Earlier on Wednesday, April 21, keen-eyed observers saw Sony leak by accident what could be their answer to Xbox Game Pass.
What Is the PS Plus Video Pass?
Sony has yet to officially confirm the name or the features of their new service. However, the video game news website, Video Games Chronicle, was quick to spot Sony uploading a new logo and page for a brand-new service they’ve dubbed as the PlayStation Plus Video Pass. Apparently, this move would’ve been part of a PlayStation promotion written in Polish. Unfortunately, Sony noticed their mistake and took down the logo, as well as the promotion page down. According to the page, Sony plans on offering a two-day test run for PS Plus Video Pass. During this time, Sony intends to make the service exclusive only to PlayStation Plus subscribers. The test run would have started on April 21 and ended on April 22. The exact nature of the PS Plus Video Pass service remains vague at the moment. Sony’s promotional page was no help either. Instead, the description merely mentioned the name of the service and how long the test run would last. But, an attached image does somehow provide clues as to what fans should expect from the service. Basically, what PS Plus Video Pass will offer at launch are three films released by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Specifically, the films are Venom, Bloodshot, and Zombieland: Double Tap. Thus, we can surmise that the PS Plus Video Pass will offer movies and films from Sony-owned companies. This includes Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures, among others. Although Sony may try and bring in additional studios to make the offering look better. Unfortunately, it remains unclear just exactly how often Sony will add new films and if they will include TV shows to the PS Plus Video Pass.
When is the PS Plus Video Pass Going to Release?
Sony has yet to clarify if the PS Plus Video Pass is an official subscription service. Because of this, we don’t know if and when it will come. One thing to note is that this rumored service follows Sony’s decision to stop selling individual TV series’ and films via the PlayStation Store earlier this year. With the PlayStation 5 having a dedicated tab for media, replacing individual offerings with something like the PS Plus Video Pass seems like the right move going forward.
Is The Rumored PS Plus Video Pass Enough?
Not likely, but it is a step in the right direction. The Xbox Game Pass is currently a separate service to the lackluster Xbox Live Gold. On that note, Microsoft seems to be planning on phasing out Xbox Live Gold. Just a short while ago, Microsoft made changes so that free-to-play games no longer require an active Xbox Live Gold subscription to play multiplayer online on Xbox consoles. PlayStation Plus is clearly a superior offering to Xbox Live Gold. It’s just that it pales in comparison to the Xbox Game Pass. The library of titles included on the Xbox Game Pass numbers in the hundreds. Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus subscribers can only get 2-3 a month, sometimes 4 if they have a PlayStation 5. Right now, the information we have on hand doesn’t confirm nor deny if PS Plus Video Pass is a separate subscription to the PS Plus. If it is, then it would have to include more than just movies and films from Sony Pictures Entertainment to bring in subscribers. Earlier this month, we reported on a leak that suggested Sony was working on a more robust subscription service. This would have included either one of PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Now on top of access to anime (Funimation), music (Sony Music Entertainment Label), and movies (Sony Pictures Entertainment). Should that kind of expansive offering come into fruition, Sony could very well have a true competitor against the Xbox Game Pass on their hands.
