With new consoles on the horizon, it seems safe to say that many are ready and waiting to make the jump to the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X. 2020 has already caused a stir there, though, as this insane year has continuously and strongly impacted several elements of the gaming industry. Many struggle to lock in a PS5 pre-order, and those who have whether online or in-store are not really guaranteed to get their console day one.
While the physical impact is obvious, the safety of the digital side is not a sure thing. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are sure to face new hurdles on the digital side, and this will indubitably impact services to some degree. Yes, it will happen to both, and no, it’s not likely to be as severe for the subscription and digital services as it has been for the physical side. However, it’s worth looking at how PS Plus could potentially face several roadblocks as the PS5 launches.
Likely to GameStop’s dismay, many have predicted a mostly-if-not-all digital future in gaming. Although this has already started as many transition from discs to buying straight through digital stores, next gen is the first real leap into this. On the physical side, there’s this strange emphasis on the standard PS5, while the PS5 digital edition has gotten the short end of the stick in terms of pre-orders. Stocks for them have been lower, despite the lower price tag of the discless console being highly attractive. Combine this with the ever-increasing file size of games, as well as the 825 GB of storage space on the PS5, fans may find themselves running out of space and quick (which is arguably worse on the digital edition).
There’s SSD expansions that can be purchased and games can always be deleted and re-downloaded later, but what this means in terms of PS Plus is prioritization. Even something as attractive as the PS Plus collection isn’t as appealing as new games. Truly, a choice between The Last of Us via the PS Plus collection (or any new games that are made available on PS5 via PS Plus) and a new PS5 game like Demon’s Souls or Spider-Man: Miles Morales is hardly a choice. Considering the former’s file size weighs in at 66 GB and the Ultimate Edition of Miles Morales is 100 GBs, that’s about a quarter of the PS5’s storage space eaten up with 2 games. So despite PS Plus popularity being at an all-time high right now, there’s a good chance interest will wane, at least initially, on the PS5.
Without a doubt, PS Plus’ main draw is the selection of free games made available every month. There’s little doubt that these will be used to bolster PS5 launch games in the initial weeks, at least to the storage capacity of the PS5 and/or one of its expansions, but there becomes a small problem: quality changes. The PS5 will aim to impress in every way it can with its new releases, but even a good or great PS4 game will be held to a new standard. In other words, what many consider a great game now may not be the same thing on the PS5.
The easiest fix for this is PS5 games on PS Plus, but therein lies the crux of the issue: while PS Plus games may be compatible on PS5, there won’t be PS5 games on the console for quite some time. Considering the limited selection of PS5 day-one launch titles, as well as the tendency for PS Plus to sometimes be filled with niche games, the offerings are not only limited with storage capacity until better expansions are made available, many may simply not want them.
Recent months have given way to a ton of rumors about the PS5, but one that remains unconfirmed or denied is the PS Plus and PS Now overhaul. There’s a couple caveats here, one of which is whether or not this actually exists. At the same time, it’s also possible that this was in reference to the PS Plus Collection, which isn’t much of an overhaul. What form this takes remains completely in the air; after all, Sony has made it clear that it doesn’t consider its PlayStation approach as competitive to Game Pass. In other words, this overhaul is not a Sony version of Game Pass.
Still, whatever this is or could be would be new, and the only thing better than nostalgia is new. Adding a new element and making PS Now much more attractive would go a long way in mitigating some of the waning interest in the first few weeks, as well as helping establish how PS Plus may change with the PS5. Even if it were a simple bundle with the two services, it would go a long way for PS5.
With all this said, it’s worth mentioning that Sony’s plans have always been simple: premium games and premium services on a premium console. It seems inevitable that these things rear their heads for some, if not most, new PS5 owners, and Sony is likely aware of this. How it will correct it or approach remains to be seen, but perhaps this should be simplified: for the most part, these issues may be little more than a road bump for the PS5.
The PS5 releases November 12, 2020.
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