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In recent news, Sony is hiking the prices of its PS Plus plans. The hikes are steep, with the top-tier Premium going from $120 per year to $160 per annum. Besides this, the remaining two levels are also becoming less pocket-friendly. This move has faced widespread resentment from the gaming audience as everyone criticized the Japanese gaming giant for making the PlayStation platform more expensive than ever before.
Commenting on why the company is hiking the prices, Sony has cited that it will help bring "high-quality games and value-added benefits” to players without hiccups. The new prices go into effect on September 6. Ongoing deals will be honored through November 6, following which subsequent renewals and purchase of extensions will be charged at the new rate.
New prices of the PS Plus Premium plans
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The new prices, including regional costs, have been outlined by PlayStation in a blog post. Below are the new tariffs for the PS Plus plans:
- PlayStation Plus Essential 12-Month Subscription
- 79.99 USD | 71,99 Euro | 59.99 GBP | 6,800 Yen
- PlayStation Plus Extra 12-Month Subscription
- 134.99 USD | 125,99 Euro | 99.99 GBP | 11,700 Yen
- PlayStation Plus Premium 12-Month Subscription
- 159.99 USD | 151,99 Euro | 119.99 GBP | 13,900 Yen
Do note that the price hikes are only applicable to the 12-month version of the subscription plans. The one-month and three-month versions will continue their original prices. The yearly version was available for a hefty discount compared to the monthly and quarterly payment models. The percentage Sony took off the yearly version is reduced as part of this new update.
Gamers are infuriated with the new price hikes amid $200 PS Portal reveal
The new prices of the PS Plus plans haven't been received well by the gaming community. Many players and fans have criticized the hefty price hikes, which are as high as 35% in some cases. This is against the backdrop of the PS Portal handheld that was revealed last week for $200.
The handheld accessory to the PS5 reportedly doesn't support any headphones other than those fine-tuned and customized by Sony. This is because it supports PlayStation Link, a proprietary tech that replaces other connectivity technologies. Therefore, you will have to get Sony's new $200 PULSE headphones to use the handheld, which is a bummer.
Besides the prices, some gamers have judged the quality of services and games available with the PS Plus plans as well.
Others have argued that Xbox Game Pass is almost as expensive as Sony's new pricing for the yearly plans. While the Game Pass subscription is priced at $132 a year, Sony's equivalent will cost you $135. However, another factor to consider is the overwhelming number of games available on Day 1 with Game Pass, a feature absent on PS Plus.
This factor has seen rampant criticism called against Sony for the 30% price hike despite the lack of high-quality first-party titles in the libraries of the subscription plans.
Another X (formerly Twitter) user @PeterOvo5 cited that Bethesda's Starfield will be released on September 6, the same day that PlayStation rolls out the price hikes. He concluded that Sony is "taunting" its fans.
It will be interesting to see how the PS Plus vs. Xbox Game Pass dynamic shapes up following the price hikes. Currently, the ball has tipped slightly towards the Redmond-based tech giant's favor.
