observer]

"Why does PS Plus have to be a game changer, and why play catch up to a company that was never ahead in the first place?"

Because things are bout to change. Consoles shortages or not, Xbox has been selling more consoles than Playstation on key markets and probably raised the alarm at Sony on what to expect when Activision games finally arrive on Gamepass. Not to mention Xbox´s upcoming first party games on Gamepass or retail for cheaper prices (60$).

You see, in the past they said no to PC. No to GaaS. No to backwards compatibility. No to crossplay. No to acquisition of studios they haven´t "nurtured".

Look at them now. Like I said: things change.

So don´t act all surprised in case Sony starts to deliver day one first party on PS Plus rather sooner than later.

[rippermcrip]

Sony is still outselling them 2 to 1 worldwide. I'm sure they're real worried.

[kayoss]

“Xbox outselling Playstation in Key market” , like that one Walmart in Alabama?
Dude, Microsoft is lucky that there’s a chip shortage. Because if there wasn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if PS5 outsells xb 3:1 world wide.

[shinoff2183]

This sony ps plus thing has been in talk for awhile before the xbox sold more then the still hard to find ps5. I remember reading about it in the fall maybe summer at the earliest.

[itsmebryan]

@Deusfever
You are not including the price of new games you have to pay full price for because they are not included in any PS+ tier. Sony's own MLB the show '21 and '22 are included in Gamepass. That's a savings of $140 + taxes. Now add in all the other day one new releases and you are Gamepass is a much better value.

[SierraGuy]

Also if the rumors are true about PS implementing PS3 emulation very soon....RIP game pass... you'll never 'catch up'.

[SierraGuy]

^ why must this bozo butcher the English language.

Learn to speak if you're going to acknowledge me.

Also those indie shovelware game pass fillers are better than Sony's AAA? 🥴

Please stfu before making yourself look even more stupid.

[darthv72]

I'd love for that rumor to be true, gods honest truth. But Sony isnt interested in just giving you access to what you already have. As is the case with PS1 and PS2 support on PS5 through the new now+. i mean seriously if they can let you download PS1 and PS2 games then why cant they just let you use your own discs to get a digital copy like XB does? Why do they have to sell it back to you?

As such I will prob just stick to essential level of + as i can already still enjoy my PS3 and subsequent older games through that. If Sony changes their mind and they make it free... call me.

[FanboysKiller]

Well ,they will prepare for the next batch , though , a big deal for consumers, not gonna lie.

[thorstein]

The top story states that PS Plus has twice the subscribers as gamepass yet, Plus must "catch up." I am not sure this journo knows how words work.

[Silly gameAr]

@Insomniac

I don't know what everybody and their dog are saying, because I'm sure I don't go to the same sites or read the same blogs you do.

[wiz7191]

They both are options , You don’t have to get gamepass or PS now .. I feel like gamepass is great for people on a budget , I have gamepass for a couple years now I’ve played games I wouldn’t even think about buying.

[Zeref]

Well this option is garbage. If you're gonna do something do it well. Right now it feels like a scam.

If they at least were consistent with 1st party releases it wouldn't be so bad. And the fact that they're not even permanently on there is just asinine

[FanboysKiller]

In a sentence , it's a service that objectively forces you to buy games , not a different way on consuming them.

[brewin]

Well yeah it's an entirely new idea for gaming. They are literally trying to create Netflix for gaming, not hold on to some antiquated model of how games should be consumed. How do you expect the business to grow when the biggest barrier to attracting new gamers into the fold is the cost?! You can buy an Xbox and Gamepass for 2 years by paying $25 a month. No $500-700 upfront. Just $25 a month. That's huge for a lot of people.

Xbox All Access presents Figuring It Out: Everyth…: https://youtu.be/ARCoAANB38...

[derek]

@brewin, "antiquated model" like creating videogames, which we as gamers buy andcthen play? You xbox guys are so weird with this obsession with Microsofts business model.lol Some of us are just here for the games.

[S2Killinit]

Not to mention that the “day one” first party games that is supposed to be such a game changer for gamepass translates to two games a year if you are lucky. Those two have been Halo and Forza.

But MS PR has made it sound like these guys have everything under the sun in gamepass.

[brewin]

Spoken like a person who's never tried Gamepass. There's definitely more than 2 lol and this year is going to be stacked. The way people like you discredit Xbox and everything they do are funny. Great system great service, best bang for your buck in the history of gaming. But facts don't matter to y'all 🤷🙈

[S2Killinit]

Ummm 2 first party day ones per year is what you are getting the moment with gamepass, FACT.

[darkrider]

Gamechanger? What's Gamechanger are games not services. Is having new exclusives all year not services...

[CaptainHenry916]

And Yet Halo Infinite is dying on gamepass

https://youtu.be/gn75ra_Aec...

[Aloymetal]

I heard the the TV series is a flop as well.
https://www.wired.com/story...

[ChasterMies]

The TV series needs less talk and more action.

[porkChop]

A bad review based on the first episode doesn't mean the show is a flop though. It's actually pretty popular and was already confirmed for another season. I've seen the first 3 episodes and it's pretty decent compared to a lot of the garbage sci fi shows we've gotten over the years.

Regardless, I just want to highlight one part of that review that really bothers me:

"Games often overexplain their stories, relentlessly reminding you of the context for your play. For many, it’s a relief when they’re allowed to take control. There is no similar repose here. Halo (the game) was about you, Master Chief, and your fellow Spartans fighting a theocratic alien race. Halo (the show) is about you watching that, and because it must be shown, not played, the series is constantly describing itself, laying out its world's rules. In this sense, Halo, and other video game adaptations, adopt one of the least artful things about games: the tutorial."

All sci fi shows and movies have to explain their lore and how their universe works. That's not a tutorial, it's called world building and is an integral part of sci fi. I don't understand why that's being shunned here. This isn't like playing a game where you can turn on Spotify and just focus on great gameplay. The storytelling and world building are the whole reason you're watching.

@Deus

I agree. There is a bit too much dialogue in that respect. I would like to see some more action.

[Pocahontas]

Huge halo fan and was disappointed by the trailers. I actually love the show tbh but I am biased

[Elda]

I've stated this before..but again for me both services are just average at best. I use PS+ basically for the online capabilities, the few games it offers every month are usually games I already own...played or I have no interest to play. The new PS+ will not be having day one PS AAA exclusive releases & I doubt it will have day one AAA multiplats releases as well. At this point in time, I can say the same thing about Gamepass Ultimate. Lately the GPU service has added mostly newly released games that are indie or low budget. XB has no AAA exclusives releasing anytime soon so the only current XB exclusive on the service is Halo Infinite. The next AAA exclusive (Starfield) release on GPU is not until November if it's not delayed. The only current (2022) AAA multi-plat released on GPU is R6:Extractions & the baseball game The Show other AAA multiplats like Guardians were released months ago in 2021. Basically when it comes to playing newly released AAA exclusives & multi-plats I do not rely on either service I buy those games asap to own & play whenever I want to play.

[Starlins]

The difference between the two is subsidization.

[WGAF]

That's actually the shortest most logical and straight to the point view on these services. Perhaps MS may actually use Sony payment for Azure (for their cloud ps+ etc..) as part of that subsidization.

[Vengeance1138]

Ummmmm PS+ literally has 2x the users as GamePass.. thus using logic, GamePass is the one playing catch up.

[BrainSyphoned]

A new user would see a huge change to their gaming regardless of choosing GP or PS+Now. For existing users...well I'll wait till launch to be disappointed.

[Germaximus]

People that write headlines like this are just stupid. PS Now has had 10x the games as Game Pass since it launched. Just stupid.

[Stanjara]

These are not for me, and prices are ridiculous.

[ChasterMies]

100% wrong. If you are new to PlayStation and haven’t built up a library, you get a huge library of games day one. Just with PS+ Essential, you get the PS+ Collection to play on PS5.

[CrimsonWing69]

I think the issue is older gamers into the retro scene will like this, but as far as anyone looking to play Day 1 games or have a robust selection of recent titles this won’t compete with Gamepass. I’m curious what the numbers will be on the top tier subscription vs the others.

[Fearmonkey]

right now i prefer sony's service and i pay for gamepass. The games with Gold are lame, and the gamepass games arent that great for my tastes outside of a few games and i own alot of them already.

[kayoss]

Microsoft have deep pockets, for now they can take a lost on AAA games going straight to gamepass. However, I will guarantee you that once they get enough people subscribing. Don’t be surprised they raise the price or have subscriber pay a premium to play new AAA games. Similar to how Disney + charge subscribers a premiums for new marvel movies that goes straight to their services.

[Crows90]

Playing catch up assumes they are trying to give their 1st party out as part of the service on day one....they're obviously not....so no playing catch up here.

[John_McClane]

As long as PlayStation doesn't include its exclusives on the service day one, they're never going to catch up to Game Pass.

[RickRoland]

Considering MS has only released two exclusives in what will be the first 3 years of this gen (which will mean we will be mindblowingly about half way through this gen by the holidays), I don't see any Xbox fans complaining about the lack of first party games on their subscription service. Exclusives will be on it, just not day 1. Returnal is already announced for the service for example. Which is half of Microsofts output for exclusives on GamePass thus far. Sony will be just fine, as always. They are already destroying MS on the catalog front this gen.

[John_McClane]

Actually, Xbox is destroying PlayStation in the subscription service and X/S outsold the Ps5 for what, 2 months now? Now wait and see what happens when the Activision/Blizzard deal goes through, and Microsoft decides to make COD exclusive.

[Hedstrom]

Not a fan of any of the subscriptions. I dont see it beeing sustainable in the long run.

I have a fear that all games will be hollowed out, and to get the full experience every game will have season passes and microtransactions above the subscription price.

And that will lead to a new gaming crash ala 1983!

[SierraGuy]

They will probably add in game ads. Could you imagine.

Literally nothing you can do about it once we're at that point. Oh wait...pay us for another tier to get ad free games.

Microsoft is cancer.

[Solitariussaint]

Microsoft Is a cancer to the videogames industry, what you just described is a dark future I will fight against until the end.

[masterfox]

I tried gamepass in my PC for one month last year, and since then I haven't renewed , why you may ask?, well I found that is more important quality in my games that a bunch of average games, so really honestly I dont think PSN Plus is playing catch up here, imo is all the way around.

[Knushwood Butt]

What qualifies someone as being an analyst?

[darthv72]

...being anal

[warriors_13]

Gamepass is wildly overrated. $180 a year to rent a bunch of indie games and a handful of average first party titles is ridiculous. I don't get why people overhype it. The playstation plus middle tier is already looking way more enticing to me and they've only teased a few of the titles that will become available.

[CrimsonWing69]

Why are you ignoring a bunch of third party games like Guardians of the Galaxy, for example?

[warriors_13]

ok, add it to the list of games that i'll never play.

[Ready4nxtgen]

How is allowing gamers to play ps2,ps1 games not a plus? Ok I read enough lol

[tagzskie]

Gamepass saving grace is day one release, No matter what ps+ do they may add more games compare to gamepass, add dlc, content, features, etc etc. In the eyes of xboys its not enough not unless ps+ do day one also..

[SierraGuy]

Fk day 1...if I'm hyped or want a game so bad on release I'll just buy it in physical form if possible... because I'm not CHEAP.

[Zeref]

Not having day 1 1st party games is an L. But not even OLD 1st party games are on there. Like Last of Us Part 2 is still not on it and they're not on it permanently. That's the biggest L imo.

If they were more reliable/consistent with 1st party releases and communicated as to when they'll be on it then it wouldn't be so bad.

Then there's also the lack of AAA 3rd party games and even indie games barely show up on it.

This all makes PS Plus absolute garbage.

[SierraGuy]

Tf you talking about? TLOU2 was released on psnow last October for download and stream.

Am I missing something?

[Zeref]

It's not there anymore according to the website.

[Starman69]

No 1 cares.

[Orchard]

PS+ Premium is effectively DOA in terms of attracting new users.

No day 1 exclusives, no proper back compat story, and it doesn't differentiate enough from PSNow. If you were interested in paying more to get access to these titles, you're probably already subbed to PSNow.

I don't expect we'll see a huge uptick in the number of subs in the premium tiers versus what we see today on PSNow - but I also don't expect that Sony will share per-tier numbers (and rightfully so, bigger sub numbers look better).

[Godmars290]

How is something that has twice the users/subs than Game Pass "Catching up"?

[Rhythmattic]

Like a service to play MP online... Nothing to see here... Move on............................ ..............................

[darkrider]

Some still don't understand Sony doesn't put day one games because their games sell millions and make profit. There not even any kind of comparison with day one games on service... Now, if Sony had 200 millions subcribers paying 9.99 each month!!! They have tons of studios and big games cost hundreds of millions to make and you still got marketing.... Games don't cost 5 millions to make some even go beyond 500 millions... This service is great for all that want to play old games, many asked for this.

[-Hermit-]

Isn't one of the best things about having multiple consoles that they do their own thing? If we want consoles to be the same, then we may as well just have 1 and be done with the rest. Why can't we let consoles be different like they used to be?

[derek]

More analysis from the alternate universe, where xbox is the market leader and actually produces top quality games that gamers will pay for and play for more than a week. To be fair the actual interview is much more balanced and level headed, then the title suggests. One good thing about Sony merging now and plus is that we will finally get actual data about the subscription model. Instead of the consistent stream of propaganda and bs metrics you get from Microsoft.