Both Xbox and PlayStation have services for online play and access to classic games. While the subscription services offered by the companies can be pricey, they do come with some nice perks. For years, Xbox Game Pass has been widely regarded as a subscription service that is vastly superior to PlayStation Plus. Even if one does not have an Xbox, Game Pass used on PC opens up an entire library of games to play, including recent AAA releases.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Sony is looking to revamp its subscription services which are spread across PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. The alleged upcoming service, codenamed Spartacus, will be organized into tiers, giving players more opportunity to find the subscription that best suits them. If reports are accurate, PlayStation may have a genuine Game Pass competitor on its hands. Furthermore, it could solve many issues gamers have had with accessing older titles in the PlayStation catalog.

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The New PlayStation Subscription Service

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Project Spartacus will be a monthly subscription service that essentially blends PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. While PlayStation Now will be phased out, the PlayStation Plus branding will be retained. Bloomberg's sources state that the service will be available on PS4 and PS5, and it is expected to launch in 2022. The report also states that Sony is directing further resources into cloud gaming. This is not unexpected, as cloud gaming is a venture that many companies have been investing in, including Microsoft which has its xCloud gaming streaming service.

The upcoming service will be divided into three tiers. The lowest tier will be equivalent to the current PlayStation Plus service, giving players some monthly free games and allowing them to play multiplayer games online. The second tier will contain a catalog of PS4 and, eventually, PS5 games. The most expensive tier will include extended demos, game streaming, and a collection of classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. Curiously, the report makes no mention of PS Vita games.

Project Spartacus will put PlayStation's subscription services on more even footing with Game Pass, which offers a large catalog of games for gamers to choose from, with more games added regularly. Having a catalog of games available may also quieten down the inevitable monthly grumbles that come from gamers who are not happy with the handful of games that come with PlayStation Plus each month.

Furthermore, by combining PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now, many issues with the subscription services may be resolved. This includes the recurring problem of PlayStation Plus games overlapping with PlayStation Now games, which can be quite annoying to gamers who subscribe to both services. There is also the additional issue of PlayStation Now only being available in a limited number of regions.

PlayStation's Turbulent Relationship With Its Legacy Stores

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Sony's history with classic titles from previous generations has been shrouded with some controversy. In 2017, Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO, infamously made disparaging remarks about old games, stating the following: "I was at a Gran Turismo event recently where they had PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 games, and the PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?" The comment was not received well by gamers, who saw it as a sign that PlayStation is abandoning the classic games that popularized the platform.

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In 2021, these fears seemed to come true when PlayStation announced that it would be closing PlayStation Store for the PS3 and PS Vita in addition to removing purchase functionality for the PSP. This decision was met with strong backlash from gamers. While the legacy stores may not be as active as they once were, many still want the option to access them should they wish to.

Following a deluge of complaints from gamers, PlayStation decided to reverse its decision. However, making purchases has become increasingly difficult. Sony no longer accepts PayPal, credit card, or debit card payments to make purchases or add wallet funds when accessing PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita. Consequently, the only way to fill up one's wallet or make purchases is to redeem a PlayStation Store gift card or use the aforementioned payment methods on PC, PS4, or PS5.

While this may be a fair compromise for some, it does present a convoluted way of purchasing games for those who wish to make their purchases on the older generation console they are using. Furthermore, PlayStation Store gift cards are not easily available in all regions, which makes this payment option accessible to only a portion of gamers. During a time where PS5s are still hard to come by, it is not strange at all for gamers to still cling to older consoles, including the PS3 which has titles such as Grand Theft Auto 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 that did not make the jump to later PlayStation consoles.

Project Spartacus Could Solve PlayStation's Legacy Store Problem

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PlayStation's alleged upcoming subscription service could solve the issue of legacy stores. The third tier, which will include PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games, will allow gamers to access Sony's amazing backlog of games. It may also provide an answer to Microsoft's robust backward compatibility options that allow gamers to easily play Xbox games from throughout the decades.

Details surrounding the new service are still scarce. Thus, it is still unknown how the catalog of classic games will be implemented. Sony may stream older games which, while it is welcome, could be a problem for those with a poor internet connection. However, it may be the only viable workaround for issues such as backward compatibility.

Whichever way Sony ultimately decides is best, Project Spartacus may be evidence that PlayStation is not abandoning its older titles just yet. Although the future of its legacy stores may be hanging in the balance, Sony is seemingly offering up alternative methods for gamers to access PlayStation's vast library of older games. With proper implementation, Project Spartacus could be the solution that satisfies both Sony and gamers.

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