Thu, Nov 19, 2009 | 13:48 GMT
PSN to get “new revenue stream from subscription”
Oh dear. Slide 39 in this Sony presentation – headed “Media/Investor Conference,” and dated November 19 – appears to admit that some kind of subscription service is on the way to PSN.
PSN is listed as one of the key advantages of PlayStation 3, as it’s to provide a “new revenue stream from subscription”.
The slide also says that a “non-game software development kit” is to be released in the second quarter of 2010.
Rumour for now. We’ll ask SCEE.



32 comments
#1
Uncontested
19/11/09, 1:23 pm
NOOOOOOOOO god damn it don’t you dare pull that bullshit xbox live silver and gold
#2
Razor
19/11/09, 1:25 pm
Inevitable.
#3
JonFE
19/11/09, 1:26 pm
This could get interesting
#4
Syrok
19/11/09, 1:27 pm
If it does mean online playing costs money, I hope I can still publish LBP levels without paying. But it could just mean that you get some content earlier if you pay or another Quore thing, which would be fine for me.
#5
Eregol
19/11/09, 1:28 pm
I do hope Sony don’t start imploding like MS did not long ago.
#6
pleasant_cabbage
19/11/09, 1:28 pm
/dons waterproofs
#7
V_Ben
19/11/09, 1:31 pm
It’s probably just that UK online playstation magazine that was announced ages ago, finally making itself known (its like the UK version of Quore). sony touts psn being free as one of their main draws, and isnt about to change that now. right?
#8
Mr Tom
19/11/09, 1:32 pm
At least it’s fr– Oh…
#9
Razor
19/11/09, 1:33 pm
Er, it still is free.
#10
Michael O’Connor
19/11/09, 1:33 pm
“I do hope Sony don’t start imploding like MS did not long ago.”
And yet more people buy more copies of multi-format titles for the 360, and more people play those games online than on the PS3 *despite* having to pay for the privilege.
Clearly Sony realise a good idea when it works.
I’d be surprised if this was a flat out subscription service though. I’m guessing it will probably be some sort of “extra privileges” on top of the already existing capabilities of the service.
#11
Gamoc
19/11/09, 1:35 pm
There are only 37 slides in that, what the hell are you talking about?
#12
Syrok
19/11/09, 1:35 pm
Oh, it’s says on slide 41 that all PS3 “will be firmware upgradable to 3D”
#13
daytripper
19/11/09, 1:35 pm
its not as if Xbox Live subscriptions cripple you financially, its embarrassing “NOW WAY I’M PAYING FOR ONLINE” yet some paid £400 for the machine at launch with hardly any decent games for nearly a year. lifes too short, if you want a better Playstation Network, it will cost you and if you dont like that then tough shit.
#14
Uncontested
19/11/09, 1:38 pm
lol yeah exactly drink the koolaid the mega corporations give you daytripper.. the sheep ruin it for everyone else.
#15
mojo
19/11/09, 1:39 pm
i dont think that they will just chage the PSN as is and make it not free anymore.
they will rather put out something extra where u have to pay for.
michael: ist it surprising? If my main attraction in games would be the multiplayer i also would rather pay for it than have it free. If u pay for it u can demand it beeing available whenever u fell to use it. Sonys PSN is free, but tbh not the most stable network on earth..
#16
Michael O’Connor
19/11/09, 1:40 pm
*gives Uncontested his complimentary tin-foil hat*
“michael: ist it surprising? If my main attraction in games would be the multiplayer i also would rather pay for it than have it free. If u pay for it u can demand it beeing available whenever u fell to use it. Sonys PSN is free, but tbh not the most stable network on earth..”
Agreed. You know what they say – you get what you pay for.
#17
Uncontested
19/11/09, 1:40 pm
And he said SLIDE not PAGE.. Gamoc.
*Hint: there are 2 slides per page!
#18
tonynibbles
19/11/09, 1:40 pm
They should probably make it work properly first.
#19
Aimless
19/11/09, 1:42 pm
For all we know this could be a subscription service for the new Video Store. It’s not much to go on.
Also, I’ll never understand people who complain about PSN “not working properly”. I’ve been playing games over it for nearly 3 years and the experience has always been comparable to Xbox Live, the only difference being sideline features like cross-game chat. People seem to bash it for the sake of bashing it.
#20
Michael O’Connor
19/11/09, 1:43 pm
“And he said SLIDE not PAGE.. Gamoc.
*Hint: there are 2 slides per page!”
You’re giving Gamoc’s limited intelligence far too much benefit of the doubt. He has a general “talk shit and mouth off first, think about it later” approach to life.
#21
Cort
19/11/09, 1:54 pm
“And yet more people buy more copies of multi-format titles for the 360, and more people play those games online than on the PS3 *despite* having to pay for the privilege.”
You’re on that funny pipe again. There are more 360s than PS3s out there, which kind of explains why most (not all) multi-platform games sell better on the MS console. And, as a rule, people who own a 360 tend to play online using Live, and people who own a PS3 most often play online using PSN. Funny that.
#22
sickpuppysoftware
19/11/09, 1:54 pm
Sounds like MMOs to me.
Can we stop panicking?
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!
#23
Blerk
19/11/09, 1:55 pm
It seems unlikely that they’d start charging for what players have already. It’ll probably be something like a ‘pay a flat fee, get a certain number of movies/downloadable games per month’ thing.
#24
notpill
19/11/09, 1:58 pm
QORE its a subscription service. Espect other services like that.
PSN will remain free per use.
#25
sennasnit
19/11/09, 1:59 pm
lol
I think it’s the Official UK PS Mag thing, they’ve been talking about it for a while now in the mag.
#26
mojo
19/11/09, 2:05 pm
aimless:
nah i dont think so. For most things its maybe true, but i realy see a serious demand for the crossgamechat when looking trough the webz..
#27
Gamoc
19/11/09, 2:06 pm
Michael, you’re one to talk, considering you spend most of your time being a dick the size of everest with the brain the size of a growth-stunted plankton, you shit eating waste of space.
Anyway, thanks Uncontested, must pay more attention next time
#28
Psychotext
19/11/09, 2:08 pm
So… you want that cross game chat?
Edit – Bah, beaten.
#29
Patrick Garratt
19/11/09, 2:12 pm
Top of site.
#30
Michael O’Connor
19/11/09, 2:17 pm
You burn me deep, Gareth.
Heh, I can see it now…
“Cross game chat, only $15.00 a month! Get 10 extra avatars as well!”
#31
joseangelhe
19/11/09, 2:20 pm
@daytripper
quote: “its not as if Xbox Live subscriptions cripple you financially, its embarrassing “NOW WAY I’M PAYING FOR ONLINE”
At least for me, it’s not that I can’t dish out the 50 dlls for Xbox LIVE, it’s the fact that for 3 years now PSN has been free and they’ve let their customers get used to that and enjoy it that way. Now all of a sudden they’re going to charge for something they provided for no cost.
They let customers get used to the product for free and now they want to charge. It’s like a cable network where they give you some extra channels for a month or two to convince you to subscribe to the more expensive package, but not for three years, give me a break.
If PSN charged right from the beginning I would’ve still paid for the subscription.
#32
Michael O’Connor
19/11/09, 2:22 pm
“Now all of a sudden they’re going to charge for something they provided for no cost. ”
They’re not planning to make you pay for anything that’s already free, so that argument is completely moot.
*points to new story at top of the site*