Back in 2018, Microsoft decided to bet on a model that was far from being a standard within the video game industry, and that over time has served as an example for the rest of the companies in the sector: we talk neither more nor less than Xbox Game Pass. The arrival of this subscription service was received with some skepticism, but it has finally meant that many companies have wanted to follow in the footsteps of Redmond.
Without going any further, this week it was Sony that presented its subscription service, called PS Plus Premium, which comes to compete with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest tier of Microsoft’s service. However, after what was announced by PlayStation, what are the real similarities between the two services? and what are the differences? Precisely we seek an answer to all these questions below in a Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs PS Plus Premium head-to-head.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs PS Plus Premium, similarities and differences
Access to a wide catalog of games
The subscription services of Microsoft and Sony have the same common goal: to offer a large number of games in exchange for a monthly subscription. In its announcement, PlayStation confirmed that PS Plus Premium will feature 400 PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, placing it very close to the catalog of current games that we find available on Xbox Game Pass today. However, it is important to note that we do not know what kind of games we can see on the service, although considering that it is a transformation of PS Now, it is very likely that the catalog of the new service will be nourished by what has been seen in the existed until now.
However, it is precisely in the game catalog where We found the first difference in this Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs PS Plus Premium head-to-head: EA Play. Microsoft not only allows users who have an active subscription with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to enjoy its own catalog, but also offers the option of having all the titles of the Electronic Arts namesake, which makes the service of those of Redmond into something differential for the user.
On the other hand, if Xbox is victorious in the catalog of current games, the opposite happens with the offer of retro games. PlayStation has confirmed in its statement what PS Plus Premium will offer up to 340 PS1, PS2 and PS3 games, while Xbox currently offers nearly 70 retro titles on Xbox Game Pass. Of course, it must be said that Xbox players have backwards compatibility as a free thing within the console itself no need to pay for Game Pass.
Day One Releases
One of the best features Xbox Game Pass offers is the ability to enjoy all Microsoft games through the service from the day they are released. However, Sony’s bet will be very different, since it has been confirmed that PS Plus Premium will not have the presence of the company’s major releases on the same day of its launch.
This is again a big plus for Microsoft, as Xbox Game Pass users will have the option to play new titles from Xbox studios without having to pay full price if they want to; while those of PlayStation will be obliged to do so if they want to play the latest news from day one.
In addition, in this sense it is important to highlight another thing, and that is that, at least from what is seen on PS Now, Sony’s own games are in and out of the service’s catalog, thus moving away from the permanent presence of all Xbox-owned games on its service. Therefore, and despite the fact that they could later be included again, PlayStation users would not always have the possibility of playing the company’s titles that had already reached the service whenever they wanted.
Native vs cloud backwards compatibility
Speaking of the issue of backward compatibility, we must make a very important point in this regard. Although the PlayStation catalog will be more numerous according to the generations of PS1, PS2 and PS3, the service has a disadvantage compared to Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles compared to PS3: the use of the cloud.
While Xbox 360 games running on the Microsoft service run natively on the console, you can install the games on the console; Sony’s service has confirmed that it will run these games through the cloud, without the possibility of installing them on our hard drives, so it will work exactly the same as it did on PS Now until now.
Therefore, although gaming via streaming has improved considerably in recent years, it is always better to run games from the same hardware that we are playing on, so in this sense Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has an important advantage over PS Plus Premium. Additionally, Xbox Series X|S gamers benefit from reduced load times, auto HDR, resolution boosts, and FPS Boost, which makes backwards compatibility of many games become a free and improved version.
streaming services
The streaming game market has been something that has been exploited in recent years by major game companies. Sony and especially Microsoft have been betting on improving cloud gaming services, something that is reflected in their two services, since Both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PS Plus Premium will allow you to play streaming titlesalthough there are some doubts about what Sony’s service will be able to offer.
While Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers the possibility of enjoying the cloud service through various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, PCs or even consoles from the last generation of consoles; PS Plus Premium raises questions about the availability of this service. For now, Sony has not commented on whether it will improve what it has been offering, or if, on the contrary, what we have been seeing will happen, that is, that the cloud service will “only” be available on console and PC.
Therefore, PS Plus Premium could once again pale against Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in this regard, since Microsoft’s expansion of its cloud gaming service would be well above what PlayStation offers, especially since those from Redmond They are already working even on the arrival of xCloud to SmartTVs.
PC GamePass
We just discussed that PS Plus Premium will be available on PC, just like PS Now was before it. However, there is a big difference between Microsoft and Sony’s treatment of the compatible platform user. While the PlayStation service will only work through the cloud (except for last minute changes); Microsoft will do the same, but allowing subscribers to play native versions of PC gamesif they so wish.
Although it might seem like a minor aspect, today most users still prefer to play titles completely natively, so the possibility of being able to install the games we want to play on our computers is a differentiating element when it comes to user, especially the PC one, which is more demanding in certain aspects than the console one.
Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus
The greatest similarity that exists with respect to both services is related to the inclusion of all aspects of other services. Both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PS Plus Premium include Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus Essential subscription (known until now as PS Plus), allowing access to the monthly games that both companies give away, as well as exclusive discounts and the possibility of enjoying online features.
However, in the absence of knowing what will happen to PS Plus Premium when it is available, Microsoft usually offers some incentives with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, such as the almost 3 months of premium crunchyroll that we had relatively recently, or the subscription to Marvel Unlimited They offer for a week.
Prices
Finally, we want to end this Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs PS Plus Premium with a price comparison of both services. As we can see in the image above, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers the possibility of subscribing to the service for €12.99/month, while PS Plus Premium can be purchased for €17.99/month.
However, in this sense there is a difference between the two services. While the annual Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription is currently not available, Sony’s service will allow this type of subscription, which will cost a total of €119.99/year. Therefore, if we decide to subscribe month by month, the Microsoft option will be the most affordable for users; while if we decide to do it annually, Sony’s will be the cheapest.