PS Plus Classic Games Will Have A Retro PS1-Like Visual Filter

PS Plus 2.0 makes its North America debut on June 13, and new details have already started trickling in thanks to those with access to the revamped subscription service. PS1 games included as part of the $18 Premium tier are reported to have a few features players can choose from, including a “Retro Classic” filter that alters the screen to resemble a vintage CRT TV.

Sony unveiled its overhaul to PlayStation Plus this past March. A possible Game Pass competitor, the revamped Playstation Plus folds the company’s two existing subscription services, PS Now and PS Plus, into one bundle. There are multiple tiers to choose from, but good luck trying to make sense of it. One thing is clear, though: To play those classic PS1 games you love, you gotta subscribe to the Premium tier, which is $18 a month or $120 a year. But when you decide to boot up a game like Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, you’ll get to select from at least three different visual filters that transport you back to the late ‘90s.

That’s according to screenshots posted by ResetEra user brokenswiftie, who showed the “Default,” “CRT” or “Retro Classic,” and “Modern” filters for the 1997 platformer, apparently running on PS5. There will also be extra visual options, with Eurogamer reporting PS1 games can be played in “native, 4:3 for 16:9, and stretched” resolutions. It’s that CRT/Retro Classic filter that’s particularly enticing. It gives the game a vintage look, with muted colors and static lines—like playing on a TV in a basement or your grandma’s living room.

Kotaku has reached out to Sony for comment.

VGC was also able to get some hands-on time with Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee in a 10-minute video. The footage looked pretty decent for an emulation, with the game loading levels at a brisk pace. Still, VGC reported that it “experienced several crashes” during its time with the game, all seemingly stemming from changing visual settings too much. Maybe that’s a holdover from ‘90s gaming.

These filters are just one of a handful of reported features Sony is adding to classic PS1 games once PS Plus is relaunched next month, including things like rewind and quick-save features, as well as crowd-pleasing trophies