After Microsoft's reveal of the Xbox Series S and Series X the previous week, Sony answered with their own PlayStation 5 Showcase, teasing a glimpse into the future of next generation gaming. While the main focus of the special showcase was to promote the PlayStation 5's upcoming titles, Sony showed that they weren't neglecting the previous generation for the new. In their own rebuttal to the Xbox Game Pass system, Sony would announce a similar deal folded into their pre-existing PlayStation Plus subscription service.
The concept of backwards compatibility has often been a hot button issue with the progression into the new generation. As Microsoft adopts a full-scale form of backwards compatibility going all the way back to the original Xbox, Sony has instead opted to focus on bringing the PlayStation 4 up with the power of the PlayStation 5. In a previous display of the technology behind the PS5, it was shown that the console would have components built into the platform in order to elevate PS4 titles, ensuring their playability. At the PlayStation 5 Showcase, Sony announced the PlayStation Plus Collection in a furtherance of their connected ecosystem.
Players on Sony's platforms will be familiar with the PS Plus subscription service, as it is a required service for players to play online on the PlayStation 4 while also offering benefits such as expanded cloud-based storage for saved data backups and an offering of two games per month for PS Plus subscribers. The PS Plus Collection is an added benefit to the service, bringing a slew of the PlayStation 4's greatest hits up to the PlayStation 5, allowing players with PS Plus Subscriptions to play these titles at launch through the PS5.
The Games in the PS Plus Collection
The PS Plus Collection is confirmed to include the following titles from the PlayStation 4:
- The Last of Us Remastered
- God of War (2018)
- Persona 5
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Mortal Kombat X
- Monster Hunter World
- Days Gone
- Infamous: Second Son
- Resident Evil VII: biohazard
- Battlefield 1
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Fallout 4
- Final Fantasy XV
- The Last Guardian
- Ratchet and Clank
- Bloodborne
- Detroit: Become Human
- Until Dawn
Each of these titles will be made available to PS Plus Subscribers on the PlayStation 5. It has been noted as an "added benefit," indicating that this will come at no extra cost to players on Sony's platforms, and will simply be an added incentive for subscribers, adding to their library of potential launch titles for the PlayStation 5. PlayStation Plus comes in at USD $9.99 a month or one lump sum of USD $59.99 for a full year, and with the PlayStation 5 set to launch on November 12th in most regions (with a worldwide launch of November 19th following soon after) PS Plus will offer players a veritable starter pack of the PlayStation 4's greatest hits to supplement the PS5's launch titles.