Sony’s big gaming services could see major changes in the future, according to a report from Bloomberg. The two services believed to be getting the changes are PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. Both services have been available for the gaming systems for quite some time but have been offered separately.
The report from Bloomberg mentions that the service, codenamed Spartacus, will allow PlayStation owners to pay a monthly fee for access to modern and games from previous consoles.
The rumored service is believed to be coming in the spring. The report points out that the two current services will be merged and that the PlayStation Plus branding will be the one to remain.
PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are two different services. PlayStation Plus allows users to get new free games every month and play many games online. PlayStation Now is a more recent service that allows users to stream and download classic games and some new ones.
Bloomberg says it has reviewed documentation that appears to point to three tiers. The first tier will include the current benefits that PS Plus features. The second option will offer PS4 as well as PS5 titles in the future. The third tier appears to be the one with the most benefits. Bloomberg says it will have extended demos, game streaming and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games. There is currently just one option for PS Plus, which launched for the PS3 back in June 2010.
PS Now and Competition
The current PS Now lineup offers a number of games. But the service is not as popular as the other service from Sony. In September, reports said PS Plus had a little over 47.2 million subscribers. In May, reports said PS Now had 3.2 million subscribers. This was a one million increase from what was said in May 2020.
The rumors come as Xbox continues to offer a ton of benefits with Xbox Game Pass. The Microsoft subscription has been very popular for the Xbox in recent years. The rumored service from Sony is believed to be a competitor to Microsoft’s subscription.
Nothing Confirmed Yet
The rumors do leave everybody with questions as to how it is all going to work. The service, which has not been confirmed, would offer what PS Now features. But the service is only available in some regions and there is no confirmation on if it will arrive to other places before it is merged with PS Plus.
PS Plus is available for users around the world but the PS Now part is where many people are confused. Does this mean that the tier with PS Now will only be available in some regions? How will the games work if the service is available worldwide? What are the monthly and annual prices going to be? We’ll have to wait for Sony to confirm or give more details on all of this.
