Sony unveiled its revamped PlayStation Plus subscription service this week, but how does it stack up against Microsoft's offering?

The all-new PS Plus is PlayStation's answer to Xbox Game Pass – at least that's what we keep hearing. It combines the PS Now games-on-demand service with PS Plus. So you'll get access to a library of games to download and stream, combined with online multiplayer, free monthly games, and exclusive discounts.

Game Pass has made the Xbox Series X incredibly appealing. And thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming , the cheaper Xbox Series S is also becoming a viable option for super serious gamers; it's not just for kids, folks!

But has Sony gone far enough to shore up the widening gap between itself and Microsoft in terms of the services they both offer? Let's break down the new PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass to see which one comes out on top.

It's worth noting that the single-platform Xbox Game Pass options don't include Xbox Live Gold, which lets you play online, and gives you free monthly games as well as exclusive discounts. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Live Gold.

Similarly, PS Plus (which is becoming PS Plus Essential) doesn't include a library of games; it's on par with Xbox Live. The Extra and Premium tiers incorporate the PS Now catalog of games to stream and download, bringing those two offerings in line with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

I'm saving the price for last because we need a bit of context in terms of what exactly it is we're coughing up cash for.

Xbox Game Pass' main draw is its giant library of games spanning four console generations. That means players can peruse titles from the OG Xbox, Xbox 360 , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X |S.

Backwards compatibility has been something Xbox has kept at the forefront of its strategy. Sony, on the other hand, dropped it pretty quickly with the PS4 . Signs that backwards compatibility was becoming more trouble than it was worth for the company began with the PS3 . The feature was a pricey addition in terms of hardware, and was completely removed with the PS3 Slim . You can read more on Sony's history of backwards compatibility here .

The PS Now service in its current form offers hundreds of PS2, PS3, and PS4 games to stream to your Windows PC, PS4, or PS5 . While it's being absorbed by the new PS Plus, those previous gen titles are only accessible with the most expensive PS Plus Premium tier subscription. The mid-tier PS Plus Extra will get you a library of PS4 and PS5 games.

Xbox Game Pass, meanwhile, has one model for PC, one model for console, and the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, which lets you play games on PC, console, and mobile. But its backwards compatibility library is consistent across all three options, for the most part.

In terms of the sheer amount of games available, PlayStation has Xbox beat with a total of 740 games to the latter's 454. But there are caveats! Check out the breakdown below.

The current iteration of PS Plus is directly comparable to Xbox Live Gold, rather than Xbox Game Pass. Although Microsoft is eager as ever to usher Gold members over to Game Pass, with the landing page highlighting that Xbox Live Gold is included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Live Gold is the same price as the existing PS Plus service. Sony is maintaining the same price and benefits for the switch over to PS Plus Essential.

To keep things as clear as possible, we've compared Xbox Live Gold and the new PS Plus Essential tier like-for-like. Remember, while you need PS Plus for cloud saves, you don't need an Xbox Live Gold membership for cloud saves on Microsoft's consoles.

Basically, if you're just looking to play online and get a couple freebies thrown your way every month, Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus Essential offer the same thing. But not having to pay for cloud saves on Xbox is a bonus.

Xbox Game Pass adds tremendous value to your subscription by eliminating the cash you'd usually have to drop to play a brand new game. You can play Xbox Game Studios titles the same day as they release with Game Pass.

That also extends to the Bethesda titles ( Starfield , anyone?), indie games, and blockbusters like Halo Infinite .

Meanwhile, Sony boss Jim Ryan has confirmed that this won't be the case with PS Plus.

"[In terms of] putting our own games into this service, or any of our services, upon their release... as you well know, this is not a road that we've gone down in the past. And it's not a road that we're going to go down with this new service," he told GamesIndustry.biz .

"The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible [if we did this], and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."

He stresses that this approach isn't set in stone and that he's addressing the "short term."

So, until that changes, Xbox takes the dub here.

Now that Xbox Game Pass includes EA Play, subscribers can take advantage of early access to select titles. For example, members got to dive into Battlefield 2042 before release in a 10-hour early access trial. That only applies to Game Pass on PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

The new PS Plus service doesn't feature pre-launch early access to games. But it does include time-limited trials at the premium tier.

With all of that out of the way, how do the prices stack up?

Xbox makes it super simple – if you're looking to play online and want a library of games, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the way to go. It lets you play Xbox games on console, PC, and mobile; gives you access to a huge library of games across four console generations; includes EA Play; and throws in Xbox Live Gold for just a little extra over the cost of the console and PC versions of Game Pass.

PS Plus's three tiers keep the existing membership intact, while offering two more options that incorporate PS Now's catalog of games to some degree. PS Essential is on par with Xbox Live Gold, while Extra and Premium split the additional bells and whistles between them.

If you want to play anything beyond PS4 and PS5 games, you'll need the premium tier to access the 'classic' games library. Cloud streaming and time-limited game trials are also Premium perks.

As we're focusing on the two consoles, we'll ignore Xbox Game Pass for PC for the price comparisons.

Xbox Live Gold vs PS Plus Essential

Xbox Game Pass for console vs. PS Plus Extra

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate vs. PS Plus Premium

If you don't care about being able to dip into a huge catalog of games on a whim, then you're better off sticking with Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus Essential. They're around the same price, and include the same benefits. Xbox doesn't charge for cloud storage but this is included in PlayStation's service.

Xbox Game Pass for console doesn't include any of Xbox Live Gold's perks so you'll need to buy that separately for online play. But at the point you might as well just upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate. The games catalog is sitting at 454 right now, and members get to play select new releases on day one, as well as enjoy exclusive discounts. If you intend to stay offline, Game Pass for console is for you.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is for players who want a library of games and will fully take advantage of online play and cloud gaming. Plus there's the added benefit of being able to play your games across platforms. With EA Play thrown in, adding early access, it's worth opting for this over the other two options for most people.

Skipping over to PlayStation, if you're happy with your current PS Plus membership, PS Plus Essential is all you need.

If you're looking to get access to a 400-strong library of PS4 games on top of that, then PS Plus Extra tacks that on for you.

But if you really want to get stuck into previous generation titles, with a catalog of over 700 games, as well as cloud streaming, and try-before-you-buy trials, you should hop straight over to Premium.

PlayStation's library of games has Xbox beat, but Xbox has extra perks like playing new games on day one, and early access with EA Play that pips PlayStation to the post.

In my opinion, those extra perks make it more appealing over a massive well of games that I'll never have time to get to. But the nice thing about all of the PS Plus tiers is that they include online play. While Xbox Game Pass for console doesn't so you need Xbox Live Gold, or an upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate.

Which service is best suited to you depends on what and how you play. Hopefully this deep dive has given you enough info to come away with an idea of which service is best suited for you.

You won’t have to wait around for Xbox Series X game updates anymore

Xbox Insiders in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead channels can now access a new build that speeds up how quickly your Xbox Series X|S scans for games that have updates available.

Xbox owners may already be aware that scanning for updates can sometimes take longer than expected, so this tweak to the Xbox OS should alleviate this issue if you’ve ever found yourself staring at the ‘Updates’ menu for too long.

Xbox engineering lead Eden Marie said on Twitter : “Xbox Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead Insiders, today’s update includes an initial set of fixes targeted at the speed of scanning for updates in my games & apps. Tiles should appear sooner, and you may see some additional processing afterward (especially if you sort by size).”

Elaborating further, Marie provided a disclaimer that the scanning process can still be slow when you’ve got “extremely large amounts of installed content.” As such, she recommends filing bugs once the fixes have been applied, so this can be looked at further. Considering this is an initial set of fixes, we’d expect more changes to come in future updates.

Get inside

If you’re interested in becoming an Xbox Insider, you don’t need to go through a registration process. All you need to do is download the Xbox Insider Hub app , which is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X |S, and PC. Better still, you don’t need to opt-in for each preview going, you can choose which ones you’re interested in.

Just remember that these features are being beta tested, so you may encounter bugs. Some previews aren’t available to all Insiders either, as there are five “rings” by which Insiders are classified: Alpha Skip-Ahead, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omega. You can find out more from the official FAQ .

Thanks to Xbox Game Pass , filling up your console storage is all too easy. Games frequently come and go from the subscription service, though we usually get a generous selection of new additions to compensate. Microsoft’s first-party line-up is always available too, so you can jump into Halo Infinite , Sea of Thieves , Forza Horizon 5 , and more at a moment’s notice.

If you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate , you can always try out Xbox Cloud Gaming to alleviate this storage problem, which also negates the need for updates entirely. Of course, that’s assuming your internet connection is up to the task but otherwise, we’d recommend picking up a 1TB Storage Expansion Card from Seagate .

How to factory reset an Xbox One | How to set a dynamic background on Xbox Series X | How to change your Xbox Gamertag | How to enable 120Hz on Xbox Series X/S | How to connect an Xbox One controller to Xbox Series X/S | How to clear the cache on Xbox Series X | How to clean your Xbox Series X

Xbox Bethesda showcase 2022 – 5 games we really want to see

E3 or not, we're still getting the Xbox and Bethesda showcase in 2022. Not only does this raise the question of whether we even need E3 anymore, but it also has our minds spinning at what could possibly be revealed to further bolster the Microsoft Game Studios roster when the showcase goes live on June 12.

Last year, E3 2021 marked the first-ever Xbox Bethesda showcase . While we weren't left wanting for new game announcements, the presentation was still a bit of a damp squib, with an overreliance on CGI trailers and little in the way of actual gameplay.

We want that to change this year, and hopefully it should. Microsoft Game Studios has plenty of games announced for Xbox Series X |S and PC that we haven't even seen gameplay for yet. This year's Xbox and Bethesda showcase marks the ideal opportunity for a gameplay blowout on several upcoming games including Starfield , Fable , Redfall and perhaps Perfect Dark , to name but a few.

There's likely going to be a bunch of announcements related to games that have already released, too. Forza Horizon 5 expansion details are likely, as well as content updates for Halo Infinite , Sea of Thieves and Microsoft Flight Simulator .

Here are five games we want to see make an appearance at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, whether they be safe bets or total pipe dreams.

Starfield

With a current release date of November 11, 2022, it's not just highly likely we'll get a gameplay reveal of Starfield at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, it'll probably take center stage. That's not uncommon for Bethesda, either. You might remember that the first gameplay for Fallout 4 was shown at E3 2015, mere months away from its launch in November of that year.

Starfield is to be the next giant RPG adventure from Bethesda, trading the high fantasy of The Elder Scrolls and post-apocalypse of Fallout for a spacefaring sci-fi romp. Very few details have been revealed about the game so far, aside from its setting, so we fully expect a substantial vertical slice to be showcased at this year's presentation.

What we do know is that Starfield will be big. Perhaps too big, according to a former dev , who has stated that the game may even need to shed a significant amount of content if it's going to release on time.

Redfall

The other big Bethesda game we'd love to see make an appearance is Redfall, the co-op first-person shooter being developed by Arkane Studios, who was previously responsible for hits like Deathloop , Prey , and Dishonored. With a resume as impressive as that, Redfall shouldn't disappoint.

All we've seen of the game so far, though, is a brief CGI trailer shown at last year's Xbox and Bethesda showcase. The trailer was admittedly a fun watch, introducing the game's playable characters and a delightfully spooky, vampiric setting.

Among a gaming landscape where co-operative shooters are a dime a dozen, Redfall seriously needs to set itself apart from the crowd if it wants to attract and retain a sizeable audience. Arkane's no stranger to making excellent first-person games, thankfully. Hopefully the developer can continue its winning streak and deliver on this ambitious project.

Fable

Ever since that debut CGI trailer, we've been pining to see even a smidgeon of gameplay for Playground Games' Fable. A reboot of the much-loved trilogy originally developed by Lionhead Studios, its announcement trailer was perfectly on-brand, teasing a darkly humorous fantasy setting. But it told us nothing of the game beyond that.

Details, thus far, have also been scarce, outside of a few promising industry hires. These include a combat designer from CD Projekt Red, and writers who cut their teeth on series like Borderlands and Batman Arkham.

Xbox has a habit of announcing games via CGI trailers, and then keeping tight-lipped about them for years afterward. Despite reassurances from Xbox head Phil Spencer and Playground devs that work on the game is progressing smoothly, we won't know for sure until we get to see Fable in action. Hopefully, that'll happen at this year's Xbox and Bethesda showcase.

Perfect Dark

Arguably one of the most exciting announcements from Xbox in recent memory, the Perfect Dark reboot is currently being developed by new AAA studio The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics, who were responsible for the excellent Tomb Raider reboot trilogy and... Gex. Remember Gex? We miss him.

The N64's Perfect Dark, a spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007, is perhaps one of the most influential first person shooters of all time, and instantly made its heroine Joanna Dark a popular gaming icon. The middling Perfect Dark Zero arrived on the Xbox 360 five years later. As such, the reboot (which is reportedly a third-person action game with an emphasis on stealth) has to impress.

Reports of the game being stuck in development hell, however, don't bode well for the project. As a result, we think Perfect Dark appearing at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase is a long shot, but we hope we'll get at least some updates on the project in the form of a new trailer or a tentative release window.

A new Banjo-Kazooie

And now for the pipe dream announcement. Outside of 2013's Killer Instinct, the Battletoads reboot, and the superb Rare Replay compilation, Xbox has seriously dropped the ball on making use of developer Rare's library of brilliant IP. We think it's high time that changed.

While there are several Rare games we're pretty nostalgic for (Jet Force Gemini and Grabbed by the Ghoulies immediately spring to mind), the iconic bear-and-bird duo have to be next on the list for a grand return.

We're not asking for a new Banjo-Kazooie for the sake of nostalgia. Collectathon style platformers are arguably back in vogue right now. Big hits like Sackboy: A Big Adventure , A Hat in Time and Super Mario Odyssey have proven in recent years that there's still a huge audience for this style of game, which Xbox absolutely should capitalize on. And it owns the perfect IP with which it can achieve that in Banjo-Kazooie.

Do we even need E3 at this point?

Even though E3 2022 has been cancelled in the fullest capacity, the Xbox and Bethesda showcase is still going ahead regardless – around the same time as it did last year, no less.

Additionally, Sony has shifted to a greater focus on digital presentations in recent years with its State of Play showcases. And Nintendo has been doing it for the better part of a decade with its Nintendo Direct format. As a result, we fully expect both companies to host their centerpiece presentations around the time E3 would have normally taken place.

E3's influence on the industry looks to be waning, then. That's especially so considering each publisher's digital presentations and events like Summer Games Fest picking up the slack with its own bespoke conference of new game announcements. As such, E3 runs the risk of becoming entirely obsolete now that publishers and other third parties aren't beholden to its presence.

The annual gaming showcase certainly does have its own quirks and charms, and we'd be sorry to see it go. It's especially great for those visiting in person, as they're able to preview games through hands-on demos.

But for the casual observer, the big draw is the announcements, the world premieres, the shock reveals you never saw coming. None of that is lost in E3's absence, as publishers' bespoke presentations continue to prove. With that in mind, it's hard to say that even if E3 does return next year, if gamers would even care all that much.