The PlayStation Plus Premium catalog continues to grow every month, and subscribers may now take advantage of a new feature available within classic PS1 games in the service. The new PS Plus Premium feature should be useful this December when PlayStation announces a new brand-new lineup of classic games.
PS Plus Premium subscribers have access to classic PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 games with new additions every month. The PS1 catalog is among the most regularly updated for PS Plus Premium, which includes titles such as Ape Escape, Mr. Driller, Hot Shots Golf, and Tekken 2. At first, PS Plus offered PAL versions of PS1 games at launch. These PAL titles would run at 50Hz with inferior performance compared to the standard NTSC 60Hz versions of PS1 games. Fortunately, PS Plus now offers the NTSC versions, and a convenient new feature allows PS4 and PS5 players to sort through PAL and NTSC games.
Reddit user u/digidude23 discovered that PS Plus added a feature to allow players to sort through PAL and NTSC versions of PS1 games. PS Plus subscribers may select the "Change Region" option within the settings menu for classic PS1 games on PS4 and PS5. If the player changes the game's region from PAL to NTSC, the game will reset and start up as the newly-selected NTSC version. The player may change the PS1 game's region back to PAL, if desired. The Change Region option is located below the "Controls" option, so it's hard to miss once the game is paused.
Since PS Plus NTSC games offer 60Hz support, PS Plus members may take advantage of a game's intended frame rate and resolution on PS4 and PS5. PAL versions performed roughly 20% slower than their NTSC counterparts, so it's recommended to check the game's selected region if slowdown and frame dips are encountered while playing a classic title.
Although PS Plus Premium's PS2 and PSP offerings are lacking at the moment, Sony continues to improve the service and add new features to enhance the user experience. Additionally, a classic PSP game is coming to PS Plus, so Sony may be preparing to finally add more PS2 and PSP games to its premium service soon. Players should wait for official confirmation by Sony, however.
Fortunately, subscribers won't have to wait long for the December 2022 batch of free PS Plus games for PS4 and PS5. Starting December 6, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Biomutant, and Divine Knockout will be available with PS Plus. Players have until December 5 to redeem free PS Plus games for November 2022.