Knitted Knight
Banned
As we all know soon a lot of PlayStation exclusives will be releasing on the PC platform (that is, Steam/EGS). As such this brings up the topic of subscription services like PlayStation Plus who force you to become a subscriber if you want to access the MP aspect of PS exclusives like Uncharted, MLB: The Show, Killzone, The Last of US etc. It's an artificial barrier made for the sole purpose of extracting more money out of consumers locked to the PS platforms.
The problem, to me, arises with these games releasing on PC without carrying the requirement to pay for PS Plus to access the MP component. In other words, Sony will not be gouging PC gamers with artificial barriers to play the full game, unlike PS gamers.
As such, it can no longer be that PS consumers are getting fair treatment by sticking to PS. No longer first class citizens.
In effect, the reward for being a gamer locked in the PlayStation ecosystem is the right to be gouged by Sony corporation with artificial, made up barriers. In other words, YOU making the conscious choice of rewarding Sony corporation with your money by first buying the hardware, and then buying the software is simply, unadulterated, plain gouging. It's even more laughable when you consider the fact that PS Gamers are Sony's most profitable consumer....since Sony has to pay Steam 30% royalty cut on software sold and the PC consumer is not exposed to the PS platform ecosystem for other products and services.
So my question to PS gamers, the hardcore and the like....
Are you OK with supporting Sony going forward knowing they're gouging you with artificial barriers for money? If Yes... how do you rationalize that in your head?
If you're not OK with it but still will continue to support Sony by being a PS gamer primarily for reasons..... will you at least be vocal about it? Cause no one likes being a sucker.... and you gotta be at least self aware you're getting played.
Are you simply switching to PC, and will no longer buy a PS5, or sell your PS5 given the news? What's your threshold for bullshit from suits like these days? Or are you simply stuck with Sony as a console gamer since the competition is no better (Xbox), you've outgrown Nintendo, and you don't like the PC platform? Is the tyranny of the duopoly market playing its ugly hand?
In other words....Give your take.
Now I know there are folk out there who will say.... "but but... I pay for PS Plus for more than just MP access... I get "free*" games monthly too". Well, that's great and all and clearly if you're OK with that, and you see value in it from that aspect you're clearly not the target of this thread. It's more oriented towards the folk who would rather not pay for the subscription service at all if MP access wasn't locked behind it artificially or who simply, on principle, don't like getting gouged blatantly straight in their face.
Now I also know what you're thinking as well....."But but but...it's done on Xbox too?" ....To which I say...So what?
Xbox, its hardcore audience, and the Xbox casuals (who are often ill informed of options as are all casuals) have accepted this fact so I don't think this thread should be derailed about talks of the state of that platform (I would appreciate that talk be left out of the thread)... To me it's pretty much a forgone conclusion that the fight has long being over at the Phil Club.... specially with the brand trying to morph into an App now. I mean this is the same company that threw a trial balloon recently to see if they could get away with charging double for Xbox Live Gold for no god damn reason . The gamers who had major issues with these things either bailed from the Xbox brand to other greener pastures or sucked it up. Again, this thread is about PlayStation, the biggest console market player there is and how now the chickens have come home to roost in the form of Jim Ryan, Hermen Hulst and the new crew.
Now I don't think this thread would be needed if gaming "journalism" did its job (we would know the answers to all these contradictions from interviews) but then again journalism in the Western world has been a crisis for years. You don't end up with soaring income inequality with a properly functioning fourth state. Lemmings...
In my opinion, Jim is a short term revenue hungry muppet who's trying to do what he believes is best for himself, the shareholders and Sony (he's devaluing the brand - long term effect, not short term effect unlike short term revenue increases but that's another topic). If he can screw PS gamers, that's syphon money gratuitously without any backlash he'll do so in heartbeat. I believe he saw Phil and Xbox do it, saw little to "no backlash" (although I think losing 30-40m gamers this gen is enough quantifiable backlash to decisions made for the Xbox brand) and, like with PS Plus following the footsteps of Xbox Live Gold... Sony is simply abusing its market position by adopting the same gouging practices.... since the competition can't outflank them in that aspect.
But anyway what do you think? There will be a series of threads regarding such topics now that pandora's box is fully open.
The problem, to me, arises with these games releasing on PC without carrying the requirement to pay for PS Plus to access the MP component. In other words, Sony will not be gouging PC gamers with artificial barriers to play the full game, unlike PS gamers.
As such, it can no longer be that PS consumers are getting fair treatment by sticking to PS. No longer first class citizens.
In effect, the reward for being a gamer locked in the PlayStation ecosystem is the right to be gouged by Sony corporation with artificial, made up barriers. In other words, YOU making the conscious choice of rewarding Sony corporation with your money by first buying the hardware, and then buying the software is simply, unadulterated, plain gouging. It's even more laughable when you consider the fact that PS Gamers are Sony's most profitable consumer....since Sony has to pay Steam 30% royalty cut on software sold and the PC consumer is not exposed to the PS platform ecosystem for other products and services.
So my question to PS gamers, the hardcore and the like....
Are you OK with supporting Sony going forward knowing they're gouging you with artificial barriers for money? If Yes... how do you rationalize that in your head?
If you're not OK with it but still will continue to support Sony by being a PS gamer primarily for reasons..... will you at least be vocal about it? Cause no one likes being a sucker.... and you gotta be at least self aware you're getting played.
Are you simply switching to PC, and will no longer buy a PS5, or sell your PS5 given the news? What's your threshold for bullshit from suits like these days? Or are you simply stuck with Sony as a console gamer since the competition is no better (Xbox), you've outgrown Nintendo, and you don't like the PC platform? Is the tyranny of the duopoly market playing its ugly hand?
In other words....Give your take.
Now I know there are folk out there who will say.... "but but... I pay for PS Plus for more than just MP access... I get "free*" games monthly too". Well, that's great and all and clearly if you're OK with that, and you see value in it from that aspect you're clearly not the target of this thread. It's more oriented towards the folk who would rather not pay for the subscription service at all if MP access wasn't locked behind it artificially or who simply, on principle, don't like getting gouged blatantly straight in their face.
Now I also know what you're thinking as well....."But but but...it's done on Xbox too?" ....To which I say...So what?
Xbox, its hardcore audience, and the Xbox casuals (who are often ill informed of options as are all casuals) have accepted this fact so I don't think this thread should be derailed about talks of the state of that platform (I would appreciate that talk be left out of the thread)... To me it's pretty much a forgone conclusion that the fight has long being over at the Phil Club.... specially with the brand trying to morph into an App now. I mean this is the same company that threw a trial balloon recently to see if they could get away with charging double for Xbox Live Gold for no god damn reason . The gamers who had major issues with these things either bailed from the Xbox brand to other greener pastures or sucked it up. Again, this thread is about PlayStation, the biggest console market player there is and how now the chickens have come home to roost in the form of Jim Ryan, Hermen Hulst and the new crew.
Now I don't think this thread would be needed if gaming "journalism" did its job (we would know the answers to all these contradictions from interviews) but then again journalism in the Western world has been a crisis for years. You don't end up with soaring income inequality with a properly functioning fourth state. Lemmings...
In my opinion, Jim is a short term revenue hungry muppet who's trying to do what he believes is best for himself, the shareholders and Sony (he's devaluing the brand - long term effect, not short term effect unlike short term revenue increases but that's another topic). If he can screw PS gamers, that's syphon money gratuitously without any backlash he'll do so in heartbeat. I believe he saw Phil and Xbox do it, saw little to "no backlash" (although I think losing 30-40m gamers this gen is enough quantifiable backlash to decisions made for the Xbox brand) and, like with PS Plus following the footsteps of Xbox Live Gold... Sony is simply abusing its market position by adopting the same gouging practices.... since the competition can't outflank them in that aspect.
But anyway what do you think? There will be a series of threads regarding such topics now that pandora's box is fully open.