PlayStation Plus Perks And Goodies Explained In Detail

After announcing it at E3, many of you have had questions concerning Sony's new PlayStation Plus "premium subscription" service for the PlayStation Network.

Well, this detailed post at the European PlayStation Blog should answer any questions you may have. They clear up the important issues first: Plus launches on June 29 (obviously in both North America and Europe), the current PSN features will all remain free, features awaiting Plus subscribers include exclusive discounts, full game trials, automatic downloads and exclusive items on the Store, and membership can be purchased through the PlayStation Store on the PS3 for either three months or the full year. And if you decide to jump in early and sign up for the 1-year subscription between June 29 and August 3 you will receive a free downloadable copy of LittleBigPlanet. There's a lot more, too, like games and "special offers:"

"As a member you can expect to get your hands on at least 4 games a month at no extra charge. Each month there will be a selection of 1x PSN game, 2x minis and 1x PS One classics. A list of the games available in month 1 and 2 can be found below. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available, until the new selection replaces these."

Any games you get through Plus are yours to keep so long as you remain a member. If your subscription expires and you lose access to them, simply re-subscribe and the games will reactivate. If you accidentally delete a game you want back, simply log into the Plus section of the Store and grab it again. In addition, you will receive 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons, so that's great for avid PSN fans. Those discounts? They'll range from 20-50% off anything you buy, so that really helps to defer the overall cost of the membership. Personally, I'm most interested in the preferential treatment Plus subscribers get regarding select demos and beta trials...bad-ass.

There's lot more, though, so make sure you check out the full update through the link above. For American gamers, the three-month Plus subscription will cost you $17.99 and the one-year subscription has a price tag of $49.99. And no, cross-game chat is not a feature of Plus.

Tags: playstation plus, psn, details

6/23/2010 1:58:58 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (120 posts)

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Sol
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:20:46 PM
Reply

Plus still doesn't seem all that interesting to me. I had a plan involving the things I purchased relating to the PS3 but nothing I see makes Plus worth the trouble of me subscribing. In my current situation it is a waste of money...

6 up, 3 down

godsman
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:38:18 PM

I think it depends on the gamer that subscribes. If the free PSN games are good, I might jump in on the first year, but I got LBP and most of the PSN games I wanted already. I probably save more money by using the $50 to buy the games.

So I want to know, do you get discounts on ALL items? I don't want any fine print that it only works on unpopular games and items. It'll be a big plus for those that rent movies all the time.

1 up, 0 down

bigrailer19
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:22:59 PM

That $50 is less than one new game a year. And I believe there is a 3 month trial for everyone, so thats good news!

1 up, 1 down

CrazyIrishBoy
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 9:08:16 AM

Yea man, $50 seems great and all but you have to remain a member to keep ANYTHING you get through plus.

Which means i wont be getting it, anything related to subscriptions has all ways been bad no matter how fun, so yea...

3 up, 0 down

JPBooch
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:23:34 PM
Reply

I'm a day 1 yearly subscriber...

A little bummed no cross game chat though. All the other stuff is great.

Hmm. I wonder if you can play the games through PSN+ on another account or console? Something like that would negate game sharing.

3 up, 2 down

main_event05
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:34:26 PM

I still don't understand the need/want/use of cross game chat? why? do you really need to talk to someone playing game B while you are playing game A.

4 up, 2 down

calculator
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 10:06:12 PM

Well, I don't think it's very fun to have to chat and not be able to do anything except chat. Sometimes I want to chat with someone, but I don't JUST want to chat, I want to do something while chatting. It's very boring to have to sit, look at the intimidating white room that you enter when you start a chat, and not do anything else. It's like talking to a person and not being able to move at all.
I actually chat quite frequently online, and it sucks to have to be in that white room and chat while not being able to do anything else. I would like to be able to play a game while chatting -- something to keep me busy while chatting. It's very boring to have nothing else to do but chatting.
Yeah, you may think that concentrating on the game is more important, or that it's somewhat rude to talk to someone while playing a game, but sometimes I just want to talk to someone while playing a game, because it sucks not being able to do anything else except chat.

3 up, 2 down

Mavfan321
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 1:50:15 AM

I don't ever chat I mean to those who want it I guess to each his own but the most communication I do is game invites, and the occasional random message. I don't use my PS3 as AIM.

3 up, 0 down

PANICinc
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 1:23:42 PM

Meet up with your buddies in HOME if ya wanna chat without being limited to the "Boring White Screen"

Anyhoo, I'm definitely a day 1 yearly subscriber. Love Qore, so, more will be awesome!!

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:24:12 PM
Reply

Hmmm...i might just have sign up. All though im wondering how big that LBP download will be.

This is LBP for PS3 correct?

1 up, 4 down

tridon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:26:15 PM

Yes, it's the PS3 version of LBP. Your original saves, trophies and downloads will all work with it, too.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:01:06 PM

Your existing save will *only* work if the developer supports that. Media Molecule may, but in other instances where a game is downloadable or Blu-Ray, the saves haven't been portable between versions.

1 up, 1 down

fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:03:12 PM

Nowhere in tridon's post did he say that his comment applied to all games.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:10:06 PM

@Fluffer,

And?

1 up, 0 down

fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 9:14:41 PM

Exactly. Glad to see the recognition. :)

0 up, 0 down

tridon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:25:45 PM
Reply

Count me in. Yearly subscriber, Day 1. :)

4 up, 2 down

big6
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:28:54 PM
Reply

Granted, PSN Plus is not for everyone, but I think if you're a person who downloads a few PSN/mini/PSone games a year, then it could very well be worth it.

I'm leaning towards picking up a subscription, but I want to see what sort of selection we get in these monthly free PSN games. I also want to know what sort of discount we get with brand new PSN games (like the upcoming Lara Croft game).

If it's what I'm hoping to see, then I'll be signing up for a subscription for sure.

1 up, 1 down

Clamedeus
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:29:38 PM
Reply

I might sign up.

Last edited by Clamedeus on 6/23/2010 2:30:49 PM

2 up, 1 down

MyWorstNightmar
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 10:27:14 AM

I might not.

0 up, 1 down

Juanalf
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:34:49 PM
Reply

This doesn't sound very appealing.So basically I pay to rent a couple of games here and there.

6 up, 1 down

johnld
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:42:03 PM

as i understand it those games you "rent" stay with you as long as you have a subcription. which means that those free game that you get will be yours as well as getting more titles every month.

3 up, 0 down

sawao_yamanaka
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:47:24 PM

Sounds like imma need a bigger hard drive. Here I thought 500 was more than enough.

2 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:01:10 AM

Can we put more then 500gb in the PS3?

I have a 1TB external drive but i can't stream saves or games from it.

1 up, 0 down

sawao_yamanaka
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 3:08:51 AM

@Jawknee
No it has to be the internal harddrive. I used the one from my old laptop. Do they have 1TB internal yet?

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:22:25 PM

I don't believe they do. Not one that will fit inside the PS3 anyway.

0 up, 0 down

frostface
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:46:38 PM
Reply

Well I wasn't too bothered about this before but discounts ranging between 20-50%, and I do buy quite a lot on the PSN, maybe I'll reconsider. In the long run it could pay off. Have to think about this one.

2 up, 0 down

godsman
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:40:59 PM

Somehow this feels like an all-you-can-eat buffet. If you can eat more, it'll pay itself off. I'm a light eater, I'll have to see what other benefits are there, before jumping in.

3 up, 0 down

tridon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 2:54:52 PM
Reply

Hmm... now that I'm looking at the games/deals available for the first two months, I'm debating my Day 1 purchase. I already own most of the games that Sony offering.

Also, it says you can play the first hour of a game and then if you decide to buy it, keep playing from where you left off with all the trophies you earned unlocked. Take inFAMOUS for example; apparently it's becoming a downloadable game via the PS Store. My question would be, can I buy the disc version of inFAMOUS and continue on that way, or must it be the downloadable version?

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:54:42 PM

The PSN downloadable and disc based copies of games are considered different games from the point of view of game saves because each version of the game has it's own identifier. I think that the trophies are the same regardless of version though.

1 up, 0 down

TEG3SH
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 3:59:02 AM

@ highlander

I don't know about that, saves and trophies worked fine for me after switching from the disk based Warhawk to the downloadable one

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 11:20:16 AM

As I said in a comment further up (that Fluffer took such exception to) it depends on the developer. If the developer doesn't implement the ability to load saves from alternate versions of the game, the save files can't be loaded because the games have a different identifier. It kinda depends on how restrictive the developer is in the way they handle save files and how they choose to secure the saves.

0 up, 0 down

TEG3SH
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 2:11:07 PM

my bad didn't read all of the comment as they are a bit too many

0 up, 0 down

JMO_INDY
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:07:45 PM
Reply

Quick question with the DLC you get while being a member will that de activate if you drop your membership the same as the games and Minis do? Are they only valid if youre still a member?

2 up, 1 down

Mamills
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:15:10 PM

thats actually a great question,

i think PSN plus is still a wait n see situation

2 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:27:45 PM

Any content we get for free for being a Plus member will expire if not renewed.

Any content purchased, even with the discounts we get for being a member, we get access to forever.

Last edited by Jawknee on 6/23/2010 3:32:39 PM

4 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:59:45 PM

Had you clicked the link and read, you would have read this;

"Each month there will be 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many of these will be exclusive to members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them."

4 up, 1 down

fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:04:28 PM

Seriously? You're really asking this? Ben put up an informative link to the original post. Please, do yourself a favor and read it before asking questions.

0 up, 4 down

JMO_INDY
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 10:10:22 PM

Ok sorry guys I was on my PSP and it wouldnt click the link, damn what happened to you guys today get off my ass.

2 up, 1 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:14:38 AM

Ah I got ya. Sorry, I will have to do something to my trigger finger, it's become too itchy for words recently. I'm a tad bit crispy at the edges too. I should probably see what's cold in the cooler tonight.

0 up, 1 down

JMO_INDY
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:43:17 AM

Its cool no hard feelings, I was just wondering what happened to you guys, you're never like that when someone asks a question.

2 up, 1 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 2:25:20 AM

Too must stress, too much to do, no time to decompress or relax...

::wild eyed stare::

0 up, 2 down

Mamills
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:12:23 PM
Reply

ummmm, u lose access to the games when you're no longer a subscriber? not sure if i like that, but so far so good, i wont sign up right away though.

i just sold LBP so i really don't want it back again, especially when part 2 is coming.

PS1 classics are good, but they look horrible on HD.

the discount isn't really a discount since im paying, but i get where they coming from.

the free PSN game is good, but lets hope its a good 1 (some have been awful) (just bought joe danger as well, IT IS AWESOME!)

I dunno, i think i'll wait until they have a better free game offer for me signing up. (Dont get me wrong LBP is a great game, but i just sold the damn thing and it will b useless once part 2 comes out this year)

3 up, 0 down

kraygen
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:31:09 PM

actually ps1 games look better on HD, they just look bad in general.

0 up, 0 down

JackC8
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:23:48 PM
Reply

What happened to the three months for free statement?

1 up, 0 down

StangMan80
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:25:03 PM

Im prety sure thats still going to happen. I'm going to try this for sure.

1 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:28:15 PM

the first 3 months are still free although i believe its only if you sign up for a year.

2 up, 0 down

StangMan80
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:23:54 PM
Reply

hmm... I might have to subscribe. Sounds very good specialy the PSN and PSone games. but I'm not sure yet.

Last edited by StangMan80 on 6/23/2010 3:26:44 PM

1 up, 1 down

TheOldOne
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:34:21 PM
Reply

They should offer another game instead of LBP since I already got that one.

1 up, 0 down

tridon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:50:03 PM

I personally think it'll be cool to also have a digital copy of LBP. That being said, it would've been cool if they put up four games or something and let everyone pick one for free. They do have a lot of Greatest Hits that could've been used... or they could've took this opportunity to get people to play the games that they might've missed out on, such as Heavenly Sword, Folklore, Genji, etc.

On a sidenote, I just realized how much I'd love an HD version of the PS2 game, Drakan: The Ancients' Gates. :)

2 up, 0 down

JackC8
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:54:51 PM

Drakan is my favorite PS2 game of all time - I think I played it about 6 times :)

0 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:13:54 PM

That's kinda what I'm thinking. They are making this for the avid gamers looking for more, and I would venture to guess most serious PS fans have LBP by now. I got excited hoping that maybe I could get it for psp because I keep putting off getting it. Eh. I'm going to try it out, but I'm not really sure how much the future releases will be worth to me.

0 up, 0 down

Streets_74
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:42:12 PM
Reply

Still a no buy from me. I don't see any real value in this you get some free minis a classic and a couple themes or what ever, but as soon as you say I dont need this subscription any more they take it all away from you. Sounds more like an xbox move, oh well as long as online gaming stays free I'm good thats one of the reasons I invest more into my PS3 instead of my xbox.

1 up, 1 down

tridon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:51:12 PM

Sony said that you'd be able to keep all the avatars and digital themes that you download, as well as LittleBigPlanet and anything you bought at a discounted price. Not TOO shabby.

2 up, 0 down

tridon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:52:25 PM
Reply

Does Europe have Qore? Just wondering because I thought that was supposed to be included with PS+, yet there's no mention of it.

If we do get Qore, that'll be even more extras and freebies. Plus, that alone is $25 per year.

0 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:55:12 PM
Reply

I'm not one who's interested in wasting money on nothing.

But I really can't see how $4/month will hurt anyone, nor can I see how Sony can do much more to make it worthwhile. There's a ton of stuff here. When you compare it to what you get for the same price for Live...I just think Plus is excellent.

13 up, 2 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:58:21 PM

I concur and will be a day one subscriber. My family will get a lot out of this service. I mean 48 games/minis a year plus themes and avatars and early access to demos and betas, not to mention exclusive add-on content? I can't see how anyone can complain about the value here.

5 up, 0 down

Dustinwp
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:19:47 PM

I couldn't agree more with you both. I can't wait for the June 29 to get here!

2 up, 0 down

Juanalf
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:02:55 PM

"nor can I see how Sony can do much more to make it worthwhile."

Well...letting you actually own the games you get would be a big Plus.

2 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:35:11 PM

If you don't log in to the Network, you can't get your downloaded games there, either, now can you?

Just because one service is free and the other isn't doesn't mean there's any inherent difference.

2 up, 1 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:36:34 PM

Hexen,

You're not being reasonable. $4 a month for the subscription and you get 4 games (1 PSN, 2 minis and 1 PS1 classic) each month along with everything else. And yet you think that you should 'own' the games as well? Oh sure, $1 per game....somehow I don't see anyone at Sony seeing that as a good deal. You appear to what something for practically nothing, and that is not a workable desire for any service or content provider.

2 up, 0 down

DemonNeno
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:37:59 PM

Soo.. They're giving you a selection of free games EVERY month! Now, I don't know about you, but that is kudos enough to keep your membership alive. You can pick up a single PSOne classic for ~$10.. Or, you can get a PSOne classic and 3 other genre/types for $18/mo or $4.16/yr. Hmm.. %%%% Off purchases.. Lose your membership and you lose your freebies..

What's there to complain about?!

If you don't like it, turn the other cheek. I'd say it's an impressive deal! Hell, my only concern is how long such an amazing deal w/ membership would LAST!

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 3:57:09 PM
Reply

I know a lot of people are expressing a lot of skepticism here... But, consider that once the master account holder on a PS3 subscribes, all of the users on that PS3 can use the content. For any multi-gamer household, that is a major, major element to this.

I think a lot of people currently expressing skepticism will reconsider as time goes by since more content will come to Plus subscribers, such as early access to demos and beta trials.

2 up, 0 down

RekeHavick
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:12:52 PM
Reply

Could this have contributed to slight trickle of PS One games to hit the Network? Maybe the release of this service will open the floodgates for those who will subscribe as well as bring availability to those who do not but are more than willing to pay for their favorite classic titles.

0 up, 0 down

sawao_yamanaka
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:15:54 PM
Reply

Sounds like a very good deal. Count me in!

0 up, 0 down

tes37
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:35:35 PM
Reply

I think all content should be yours forever. You pay the up front subscription fee so it's not like the content is actually free, even though you're not charged again.

This still seems like something I want to check out, I just don't like the idea of software that can expire. I believe there is a lot a value to this deal despite my whining.

Last edited by tes37 on 6/23/2010 4:46:59 PM

3 up, 1 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:41:13 PM

I think that the way they look at it is that the content is still yours and associated with your playstation Plus account - forever. But, you only have access while your account is active. Remember if your account lapses, you can reactivate by resubscribing and you lose nothing. I hate to say this, but I think this is something we will all have to get used to in the future as subscription services become the norm. As another example, remember Netflix only works while you are subscribed.

3 up, 0 down

tes37
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:54:46 PM

Yeah I'm going to subscribe day 1 regardless. If you're the main account holder on 2 PS3's, does one subscription work on both?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:08:53 PM

I'm kinda hoping. I'm the main account holder on three...

0 up, 0 down

fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:18:20 PM

That's a good question as I have the main account on four systems. Hmm.

0 up, 0 down

fluffer nutter
Friday, June 25, 2010 @ 6:15:15 PM

Nothing to worry about. Yeah!

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:53:11 PM
Reply

Totally worth it.

Edit: Buy extra hard drives people.

Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 6/23/2010 4:57:07 PM

4 up, 2 down

Turbey
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:55:39 PM
Reply

If Sony wants me to be a subscriber of Plus here in the EU, then they really should be offering the same content Japan and America PS Store has. Still no Resident Evil 1-3 :(

1 up, 0 down

djbool
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:55:46 PM
Reply

This sounds like a pretty good situation. I like what I'm seeing especially about if there is a lapse in your subscriptions. Which basically meas to me that if you can't pay it for some reason it's all there waiting for you if you do renew

0 up, 0 down

djbool
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:56:18 PM
Reply

Also I don't have one now, but I wonder if they would throw Qore in for free with all this.

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 4:56:58 PM
Reply

im pretty sure i'll try this at some point but as for now i dont see a point. i dont buy that much psn items anyway so that doesnt appeal to me. but since psn plus members get that discount, does that mean that the special offers section that the psn store has will disappear too? as for themes, i have no use for them. i make my own psn themes anyway because i like having my own theme. its free too so i can make any theme i want excluding dynamic themes of course. as for betas and demos, i can wait for demos and i can always find ways to get in demos. hell, i'm in the medal of honor beta right now after using a command and conquer code to get my medal of honor beta key. that or i can preorder from gamestop and cancel my preorder after i get the beta key.

since i use my ps3 for more than gaming i wouldve wanted to see other feature on ps3. one is background downloads of patches. its a pain downloading 7 patches after not playing a game for a while. i guess this is addressed by the playstation plus so thats great. second is keeping that ps browser up to date. i'm tired of the thing freezing on me. the last one is background ps3 backup. i mean at least dont render my ps3 to be useless for 5 straight hours. at least let me access an external hard drive and watch videos while its backing up my save files. Ohh and let copy protected files be included when i restore my data especially on a different ps3 since ps3s sent in for repairs come back as refurbished systems anyway. you know what, just get rid of copy protected gamesaves altogether. if its stuff purchased from psn im ok with copy protecting those.

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:01:03 PM

by the way, medal of honor game is pretty good. the beta sucks though cause it keeps freezing all the damn time. there are steps you can do to prevent freezing though.

Last edited by johnld on 6/23/2010 5:01:27 PM

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:05:09 PM
Reply

I would have thought movies and TV stuff would be included, then I remembered that not all countries have them.

0 up, 0 down

ace_boon_coon
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:07:14 PM
Reply

this is a sweet deal

0 up, 0 down

animalmother
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:15:11 PM
Reply

I'll pass on this, i like to hold onto things til the end of time like my hard copies of GT1 and GT2...and 3 and 4....and 5P.

0 up, 0 down

RadioHeader
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:21:03 PM
Reply

Still undecided. I'd be looking forward to it if they included a movie rental. PSN movie rental is way too expensive (in the UK, at least).

I'll see how the discount impacts the movie prices and probably sign up eventually.

1 up, 1 down

kraygen
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 5:47:00 PM
Reply

Wow this sucks. Not the price or the deal or anything, I think at some point it will be really awesome.

However I looked at what's available the first 2 months and I already have most of it. A friend of mine bought half of that stuff and let me download it for free, some of it like original lbp I already bought myself.

All I would get for the first 2 months are the ps1 games. The thing that worries me about this is that, everything offered the first 2 months is old stuff, will every months items be stuff that has been on psn for over a year?

I think getting all that stuff for $50 a year would be a great deal if I didn't have any of it, but if I already have most of it, I don't see any benefit.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:12:39 PM

You forgot the automatic downloads, dynamic themes, avatars, exclusive add-ons and of course any demos/early Beta access that comes along.

There is more to this than simply getting 'free' games.

0 up, 0 down

kraygen
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:36:40 PM

I didn't forget actually, I looked at the list of what is available and the only thing that I would be missing out on is the avatars and full game demo's.

Neither of which I care about since I own or have already played the games that are available to demo and 2 fat princess avatars aren't going to win me over.

I know the download thing would be nice, but I'm not going to pay $50 for it alone. As for beta's, they've yet to say what beta. I've gotten into beta's before and while it's nice to try stuff, I'm not going to pay to get into a beta.

I'm simply saying that the stuff available the first 2 months is all stuff that has been out for a year and I already own almost all of it. There just isn't any incentive for me to jump on it right away.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:17:05 AM

True, I guess I am looking at it through the lens of a 1-year subscription outlook, and a child who loves to play with themes and avatars and mini-games of all sorts. It will be fantastic in those circumstances.

Last edited by Highlander on 6/24/2010 12:17:39 AM

0 up, 0 down

FM23
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:14:18 PM
Reply

Very uninterested, but mostly due to the fact that I don't use PSN except for updates and DLC. I do see good value here though, but for those who actually will use these features or already use PSN for the features. Too bad you don't keep games you get for free after your subscription expires, thats pretty weak.

0 up, 2 down

fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:19:14 PM

If you're not buying games, already, from the PS Store, then that is pretty weak. There are so many great experiences that you have yet to discover. I hope you reconsider and utilize the store for what it has.

Last edited by fluffer nutter on 6/23/2010 6:19:47 PM

0 up, 2 down

Masry_XI
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:18:43 PM
Reply

If your subscription ends , you loose the games until you resubscribe.

What the hell is this , Sony is crazy , u get the game , you should still have it even after the subscription ends.
I feel sony is milking us with all the PS move stuff , accessories controllers worthless way expensive DLC for games , even themes wallpaper and avatars are not for free and should be bought.

Seriously Sony u Suck !!

1 up, 6 down

fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:20:57 PM

Nobody is loosing any games nor are they losing them. Do us a favor and write down the cost of everything and you'll see just how much you'll be saving in the long run. Math is your friend.

4 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:14:48 PM

Dude, you don't lose the game until you resubscribe, your game is still yours. You have to think of PlayStation plus as a service. the games you have in PlayStation Plus are yours to play for as long as your account exists. If you lapse your subscription they don't go anywhere, you simply can't access them until you resubscribe.

The way that you and some others talk a service like Netflix must be the most evil on earth since you don't get to keep anything you watch and can only watch it while you subscribe. Honestly you keep nothing. Isn't that terrible?

3 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:57:28 PM

From the sound of it Masry_XI, the free games they give you each month for having a subscription are the only ones that expire. Not the ones you pay for with the discount. If you want access to those free games again, simply renew the subscription.

I don't see the problem here.

EDIT: Netflix is a good example Highlander. Thumbs up for that one.

Last edited by Jawknee on 6/23/2010 8:58:30 PM

1 up, 0 down

spiderboi
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 11:36:14 AM

Actually, its the service you pay for. The games are only freebies. The freebies come with the services. So if you stop paying for the service its only logical you stop getting access to the games. Its very different from paying for an actual game.

On my end I will have to give this long thought before I consider this service. I already have access to lots of the offered games (owned, can borrow from friends) so its a no right now.

0 up, 0 down

InBlackestNight
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:41:30 PM
Reply

Great. No cross game chat let the babies commence their whining.
Regardless, the one feature I want is the ability to change my psn id.

3 up, 1 down

CharlesD
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6:48:49 PM
Reply

This offers a much larger selection than Live does and for $50 a year?? hellz yeah this sounds like a good deal. I download enough content from the PSN to make this worthwhile and will most probably be a member while I can still get LBP

5 up, 0 down

Deathb4Dishonor
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:15:59 PM
Reply

I was gonna try the 3 month thing but $18 to see how it is and see if I should get the yearly... But $50, After i pay $18, I might as well do the yearly thing first... If i like it i'll just renew for another year and if i don't, then i just won't, simple... I also hope they start selling these in store like they do with the PSN cards... I really don't wanna use a credit card for this

Last edited by Deathb4Dishonor on 6/23/2010 7:17:14 PM

3 up, 0 down

Naztycuts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:19:11 PM

You can purchase it using PSN cards if you want

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:39:19 PM

Last edited by Highlander on 6/23/2010 8:39:54 PM

0 up, 0 down

Naztycuts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:17:58 PM
Reply

I'll get it for the betas and trials and such. The only thing I dont like is that one of the earlybird offers is a downloadable copy of LBP. This is the grease to slowly get us closer to all digital distribution I believe. I noticed next month's game is InFamous I'm sure that will be downloadable only as well. I'm not griping about the service the perks sound great, only what could the negative be for the future?

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 9:00:57 PM

How big is LBP and Infamous? I thought those games would be too large for downloads.

I dread the day everything is digital, but who knows, look how longs to taking mp3;s to kill CDs. Blue Ray will be around for quite awhile i think.

0 up, 0 down

DjEezzy
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:38:03 PM
Reply

so is the lbp download only good as long as you have the service or is it still good if you decide to drop the service?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:28:08 PM

Directly from the actual linked article.

"If you sign up between the 29th June and 3rd Aug for the 1 year subscription then you will also receive a downloadable copy of the original LittleBigPlanet game for PS3, completely free! This is yours to keep and is not tied to the period of subscription"

2 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 9:01:45 PM

>_<

0 up, 0 down

godsman
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 7:47:23 PM
Reply

Do we get to keep the free dynamic themes and avatars, even after we unsubscribe?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:25:18 PM

Yes, it's laid out in the actual linked article. You keep the avatars, dynamic themes and add-ons forever, regardless of your subscription status.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 8:40:24 PM
Reply

The thing about this that is interesting is how we will look at this in a year or so. If a subscriber buys into this and gets a lot of the content, themes, avatars, minis, PS1 classics and PSN games and all the rest, it's going to be very hard to see the games you obtain through Plus going away, the automatic download service and all the beta access.

I can see people getting hooked by this and not wanting to unsubscribe because they want the content. It's not a huge cost per year, less than a full price retail game, but you get a heck of a lot for that $50. Kinda makes it an easy sell, and once you're hooked, it's cheap enough that most will elect to continue service. I think this is a very smart service for Sony. Also if you think about the games that are 'free', they are PSN, PS1 and Minis, all of which match the definition of casual gaming far more than anything else. PlayStation Plus is a cheap way of driving a lot of content into the hands of families and making the PS3 with move an attractive choice for them. But once they have it, they're hooked.

I do think that this is smart for Sony, really smart and a better offering than Live. Live offers updates and online gaming. You pay for pretty much everything else. Not only that but Live acts as a gate keeper for things such as Netflix or their ESPN tie-in. PlayStation Plus isn't about charging more for someone else's service it's about content. Sony's model keeps all the fundamental services free to the user creating a foundation for other pay services.

2 up, 0 down

maxpontiac
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 9:29:38 PM
Reply

This is an excellent service offered by Sony. They kept the current PSN that I love and use, and added some cool (optional) features for the yearly service.

As Bones from Star Trek would say --

"It's (Xbox Live) dead, Jim.

1 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 11:53:59 PM

I love it how Sony is able to give us pretty much everything Live has for free and then some if we choose to pay.

With the exception of cross game chat.

But who needs it right? ;)

1 up, 0 down

DazeOfWar
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:19:50 AM
Reply

Not sure if anybody asked yet but are the PSone games and minis playable on a PSP. If so then how could they stop you from playing them if you cancel your subscription if the games are on a memory card.

Besides that I'll be signing up anyways because it's just a great deal. Plus I just sold all my 360 gear and picked up a PSP. I've finally decided I can get all the gaming I need out of my PS3. I may miss a few exclusives but it won't bother me. I hadn't touched my 360 for gaming in about 3 months.

0 up, 0 down

DazeOfWar
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:25:38 AM

Never mind about the PSP thing. I'm an idiot and didn't think about reading the full article.

0 up, 0 down

Kr3sn1k
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 12:32:23 AM
Reply

Is the plus subscription for the whole ps3 system or just one account either way im fine with it im just curious

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 11:23:15 AM

Once the master account on a system subscribes and downloads something it is available to all users of the system as long as the master account is subscribed. Though that obviously only covers things purchased through Plus. Some content on the PSN has different usage restrictions.

0 up, 0 down

Robochic
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 1:17:16 AM
Reply

I'm actually interested especially the demos and free games ect.. completely worth the amount, nice to see that you can use a PSN card to purchase it, guess I'll be getting one of those this week. Other question same as Kr3sn1k is this only per account or for the whole system? cause I know my hubby would love this but wouldn't want to pay twice a year?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 11:25:12 AM

Once the master account has it, the other users on the PS3 gain access to the downloaded content as long as the master account is still subscribed to PlayStation Plus. This is one of the things that makes it even more attractive to multi-gamer homes. We also have multiple PS3s, (my wife and son play, and we fought over PS3 time...), so I am hoping that I don't have to subscribe more than one time to cover multiple units.

0 up, 0 down

Banky A
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 2:09:49 AM
Reply

Damn the games you'll get for free aren't forever :(
But hey, I guess they were still free.

What happens to the Trophies to unlock while having them?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 11:27:05 AM

The games are forever, once you have paid for them you never lose them, the restriction is that you must be a PlayStation Plus subscriber to use them. So if your subscription lapses and you have to resubscribe, your previously purchased content is still available to you, you don't need to re-purchase.

You keep all trophies regardless of your subscription status. You also keep all dynamic themes, avatars and game add-ons purchased through Plus, whether or not your subscription is active.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 3:33:24 AM
Reply

im still not convinced on this, there going to have to give me more details on what im paying for before i throw down 100AUD+ on something.

0 up, 0 down

xXxSeTTriPxXx
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 5:55:21 AM
Reply

if you had a xbox 360 you'd understand how great cross chat and the chat party system is.i'm not saying that the ps3 is in dire need of this feature but it would make a great feature none-the-less.cross chat was the deal breaker for me seeing as i don't really care about free dlc and all that jazz.i like how sony is giving you some incentive to buy into their plan,it's like saying the subscription more then pays for itself.the problem is well i want or even care about the free stuff their giving away?....now a subscription perk that would get my hard earned crash is dedicated servers for all my multi player games and cross chat (i know the first one is a stretch,lol).if they add more features i care about then i'll bite,but until then i'll stick with the free plan.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 11:27:59 AM

Yes, but there is a difference between a nice to have and a need to have. Cross game chat is a nice to have, nothing more, nothing less.

0 up, 2 down

Orvisman
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 9:39:11 AM
Reply

The discounts alone might be worth it to me because I purchase a lot of games off PSN. I'm well over 100 now.

1 up, 0 down

just2skillf00l
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 4:55:07 PM
Reply

Well sounds great for the people who are interested in permanent rents. Personally I'm not interested in not owning something I own. Just think about this for a second. What happens when the PS4 is released? Although it may not be anytime soon when it does release in order to access your downloaded content from your PS3 you'll have to resubscribe.

0 up, 0 down

frylock25
Thursday, June 24, 2010 @ 9:06:48 PM
Reply

this was just posted on the us blog and there was no mention of lbp for free with it. only that NA gets 3 free months.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on-screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Here are some more answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post:

Cross-game voice chat is a feature we know our passionate user base has asked for and we’ll continue to look at as a viable offering for the PlayStation Network.
You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase PlayStation Plus, but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long as you are a subscriber.
The “free” games you can download each month are yours to keep for as long as you are a subscriber.
PlayStation Plus is for PS3 owners as subscribership can only be purchased on the PSN Store. However, some of the content – minis and PS One Classics – available each month will also be playable on your PSP if you have one. Download them on the PS3 and transfer to your PSP, or download directly from the PSP Store or Media Go for PSP.

0 up, 0 down

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