In 2023, the middle tier of PlayStation Plus has added more value than its rival, but hardware-wise, the new PlayStation 5 is still struggling in sales.

WCCFTech reported that The Loadout did the math on the total value of games added to the service in 2023. If you subscribed to PlayStation Plus Extras for the full year in 2023, you would have received 205 games (but neither side counted how many games were taken off the services!), of which 37 were Essential tier and 168 were Extra. The total value is $7459.59. If we include PlayStation Plus Premium, with 46 additional “classic” titles, the value is $8030.13.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is about the same as PlayStation Plus Extra. So we got 150 games last year worth $4935.66. We can also take into account the Xbox/PC ratio. Consoles received games worth $4869.61 and PCs received games worth $4769.64. So in terms of value, Sony has the edge, but on Microsoft’s service, in-house developed titles are available from day one (Sony has a few third-party games that only show up this way).

And Gamesindustry Japan reported that securities firm Toyo Securities held a seminar on PlayStation 5 sales on December 27. According to the firm, Sony will sell 18.5 million PS5s in 2024, falling short of the 25 million target… but not because of manufacturing problems! Even though the redesigned PlayStation 5 is selling well, the PlayStation 4 has outperformed it over the same period of time. It’s hard to make up for the high development costs of 100 million units, and porting to Xbox and PC doesn’t help.

This problem could be exacerbated in the next generation of consoles, so Toyo Securities suggests that instead of chasing higher performance, Sony should release a smaller console that appeals to a wider audience. (We’d suggest a PlayStation Vita successor, and ditch the PlayStation Portal…)

Source: WCCFTech, WCCFTech