News - PlayStation Plus - It's time to pay for the PSN

[HEXUS]

Subscription-based PSN service announced at E3.

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[Rob_B]

That story is so 9.13PM

[Steven W]

That story is so 9.13PM

I can only type so fast, trying to keep up.

I've added your additional info! Check the post now.

[Funkstar]

oh. I thought PSN was subscription already.....

Although the only person I know well with a PS3 is my better half's 9 year old boy, and it isn't connected at all.

[Rob_B]

I can only type so fast, trying to keep up.

I've added your additional info! Check the post now.

Haha I forgive you. Was just watching the gametrailers feed & didn't realise it wasn't live (even though it said it was) as you could move forward/backwards. Info is around the 50min mark I think but the feed no longer seems to work. http://www.gametrailers.com/e3/livefeed/sony

Sounds like a good deal I guess, especially signing up early to get the freebies. One thing is that the content is only available while you subscribe, stop paying = lose all your freebie downloads or so I've read

[Barrichello]

I like the "optional" part the best. Early access/demos etc, no biggie for me personally, barely have time to play the games as fast as they come out anyway

[Saracen]

Anyone else think the notion of paying a subscription to get access to "early demos and beta tests" is a con trick looking for a mug?

Okay, if you want avatars, genuine freebie content (that you have paid a sub for) and so on, and are prepared to pay it (and no doubt a lot will) then fine, but for demos and betas? The demos are trying to entice you to buy something, and the betas are a way of reducing their development costs, and they want to charge for it?

My idea of a subscription service is that you get a premium service that's worth paying for. So farm this is looking to me like a con trick. Then again, I'm not into online gaming and have never even bothered to use a free trial of XBox live, so I'm not the right one to comment, I suppose.

[jim]

It's interesting though - they're not specifically demos, but time-limited uses of the full game.

So if the game developer doesn't make a demo, you can still experience the game and make a decision as to whether you should buy it or not, courtesy of the download platform.

Whilst it's not something I would personally pay for in itself, I can see where they're coming from - they've made the effort to introduce the system, and they're dealing with the developers on your behalf to release these time-limited versions, so I think it's reasonable for them to ask recompense for that.

[Saracen]

Oh, they can ask, snooty? I'd guess from a lot of people, they'll get it too. But not me, even if I had a PS whatever, which I don't. Not from you either, by the sound of it.

[jim]

As I said, I think it's just a fairly pointless perk to add fluff to the main attraction. If they'd have cut it down to the basic "worthwhile" elements, and got rid of the junk, we'd be left with exclusive content... and that's it. I suspect that without that filler it would look like a much worse deal, even if it was cheaper - and they'd have less people going in for it.

I guess I don't take transatlantic flights for the salted cashews, but it doesn't stop BA from serving them.

[Rob_B]

Anyone else think the notion of paying a subscription to get access to "early demos and beta tests" is a con trick looking for a mug?

Okay, if you want avatars, genuine freebie content (that you have paid a sub for) and so on, and are prepared to pay it (and no doubt a lot will) then fine, but for demos and betas? The demos are trying to entice you to buy something, and the betas are a way of reducing their development costs, and they want to charge for it?

My idea of a subscription service is that you get a premium service that's worth paying for. So farm this is looking to me like a con trick. Then again, I'm not into online gaming and have never even bothered to use a free trial of XBox live, so I'm not the right one to comment, I suppose.

It's just in line with LIVe though in that respect, silver members get it a few days after gold members. PSN+ members get it earlier than 'normal' members, no actual difference.
I do like the idea of 1hr trials though simply for the fact you start at the beginning and keep your saves, although if Assassins Creed II had done this I'd never have bought it based on the first hour so I'm interested to see what games offer this 'trial' !

[Terbinator]

The thing with Live though is that it was never introduced with the add-ons of week early demo's, content deals and whatever - It's something MS just chose to implement. The biggest concern for me is how bad we will, as UK customers, get screwed over by the Euro PSN which is quite frankly poor.

[Steven W]

Unless I see some really decent content coming out that makes it all worth it, and none of the initial freebie stuff gets me excited, I won't be subscribing.