With increased competition from Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony has gotten a bit of a boost to its online library thanks to an agreement with Electronic Arts to bring its EA Access to the PlayStation 4.
While Sony's PlayStation Plus is certainly nothing to be laughed at, Nintendo's willingness to bring a wider range of games to the Switch's subscription service has posed a big threat to Sony's future subscriber base. Though the company made changes in the past by giving users free games each month, this new addition will help to entice new users to the platform. The service will be similar in both price and scope to the version on Xbox One.
Though this new development certainly doesn't match up to the subscription service that Nintendo will soon offer its users, it’s a start. Not only does it put Sony on even footing with Microsoft, but it also shows that the company is willing to offer other subscription services to users aside from PlayStation Plus. This means that there is a good chance that the company will decide to add even more subscription options in the future and bundle existing subscriptions within PlayStation Plus.
According to Polygon, the subscription service, which launches in July, will cost users the same amount that it does on the Xbox One, $4.99 a month and $29.99 a year respectfully. The new subscription service will not only give users discounts on digital games and item purchases, but it will also grant them free trial access to a wide variety of games. This means that users will effectively be able to try a game before they buy it. EA access will also give subscribers a large collection of free-to-play games through its Vault feature, though compatibility issues with the PS 4 will mean that its selection will be far fewer than that of the Xbox One.
The limitations placed onto the service by the PS4's internal software is certainly a frustrating matter for subscribers to deal with, but there's a good chance that pressure from Nintendo will force Sony to provide backward compatibility upgrades. It's strange to think that the PS4 didn't have backward compatibility out of the box, but perhaps Sony was holding back until it had a reason to implement it. Regardless, this new development could mean a lot of changes to the system and will also pave the way for future improvements to the PS5.
While many users will undoubtedly add the service when it launches, users who already have PlayStation Plus may be hesitant. After all, it's hard to convince someone to spend additional money for a service that they feel should already be a part of Plus by default. It's for this reason that Sony should determine what amount users are willing to pay in addition to its PlayStation Plus subscription.