Tue, May 25, 2010 | 15:33 BST
Rumor: Sony to reveal premium PSN+ services at E3
Rumor has it that Sony’s set to reveal a premium for PSN called PSN+ during its E3 media blast.
According to sources close to Joystiq, the service will provide subscribers with “additional bonuses” and will not limit multiplayer between paying and nonpaying customers.
Sources claim that subscribers will be privy to: a rotating list of PSP Minis and PSone Classics; exclusive DLC; PlayStation Store discounts; an auto-patching feature; and “first hour” demo access to full retail titles.
After playing a game for an hour, users would then have the option to purchase the full game – which means that you have to download the full game just for the demo.
PSN+ subscribers will also be included in the PlayStation Protection Plan, the rumored cloud-based saving option, and cross-game voice chat – which has been claimed before.
Another source close to Joystiq also speculates PSN+ will run players $9.99 a month, which may be a completely different animal to the “less that $50″ a year plan.
Sony has responded to the source’s claims that it does not “comment on rumors or speculation.”
We’ll send a mail, but we expect the same response. Hopefully E3 will reveal all.
22 comments
#1
Razor
25/05/10, 3:45 pm
Well if this feature set is true, Sony’s fucked up.
Cost wise, I think $9.99 is literally for just one month, and is likely to compliment a cheaper annual thing, say $50.
#2
Benjo1981
25/05/10, 3:45 pm
$10 a month/ $120 a year seems a bit steep for what’s on offer :S
#3
Benjo1981
25/05/10, 3:48 pm
@1
So, they’ll have 3 options for PSN? Free, $50/year and $120/year? Getting quite confusing, if true.
#4
daytripper
25/05/10, 3:49 pm
whatever happened to “Playstation World” that PSM3 had a exclusive on before PS3 was released? it showed concept designs for the menu, gamercards and stuff, it looked very good!
#5
Benjo1981
25/05/10, 3:53 pm
@4
Maybe they canned it in favour of Home. Good one Sony lol.
#6
Erthazus
25/05/10, 3:55 pm
Auto patching? =\ I want that.
#7
OlderGamer
25/05/10, 4:00 pm
Did I understand that right(sorry its a med day), we can download full retail games(the demos), play them for an hour and then buy the game digitialy? If so, I would pay for that.
#8
Razor
25/05/10, 4:02 pm
@3 what’s confusing? You pay $9.99 for access for one month, and $50 for yearly subscription.
It’s no different to Xbox Live. A one month, 3 month or yearly sub.
#9
Razor
25/05/10, 4:03 pm
DP
#10
Blerk
25/05/10, 4:09 pm
Howfuckingmuch? Good job it’s optional, I surmise most people will be opting ‘out’.
#11
Benjo1981
25/05/10, 4:11 pm
@8
Apologies, read it incorrectly. Just corrected myself from the Joystiq post.
#12
OlderGamer
25/05/10, 4:13 pm
I don’t know there is bound to be more details that we don’t have yet. Keep in mind that this is just speculation right now. If they bolster it a bit, might work.
But in truth as long as they are still allowing gamers to play MP online for free … this is going to be a hard sell.
#13
Benjo1981
25/05/10, 4:21 pm
@12
Yep. I pay for Live Gold for the online multiplayer. If that was included in the Silver package, I wouldn’t pay for Gold.
Out of interest: does PSN not auto-update games? How do you go about updating them?
#14
Detale
25/05/10, 4:28 pm
PSN does auto-update games. When you start the game it tells you an update is available, and then you go and make a cup of tea while it downloads and installs…
Well it’s not usually that bad but some of them can be quite large.
#15
OlderGamer
25/05/10, 4:29 pm
I don’t understand the update thingie either..are they just talking about updated firmware?
#16
Blerk
25/05/10, 4:31 pm
Maybe they mean background downloads?
#17
Erthazus
25/05/10, 4:35 pm
@16 yeap, like from Steam. You are playing and it patches automatically.
I think xbox 360 at Live have this too.
#18
OlderGamer
25/05/10, 4:37 pm
I gotcha Erth that sounds resonable.
#19
Aimless
25/05/10, 4:40 pm
Presumably you would be able to, say, press Triangle over a game’s icon on the XMB and toggle a “Keep this game up to date” option that would allow the machine to automatically queue updates for download as they’re released, even if you’re playing something completely different.
Albeit a bit more needlessly complicated; this is Sony.
#20
BlueOne
25/05/10, 7:49 pm
i used my psn 5 times
so if the premium make 10 or 9999 i will get one
#21
frostquake
26/05/10, 6:50 am
HUGE ASS WARNING:
Sony Burns ppl constantly with Digital Download. I highly recommend that you buy Hard Copies!! Having been burned in the tune of $1000 from Sony connect, I learned it the Hard Way. I even had triple back ups, so when Sony Shut down Sony Connect I had multiple back ups, but eventually they all went corrupt, the last being the PS3 mysteriously erasing a 8 Gig Memory Stick…Now I have nothing… You have been warned…SIGH!!
#22
OlderGamer
26/05/10, 1:55 pm
I have never used Sony Connect, to my knowledge. Thats a music download thingie isn’t it?
I just use iTunes for music. And have a 1TB external to back it up(plus CDs).