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[Slime]

One thing I have to give them credit for, strategically, is introducing PS+ on PS3 without a paywall. It has such great value as-is that tons of people have already embraced it by choice.

I don't like this development in principle, but I think if people really look at what PS+ has to offer the pill will be much easier to swallow.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

Yes, we are. PS3 is the precedent. PS3 is the console a lot of people invested in thinking Sony would continue its policies onto the next console. I mean the next Killzone won't be on PS3 but that game's online has been free.

PS2 set a precedent with BC too. There is always a first for everything.

And I am pretty sure no one bought a PS3 as an investment for the PS4.

 

[Grieves]

Wouldn't mind if they stop having trophies for doing stuff online, then I would just not bother with online.

Actually, I was thinking of getting PS+ for next gen and I was going to get Drive Club so this isn't as much of an issue as I thought it would be.

 

[kinggroin]

Not that I have any reason to buy a launch PS4, this hardly would have been a dealbreaker. I also hope the folks bitching about it aren't the same people with Gold accounts.

 

[RadarScope1]

This is not a big deal to me. They've taken the right steps in creating the PS4 and I'm totally on board. I'm surprised it took this long for it happen, honestly. The media stuff remains free - a damn sight better than MS's policy. Gotta make the money on services somewhere.

 

[Archie]

So much for those "free to play" games.

Pretty disappointed in Sony. They could have advertised their shiny new system with a bunch of free games that require no investment.

 

[SonicColours]

Oh come on man up. 5 bucks a month. Stop crying.

 

[Cindres]

A bit of a bummer but not a negative for me. They did good to go a whole console cycle without charging for it but something has to pay for the servers.

PSN+ Is already a fantastic service and amazing value for money and if I get a PS4 I'd happily pay it again just for the games, I've only two times used my PS3 for online (couple of WipeOut HD games with a friend) so it's not really a changer for me.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

Yeah it's pretty sad.

PS Plus has been a good value, so that sweetens the blow a bit.

 

[Omnistalgic]

First off, lemme repost this because it was lost in the fray:

Secondly, there are a lot of folks ignoring that PS+ throws significant discounts on purchasing your content permanently, not just 'renting' licenses through the IGC.

And not just a small handful of arbitrarily-selected old content like Live does; New releases are frequently discounted as well. If you have any interest in PSN games, what you save will more than likely offset the subscription fee and then some.

They're starting to be more aggressive with doing this with digital versions of new retail games, too, and their ability to do this is only going to grow the more leverage PS+ has. If a small yearly subscription fee makes inroads against the "we can't upset retail with our prices for DD games" excuse, then that's a net gain.

I think PS+ is a great value, and perhaps they should have tried to offer the service first without a MP paywall and see what the adoption rates were. But I guess that might have caused more of a problem down the road. but yeah good post, I don't think value is the problem though, it's just principle.

PSN is definitely Sony's trojan horse for this upcoming gen. Lured a lot of gamers into a trap. Back peddling wont work now.

Yeah, i mean, the only reason half users are ok and half are upset is because PS+ is so incredible on PS3/Vita. It offers amazing value, and I think many are likely just transferring over to PS+ on PS4 anyway, so the MP paywall doesn't matter. However, as I said it seems to go against there for the gamer message, and it would have been nice if only select games were behind the wall. A game like Dragon's Dogma for example is so little real interaction between you and friends that online is really not a big part of the experience, a game like shouldn't require PS+ to play. I think it should be on a game-by-game basis and even then, codes should come with each game for a least a month for users to play the multiplayer segment.

I hope Sony does a bit more for people with limited funds and credit card availability.

 

[Anteater]

Never seen a thread like :|

I have a feeling that there is a lot of the people complaining about this that at the same time have being paying live for the last few years, and now they are feeling cheated and angry cause there is a service vastly superior where you can actually get content for the money you spent. And now they are grasping at straws criticizing senselessness the new service to justify the last few years.

I have never paid for live, not a single dime. I agree plus is a better service, but I don't think it's for everyone, especially not for casual gamers, some of my friends logs on once or twice per month and plays mostly rpgs, say if we want to play white knight chronicles or something (it doesn't exist on the ps4 but can't think of a better example), she would need to pay, playing once or twice per month doesn't really justify the price, nor does she want all the free games on ps+ like uncharted, motorstorm, and sleeping dogs.

For the same reason we do not pay for xbox live and I'm the only one who bought an xbox for single player games only.

 

[Little Old Man]

A bit of a bummer but not a negative for me. They did good to go a whole console cycle without charging for it but something has to pay for the servers.

PSN+ Is already a fantastic service and amazing value for money and if I get a PS4 I'd happily pay it again just for the games, I've only two times used my PS3 for online (couple of WipeOut HD games with a friend) so it's not really a changer for me.

In particular given all the new services like sharing video, taking over your friends game via the internet etc.

It is a shame I will have to pay to play online, but I was not expecting PSN+ to be thrown in, what's more for the same existing price.

 

[dock]

Is there confirmation whether every person in the household needs a PS+ account?
If you have a family of 5 would you need to spend $25 per month? Could my girlfriend get online if I also have an account on the same machine?

I worry that games with less online involvement would suffer because of this, such as Journey.

I have had a PS+ account for a number of years, but my housemate doesn't have an account. She sometimes plays Dark Souls online, but nothing else.

 

[odhiex]

Not good for me. The one who rarely used online gaming at all....but I think this is normal reaction (NO deal breaker). Good for their investment.

Anyway I haven't bought PS+, even though I tempted to buy one, because of those free games alone.

It might seems like they forced gamers to buy Plus, but I guess it's also for your own benefits after all??

My take is... "if you think that it's not worth it, don't ever buy it". Simple.

 

[alstein]

Oh come on man up. 5 bucks a month. Stop crying.

I'll get more value out of that money putting it towards a good new desktop PC that will run PC ports of PS4 games without the online junk fee.

It's not a dealbreaker for folks that they a large number of console games, or have a wide variety of console game tastes, but that's not me. I played consoles largely for one genre, and I'm willing to give that up over this.

At least I'm remaining consistent on the issue unlike many folks on here. That said, I do reserve the right to change my mind if PSN+ provides a value enough for me to get it, but I doubt it will.

 

[Dead Man]

Is there confirmation whether every person in the household needs a PS+ account?
If you have a family of 5 would you need to spend $25 per month? Could my girlfriend get online if I also have an account on the same machine?

I worry that games with less online involvement would suffer because of this, such as Journey.

Apparently only one plus account is needed per console.

 

[Kenshin001]

Never seen a thread like :|

I have a feeling that there is a lot of the people complaining about this that at the same time have being paying live for the last few years, and now they are feeling cheated and angry cause there is a service vastly superior where you can actually get content for the money you spend. And now they are grasping at straws criticizing senselessness the new service to justify the last few years.

I have a feeling there are a lot of people supporting this who have been lambasting MS for charging for online play the last few years, and now they are backtracking and downplaying it because they are the ones being forced to pay to play online.

 

[Rebel Leader]

I have a feeling there are a lot of people supporting this who have been lambasting MS for charging for online play the last few years, and now they are backtracking and downplaying it because they are the ones being forced to pay to play online.

"but I'm already paying for it"

and I am

But I understand, I also hoped for multi to be free

 

[Shadybiz]

Not surprising, and that's what I figured when I saw that little blurb about multiplayer during the conference. Doesn't bother me though, as I am already a PS+ subscriber.

 

[InfiniDragon]

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Sony started charging because they knew they were going to be taking MS' customers after the XBone debacle and also knew they were already used to it. Even the lower monthly price point than Gold screams "fuck you MS, we got you on all fronts".

Scummy how they slid it under the radar after the (awesome) no DRM + price reveal, and I think they're gonna catch more flak than they thought from people now that the hype is settling. But I won't be one of them since I paid for Gold when I had a 360 (Off-topic, I'm sorta glad I sold my 360 to get my Wii U now so there's no MS console in my home, lol).

 

[Hazanko]

Jesus, how cheap are some of you people really? An amazing service is going to get much better, and you're complaining about 5$ a month?

People never stop to amaze me...

"Is Sony going to implement some of the features (ie cross chat etc..) that XBL has, now that their service is a pay one?"

Cross chat is confirmed.

Why is it people in this thread act like they are fucking trying to sell me something? You also come up with insults as well, like unemployed youths, cheap etc. Is something seriously wrong with you?

I pay for something that seems worth it, I pay for PS+ but I also want the choice not to. Maybe I don't want some of the free games, maybe it starts to suck eventually but if I need online then I'm forced to use the service.

If it's such an amazing service, people will pay for it regardless of free online. I'm not asking for all the features, the deals, all that added stuff. I think having a basic free online is good for consumer because it gives us a choice.

 

[domlolz]

eh not as big a deal as the drm stuff ms is going for

 

[LorDjidane]

I can understand the disappointment for this online MP paywall. Personally, I've been used to that on the 360 and I had nothing more (yeah, gold deals that sucked). Now I got a Vita two months ago, I have no PS3 but I pay PS+ for three territories because of how awesome the service is with the games offered and such. Yeah they're rentals or whatever. But each month I get awesome stuff. Here they only add a paywall for PS4, nothing for PS3 or PSV. Plus you keep all the current advantages.

And at launch we'll have a game offered with PS4 IGC. That's 70€$ less to spend on launch day, which is non negligible (if you're interested in racing games that is). So that's still crazy value to me.

But I understand people being pissed off. But when I compare it to MS policies, well, I'm okay with it.

 

[GodofWine]

Well, If I can sell one or two used games per year, it covers the cost...

This will force me to actually play games other than dudebros and racebros to get my moneys worth...but it comes with Driveclub, and I'll PS+ to shoot people..

PS4 has too many games already.


Can I assume Gakai will be an additional fee? not really caring about it much, but it seemed that they implied that.

 

[sleepykyo]

Frankly I don't see how it's so bad, for only 60 bucks I get several (indie and retail) games every year which saves me money.

It was bad when Microsoft did it. It is still bad now, it just happens that Microsoft went further down the road.

 

[goonergaz]

This is a win-win for Sony, thinking about it all the current PS+ folk who aren't getting a launch PS4 will slowly build up a nice collection - in a years times the jump to PS4 will be much easier for them as they will have a handful of games to play from the off.

 

[Zoe]

Why would that be stripped edition ?.

Why would they call it the Plus edition if it weren't?

 

[Owensboro]

Does anyone know the answers to the following questions?

1) What services are / will be hosted on SONY owned servers that would require an "upkeep fee"? For instance, will cross game chat (PS4) be hosted on a server somewhere or is it a P2P service where someone becomes the host?

If SONY can prove to me that new functionality actually costs them money to run, then I can deal with the paywall.

2) Will multiplayer games have dedicated servers, or will it all be P2P?

There is nothing worse in this world then P2P multiplayer. Seriously. Can we finally get dedicated servers for multiplayer matches?

 

[popeutlal]

So price of the PS4 is effectively $450.

 

[alstein]

So price of the PS4 is effectively $450.

more like $700 assuming a 6 yr cycle. 400+ 6*50.

 

[Anteater]

Why would they call it the Plus edition if it weren't?

Maybe they call it the plus edition because there are actually more contents! Driveclub plus! Like Ninja Gaiden plus :O

Spoiler

;_;

 

[3JORN]

not a deal breaker for me...love ps+ anyway

 

[Dead Man]

Oh come on man up. 5 bucks a month. Stop crying.

Man up? To pay more money is what proper men do now? Get the fuck out of here.

 

[Hari Seldon]

Will not be purchasing this console day 1 now. A big disappointment. I'm going to wait and see if MSs digital policy will allow for huge game sales in the future before buying one of these consoles.

 

[denshuu]

Don't really care. Can't imagine why I wouldn't be paying for PS+ anyway.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

This was a shame but is honestly not a big deal considering the merits of PS+. Putting anything behind a paywall sucks, but if said paywall gets you free games and features, then I'll deal with it.

 

[TyrantGuardian]

Haha, what a joke. Probably not getting a PS4 considering this. Complete deal-breaker for me.

 

[Proven]

Another way to look at it is...

If Xbox Live, which has been making people play for online multiplayer for years, started adding value to Live this year with free games and 90% off discounts, would people have a reason to complain?

Yes. BECAUSE IT'S STILL PAYING FOR ONLINE MULTIPLAYER.

 

[UrbanRats]

2007 yes
2013 ? no

cross game chat is not something that expensive. Skype does work without paying (for skype-skype calls) and i don't see why people should pay for basic feature like that.
Vita has cross game chat and better online functionality than x360 or Ps3 and it is free.


I think online paywall is actually created to fund GAIKAI and future of it. GAIKAI servers cost real money and their on-live approach will be very costly to run.

Then why don't make those who use it pay for it? Put the Gaikai shit behind a paywall, no issue with that.

 

[Prine]

This really isn't an issue for me. If the games i want to play online are great, i dont mind. Its reasonably priced.

 

[rpmurphy]

Uh, why shouldn't everyone have automatic game updates? What's the point of that being put behind a paywall?

 

[Kid Ska]

I really hope all of you people who say this is a dealbreaker aren't going to the Xbone. Because that would be ridiculous.

 

[tzare]

So price of the PS4 is effectively $450.

if you play online.

The same as 360 has been way more for online players than what people payed for the hardware when purchased. If it was a launch console that would be 399+(60*7years)

 

[Hanmik]

this is from the press release:

Users will have access to online play with other players via the network. Online Multi Play mode for PS4™, with its socially integrated services, offers unique features only available on the system such as allowing users to seamlessly start playing game and join their online friends while spectating gameplay or enjoying cross game voice chat.

SCE will continue to focus on further enhancing the PS Plus service. As part of this initiative, SCE will add new subscription options for 90 days in Japan (1,300 yen) and 30 days in North America and Europe ($9.99 / €6.99).

Along with exclusive game content and services, PS Plus will offer members a variety of privileges and discounts. With the collaboration of Sony Network Entertainment International, starting today and for a limited time*1, PS Plus members in 16 countries*2 can subscribe to a one year Premium subscription of Music Unlimited*3 for only $41.99 (€41.99) -- 65 percent off of the regular 12 month rate. Also, for limited time*1, consumers who do not have a PS Plus membership can take advantage of a discounted Music Unlimited service annual Premium subscription plan for $59.99 (€59.99) *4. PS4™ at launch will not only support Music Unlimited but also Video Unlimited*5.

Furthermore, in terms of social integration, PS4™ will support variety of major SNS, including Facebook, Ustream, and Twitter, allowing users to easily communicate and share game play with their online friends. PS4™ will be the ultimate entertainment platform, delivering rich gaming and unrivalled entertainment experience.

looks like they are going to change Plus for PS4 but will let it stay the way it is on PS3, Vita..

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Oh come on man up. 5 bucks a month. Stop crying.

It's not about the money. It's the message.

 

[comedian]

Don't mind, I don't have PS+ (mainly because I haven't played anything for almost a year) but I'll gladly pick it up. It was nice to be able to mock the xbox players for having to pay, but it was a matter of time. The low price of the PS4 additionally helps to soften the blow, and all the free games and additional service you get.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to buying the PS4.

 

[BigBadShamoo]

In response to the Thread creator: I'm actually refusing to believe this. I'm not even worried.

 

[Gen X]

more like $700 assuming a 6 yr cycle. 400+ 6*50.

That's only assuming you want PS+/play multiplayer for six years though. You're adding something that is not compulsory. You may as well add on a another couple of hundred for a Vita + memory card and PSeye.

 

[helipilot22]

Its why the price is 100 ish less, the end.

 

[KLonso]

more like $700 assuming a 6 yr cycle. 400+ 6*50.

Which means that the price of the Xbox One is more like $860