Possible Details of PSN Premium Membership Leaked

[dekkarax]

While I oppose premium services...this at least sound better than the XBL gold subscriptions.
Especially the free stuff.

also, marked in red, so instead of, oh I dunno, having backwards compatibility again, they are going to make you download games that you might already have and take up more space on your hard-drive.

Sony, you could be making more money if you just kept backwards compatibility in, god knows I have several friends that still have Final Fantasy 39-67 for the Ps1, who had to go back and re-buy the console because you dropped it.

uh, why would they have to go back and buy new consoles for ps1 games, as far as I am aware, all ps3 models are compatible with ps1 games.

 

[Korten12]

The free access to PSone classics sounds tempting. Depends how much money we are talking though

um....nothing in this world is free.

or have you not had an economics class yet?

on a related note, Now that the main thing of PSN, the free playability, is gone, what will be the Sony fan-boys ammo for their superior console?

also:

[blockquote] * Customer Service Priority Access
* Exclusive Experiences with Sony Brands
* Extended Console Warranty 3 Years
* Cross-game Voice Chat Access
* Free Access to PSOne Classics, PSP Minis, and PS3/PSP Themes
* Discounts on Store Content
* Member Only In-game Content
* Trophy Alerts
* Online Music Service
* Online Music Video Service
* Automatic Downloads and Updates
* Loyalty Program Rewards
* Facebook Connectivity
* Catch-up TV
* Netflix Access Without Disc[/blockquote]

Exactly what the 360 has, save for the "Exclusive Experiences with Sony Brands", what does that even mean? for in house games you get a better experience? so third party games basically get the proverbial digital finger?

also, marked in red, so instead of, oh I dunno, having backwards compatibility again, they are going to make you download games that you might already have and take up more space on your hard-drive.

Sony, you could be making more money if you just kept backwards compatibility in, god knows I have several friends that still have Final Fantasy 39-67 for the Ps1, who had to go back and re-buy the console because you dropped it.

once again someone read it wrong... Online play will still be free...

 

[OmegaXIII]

snip

Of course it's not free when you're paying monthly, it doesn't mean free as in chargeless it means free in the unrestricted sense.

Online play is not premium content so your first argument falters there. For that matter why even bring up the console war or fan-boyism? There was nothing of the sort in my post, which makes it clear you're just looking to anatagonise people.

 

[scotth266]

Members Only In-game Content? That basically translates to "pay for online features" which translates to "pay for multiplayer."

So in the end, PSN is going XBL. Well, I can't say that I didn't see that one coming.

*Face palm...*

no online play will still be free... what are people not getting?

I read it quite clearly. It says Members-Only In Game Content.

Now, how would the game know if you had a subscription if you weren't online? Therefore, that means it would be limiting online content.

Exactly what sorts of online content it would be limiting is still up in the air (hell, this list hasn't even been confirmed yet, so anything right now is nothing more than speculation) but I can't believe that Sony wouldn't consider charging for online multiplayer in future games seeing as how profitable it's been for Microsoft (and how they need to make up some serious monetary losses on manufacturing these things at a loss.)

Past games are probably safe, but I wouldn't place too high hopes on future games being spared such treatment. It might wait until the next console generation, but I'd be willing to bet that Sony WILL implement a system of charging for online play: it's just to profitable to resist.

 

[Jou-LotD]

What's this "Netflix access without disc" thing?

Does that mean I can DL movies all day long (legally) and watch them on my PS3 with just a premium account?

 

[Korten12]

they probaly wont even do this premium membership cause it will ruin the ps3 fanbase...

*had something else here before but didnt want to cause a big argument.*

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

If that's true, sorry for my harsh language, but i say "fuck it". by the past, i've changed sides to PS3 due to an abominable dark hole of Microsoft forgetting it's Xbox 1 fans like the Titanic, and now i see more BS about Sony making the same mistakes as Microsoft... bah that's why PC will never die, "because you can cheat console gamers, but never a PC gamer."

 

[SaintWaldo]

Thanks for the emphasis on the vapor nature of the proposed features.

There's about 5 or 6 things on that survey list that I feel would make a premium subscription a no-brainer value, and if you clicked the spoiler list you probably already did a dance at the very IDEAS presented in a few of those items. 2 or 3 of the rest are things I feel belong on the free service, esp. stuff that is most likely transient in at least brand. The rest wouldn't make or break my decision.

All told, even if that entire list appears behind a pay-wall, the current free PSN satisfies me enough to not see this as a 3 year bait-and-switch. If anything on that list goes to the free service, it's just more win for the customer, in my eyes. This will be an interesting 2010, indeed.

 

[suzukaGongen]

Hmm. Well, there are enough advantages to this that I'd at least be willing to try it out-- as long as it doesn't, say, make like Xbox Live and randomly charge you for subscriptions to a system you haven't had in a while long after you've cancelled your account, sounds good!

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

they probaly wont even do this premium membership cause it will ruin the ps3 fanbase...

*had something else here before but didnt want to cause a big argument.*

How many other companies has "It will ruin ............'s fanbase, stopped them doing it?

It will piss a lot of people off, but the point is they'll still do it, because businesses need money and to a company; money>fans.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Member Only In-game Content

Sounds worrying.

Especially when you consider that Sony will almost definitely pressure developers into using that feature so they can use it as a selling point. Possibly even to the point of paying them off for it and writing it off as an "advertising fee".

 

[Nurb]

They keep nickle and diming gamers (or their parents) and gamers keep asking for more ways to be releaved of their money over things that used to be free.

The corporate age of gaming sucks.

 

[persona J]

dont sony realise how many people they will lose by doing this everyone i no only got a ps3 because the online is free.

 

[w-Jinksy]

I've been wanting cross game chat on PSN but I thought it was going to be free. Does XBL have cross game chat regardless of not having gold membership?

they have it but its for gold members only.

I just got my ps3 yesterday and this happens ¬_¬

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

Member Only In-game Content

Sounds worrying.

Yes, because that means taking things from a game that is already completed.

I suddenly remembered the whole "activision blizzard wants to make a subscription system for future CoD's".
that + this = complete ripoff.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Automatic Downloads and Updates, wait so PS3 owners are gonna have to pay to get updates now or am I missing something?

no its like it will download them automaticly. you dont pay for updates.

So to download auto you have to pay? Seems kinda dumb, but better than what I thought. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Awkward Turtle]

If they start charging for online play I will be extremely pissed.

That's why I bought a PS3 instead of a 360. I don't want to have to pay for multiplayer.

 

[ironlordthemad]

[quote="Gladion" post="7.162736.4188591]So much bullshit disguised as text. Those "premium content areas" you talk about are called DLC (short form for downloadable content), have never been out for free, and aren't part of the discussion here.
quote]

You misunderstand me.
I'm referring too the premium content areas in runescape (which act like a speed bump for the otherwise good time) and drawing a parallels between those and what will be appearing on the PSN, for example you want to use one of the features (it doesn't have too be one on the list by the way) and it pops up with a small window saying "Sorry you cant access this until you pay us" (which will also be a "good time speed bump").
Do you understand me now?

Also:
I am not talking about DLC and never have been (since DLC is a cross platform problem it isnt relevant to this arguement or any other arguements for PS3 vs Xbox 360).

 

[HyenaThePirate]

Is it me or does that list seem more like a WISH list than an actual features list?

I mean seriously, this sounds like more of what got Sony into trouble in the first place.. listening to geeks who wanted the PS3 to include everything imaginable: Blu ray, built in wifi, blue tooth, usb, every media card slot known to man, a removable hard drive, hdmi slots, linux based operating system, and a freaking fleshlight built into the side. Sony tried to accomodate most of those foolish demands and what resulted was a system so pricey all of those aforementioned geeks whinged all day long about how it was "too expensive".

So really, I'm curious about how Sony is going to pull off HALF of that list without it costing a solid $20 a month premium. Seriously, "CLOUD STORAGE?!?" "Free PS1 games?" Seriously? FREE?! "Full Title Trial?" you've got to be kidding! Unless games are going to now demand FAR more than 24 hours worth of game play, that would be a disaster...

I think I'm going to be very conservative about my thoughts on this until I actually hear some price quoting and see some confirmed functionality. After all, I was one of the fools who got excited about HOME, which I havent logged into since the first time I logged into it like a year ago.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

dont sony realise how many people they will lose by doing this everyone i no only got a ps3 because the online is free.

But you already PAID for your PS3, as did everyone else who wanted "free online play".
Which arguably you will still have.

As another person mentioned up top though, "Priority Customer Service" sounds dodgy and makes me really wonder what "non-priority customer service" is going to be like to make the Priority version worth the premium? If my Blu ray drive breaks down, does that mean I'll get connected with some asshat in India who will read a list of probable fixes regardless of how I describe the issue before reluctantly giving me an address where I can ship my PS3 at my own cost for a 3-6 week wait? When they get it, will it just be dumped off into a corner to be repaired by "repair center trainees?"

There's a lot of potential awesome in this announcement but there's a lot of potential for sony to bone themselves back to the bottom of the console selection list.. again..