by Backward compatibility in games is something I’ve been a proponent of since the PlayStation 2 introduced this feature in 2000. You can load almost any PlayStation 1 game and play it as usual.
But as times changed and technology became more sophisticated, playing catalogs of titles on Sony’s platforms felt more and more like an afterthought.
For this reason, the new PS Plus service fills me with hope, with a touch of trepidation. The idea of being able to play Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, Gex and more on a PS5 made me finally consider grabbing the console.
But Sony is already giving users like me a hard time with the new tiers it’s offering, and I wonder if Sony shouldn’t already be trying to simplify the new service ahead of its June launch.
Call 140.85
When I first saw the Project Spartacus rumors, I was excited. Microsoft had a fantastic Xbox backwards compatibility program, and while Nintendo got off to a shaky start with its Switch Online service, to me playing F-Zero X online is worth its price alone.
But Sony has always been bizarrely reluctant to offer its back catalog to new users. When the PlayStation 3 was released in 2007, you could pop in a PS1 or PS2 disk and play normally. But later models would put this down to only PS1 games and while some other PS2 games would be available in the store they would be very few and far between.
As was the case with PS4 and PS5, your only hope was to ask the developers about remasters as there was no chance of seeing PS1 and PS2 games re-released for the systems.
Many gamers in the ’90s, myself included, grew up with a PlayStation, and many in my age group have kids who want to introduce them to retro classics in between Fortnite games on the Nintendo Switch.
Still, many couldn’t share some of their favorite games from their own childhoods due to Sony’s approach to its PS1 and PS2-era titles. Its CEO, Jim Ryan, has consistently dismissed the games because they’re old, an opinion that’s felt like a huge misstep all along.
I’ve been chatting to friends, both offline and on Twitter, about how much we’d love to play certain games like Wipeout 2097 on a PS5 again, hoping that Sony might one day reconsider its stance.
But there finally seems to be a change of heart, perhaps in response to what Microsoft and Nintendo have done in this area of nostalgia.
Just one level for retro gaming
However, Sony runs the risk of confusing its users even before the service is live. There are three tiers, with the highest being called PlayStation Plus Premium and priced at $17.99/£13.49, with Australian pricing yet to be confirmed. This is the only level that allows you to play PS1 and PS2 era Sony games.
Paying a monthly price, or higher if you choose to pay annually, for access to Sony’s back catalog in just one tier tells me the company has a long way to go before realizing how is important to retro gaming.
It also begs the question of the classic games that previous PS3 owners, myself included, bought back then. From Ape Escape to Ridge Racer, if they can’t be converted into free downloadable purchases, if you look at our purchase history to date, Sony might have another job to justify its actions.
Finally, there’s no list just yet as to which games will be included in this plan. His blog post spoke of 340 additional games to this tier, but while I’m hoping this will include rare classics like Evil Zone, Rosco McQueen, B-Movie, and Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, there’s a chance it could be filled with many more could be unforgettable games from the past.
So am I happy with the announcement? Almost. It’s a tacit admission from Sony that this should have been on their consoles already on the PlayStation 4. It’s great that nearly 400 classic games are getting their chance in the spotlight again.
But I also feel a lot of trepidation about it.
Playing F-Zero with friends online via the Switch, I hope we get something similar for that service too. But with only one tier allowing you to play these games, it looks greedy from Sony’s point of view, and the method of playing games from eras past has now changed. We want a mix of the old games but with today’s features, similar to what Xbox and Nintendo Switch offer.
Sony has a lot to prove here. It must prove that it is committed to maintaining a catalog that has defined PlayStation from the start. It needs to prove that it listens to its user base, and it definitely needs to prove that this isn’t a one-off service. Once the PlayStation 6 arrives, we should see this service offered independently and not as an afterthought.
But now it looks like I’m glad about it some is at least done, and I’m sure once the 400 games list comes out I’ll be scouring the stores for available PS5 stock whenever I can.
