Sony’s PS Plus tiers complicate the simplicity of subscription services

theverge.com:

Sony has announced a new range of PlayStation Plus subscriptions: PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium. Prior to their official unveiling, the plans were characterized as an attempt to respond to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, offering various selections of games to download or stream as part of a single monthly subscription. But now that they’re official, the truth is a lot more complicated.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass pitch is relatively simple. You get access to a broad array of games as part of a subscription, and Microsoft has committed to releasing its major first-party games on its subscription service the day they release. $9.99 gets you games on either Xbox or PC, or $14.99 gets you both, plus the ability to stream games over the cloud (handy if you want to play them on more portable devices like phones) as well as access to online multiplayer thanks to including Xbox Live Gold.

But Sony has taken a different approach. It’s not committing to releasing its first-party games on its subscription service as they launch, and it’s split PlayStation Plus across three different tiers, which offer more games the more you pay. They’ll launch in Asian markets in June, with North America, Europe, and others following closely behind. It’s a much-needed step towards improving Sony’s subscription offerings, but in the process, Sony has created a complicated array of price points to choose between.

The $9.99 PlayStation Plus Essential tier will offer the same as what PlayStation Plus has now — including the dozen-plus games already available as the PlayStation Plus Collection. Next up, the $14.99 PlayStation Plus Extra gets you up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games to download. Finally, the $17.99