NTSC versions of the service’s PS1 games will eventually make their way to other parts of the world.
The revamped launch of PlayStation Plus continues today as the new service finally arrives in Europe. The launch started in Asia last month, hit Japan in early June, and then hit the US soon after. There’s been a lot of confusion over these first few weeks, including which versions of classic PS1 games included with PS Plus Premium subscribers will have access to. The PAL versions of 50hz, or the superior NTSC versions of 60hz.
As subscribers in Europe get their first chance to try out the new PS Plus, they’ll find that most of the PS1 games available are PAL versions. Video Games Chronicle tested all 13 PS1 games on the service at launch and found that seven of them are PAL versions. However, Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee and Tekken 2, which was briefly listed for $9999 on the PS Store, appear to be the NTSC versions.
Don’t cancel your subscriptions and go without PS Plus Premium forever just yet. PlayStation Europe has already issued a statement on the matter, and while it doesn’t explain why the PAL versions have made the cut in Europe and the UK, it has revealed that there are plans to give subscribers the option to switch to the NTSC versions. in various parts of the world. “We are planning to implement NTSC options for most of the classic games offered on the PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe plan,” the tweet reads, listing Europe among many parts of the world where this plan will be pushed.
Concerns about PlayStation offering the PAL versions instead of the NTSC ones began during the initial release in Asia. Countries like Taiwan got the PAL versions despite having NTSC support. While that doesn’t make much sense, the main theory surrounding the decision to go PAL for some games in Europe has to do with language support. NTSC versions of some PS1 games may not support languages in certain countries, while PAL versions do.
Reaction to the new PS Plus continues to be mixed. On the one hand, the promise that other regions will have the option to switch between PAL and NTSC is a good one. On the other hand, it’s not like this release has sprung up on PlayStation out of the blue. He had time to line up his ducks before this. The same goes for the subscription stacking and upgrade confusion that came from its Asian launch. Fortunately, that was a bug that was quickly resolved.
