Looks like Sony was serious about adding a paid for service to PSN
Money money money mooooooney!
Kotaku, today is reporting that there is a current survey going around from sony that shows what very well could be the online premium payment structure Sony will soon inplement.
The survey begins like this
“Sony is considering offering a premium PlayStation Network subscription in the future. The subscription offering would provide new premium features you could choose to pay for and are in addition to the features currently available for free such as access to online multi-player gaming (current features would remain free).”
Followed by that is a tier type set of options for premium services. The most basic being $29.99 which would consist of basic things such as cross game chat which is something PS3 gamers have been clamouring for for years. The other price is set at $69.99 which would be $20 more than XBL is today. With this subscription you would get things like automatic downloads and updates..umm ok, a trial of full length games where the first hour would be free, free access to PSOne Classics, PSP minis and PS3/PSP themes, discounts on store content, member only in game content, facebook connectivity and a loud storage for games.
Whether or not this is true it wouldn’t be surprising that Sony would want to capitalize on the money making machine that is online gaming subscriptions. However $69.99 may be to steep considering the competitions offerings.
Sony, you had the edge by offering up free online play. Now that it looks like you’re going to actually become competitive with XBL in regards to features, don’t charge MORE than XBL. Don’t stop the great momentum you’ve just recently gained.
to see the tier chart click here http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/survey.jpg
Original story by kotaku:
As long as everything thats currently free stays free, i dont see myself upgrading.
I endorse this statement!
As long as I can get my DLC and play SF4 + SSF4 online for free I’m good!
dont think i will upgrade if i dont have to
I didn’t like the idea of having to start paying for PSN. If we get the same level as we have now for free that’s not bad at all. I really want cross game chat, I hate using my phone or 360(yes, I do that) to chat on the PS3 cross game. So at a minimum I’d pay $30/year for that.
Demoes for all full length games is interesting, add that with free access to all the PS1 games and I’d consider going will the full package. It’s a pretty high price though. It might even sell me on getting a PSP. I’ve been tempted to get one, but if I get a full library with this option, I’d be down for that.
I have no problem paying for their service, just so long as they get THE SAME OR BETTER functionality than XBL. Right now, nothing about PSN feels like it’s half as good as XBL. Sure, it’s getting closer, but it’s no where near there yet.
I would say the only real difference is the party system, and cross game chat. What else would it need to make the playing field completely equal?
I think Sonys biggest concern is the price. If they end up having it cost $70 a year that’sjust another reason for casual gamers to choose 360. A higher price no matter what you’re getting is still a higher price(look at consoles sales that back that up)
The PS3 has a ton of momentum now…and if Sony goes through with this I think it’ll be a bad move.
I’d like to see the lower tier at $20 and the top tier at $50.
I don’t think that really applies. Live has always been more expensive then the PSN, and it never made a difference. People seem to only look at the initial cost. They don’t even seem to factor in a second controller. That being said, i totally agree with your pricing. I’d go for that without much complaining.
Also I don’t think it would just take party chat and cross game chat to be “equal” I find XBL to me much more stable across the board. All games have VC and it’s much clearer. In fighting games it seems to be about the same but whenever I play an MP FPS on PSN it sounds distant.
AlsoI get disconnected from PSN games all the time. Take SFIV for example….it happens pretty much nightly that I get disconnected from that…and I’ve never been disconnected from the 360 version.
So I guess in regards to features it would be more “equal” but in regards to stability and standardized basic features I’d say it needs a lot more of that.
LOL if it is the entire PS1 library, I see people getting the 60 dollar sub, downloading all the PS1 games they want, then canceling their sub afterward. Since they’re keeping the current service free, they’re on the ball. I don’t think they’ll lose a competitive edge at all by offering something new, even if it is at a higher price. Also demos for full games with an hour time limit would be weird. Could you save your game at the end of the first hour, then load up the demo again for a 2nd hour, picking up right where you left off? XD