PS5

What to do if PlayStation Gift Card cannot be redeemed

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When entering the voucher code from a PlayStation Store Gift Card or PlayStation Plus Wallet Funds on your PS4 or PS5 console, you may end up seeing the following error message:  

“The prepaid card could not be redeemed. Please try again later.” 

To see how you can redeem your code and, thus, get the funds added to the digital wallet of your PlayStation Network account, you can take a look at this guide from Seeking Tech. 

1. To start off, we recommend visiting the PSN service status page to see if all components are working.  

If part, or all, of the servers are currently down, then we suggest waiting until they go back up again before you redeem your PlayStation Gift Card. 

2. If the servers appear to be fine but you still aren’t able to redeem the voucher, then we suggest taking a closer look at the code.  

Make sure that you didn’t mistake any letters for numbers and vice versa. If you have a physical gift card, then you should also make sure that you scratch off enough of coating so that the code is clearly visible. 

Keep in mind that you can only enter numbers and letters when redeeming your gift card. Spaces, dashes and other special characters won’t work. 

If the code on the card have been completely scratched off and, therefore, becomes unreadable to your eyes, then you can check out this article to see what you can do.  

3. Restarting your console may also help. By doing so, you will log out and then log back into your PlayStation Network account. Not to mention that you will also refresh your connection to PSN. 

4. You can also try redeeming your PlayStation Store Gift Card or PlayStation Plus Wallet Funds on another device.  

In addition to the PS4 and PS5, you should also be able to redeem the voucher code on the PlayStation Store website by using a desktop web browser or web browser app on mobile. You can also use the official PlayStation mobile app to redeem your code.  

5. If you still can’t get your code to redeem, then you can try contacting the retailer or seller of your PlayStation Gift Card to see if you can get a new code or refund. 

6. There is also a possibility that the code has not been activated. If you believed that this is the case, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting post to see how you can get this particular problem fixed.  

7. If none of the potential solutions worked, then we recommend contacting PlayStation for additional help.  

What to do if the Disney Plus PS5 app keeps buffering

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When watching streams from the official Disney Plus application on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, the video may constantly buffer or stutter. To see how you can get a smoother streaming experience, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech. 

1. To start off, you can try restarting the Disney+ App.  

In order to do so, press and hold the PS button to go back to the home screen. From there, you need to press the Options button when the cursor is on the Disney Plus logo. In the small window that pops up, you then need to select the Close App option.  

Afterwards, select the same application from the home menu to open it and then play the video again to see if it keeps buffering.  

2. For the next step, you should make sure that your internet download speed if fast enough to stream Disney Plus videos. 

The recommended minimum speed is 5.0 Mbps for HD videos and 25.0 Mbps for 4K Ultra HD videos. On the PS5, you can test the internet speed by going to Settings > Network > Connection Status > Test Internet Connection. 

If your internet speed appears to be too slow or unstable, then you can try doing the following: 

  • If you are using Wi-Fi, then you can try moving your PS5 closer to the Wi-Fi access point to get a stronger signal. 
  • You should also make sure that there aren’t too many physical objects or other wireless devices nearby that may end up weakening the Wi-Fi connection. 
  • If you have the option to do so, we recommend using a wired Ethernet connection as it should be faster and more stable.  
  • Avoid downloading while watching Disney Plus on your PS5 or other devices. 
  • You should also avoid streaming on other devices at the same time. 

3. You can also try changing the App Settings of Disney+ by doing the following:  

  • Open the Disney Plus App on your PlayStation 5 if you haven’t done so already.  
  • Inside of the video streaming application, press the circle button on your controller until you the left column menu opens.  
  • From there, you need to head into Settings.  
  • Select App Settings from the Settings menu. 
  • By default, the bandwidth usage for the Disney App is set to Automatic. You may want to lower it to Moderate or Save Data to see if you are able to get smoother playback.  
  • Keep in mind that dropping the bandwidth to Moderate will limit streams to 1080p while dropping it to Save Data will limit streams to standard definition. 

4. Power cycling your home network may also fix the buffering issues on the Disney+ PS5 App. You can do so by taking the following steps: 

  • Turn off and unplug the modem and routers from the home network. 
  • Unplug the modem and routers from the power outlet. 
  • Wait for a minimum of two minutes before plugging the devices back into the power outlet and then turning them back on again.  
  • Wait for the home network to boot back up again.  
  • Try streaming a video in the Disney Plus App to see if you can get a smoother experiencing without any buffering or stuttering.

How to fix out of sync audio in the Disney Plus PS5 App

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When watching videos on the Disney Plus application on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition system, you may notice that the audio is not in sync which what is being shown on screen.  

To see how you can potentially get the sound output to match perfectly, you can follow the steps laid out in this article from Seeking Tech. 

1. For the first step, we recommend taking a look at the settings of your television set or monitor.  

You should turn off anything that uses A.I. processing to the sound and picture as these may cause the audio delay and/or video delay to occur. 

Some TVs may also let you adjust the audio delay so that you may be able to sync it up with the videos on Disney+. 

2. You should also look into your listening device. If it is connected to the PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition wirelessly, including connecting a wired device on the controller, then there will be more audio delay. 

Thus, if possible, we recommend using your television speaker or connecting the earbuds, earphones, headphones, headset or speakers directly to the game console by using a wired connection. 

3. If the wired cable is too long for your listening device, then it may also cause the audio to be delayed for Disney Plus streams. In this case, you can try using shorter cables. 

4. Restarting your PlayStation 5 console may also fix the audio delay.  

In order to do so, press the PS button on your controller and then select the Power option located at the bottom right side of the quick menu. From the small Power menu, you then need to select the Restart PS5 option. 

By restarting the console, the Disney Plus App will be closed. This process should also free up hardware resources and get rid of any temporary bugs that may have been causing the audio to be faster or slower than the video. 

5. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you keep the video streaming application, as well as the system software of your PlayStation 5, updated to the latest versions. New updates may fix the sound sync problems. 

6. If your earbuds, earphones, headphones, headset or speakers can also be updated, then we recommend that you download the latest firmware versions for these listening devices as well. 

7. You can also try using a different screen and/or listening device to see if the audio will be better lined up when watching Disney Plus streams. 

8. The sound sync problems may be limited to a single video. 

To test this out, try to stream other videos on the service. If the audio is synced perfectly on other videos, then try to test the problematic video on another device.  

If you are also experiencing out of sync sound on the same video on another device, then you can report it to Disney so that they can get it fix in the future.

What to do if the Disney Plus PS5 App subtitles are too big

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If you have subtitles enabled when watching videos on the Disney Plus application for your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, then you may find the text to be too big. As a result, the captions may end up being overly distracting. 

To see how you can make the subtitles smaller in the Disney+ PS5 App, you can follow this tutorial from Seeking Tech.  

Can you change the subtitle size in the Disney Plus PS5 App? 

Unfortunately, you aren’t able to change the subtitle size directly from the Disney Plus PS5 App. Instead, you need to use the menus of the game console to adjust the font size. 

How to change the caption size on PlayStation 5 

In order to change the size of captions and subtitles when watching Disney Plus on your PS5, you need to take the following steps: 

1. To start off, you need to head over to the home screen of your console.  

In order to do so, you can press and hold the PS button from the controller. An alternative way to go home is to press the PS button and then select the house icon located at the bottom left side of the quick menu screen.  

2. From the home screen, navigate to the top right side of the screen where you can find and select Settings. 

3. After getting to the Settings menu of your PS5, you need to select Accessibility.  

4. In the Accessibility menu, you first need to select Closed Captions of the left side. 

5. On the right side of the same screen, make sure that the Display Closed Captions setting is enabled. 

6. Once Display Closed Captions has been turned on, select Closed Captions Settings. 

7. In the Closed Captions Settings menu, you will see a preview of the captions and subtitles for any changes you decide to make located at the top. 

Here, you first need to make sure that the Customization Caption Style setting is enabled.  

8. Afterwards, we recommend selecting Font. 

9. In the pop-up menu, you will be able to select the following: 

  • Font 1 
  • Font 2 
  • Font 3 
  • Font 4 
  • Font 5 
  • Font 6 
  • Font 7 

After making your selection, you should see a preview of the change at the top of the Closed Captions Settings menu. 

10. Next, you can select Size.  

11. In the pop-up window, you should see the following option: 

  • 50% 
  • 100% 
  • 200% 

By default, the captions and subtitles for the Disney Plus PS5 App is 100%. To make it smaller, you need to select 50%.  

12. After changing the font style and size, open the Disney Plus App again.  

13. When you open the streaming application, you may head directly into the previously playing video, which may still be using the original font style and size for captions and subtitles. 

In this case, press the circle button to exit out of the video and then start playing it again afterwards. The captions and subtitles should then reflect the changes you made to the font style and size.

How to improve Disney Plus quality and resolution on PS5

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When watching Disney Plus videos on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, you may notice that the quality and/or resolution is lower than what you are expecting.  

To see how you can improve the streaming quality when it comes to this application, you can take a look at this article from Seeking Tech.  

1. For the first step, we recommend checking the resolution output of your PS5.  

In order to do so, you need to open the Settings menu of the game console and then select Screen and Video > Video Output > Resolution.  

Since Disney Plus supports up to 4K, make sure you set the resolution of the gaming system to 2160p. 

2. Next, you should make sure that the download speed is fast enough on your PlayStation 5.  

To do so, open the Settings menu again and then select Network > Connection Status > Test Internet Connection. 

Once the test has been completed, make sure you pay attention to the Connection Speed (Download) category.  

Disney recommends that your download speed should be at least 5.0 Mbps when streaming videos at 1080p (HD). For 4K (UHD) videos, the speed needs to be a minimum of 25.0 Mbps. 

3. You should also make sure that you have the right App Settings on Disney Plus.  

In order to check, you need to take the following steps: 

  • To start off, open the Disney Plus PS5 App if you haven’t done so already. 
  • Next, you need to press the circle button on the DualSense controller until you open the left column menu.  
  • From the left column menu, you should select Settings.  
  • After getting to the Settings menu, you then need to select App Settings.  
  • Finally, make sure that Data Usage is set to Automatic. 

4. It is very important to note that the quality and resolution are different depending on which videos you are watching.  

Some videos are available in 4K while others can only be viewed in 1080p. A few classic contents can only be played in SD. 

You can find the resolution label on the video page as 4K Ultra HD or HD. If you don’t see any resolution labels, then it indicates that the video will only be streamed at standard definition.  

5. If you are still getting poor video quality and/or resolution, then your internet may not be stable.  

If you are using Wi-Fi, then you can try moving the PS5 closer to the Wi-Fi access point. You should also make sure that there aren’t any physical objects and/or other wireless devices that may be weaken the Wi-Fi connection. 

If possible, we recommend using a wired Ethernet internet connection for your console. 

6. If you have any other streams or downloads taking up bandwidth on your home network, you might want to consider pausing or stopping them to see if doing so will improve the quality and resolution of the Disney Plus App on your PlayStation 5.

What to do if Disney Plus 4K playback is not working on PS5 

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Thanks to a recent update, you should now be able to watch videos from the Disney Plus App in 4K on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console.  

If you are still stuck watching these streams in 1080p instead, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting guide at Seeking Tech to see how you can get them to display in 2160p. 

1. As we stated above, 4K support for the Disney Plus PS5 App was only added through a recent firmware update. Therefore, the first step we recommend taking is to check to see if you have the latest version.  

In order to do so, you should take the following steps: 

  • To start off you need to head over to the home screen of your PlayStation 5. To do so, press the PS logo button on the DualSense controller and then select the home icon that is located on the bottom left side.  
  • In the home screen of your console, switch over to the Media tab if you aren’t there already. To switch, you need to press the R1 button. 
  • In the Media tab, hover over the Disney+ icon. 
  • With the icon highlighted, press the Options button. 
  • Inside the small window menu, you then need to select the Check for Update option. 

2. If the Disney Plus App is up to date but you aren’t getting 4K streams, then the next step you should take is to check the output resolution of your PS5 by doing the following: 

  • Go back to the home screen of your console. 
  • From there, head over to Settings by selecting the gear icon that can be found on the top right corner. 
  • In the Settings menu, you should select Screen and Video. 
  • You then need to select Video Output in the Screen and Video menu. 
  • On the right side of the same screen, make sure that the Resolution setting is set to output at 2160p.
  • If you changed the Resolution, you may need to restart the Disney App on your PS5 for the changes to take effect. 

3. Even if you have 4K support set up properly, you won’t be able to stream 4K videos on the Disney Plus App if you download speed is too slow. 

To watch 4K UHD with this application, you will need a minimum of 25.0 Mbps. Anything less will result in the videos topping out at 1080p when it comes to quality. 

To check the current download speed of your game console, go back to its Settings menu. From there, you need to select Network > Connection Status > Test Internet Connection. 

If your internet is too slow then you can try doing the following: 

  • Stop any ongoing downloads or other streams as they may causing the download speed to be slow. 
  • If you are using Wi-Fi, then you can try to get a stronger signal by moving the console closer to the Wi-Fi access point and making sure that there aren’t too many obstacles along the way. 
  • If possible, we recommend using a wired Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi. 

4. It is important to note that not all videos are available in 4K. To make sure that you are actually watching a 4K stream, go to the video content page in the Disney Plus PS5 App.  

On the page, you should see the 4K Ultra HD wording next to the age rating of the content. This indicates that the stream will be in 4K resolution once you start to play it.  

If you don’t see the wording, then the stream will top out at 1080p instead.  

What to do if PlayStation Gift Card is already redeemed

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When trying to redeem your PlayStation Store Gift Card or PlayStation Plus Wallet Funds on your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, you may get an error message that says the following:  

  • “This code has already been used. Check what you entered and try again.” 

To see how you can potentially fix this redemption problem, you can take a look at this troubleshooting guide from Seeking Tech.  

1. To start off, we recommend checking your transaction history to see if the funds were already added to the digital wallet of your PlayStation Network account. In order to do so, you need to take the following steps: 

  • Open the PlayStation Store App on your PS4 or PS5 console. 
  • Select the three dots icon on the front page the PlayStation Store. 
  • In the small pop-up window, select Transaction History.  
  • Select the email account that you were using for PSN when you try to redeem your PlayStation Store Gift Card or PlayStation Plus Wallet Funds. 
  • Next, you need to select the date range. 
  • You should now see a list of PlayStation Store transactions for your PlayStation Network account. The redemption for PlayStation Store Gift Cards or PlayStation Plus Wallet Funds should be shown as Wallet Funding in this list. 

2. If you don’t see the transaction for your redemption, then the next step you can take is to sign out and then sign back into your PSN account. 

Afterwards, try to redeem the voucher code again on the PlayStation Store. 

3. There may also be an issue with the PlayStation Network servers that could be causing the voucher redemption issues. In order to check the current status of PSN, you can visit this link. You should make sure that all components of the servers are green. 

If there appears to be an issue, then we recommend waiting until Sony fixes the servers on their end before you try redeeming your gift card again. 

4. Of course, you should also make sure that you are entering the voucher code correctly.  

Both the PlayStation Store Gift Card and PlayStation Plus Wallet Funds feature a 12-character code that contains a combination of letters and numbers. Make sure you aren’t confusing some letters for numbers and vice versa (such as mistaking the letter “O” with the number “0”). 

5. If you still can’t get your PS Gift Card to redeem at this point, then we recommend that you contact the seller or retailer where you bought it from.  

You can try asking them for another code or getting a refund. If they refuse to do both of these actions, then you can try contacting the company behind your credit card, debit card or any other payment method you used to purchase your gift card in order to inquire about getting a refund for your purchase.

How to view PS5 error codes and messages

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When using your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, you may run into occasional glitches. These bugs may cause an error code or message to pop-up.  

If you forgot to take copy down the notification when it first popped up, and would like to view it again, then you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech to see how you can properly do so.  

1. To start off, you need to head over to the home screen of your PS5, which is the location where you can select which game to play.  

If you are somewhere else at the moment, then you can press the PS logo button on the DualSense and then select the home icon. Alternatively, you can also press and hold the same button until the home screen shows up.  

2. In the home screen, you need to navigate to the top right side, where you need to select the gear cog icon in order to go to Settings. 

3. After arriving in the Settings menu, you first need to select System. 

4. From the System menu, you need to select System Software on the left column. 

5. On the right side of the same screen, you should then select Error History. 

6. In the Error History menu, you will see the error code, error message as well as the date and time of when it occurred.  

The list will show the most recent errors at the top.  

It is important to note that the Error History menu will only show the 100 most recent error codes. If you have more in the past, then there is currently no way to view the older ones. 

7. To find out more information on an individual error code, select it from the Error History menu. 

On the next screen, you will be able to see the following details: 

  • Error Code 
  • Date 
  • App 
  • NAT Type 
  • System Software 
  • Message 

The Message may contain steps you can take that may help resolve your problem. If you don’t see any tips, then you can search for the error code over the Internet to see how you can potentially fix it on your console.

How to fix YouTube PS5 HDR issues

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When watching YouTube videos on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, you may notice that the HDR may not be displaying correctly. Some videos may look too dark while others may look a little bit too bright. The colors may also appear to be washed out in some cases. 

To see how you can get a better HDR picture when watching YouTube videos on your console, you can check out this article from Seeking Tech. 

1. For the first step, we recommend that you recalibrate the HDR output of your PS5, which you can do so by taking the following steps:  

  • First off, you need to head to the Settings menu, which you can do by selecting the gear icon that appear on the top right side of the screen. 
  • From Settings, you need to head into Screen and Video. 
  • After getting to the Screen and Video menu, you need to select Video Output from the options available in the left column. 
  • On the right column, make sure that HDR is set to On When Supported. 

  • You then need to select the Adjust HDR option. 
  • Follow the steps that appear over the next several screens to calibrate the HDR brightness output of your PS5. 

2. You can also try adjusting the RGB Range setting, which has caused issues with HDR in the past for PlayStation consoles. 

You can find it by going to the Settings menu of your PS5 and then select Screen and Video > Video Output > RGB Range. 

By default, this is set to Automatic (Recommended). If you don’t think HDR is displaying properly, then you can try changing it to Full or Limited and then test it out on a HDR video in the YouTube App.  

3. You should also make sure that you aren’t using any color filters on your PlayStation 5.  

To check, you need to go to Settings > Accessibility > Display Sound > Color Correction. In the Color Correction menu, make sure that the Enable Color Filter option is disabled. 

4. You should also look at your settings of your television set or monitor to see if you enabled anything that may be alternating how HDR is displayed. 

5. It is important to note that not all YouTube videos supports HDR even if it is mentioned in the title or description of the video.  

To see how you can tell whether or not a video is outputting in HDR, you can take a look at this post. 

6. The HDR may also be poorly implemented for some content. In this case, there is not much you can do. 

Is PlayStation Plus Essential worth it? 

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In 2022, PlayStation Plus was split into multiple tiers with Essential being the lowest one available. So, will you be getting your money’s worth with this subscription. You can find out in this Seeking Tech review article for PlayStation Plus Essential. 

Benefits 

By subscription to the Essential tier, you will get the following benefits: 

Online Multiplayer for Paid Games – This is the most controversial aspect of PlayStation Plus as it requires you to stay subscribed in order to play online multiplayer matches with other players. With that said, this rule only applies to paid games as free-to-play titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone don’t need a subscription. It is also important to note that Nintendo and Microsoft also lock online multiplayer for paid games on their consoles as well.  

PlayStation Plus Collection – This is a catalog of some of the more prominent PlayStation 4 games such as Bloodborne, God of War and Monster Hunter World. There are currently 19 titles available in this compilation. In order to access it, you need a PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition system.  

Monthly Games Catalog – These are a handful of games that are given out on a monthly basis. Once you add these titles to your game library, you will be able to play them as long as you remain a member of PlayStation Plus Essential or a higher tier. 

Cloud Storage for Saved Data – This will give you the ability to upload save files from PS4 and PS5 games to the cloud storage. This is the only way to back up saves for PlayStation 5 games. For PlayStation 4 games, you can use back up saved data by using a USB storage device to go along with cloud uploads. 

Exclusive DLC Packs – These are free downloadable content packs that are only available to PS Plus members. The packs mostly include in-game currency and skins for specific games. 

Exclusive Discounts – PlayStation Plus subscribers will also get exclusive discounts on games and downloadable content on the PlayStation Store. 

Share Play – This is a feature that let you share a game on your PlayStation 5 with another player over the Internet via streaming. You can let the other player take control of your game or play a local multiplayer game with them. 

Game Help – This is a PS5 exclusive feature that give you video hints in supported games. The tips may include help with obtaining trophies or getting past a tough section. 

What we like about PlayStation Plus Essential 

The best features of the PlayStation Plus Essential is the monthly games catalog as you will get something notable more often than not. If you stay subscribed for a long time, then you are going to build up a solid library of games. 

The PlayStation Plus Collection is also a nice extra for those who either skipped out on these games on the PS4 or don’t have a PS4 console previously.

While we rarely take advantage of the Game Help, Share Play, exclusive discounts and exclusive DLC packs, these may benefit you as well.  

What we don’t like about PlayStation Plus Essential 

The main problem we have with PlayStation Plus Essential is that you will be locked out of online multiplayer matches for paid games if you don’t subscribe to it. Many other consumers have a major issue with this even though it has become common practice in the console gaming space.  

It is more egregious when you consider that free-to-play games on consoles don’t require a subscription. Not to mention that many of the same paid games can be played online without any fees on PC.  

Another major issue we have with this service is that cloud saves are locked behind it. Since there is currently no way you can back-up your saved data to a USB storage device, then this is the only method you can retain your save files if they get wiped from the local console storage. 

Keep in mind that Sony’s closest competitor, Microsoft, does not lock cloud saves to their Xbox Live Gold service. 

Should you get PlayStation Plus Essential? 

If you need to play online multiplayer matches for the games you bought on your PS4 or PS5, then you will need a PlayStation Plus Essential subscription. If you want to back up your save files for PS5 games, then you are also required to become a member. 

Thankfully, PlayStation Plus Essential does offer plenty of other benefits that makes the subscription worth its value even if you aren’t happy that it locks online multiplayer and cloud saves behind a pay wall. The monthly games catalog usually offers quality games while PS5 owners will gain access to some of the better titles that came out on the PS4 console via the PlayStation Plus Collection. 

The Game Help, Share Play, exclusive discounts and exclusive DLC features may also appeal to you as well. 

PlayStation Plus Essential or PlayStation Plus Extra? 

PlayStation Plus Extra comes with all the same benefits as PlayStation Plus Essential to go along with the Games Catalog, which contains hundreds of additional PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games.  

Since you only be paying a little bit more per month in order to gain instant access to a lot more titles, we recommend upgrading from Essential to Extra. 

PlayStation Plus Essential or PlayStation Plus Deluxe? 

PlayStation Plus Deluxe is exclusive to select region. With this tier, you will get the same benefits as Essential to go along with the Games Catalog of Extra. Deluxe also adds hundreds of classic games and remastered titles to go along with timed trials for PS4 and PS5 releases. 

If you enjoy playing games that came out before the PlayStation 4, then you might want to consider upgrading from Essential to Deluxe. With that said, we found that the current classic library to be lackluster; so, make sure you check the Classic Catalog list before making a decision. 

PlayStation Plus Essential or PlayStation Plus Premium? 

PlayStation Plus Premium offers the most games as it includes the monthly games and PlayStation Plus Collection from Essential, Games Catalog from Extra and Classics Catalog from Deluxe. With Premium, you will be able to stream PS3 and PS4 games on your console as well as other supported devices. 

It is important to note that streaming games usually have more input lag and less image quality when compared to being able to download and play titles natively on console.  

So, unless you have no other way to play PS3 games, then the most experience version of PS Plus may not be worth it over Essential or the other tiers.