By the time the PS5 and Series X launch in a few months time, gamers will have more than the hardware on their minds. Exclusive titles, launch line-ups and which subscription services offers the best value and experience. Plus or Gold. PS Now or Game Pass.
With Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has established themselves as the leader in console subscription services. PlayStation Now had launched (in some regions) three years before Game Pass but the inability to download games coupled with the inconsistent quality of streaming allowed Games Pass to breeze past Now in terms of uptake.
Game Pass offered far fewer games and fewer platform on which to play them but it gave subscribers the ability to download titles for lag-free, full-quality gaming. Xbox may claim their exclusives launching at the same time on Game Pass has fed its growth but I would bet the house that its users value the downloads a lot more.
Sony has languished in that subscription sphere, haphazardly trying to make PS Now more appealing every few months or so with a short appearance by new or new-ish AAA Sony exclusives. The price is now inline with Game Pass and downloads are offered for a limited selection of games.
But I feel that the price, library and maybe even the name could do with some changes along with the obvious proliferation of downloadable games.
A Subscription by Any Other Name Would Play as Sweet
Let’s start with the name, shall we? If you had never heard of PS Now, would you know it’s a gaming subscription service?For all you know, it could be some sort of tv channel service. The message needs to be clearer on what this service is.
Is it a follow up to the ill-fated PS Vue? They need a massive rethink on the name to make it clear to prospective buyers what it is. Having the word ‘game’ in the title would be a good start. For those working in PlayStation Marketing, I require no fee for that little pearl of wisdom.
Xbox has ‘Game Pass’. Simple, clear and concise message to fans as to what the service is.
Quantity Over Quality?
With Game Pass, every Xbox exclusive will release on the service on day one.
So, the likes of Halo: Infinite, the new Forza Horizon and Motorsport will all be available to download to your system for a tenner a month.
The cynic in me says that the only reason you can get these first-party games at launch is that Game Pass’ 100+ games and Xbox’s exclusive content is incomparable to PlayStation’s line-up. [Ed. – absolutely agree: MS were particularly desperate at that point]
It’s a much harder balancing act for PlayStation to give value for money for PS Now but still make as much as possible on their exclusive line-up of games.
However, once the PS5 launches it’s pretty clear what PlayStation must do to get as many subscribers to the service as possible. Most five-star first-party PS4 titles, such as God of War, Spiderman, Bloodborne, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4 et al. should be added to PS Now.
I’d wait until 2021 for The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima to be added to the service. It would be a good marketing move if they add them when they have a few months where no major first-party games release on the PS5.
Again, these should both be added permanently to the library after a certain period and Sony needs to make its future availability on the service clear. There’s no reason why Spiderman or God of War shouldn’t be permanently added to their library.
Also, they need to make as many games as possible available to download directly to your console. Too many older games can only be played by streaming them. Lag is a killer.
Squeezing Every Penny
As previously mentioned, PlayStation made the smart move of bringing the service to the exact same price as Game Pass, €9.99 per month.
Xbox also offers Game Pass Ultimate for €11.99 per month, which allows you to play Game Pass titles on your PC.
Sony has just announced that Horizon Zero Dawn will be releasing on PC in the coming months, while Death Stranding will also release on the platform.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that PlayStation could follow Xbox’s lead and have an ultimate subscription to PS Now that allows you to play certain PS4 games on PC.
Personally, if Sony adds the games I previously mentioned permanently plus a healthy selection of third-party titles, they could afford to raise the price by a couple of euro and not lose me as a subscriber.