PSN Plus? Options

[tomwaits]

Anyone signing up for this? $50/year... Wipeout HD, Age of Zombies, and a few other PSN games free. Discount prices on other PSN games. 3 extra months free for early adopters. (15 months for $50) Free Qore video magazine every month. They're also supposed to be adding cross-game chat soon, so you can headset chat with PSN friends regardless of which games you're playing.

Even though I'd probably make up the $50 on free/discounted PSN purchases over 15 months, I'm not planning to sign up. It looks like all the free/discounted games can only be played while you maintain a PSN Plus subscription. Sony wants to ensure everyone maintains their subscription. But, if your PS3 is offline or if PSN eventually shuts down all the free/discounted games might become unplayable. Similar to the recent Final Fight PSN game. Stops gamesharing, but hopefully this isn't the direction they're planning for all PSN games. I don't mind buying $5-$10 games with no physical media, but they better still be playable in 5-10 years...

[Phineasfool]

I went ahead and signed up for 3 months to give it a try. I figure if I don't like it I am only out $18 and will let it expire. If I do like it I'll do the year subscription in Sept/Oct time frame.

[DreamcastRIP]

Whilst I don't deny some of the supposed benefits of this new offering I personally have no intention of subscribing to the service. If I had have wanted a paid-for online service I'd have bought an Xbox 360 instead of PS3.

[T2KFreeker]

Whilst I don't deny some of the supposed benefits of this new offering I personally have no intention of subscribing to the service. If I had have wanted a paid-for online service I'd have bought an Xbox 360 instead of PS3.

Yeah, and XBOX Live is at least proven as a service to boot. Oh, and I think it's crap too that you have to be online to play Final Fight. Bad form for all around.

This post has been edited by T2KFreeker: Jun 30 2010, 10:23 AM

[PSP509]

Yeah,this sounds a little dumb to me.I don't like the "keep your subscription/our service active or lose your DLs/games" approach to this at all like I was hearing at E3.Sounds like a bunch of crap to me!There's a new PSP game they're trying this with now too,I think.Count me out!More PSP Go-type Sony thinking,if you ask me.Sucksville,man.Sucksville.

[tomwaits]

I've been reading up on this a little, and it looks like any games purchased with a PSN+ price discount are yours to keep even if you cancel PSN+. But any FREE games and content only last while you maintain the service. Even if the games don't require a PSN login before playing, they'll have a built-in expiration date to match the end of your PSN+ subscription. So even the FREE minis, PSP games, PS1 games, etc. can only be played as long as you keep PSN+ even though they don't require a PSN login to play.

In contrast to Xbox Live, at least this isn't required for online play (yet?) or standard PSN purchases. It's basically an option for long-term PSN game 'rentals' and price discounts for other PSN games. Added benefits like some video editing software and cross-game chat. Looks like the 15 month bonus package will be available until August, so still some time to decide and get the extra 3 months...

This post has been edited by tomwaits: Jun 30 2010, 07:07 PM

[kevinski]

I don't see what the big deal is about not owning the games that're free as part of the subscription. A lot of people simply trade their games in, anyway, and anyone who buys digital content regularly will easily make up the cost of the service with content discounts. Just look at the cost of certain other subscription services each month...

$9.99/mo for Rhapsody - You get subscription access to millions of songs for less than the cost of one CD each month.
$8.99/mo for Netflix - You get streaming access to plenty of movies and television shows, plus even more discs, for around the cost of a budget DVD release each month.
$4.16/mo for PlayStation Plus - You get access to plenty of free games for about the same price as a lot of budget digital game releases each month.

C'mon...I hate Sony, and I don't even think that this is a bad deal.

[PSP509]

It just doesn't sound like its worth it to me really.If you're a short term gamer or PS3/PSP owner it might be fine for someone,I guess.I just don't like someone holding my gaming/hobby/fun for ransom like that.Sounds like renting games I have in my collection,or something akin to that kind of crap.Am I wrong?If I am,tell me.I'm being honest.

[tomwaits]

The difference vs Netflix/Rhapsody/etc is that PSN+ offers a limited selection of 'free' or discounted titles each month. Not a full PSN selection and no advance notice of future content. $50 for the hope there will be enough content I don't already have or games I would actually want to buy/play.

For me, I still frequently play a lot of my old games so I'm really concerned about the trend of disposable PSN purchases. 'Free' PSN+ games would basically be playable demos to me. I don't want limited time versions of games that I'd normally purchase. I'd probably still buy my favorite 'Free' games the next time they're offered at a sale price to non-PSN+ users so I wouldn't have to worry about expiration.

I guess the question for me is whether the 'free' trial versions and potential discounts on unknown games is worth $50.

This post has been edited by tomwaits: Jun 30 2010, 09:04 PM

[adolobe]

On the other hand if you want to use HULU Plus with the PS3 you have to pay $10 a month to them and you have to subscribe to PSN Plus. Its all just revenue streams really nothing more.. give you just enough so you fill there pockets.

[PSP509]

On the other hand if you want to use HULU Plus with the PS3 you have to pay $10 a month to them and you have to subscribe to PSN Plus. Its all just revenue streams really nothing more.. give you just enough so you fill there pockets.

Whoopie!!Sign me right up,not!

[DreamcastRIP]

I agree with everything PSP509's said so far in this thread. I'm totally not interested in this new service offering. If others are then fine but its certainly not for me.

[PSP509]

I agree with everything PSP509's said so far in this thread. I'm totally not interested in this new service offering. If others are then fine but its certainly not for me.

Thank you. What's next,trying to rent me/us memory sticks for our units??!WTF!!!Sony,don't try it!It's a fools errand with us gamers.

[Gaztee]

On the other hand if you want to use HULU Plus with the PS3 you have to pay $10 a month to them and you have to subscribe to PSN Plus. Its all just revenue streams really nothing more.. give you just enough so you fill there pockets.

Whoopie!!Sign me right up,not!

I have to say I don't know what Hulu is, but it will be available to all PS3 users. The beta is going to PSN+ first, before being rolled (?) out to the rest of the north American users!

I'm undesided about this PSN+ thing. If I wasn't about to swap continents I might give it more thought. As I see it though whatever you get you should keep. Things are still too expensive on the PSN, so if you got to keep all the 'free' games that might just sway me. As it is I've a mountain of ps3 games to catch upon & am trying tonstay away from the psn purchases which I just don't seem to end up playing!! Tecmo football anyone? ;0)

[tomwaits]

It looks like Sony might be making a consistent tweak to PSN sales? This week's sale games (Castle Crashers, Dead Nation) are going to offer a 30% discount for standard PSN users, and a 50% discount for PSN+ subscribers. Looking back over the last few weeks it looks like some of the titles that were discounted by either 30% or 50% for standard PSN users were offered at 50% or 75% off for PSN+ subscribers.

Since all purchased titles are permanent, a deeper discount on sale titles might finally make PSN+ interesting. I buy enough PSN titles that the extra discount would probably pay for the subscription... any free 'rentals' are just a bonus. Of course I'd basically be paying them $50 a year just to get the same 50% discounts they used to offer though... hmmm...