The PS Plus Collection is quickly becoming a rotting catalogue and wasted potential
Anyone who became a first-time Playstation owner this year with the arrival of the PS5 (which itself was no easy feat) will no doubt herald the included PS Plus Collection – A terrific catch up catalogue of twenty of the PS4’s best titles. This PS5-only benefit is unlocked once you become a member of the PS Plus scheme which, for £50 a year, provides members with free games each month, exclusive discounts, and online play. But for long-time Playstation players, and up to date PC players who will likely have experienced some if not all these games at some stage, its a bit of a waste. One year on, its a neglected ecosystem that could easily be reignited.
Personally I am yet to own a PS5. Before you get your pitchforks out or slam down your laptop lid in disgust, please hear me out. I have been a Playstation gamer (non-exclusive) since the hazy days of the PS One all the way through to today. My own PS4 is in constant use with plenty of life left in it and, naturally, a backlog library longer than both my arms. And that’s just the titles I own; the PS Plus membership catalogue of “free” games of the last 3-4 years is a backlog of its own. These are both factors in my reluctance to make the inevitable generation jump.
With the PS5’s own rather underwhelming catalogue in tow, Sony’s powerhouse would be nothing more than a 4K Blu-Ray player plus backward-compatibility peripheral in my household. I am yet to be sold otherwise; Astro’s Playroom is a highly enjoyable showcase of the PS5’s controller’s capabilities, but it is an experience that is over very quickly, even for the less keen trophy hunters, and without the significant investment in software the current generation demands, the head once again turns to a collection of games that needs an injection of life. The solution? Enter Playstation’s other platform that is undergoing a revolution of late: PS Now.
Until the last twelve months or so, PS Now struggled with both its catalogue and streaming performance. Even the largest internet bandwidths were negated due to consistent streaming issues, leaving cinematic titles such Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, a PS3 title, unwatchable and unplayable. More recently, the option to download PS Now titles locally removes the performance issues, and, most importantly of all, the catalogue has expanded exponentially since the release of the PS5. Surely some of these offerings could be interchanged with the current PS Plus Collection crop, or adopt a similar approach in releasing new offerings on a regular basis?
Should Sony ever decide to adopt such an approach it would do little to devalue a PS Now or PS Plus subscription. We’re all aware that if the latter’s free monthly offerings are not claimed, then we’ve missed out. Furthermore, taking this interchanging approach keeps things varied, and may even influence a decision to invest in the PS5 if they haven’t already. Including myself.
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