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Survey: Sony Considering Premium PlayStation Network Subscriptions

A survey sent from IPSOS Online Research indicates that Sony is considering premium subscription plans for the PlayStation Network, detailing potential prices and premium services, including full hour game trials, free access to PSOne Classics, and cross-game voice chat.

BlackIceJoe5994d ago

After looking at the survey I wish one of the boxes had all the stuff. I for one like stuff in box one and two. I see some things that would be interesting but do not want to pay 70 dollars a year. So I for one can live without the extra stuff.

prabx5994d ago

wait...online music video service ? not Vidzone ? =/

vhero5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

I think you gotta decide what's more important. Free minis/ps1 games for a year or beta access. If you want BETA access then you got 3 packages to choose from but the free minis/PS1 games package with PS store discount seems like a really good idea! @ above its probably a vidzone alternative for US members.

ExgamerLegends25994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

i got a lot of disagrees when i suggested sony might only allow cross game chat with the subscription. Personally though i think 60 bucks is worth what they're offering. But what theyre offering isn't really something i need. Oh and i'd like my bubble back for being right about the cross game chat.

Edit: Actually, I think I will be getting one of those subscriptions. Prolly option 2. 70 bucks is worth it. I guy on the link said most peoples cell phone bills are 70 bucks a month. If i had to be without my cell for a month to get all of that for a year well....sprint might as well cut my phone off now.

lociefer5994d ago

i no ill get alot of disagees but i dont like the idea of paying for cross chat, altho the classics r a real good deal

Saaking5994d ago

Now THAT'S something I'd pay for. But which one would be better. Option 1 or 2. Both are great deals, but I think number 2 is better.

SilentNegotiator5994d ago

If they decided to do that as part of it, they would certainly have my attention, depending on the price.

.....so long as gameplay remains free, as the promised.

5994d ago
gaffyh5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

I'd pay for Option 1, just for the 3 year Warranty, but it needs to have ALL the features for me to pay for it at that price. The free PS1, PSP minis etc. would be very cool, stupid that they have 4 subscription options though (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum Membership maybe?).

The 4th option kinda sucks.

@below - Online gaming will remain free, and Kaz already said, everything that is currently available will still be available for free. Nice try at trolling though.

xskipperx825994d ago

but psn is free and the best thing about the ps3! right?

ceedubya95994d ago

You have your base PSN with online play like what was already there, and then you have your premium with extra stuff if you choose to pay for it. Either way, you have online play available, which is the most important factor. Its good to have choices. However, the free online play for Sony's consoles is something they should really advertise to the high heavens. I just don't think it gets as much attention as some of the PS3's other functions.

Hopefully, this takes off, and then Microsoft will have to take a good look at its service and maybe decide to offer Silver member the ability to play online as well.

Saaking5994d ago

PSN is still free. This are just extras for people who want it.

heroicjanitor5994d ago

:/

The others are cool though.

Free classics I could do without, I find it difficult to play them now that I have better games, online music means what exactly? Online storage space sound great and catch up tv and free netflix? I would consider paying for these...

Saaking5994d ago

Because it offers a ton of stuff. My personal favorite is cloud storage. Sounds awesome. Like I've said before, I don't mind paying as long as I get my money's worth.

Alcon Caper5994d ago

Because they've committed themselves to having a free multiplayer service, the have to compensate for the money they're not making by charging a higher fee. Whether this is something that people really will pay for--only time will tell. It's a gamble, yes, but they're already in dire need of money anyway for PSN so any gamble is good.

Meanwhile, Xbox Live is reigning in EVERYONE who purchases a 360, no questions asked. Purchasing Live is an unspoken requirement that MS has smartly stuck with from the beginning.

THAT is called business PLANNING.

Megaton5994d ago

Meh. I don't think I'd pay for any of those. I don't understand why they're so clusterf*ckish. There should be one option with everything, not like one in the middle missing things that the others have. Sloppy. It's just a d*ck move to charge for some of those, like cross-game chat.

As long as online gaming is free, I'm good.

snaz275994d ago

anyone notice "token wagering" or "user to user challenges" can you imagine.... your burning round the track on gt5, your mate comes on and challenges you to a race! you can put a wager on that race! in the form of tokens that you can purchase and sell back!!! that right there would make me NEED a premium account lol, you could sit at home and make money off the noobs lol.

ABizzel15994d ago

This is the best and worst idea ever.

The content you get is great and worth paying for (1st hour free is amazing), but having 4 option where you have to buy 3 options ($170) to get everything is BS. They need to have 3 options which are as followed:

1. The free PSN we have now
2. A paid subscription for limited services on the list. ($30)
3. A paid subscription for everything on the list. ($60)

The limited Service should have the following features:

Exclusive Experiences with Sony Brands
Cross Game voice chat access
Token Wagering (this should make PSN a highly competitive place)
User to User Challenges
Online Music Service (Charge them to download music)
Online Music Video Service (Charge them to download music videos)

With that being said some of the stuff on the list should be free.

raztad5994d ago

Lets wait for something official instead of wasting time discussing yet another rumour.

It feels good to know I dont need to pay for playing some KZ2 competitive, or some R2 or U2 coop. Anything else is just optional and probably something I can live w/o.

Jamegohanssj55994d ago

I believe this is actually a steal think aboot it. I think the first package is actually worth aboot 200 bucks itself. Just think.

TGSI

SixTwoTwo5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

Option 1 or 2 on day one =)
They should have an option with all the services actually.

NecrumSlavery5994d ago

It is a marketing survey technique to weigh variables. It determines how important one thing is to the majority than another. So if the one option with facebook isn't strong enough to be more important that the other 3, facebook just may be given across all options for free. But honestly i think there will be only 3 services.
Basic: PSN now
Premium: A Large amount of content like integrated Netflix, Xgame chatting, Demos, betas, etc
VIP Member: EVERYTHING!!!!

But LIVE is around $50....I think PSN Should shoot for a $20Prem
and $40VIP package only. Cause everything they announced sounds amazing.

Persistantthug5994d ago

Because the list is too convoluted and confusing for it to be something that would be introduced for real, I figured it must have been just a rudimentary sort of test survey to determine what features people would be willing to pay for vs. the ones they are not.

On a somewhat separate note,
Trying to splinter Cross Game Chat as an option to pay for is NOT a good idea. Why? Because Cross chat is a potential key feature that could help STRENGTHEN the PSN network overall (such as helping to get people to use their mics more). By making Cross chat a "premium" part of the service, would only splinter and alienate the "haves and have nots", and there will likely be more people without it, and that doesn't help build the social aspects of the PSN.

blu_yu_away5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

And what happens when I pay for cross game chat but no one else on my friends list does? I don't have a problem with implementing a premium service but Cross game chat should be a free update for all. As should features such as Netflix streaming without a dvd, automatic d/ls and updates and trophy alerts.

Noctis Aftermath5994d ago

They need to take exclusive in-game content off the list, that is a stupid idea and it better not be in the final list of benefits.

Online music? don't want it, i want to be able to play music straight from my HDD whilst playing games.

Sony need to keep the price in line with Xbox live Gold, but also have another cheaper option which includes less features(customer can pick and choose some of the options) as i'm sure not everyone wants to pay for features they won't use.

simplyRealistic185993d ago

i think it would be smart to have everything in one option for like $70-$80 the have reduce options choices for less, don't you guy think that's the smartest thing to do instead of having 3 option for the same price but different choices

DaTruth5993d ago

There is nothing there worth paying for for me except maybe the 3 year warranty, PSone classics and the beta access. But the price is far too steep, my PS3 is already 3 years old, I don't play enough PSone classics(wait I already have six this year so maybe), and I rarely find time to play betas or they don't hold my interest long!

zeeshan5993d ago (Edited 5993d ago )

I have only one problem here. Cross-game voice chat should be free! The reason is pretty simple. If I am paying for Cross-Chat, I'd want to talk to my friends right? But if they are not paying then they don't have it. I mean, this should be something for everyone to use, for free. Paying for Cross Voice Chat is plain stupid!

DeThEoRy5993d ago

im not forced to pay but i can still go online im good

+ Show (26) more repliesLast reply 5993d ago
ActionBastard5994d ago

Everything looks like something I'd like/use. Paying for x-game chat? Nah, I'm not going to pay for something I won't use.

Ju5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

That's a totally made up list. Makes no sense what so ever. The pricing is way off. E.g. monthly fee and yearly fee doesn't match. All prices are basically the same, but one (the cheap package pronounces the yearly vs. monthly fees unproportional). "Cloud computing space" ?? yeah, maybe in the minds of some fanboys dreams. Most of that stuff on that list looks like written up by someone who smokes some fantasy sh!t, but not by a serious "business analyst" (who usually do market evaluations).

happyface5994d ago

this wont happen

sony doesn't care about profits, they're happy to lose money if it makes all their messageboard fans happy

simplyRealistic185993d ago

its a f**king survey, they are testing the waters how can you say it a mde up list specially when introduce thing that actually look like things in sony's forte,

but anyway i wanna see what the music service is like (not the music video service) i hope it's better than last fm where you can transfer song to you mp3 or something

NYC_Gamer5994d ago

atleast we would get more for our yearly price..

vhero5994d ago

Agreed for a little more than XBOX live sub you get a LOT more. Also if MS does increase the price like the rumour suggests they could be cheaper!

tordavis5994d ago

And thus the new argument begins!

"For $70 you get more on PS3!"

ActionBastard5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

Nothing is required. XBL? No point in owning a 360 w/o XBL...unless you don't like paying for the net twice to play online, tweet (hahahaha), look at FB pics (hahahaha), Netflix, cross game chat, txt messages, etc.

Proxy5993d ago (Edited 5993d ago )

PC, cheaper games and all the free community services you could ever ask for, since 1995.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5993d ago
PirateThom5994d ago

Ah, crap, the single thing I said that would make this worth it, cloud storage, isn't available on the cheap tariff.

Option 4 is by far the worst choice though.

Godmars2905994d ago

Why would a potentially expensive option, server maintenance and storage, come cheap?

Though they'd have to use cloud computing to offer 1-hour access to games.

What sucks to me would be having to pay for general faster DLs.

Proxy5993d ago (Edited 5993d ago )

Google gives me 7 gigs for free.

simplyRealistic185993d ago (Edited 5993d ago )

yup you get everything , the hacker, the glitchers, the people who just pirate a company hard worked on game oh and you cant for getting the money you to pay for the upgrade every year or 2

Marie5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

In game chat at a price eh. Or I should say cross game.

PirateThom5994d ago (Edited 5994d ago )

Better than paying for online play anyway.

kaveti66165994d ago

You will still be paying. And then playing online. So, what's the difference, really?

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60°

Final Fantasy X 25th Anniversary Website Launches With New Nomura Artwork and Merchandise

Square Enix launches Final Fantasy X 25th anniversary site, revealing new Nomura art, books, music releases, and merchandise.

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twistedvoxel.com
-Foxtrot18d ago

Look I know VIII has its issues and all that but how on earth can the do big anniversary events with new artwork and merchandise for VII, IX and X yet VIII got sweet f*** all.

They could have given it something during its 25th anniversary yet all it got was a single Happy Anniversary post on their social media.

solideagle18d ago

they should know that we are OG fans of VIII as it sold truckload as well. not as much as VII or X. I personally didn't like IX but X and VI are my personal fav.

Shadow Hearts 2 covenant is another game I love. I hope one day someone can make remake, I would be delighted

Relientk7718d ago

Final Fantasy VIII is great and you are always the first to defend it in the comments

40°

15 Years Ago, Mortal Kombat (2011) Saved Gaming’s Biggest Fighting Franchise

A brutal reset, a smarter story, and a return to what made it great—Mortal Kombat (2011) revived the series.

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fortressofsolitude.co.za
italiangamer27d ago

"Gaming’s Biggest Fighting Franchise"

Press X to (seriously) doubt.

DarXyde25d ago

Underrated comment. I used to hate that game so much that any time my siblings asked me to play it, I just picked Hom and shut myself down mid-match.

Soy25d ago

And then MK1 killed it again.

DivineHand12525d ago (Edited 25d ago )

15 years went by so fast. I remember playing through the story mode at launch.

90°

PlayStation legend Shuhei Yoshida says Jim Ryan fired him because he didn't listen to him

Why did Sony push Shuhei Yoshida out of his role leading PlayStation's first-party games? He'd overseen some huge successes. Well, apparently, he didn't listen.

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eurogamer.net
Relientk7726d ago

Yeah I can see that for sure. Shuhei Yoshida should have been in charge not Jim Ryan.

Cacabunga26d ago

It should be free highway for him now.. but Sony are too stupid to see this, especially that moron Hulst

S2Killinit26d ago (Edited 26d ago )

Wtf why all that anger. PlayStation is dominating on every level. Besides I think there is a little more to hiring a CEO than just who is available. Its not like its a athlete your team wants to buy.

neutralgamer199226d ago

S2Killinit

live service failures, chasing trends, closing studios. yes dominating

Cacabunga26d ago

Sony is Dominating because competition is not existing. Compared to previous gens this is the poorest in terms of software offerings.

Last gen we got Uncharted 4 Lost Legacy and TLOU2 from ND alone.

This is so far a remasters gen, with no competition to lift up the quality

1nsomniac26d ago (Edited 26d ago )

..."PlayStation is dominating on every level"....

...Really???

PlayStation are soon heading into a new generation in the not to distant future. They currently have the worst customer satisfaction they've ever sustained as a company. The company is heading for a huge crash while at the same time they'll need to be planning how they are going to try and win back that favour and the build up to their new releases.

Yes financially they're winning but they're going to have to ride out this complete public corporate disaster. No one has faith in the company or the product anymore. They've damaged their public image so much this generation. Greed can kill anyone.

medman25d ago

Hulst is a disaster......

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 25d ago
blacktiger26d ago

He would've done the same thing and fire Jim Ryan and Shuhei would be the villain. Why?
Because Elite creates the narrative and distraction for gamers, users and citizens.

Outside_ofthe_Box26d ago

More confirmation that Jim Ryan is the culprit for what has happened to Sony. Hulst needs to go too. What sucks is that a lot of the good top heads at Sony are no longer there. I wish that guys that were forced out prematurely by Dumbo Jimbo like Shuhei and Layden came back.

robtion25d ago

Yep. Yoshida was responsible for bringing one of the best games of this generation to playstation (Stellar Blade). He is an actual gamer and is in touch with what gamers want (creative, fun games, not GaaS and agenda pushing). He also seems like a genuinely nice guy if you watch some interviews. Of course they got rid of him.

darthv7226d ago

Makes you wonder if MS even thought about hiring him after Phil and Sarah were leaving. He certainly couldn't make their situation any worse.

Agent7526d ago

Microflop. After Windows XP and Xbox 360, it all went floppy.

S2Killinit26d ago

Floppy 😆
No pun intended

badz14926d ago

Yoshida for President! Jim Ryan was and always be a hack! Sony should get Shu back

Lightning7726d ago

All the gamer/consumer lead heads are gone across PS and Xbox. shuhei gone phil's gone (questionable) but gone. The future of gaming is somewhat uncertain across the board.

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