PlayStation Plus TEST: furry retrogaming? Big catalogs? Compelling new service?

Sony Interactive Entertainment made a decision, that of merging the Playstation Plus that we know with the Playstation Now. Thus, players have the choice between 3 new subscriptions to satisfy their thirst for video games. To better enlighten you a little, here are the various advantages of each offer to take into account:

• Essential – €8.99 per month / €24.99 per term / €59.99 per year
  

  • Monthly PS5 and PS4 games;
  • Access to online multiplayer;
  • Cloud storage;
  • Other small perks (like discounts, etc.).

• Extra – €13.99 per month / €39.99 per quarter / €99.99 per year
  

  • All the benefits of the Essential subscription;
  • Catalog of PS5 and PS4 games.

• Premium – €16.99 per month / €49.99 per quarter / €119.99 per year
  

  • All the benefits of the Essential and Extra subscriptions;
  • Catalog of PlayStation, PS2, PS3 and PSP Remasters;
  • Streaming PS3 games;
  • Time-limited trial versions.

In Japan, this new universe has been available for a while, we took out a subscription Premium in order to give you our impressions. Interesting ? Should we succumb? And what is it worth retrogaming ? Let’s look at these questions!

Let’s start with what is obvious: the presentation of the service. First of all, sony highlights the titles of the moment to guide the player towards the pearls not to be missed; especially AAA of playstation under the spotlight. Next, we have categories in the form of boxes to direct us to specific content. For example, “Catalog”, which groups PS4 and PS5 versions of several licenses. Big black dot, everything is mixed up and it is not possible to sort by platform. So if we are only looking for productions new-gen, you have to scroll through a whole list of games; it is somewhat tedious.

We have another corner which is also called… “Catalogue”, which exhibits other categories where everything is separated by genre with large, clearly visible and understandable icons. “Genre”, “Must Play”, “PSone, PS2, PSP”, “PS3” and even “Ubisoft+ Classics”, it’s accessible, clear, coherentwe do not understand why Mister S. did not use this section as the main interface. Finally, we have quick access to “Classics”, “Demos”, “Streaming Games” and “Monthly Games”. All these branches give a little headache, the Japanese giant should have offered something more refined and intelligible. No doubt the appearance will change over the months to bring a little more clarity.

One of the questions that comes up most often: are there any big games to get your teeth into? The answer is yes. Whether you have a PS5 or a PS4 at home, you can have fun with little bombs like Demons Souls, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghost of Tsushimathem Spiderman, death stranding and we move on. Something more than pleasant, the genres are varied. There’s adventure, action, sports, fighting games, racing, independent, delirious, psychedelic… In other words, there’s something to do to relax a little neurons and escape. The selection is not bad, great classics prowl around, it’s a treat.

There is plenty to do to relax the neurons a little and escape.

However, it should be remembered that all productions are not eternal and that they can be withdrawn from the catalog overnight; unlike the monthly games that remain in our Library. To be clear, make the most of them while they are available.. Also, no game DayOne in the service. Sony Interactive Entertainment was clear on the subject, but promises all the same, and from time to time, to add a title to its exit on the Playstation Plus ; as was the case with Destruction AllStars or will soon be with straywhich arrives on July 19, 2022. To put it simply, the big experiences will not tumble right away for subscribers, unfortunately.

As for the old titles, it’s catastrophic. The list is thin and ridiculous for a launch. PS2 games can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and the PSP and PSone have nothing to excite. The choice of titles is laughable, it’s as if playstation had forgotten that he had in his bag video game masterpieces that marked generations. It takes heavy from the start, and not Toys Story 2 or IQ. You had to put tekken 3 instead of 2, send the Metal Gear Solidthem Final Fantasythem tomb Raiderthem MediEvilthem Gran Turismothem god of wargames that we have already purchased on the Playstation Store in a distant time.

Admittedly, you have to titillate the consumer over the months, excite him by adding a few pearls of yesteryear, but 18 games only for starting a new service is a big NO. The firm could have prepared the ground, it’s a shame. As for the PS3, we find the catalog of the Playstation Now. The productions are varied, there is something to have fun. But then, where does it block? the streamingbut we will come back to this a little later…

The demos are interesting because they give us access to the full game, but we are limited in time. So we can start an adventure, enjoy it for long hours, until the counter drops to zero. Point to remember, we keep the Trophies won, but also our save game to resume our progress if we decide to buy the full game.

Let’s talk little, let’s talk well. Do PSone and PSP games run perfectly on our current consoles? For starters, two versions are available, PS5 or PS4, it’s up to you. The difference ? On one side the resolution is 4K, on ​​the other 1080p. Next, the machines automatically smooth the textures to bring a clean and pleasing image to the retina.

Convenient and efficient settings.

To give you an example, in tekken 2the characters are crisp and detailed. However, when a title exhibits a bit of 2D, the image is runny, appalling and unreadable. Consider the case of Resident Evil Director’s Cut, the sets become a big pile of pixel mush, while the protagonists are flashy. To overcome this type of problem, the manufacturer has included an option that allows you to add a filter, “Classic Retro”, bringing scan lineschanging the colors and slightly blurring the image ; honestly, it feels good.

In addition, it is possible to stretch the rendering so that everything adapts perfectly to your television, but we advise to leave the basic aspect (the 4:3) to avoid any distortion. Another nice feature is the ability to save anywhere and load your game anytime. Finally, we can go back. Are you dead and don’t want to start all over again? Do not panic, just launch the appropriate option, choose a specific moment and resume your adventure. A convenient and effective setting; once tried, it is difficult to do without.

Without and with filter

PS2 games are not entitled to the same treatment. Thereby, there are no visual options to smooth the render, not even manual save and no “rewind”. We have to settle for a simple emulator, which doesn’t improve the graphics much, but still exposes clean textures on the screen. It remains correct overall, let’s say that we are disappointed not to have additional parameters.

And the PS3? Well, as we told you before, it’s streaming. Our machines require a good connection to play on the Web. However, if your network is not stable, you will see poor rendering displayed before your eyes. We tested everything in excellent conditions, result? It’s fuzzy and there’s micro latency between when we press a key and the action onscreen. It’s frustrating. It therefore takes time to adapt for our reflexes to get used to it, but avoid playing with productions requiring a certain skill, it could quickly get on your nerves. The ideal would have been, like the PSone, PSP and PS2, to install a title in the console to enjoy it without any hiccups.

PS2 and PS3

Even if the interface lacks clarity, the new Playstation Plus overall is excellent. The service is well stocked with PS4 and PS5 games, ideal for small budgets and allows you to discover pearls that you would never have bought. The catalog is well supplied, there is enough to spend hours and hours in front of your television.

So, do you have to fall for the subscription Premium right now ? Honestly, no. The list of classic games is ridiculous and doesn’t make you want to spend an extra euro on “that”. Where are the video game works that have made us vibrate and transport us to PSone, PS2 and PSP? Again, for a launch, this is laughable; better to wait for the list to grow before succumbing. So what ? We advise to fall for the subscription Extra which allows you to get your hands on several (small and large) PS4 and PS5 productions. But the basics are good, you just have to sony to purify everything and add pearls to convince the consumer a little more.

Note: we will update this test when the French service is available.

You can buy PlayStation cards on Amazon.