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Sony took its sweet time revealing the full extent of its PS Plus reboot – and, frankly, with only approximately 150 of All PS Plus Games confirmed, we’re still not getting the complete picture. According to the company, PS Plus Premium subscribers will get access to about 750 games at launch, so it still has plenty more to reveal. Our impressions, however, are much more positive than they were when the company first announced its plans almost two months ago.

We all knew that the firm faced an uphill battle against an unprecedented offer from its primary competitor, Microsoft. And, if we’re honest, even the most ardent PlayStation fan would struggle to recommend the new PS Plus when compared directly to Xbox Game Pass. However, as the debate regarding how much the Redmond firm is subsidising its service rumbles, we reckon Sony has put together an alternative that’s just about the best it can be.

PlayStation has reiterated countless times that offering first-party titles at launch could “deteriorate” the quality of its output, so we knew it was never going to compete on that front. However, the importance of catalogues should not be underestimated, and we think that’s where the new PS Plus is looking successful. Games like Demon’s Souls, Returnal, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales may not be new, but they all have value to members.

In fact, Sony has assembled a pretty compelling library here, even expanding as far as third-party titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re someone who owns a PlayStation console but doesn’t necessarily purchase every major title day one, then there’s potentially thousands of hours of entertainment on offer here – and all for a competitive price, which, when purchased annually at least, works out less than Xbox Game Pass’ MSRP. As it should.

That’s not to mention the retro stuff which, admittedly looks light in terms of lineup right now, but will hopefully grow rapidly. Considering that Sony has shown little to no interest in its back catalogue for years now, confirmation that it’s including a wrap-around for these games allowing you to make custom save points and even rewind the gameplay is huge. It’s also notable that select titles will be available to purchase outside of PS Plus, unlike Nintendo Switch Online – and even legacy digital purchases will seemingly be honoured.

In a further positive move, PlayStation has committed to bi-monthly PS Plus updates, rotating between PS Plus Essential – the updates we’ve already become accustomed to over the years – and the new PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium tiers. This shows a dedication to the service’s growth and development, and while we’ll need a more robust roadmap to draw any conclusions on how it intends to support the subscription, it’s an encouraging development.

All in all, then, we’re feeling optimistic about the rebooted PS Plus, which is welcome after years of PS Now neglect. The lack of day one first-party releases will continue to be its biggest shortcoming, but if PlayStation can offer a compelling catalogue that expands and improves over time, there’s going to be real value here for PS5 and PS4 owners. The positive endeavours on the retro content – which is being handled better than we expected honestly – looks to be the icing on the cake.

Are you happy with what you’ve learned about the new PS Plus so far? What do you think of the games lineup, and do you think PlayStation is moving in the right direction? Sound off in the comments section below.

How would you rate the new PS Plus based on what we know so far?