Retro filters, better storage system: PS Plus Premium breathes new life into old PlayStation hams

The Ridge Racer 2 PSP Remake has been spotted on the PS Store. Even with fresh screenshots that allow statements about the emulation!

On June 22nd, PlayStation Plus will be completely transformed in Europe: The “PS Plus Extra” plan gives us access to over 400 PS4 and PS5 games, with the “Premium” subscription the number increases to over 700. The most expensive Level covers all generations of PlayStation, including PS1 and PSP.

All information about the new PlayStation Plus:

Some users of the ResetEra forums may learn as they have been granted early access to the Service. This is related to the PS Plus conversion in Asia, which will take place on May 24th.

CRT filter provides youth room flair

Part of the spate of new information is footage of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, which has not yet been confirmed to be included in the subscription. The title appeared on the PS4 many years ago, but was then replaced by the remake New ‘n’ Tasty. Now the original is celebrating its comeback on the PlayStation Store with many adjustments.

Below this is a filter that expands the image output with scanlines that are typical for tube televisions:

Retro

default

A pixel-precise emulation can create a muddy impression, a filter smoothes it out. (Image source: ResetEra)

The filter also simulates a darkening that would be caused by a tube television. This is also included in a third option, but the scanlines of the retro mode are missing.

Modern

default

The only difference between the default and “modern” modes is the brightness. (Image source: ResetEra)

Higher internal resolution

Additionally, a store listing has revealed that the PSP remake of Ridge Racer 2 will be released for PS4 and PS5, most likely on the PS Premium subscription.

Corresponding screenshots show that the arcade racer will be playable with a significantly higher resolution than on the handheld. GamePro scrutinized the images and counted a native resolution of 1080p.

However, all screen displays, menus and textures remain untouched, they are still rendered in their original resolution and scaled up linearly, which is why they look very washed out. This can also be expected for all other titles, since the assets and the programming are basically not changed in the case of an emulation.

We can save anytime!

Retro games take up little memory compared to current titles. This circumstance can be used in many ways, for example to save countless images of the game in the background. Players can then use a rewind function to jump a few seconds or even minutes into the past.

In addition, save states can be created: Savestates are also exact copies of the gameplay. Six slots can be manually filled with such saves, so we are no longer tied to the games’ original save systems. This eliminates a lot of frustration, especially with PlayStation 1 titles, since save points were only set sporadically at the time and the game mechanics are still comparatively immature.

A user recorded the numerous features of the emulation in a tweet:

The game in action. I tried the visual setting and the rewind function. Pretty straight forward. pic.twitter.com/mE6MRksbn9

— Najmi The Kampung Nerd (@najmi) May 23, 2022

You can also see some adjustments in the video that, along with the improvements we’ve been talking about, make for an impressive feature set:

• screen filter
• Higher resolution
• Better viewing angle stability of textures
• Choice of aspect ratio and pixel display
• rewind function
• Savestates

Get your PS Plus subscription now

No trophies?

According to the players, Ridge Racer 2, Abe’s Oddysee and the previously confirmed Worms offshoots lack support for trophies.

However, some titles are to be expanded to include support, and a patent also suggests that the function could be installed as part of the emulation regardless of the title, without developers having to touch the game code again.

Subscription is not necessary, games can also be bought individually

The links to the emulated games lead to Malaysian store pages where the classics can be bought. Rounded up, twenty ringgit would correspond to five euros, while some titles, such as Worms: Armageddon, would come to nine euros.

Have you already bought the originals from PS Store?, you get the features at no extra charge. Sony have already confirmed this when announcing the lineup for PS Plus Extra/Premium.

Which of the innovations are you most excited about?