Sony launches its new game subscription service PlayStation Plus in North and South America

techcrunch.com:

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that gamers from North and South America can now explore the newest version of its PlayStation Plus game subscription service, which now has one monthly fee and will incorporate its separate cloud gaming platform, PlayStation Now.

As a result, current PlayStation Plus subscribers will be migrated over to the PlayStation Plus Essential tier and get cloud streaming access until their existing subscription expires. There will be no increase to their subscription fees when switching over to the higher tier.

Sony will also launch the service in 11 markets in Eastern Europe later this month. This will complete the global roll-out that began in Asia in late May, bringing the total to 30 markets that will have cloud streaming access.

The revamped subscription service will potentially make PlayStation Plus a better competitor against Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass. Sony claims that the service will have a more extensive game catalog, and subscribers that get the higher-priced subscription plan will have access to benefits such as time-limited game trials and more.

Today, players can dive into titles like Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” “Red Dead Redemption 2,” “Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut,” and “NBA 2K22,” among others.

In total, there are over 700 games for players to explore from PlayStation Studios developers like Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, and Sucker Punch, and third-party partners such as Rockstar Games, Square Enix, WB Games, and more.

Also, the game catalog will “refresh and evolve over time, so there is always something new for gamers to play,” the company wrote. Its rival Xbox Game Pass, on the other hand, regularly adds and removes