PS Plus Premium: Streaming instead of downloading frustrates many subscribers

PS Plus Premium is about to launch, but Sony’s new subscription still reveals some weaknesses for PS4 and PS5 when the service launches in America.

Hamburg – While the new PS Plus is already online in Asia and America, players in Europe will have to wait until June 22 to switch to PS Plus Essential, Extra and Premium. Players who opt for the two more expensive game subscription levels will have access to a library of up to 700 titles from the PS5, PS4 and even older generations of PlayStation. But in some places there are still problems with Sony’s quite attractive competitor to the Xbox Game Pass.

PS Plus Premium: Classic games cause frustration at the start in America

What weaknesses do PS Plus Extra and Premium still have? Sony is doing a lot right with the switch from PS Plus, but the system still has a few sticking points. A subscription to PS Plus Premium doesn’t seem to be as worthwhile as it could be. The most expensive subscription to the new PS Plus offers access to retro hits and games from the PlayStation 3. However, the classic games on the PS3 cannot be downloaded, only streamed. Especially if you don’t have a fast internet connection, the fun can fall by the wayside here.

The difficult programming architecture of the PlayStation 3 currently seems to prevent you from simply downloading the console titles. Reports from America, where the new PS Plus has already been launched, suggest that the resolution of the games mostly levels off at 720p, as with PS Now, even if the full 1080p can theoretically be reached.

Some gamers are also complaining about delayed input when streaming PS3 games. At the same time, the classic games should be literally buried in the PS Plus Premium catalog and difficult to find. It was also reported in advance that many classics for PS1 and PS2 can only be loaded in technically imperfect PAL versions.

PS Plus Premium: Line-up of demos for PS5 and PS4 still expandable

What do the new demos bring to PS Plus Premium? Another feature of PS Plus Premium is access to free demos for PS4 and PS5 games. Players can try out gaming highlights for three hours before deciding to buy. The selection of games that support the demo feature is still very limited. The short list for the launch of PS Plus Premium includes just under 15 titles:

It is also questionable why Sony PS Plus had to be divided into three different levels at all. In any case, the difference between PS Plus Extra and Premium is still limited at the start. A subscription with access to Sony’s games catalog with up to 700 titles and one with the usual games of the month would certainly have been a lot clearer for players. However, we will know how the individual levels will ultimately be received by European players by July 22nd with the launch of the new PS Plus.

Rubric list image: © Kojima Productions/Sony