E3 2010 - Sony: Our Competition Charges for Online Experiences. So Will We. - The UpStream

E3 2010 - Sony: Our Competition Charges for Online Experiences. So Will We.

posted Tuesday Jun 15, 2010 by Nicholas DiMeo

E3 2010 - Sony: Our Competition Charges for Online Experiences. So Will We.

Last year we talked about how Sony was announcing there would be a premium level subscription for their PlayStation Network and even that they were surveying people, asking how much they would pay for such a service. Once we broke that news, Sony fanboys around the world were up in arms, exclaiming that they would never touch a PlayStation 3 again if that were to happen. At CES, Sony officially confirmed they would be announcing a tiered plan at E3 and that same group of people backed Sony completely, shouting from their rooftops that this was the best idea for Sony, which is something we at the show have been saying for years!

Well, we finally have their pricing structure and somewhat of an idea on what it includes. However, we also have the hugest blunder Sony made when announcing this new plan. Hit the break to find out!

Sony's CEO Jack Tretton announced the launch of their new service, PlayStation Plus, but how they did it was the worst decision the company has ever made. Jack transitioned into the topic by talking about how Sony's online gaming service has always been free and that users would never "have to pay $50 to play games online, like with (our) competitors." This may be true but that is NOT what you say before you announce that while your online gaming service will still be free, you are adding a new level of content on top of that for $49.99 a year, or $17.99 for three months!

The PlayStation Plus subscription will include extra features and content, including full PlayStation Network games, exclusive discounts, access to early online betas, PlayStation Plus only videos and downloadable trailers and more. All existing features that users currently have will (for now, we think) remain free. It should be noted that all of these features are included with the current Xbox Live service.

There was no mention of any cross-game chat, user-to-user challenges, one hour trial of full titles for free, trophy alerts or token wagering that was described in the survey that went out back in December. So the question will be, is this service worth the money?

I'm curious to see if the PlayStation 3 fans will be shaking their e-fists at Sony and attempt to yet again boycott their beloved PlayStation 3s, or if they will bite the bullet and fork over the money. As we've talked about in the past, this is the only way Sony can start really seeing some solid, consistent numbers in the black and is definitely the only way they can enhance their online experiences (Home, anyone?) with any sort of reliability and popularity.

Also, don't forget to check out PLuGHiTz Live! Radio Wednesday night @ 9PM Eastern for our Sony and Ubisoft recap show where we will break down these topics!

Advertisement

Login to CommentWhat You're Saying

Be the first to comment!

We're live now - Join us!
PLUGHITZ Keyz

Email

Password

Forgot password? Recover here.
Not a member? Register now.
Blog Meets Brand Stats