Premium PSN service planned, won't affect online gaming
- November 19, 2009 13:39 PM PST
Sony is considering adding a subscription-based version of the PlayStation Network, but the company denies that it will charge customers to play games online.
Sony caused a bit of a stir when a slide from its recent investor conference alluding to a paid online PlayStation Network subscription service was unearthed by The Examiner (via Destructoid). With thoughts of a PSN equivalent of Xbox Live Gold worrying gamers, Sony quieted the uprising by assuring VG247 that if any subscription-based service was created, non-paying users would still be able to play their favorite games online for free, as the company stated that the subscription would only apply to "premium content and services."
What could Sony possibly charge for? If they can get the price (way) lower than $50 a year, certain luxuries like Netflix, Facebook, and pre-release demos could be worth premium pricing. As long as the company keeps online gaming gratis, most customers will remain happy. It should be noted that the subscription model is still in the planning phase, and might not even come to pass if Sony doesn't find it viable. Then again, this is the company that greenlit the PSP Go, so they probably would find just about anything to be a sane business move at this point.
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Comments [41]
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- Nov 19 2009 at 08:48:28:PM PST
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Charging for "certain luxuries like Netflix [and] Facebook" as quoted above would make me very upset since Sony would be taking away those "luxuries," away. I have a browser on my playstation I therefore should be able to access anything I can access on my PC browser. I already pay for netflix, I would never pay twice for the same thing. I would never buy a playstation again if they started a trend of micro-transactioning me to death.
I can see charging for pre-release demos, but that would be very uncool.
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even if they do charge for netflix or facebook, i dont give a shit. i only have online to play with friends (and strangers) and to occasionaly buy downloadable content. so if you take away my netflix, i dont give a shit. but i bet the subsription will have to do with Home. a lot of online games like Home charge for extra content, like Club Penguin or Battlecars, i think it's called.
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bait & switch?? even if they weren't taking anything away from current standards, future releases of anything would now be separated for premiums. if that's the case, screw SONY.
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wow sony is backing off on their word, they said that they won't be charging 4 psn this gen and now look at this, wtf are they smoking crack.
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I have a PS3, I barely play it. I play my PC 99% of the time. I certainly wont be paying for this crap :)
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as long as i can download add ons and play online i'm happy...seriously Sony...you're on shaky ground there....
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Sony should have done this from the get it's too late now especially for those who have been on PSN for years like myself. If Sony plans on doing this at least wait until the next generation of consoles are due and make the online experince more robust like xbox live. There are still may features missing from the PSn and it's not worth a price of admission in it's current form.
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To play online with other people is important, but to download free demos is important as well. I will not spend 60 dollars on a game that I dislike. Maintaining a website costs money, so if sony will charge for their services, i hope is not more than 20 dollars per year. If 20 million users pay $ 20, will total 400,000,000 dollars. It is sufficient to maintain a website.
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