PS Plus classic games sound much better than we thought
PSP games remain untouched, however
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You’ve likely seen thatSonyis expandingPS Plusnext month, merging the existing service with PS Now. You’ll now be able to subscribe to three separate tiers and the highest option, PS Plus Premium, includes PS1, PS2, and PSP re-releases. Now, it’s been confirmed that these games will support additional display options.
While thePS Plusrebrand doesn’t go live until May 24 in Asia, arriving next month for everywhere else, individual games have begun releasing in these territories already. Spotted by aResetErauser (credit toPush Square), it’s now been confirmed that each PS1 game comes with numerous display options, testing this on Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee.
Firstly, this confirms that PS1 games will support their native resolutions, ignoring your TV size. It also allows for 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9, square pixels, and a stretched option called Wide Zoom. Each game also comes with three different visual filters. Aside from ‘Default’, you’ve also got ‘Modern’, and ‘Retro Classic’.
If you’re looking to know more, YouTuber Mystic has offered a detailed breakdown on these new features, which you can view above. When it comes to visual filters, he describes default setting as “sharp and bright,” that Retro Classic implements a “CRT-like filter,” and Modern is mostly similar to the default choice, but it’s not quite as bright.
However, this doesn’t appear to apply toPSPgames. Alongside Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, Ridge Racer 2 was also released individually, another game that wasn’t previously confirmed by PlayStation last week.
It doesn’t include these visual filters, though this doesn’t mean they’re not putting the effort in. According to this report, you’ll still find an upscaled resolution, alongside additional quality-of-life features, such as save states.
Sony’s going the extra mile
Sony has often been criticized for how it handles its own history. In a 2017 interview withTIME, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan recalled being at a Gran Turismo event, saying “The PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?” He later walked that sentiment back when talking toAxios, but last year also saw Sony trying toshut down the digital storesfor PS3, PSP, andPS Vita, a move they also reversed.
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Thankfully, recent steps have shown that Sony’s serious about shedding this image. Havingestablished a new Preservation Teamlast month, we’ve slowly learned what quality-of-life upgrades these new PS1, PS2, and PSP re-releases include. Alongside these filters, you’ll also find higher frame rates, higher-quality resolutions and, for select games,trophy support.
We’ll have to wait a little longer to try out these retro classics directly. PlayStation Plus' upcoming relaunch arrives tomorrow in select Asian countries, though other regions must wait until next month. Japan is first on June 2, followed by the Americas on June 13. Finally, the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are last to the party, where it’ll go live on 23 June.
Henry is a freelance writer based in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. When he’s not wandering in VR or burning through his RPG backlog, he’s probably planning his next D&D session.
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