PlayStation Plus: Your Questions Answered

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July 30th Update: The content per month isn’t determined as day one content and is content that will be made available through the month.

PlayStation Nation — First off, thank you for all of your feedback regarding PlayStation Plus. There have been a lot of comments and questions surrounding some of the details of the new subscription service so we wanted to provide a little clarification leading up to its availability on June 29th. It’s a lot of info, but hopefully this helps answer most of your questions.

PlayStation Plus Logo

First off, at launch, PlayStation Plus will offer subscribers the full PlayStation Network game, WipEout HD, PSP minis and PS One Classics such as Fieldrunners, Age of Zombies and Rally Cross, full game trial of inFAMOUS, as well as free monthly episodes of Qore – our high-definition, interactive gaming lifestyle show.

With that, here are the basics of the new subscription service that lives on top of the current PlayStation Network:

  • The current PSN features will remain free. We are still very committed to PSN as a free comprehensive entertainment service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus.
  • PlayStation Plus is an evolving service and the features included at launch will be:
    • Games
    • PS Store Discounts
    • Exclusive offers on select demos, betas and early purchases
    • Full Game Trial
    • Automatic Downloads
  • (More info on these below)

  • PlayStation Plus can be purchased through PlayStation Store on PS3 as a one-year package or a three-month package. The three-month package is available for $17.99 and the one-year package will be available for $49.99. We will also be offering three additional bonus months for free if you purchase the 1-year package — that’s 15 months total for $49.99.
  • Payment is a one-time fee for either package and can be purchased with any of the current PSN Store payment methods – credit card or PSN Cards.


Here are more details on the features of PlayStation Plus:

Games & Special Offers: As a subscriber, you can expect to get your hands on free monthly PSN games, minis and PS One Classics from the PSN Store. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available until the new selection replaces them.

Once downloaded, the games are yours to keep and play as long as you are a member of PlayStation Plus. If your subscription lapses and then you re-subscribe, the games you have already downloaded will reactivate, so you still have access to them. Additionally, if you delete one of the titles from your PS3, but decide you want to get it back, then you can re-download from the PlayStation Plus section of the PSN Store if the game is still there, or, if the game has expired from the PlayStation Plus section of the PSN Store, you can simply search for it on PS Store and download it again at no extra cost.

Each month there will be dynamic themes, premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many will be exclusive to PlayStation Plus members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them.

PlayStation Plus subscribers will also be given exclusive PlayStation Store discounts each month that are above and beyond the current PSN Store discounts available to everyone. These discounts will range from 20% to 50%, and anything you buy with these is yours to keep and enjoy forever.

Finally, wherever possible we’ll be making sure that members are included in selected demos and beta trials before they go live to everyone else, so you can be the one to tell all your friends about the next big game they ‘must’ get.

Subscribers will get hundreds of dollars of value through the year and, in the first month alone, will receive more than $50 worth of content.

Full Game Trial: Each month we will be offering members the chance to download full games and try them out for a period of time (one hour, unless otherwise stated). After the game trial is complete, simply purchase the game to carry on where you left off. This is a unique way to trial the full game experience and means you don’t have to be restricted to certain levels/game modes when you test out a game.

The games in Full Game Trial will become available to all PS Store users to purchase, but only PlayStation Plus members will have the chance to ‘try before you buy’.

The other great thing about this feature is that you can continue from where you were at the end of the trial period if you decide to buy the game. All game saves and trophies earned during the trial will be unlocked and will show up on your trophy list and your trophy level when you purchase the game. You don’t even have to re-download the game, just purchase and go back to the XMB to access the game.

Automatic Download: Subscribers will be able to set their PS3 to wake up from standby at any time of the day or night, download and install any game updates for the games you have been playing so you don’t have to think about it. Also, select demos and videos will be pushed to your PS3 ready to go. System software updates will also download automatically (manual install still required) and then the PS3 will turn itself off again.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on-screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Here are some more answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post:

  • Cross-game voice chat is a feature we know our passionate user base has asked for and we’ll continue to look at as a viable offering for the PlayStation Network.
  • You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase PlayStation Plus, but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long as you are a subscriber.
  • The “free” games you can download each month are yours to keep for as long as you are a subscriber.
  • PlayStation Plus is for PS3 owners as subscribership can only be purchased on the PSN Store. However, some of the content – minis and PS One Classics – available each month will also be playable on your PSP if you have one. Download them on the PS3 and transfer to your PSP, or download directly from the PSP Store or Media Go for PSP.
  • PlayStation Plus is a continually evolving service and we are always working on identifying new partnerships, developing new features and providing new content that our users want. So thanks again for all your comments and questions and please continue to offer more ideas at PlayStation.Blog Share.

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652 Comments

7 Author Replies

  • @KingDubin

    It is not on the PS store. You need to save the $50 and use it to get reading lessons.

  • please can some1 answer the ? about Qore subscribers

  • @198, KingDubin, It comes out next Tuesday.

  • I hate to tell you guys this, but as is, PlayStation Network + isn’t a compelling offer. Qore is a useless addition because there is no information revealed in it that hasn’t come out online before it shows up in Qore. The added content that Qore subscribers get has been borderline useless over the last two years or seasons or so. It barely amounts to more than a bad theme or so.

    The games so far that have had discounts on PSN+ have been out for ages. If they were significantly newer games (or even at launch) then that 20-50% discount on games might actually be worth it. The target market you have for PSN+ likely already has most of the games they want from PSN and further discounts on the software isn’t likely to entice them to buy it. And furthermore, going the Xbox Live Gold route of blockading demos from potential customers is an incredibly stupid idea. You already have a well-known convoluted process for approving demos and content on the PS Store anyway, and now you’re further complicating it by putting demos behind a pay gate.

  • The one-hour rental thing is the only really nice aspect of this overall package. But frankly, it feels like a crutch that you’re charging us for. Most retail games aren’t going to show up on PSN anyway, which leaves PSN titles to fill up the majority. Why can’t you just charge people to rent the games? I mean literally rent the games. If a game were $9.99 full-cost, maybe charge $5.99 for 30 days rental and have their trophies count. There’s no need for this 1-hour nonsense that you’re charging as part of a $50 a month package. Maybe you’ve already considered that and shot it down, but it’s a better idea than what you’re proposing.

    Automatic downloads? This really would just be a nice feature to offer everyone with a PS3. As well as “reserving” paid content like DLC or games, and pushing it automatically to a PS3 of someone who’s paid for it already. Of course that might require your PSN Store Staff to actually update the store at reasonable times of day.

  • Finally, as far as cross-game chat goes, I think you guys have screwed the fans around long enough. Somebody from Sony Computer Entertainment needs to state conclusively whether or not the feature is coming, first of all. Secondly, that person needs to state whether you’re going to charge for it or not. If you are in doubt, go ahead and charge for the feature as part of PSN+. It’d be easier to make it free than to charge for something you’ve already made free. This crap where you “know our fanbase wants it” isn’t cutting it anymore. I don’t understand how you can ask so many different people the same question and get the exact same answer on that subject and it takes you over a week to organize a FAQ on a service you intend to charge people for. You guys are really not doing a very good job managing your customers.

  • PS3 amazing hardware. PSN and its marketing is terrible, so far behind. Why did it take so long to get a FAQ out? Why cant anyone answer honestly about the most wanted feature for 3 years cross game chat? This is moronic.

  • What if we already own the free game?

  • Man if this thing does not have cross chat soon I will not be purchasing the service. I just want to be able to talk to my friends without having to stop whatever game I am playing to read a damn text and respond. I love PS3 and am a playstation fan, but come on now. I figured plus would bring cross chat with it. I do not know what the complications are, but I probably won’t purchase the service until cross chat comes out. Free games are great, but being able to talk with my friends and not have to play the same game as them is really what I was looking forward to. I must say I am more than a little dissapointed. Also I know they said they will continue to look at it as a viable offering, but that is not good enough for me. I want to know that it is coming. Not something Sony is just looking at.

  • @209
    Agreed

  • i’m still not signing up at first day for Plus. i paid half the price of Plus ($49.99) for Qore ($24.99) not too long ago. i have chosen to wait for my Qore membership to expire before i consider a Plus membership.

    also that will give me time to see if those “free” three months are there just to help PSN iron out any launch problems.

  • @ #207 walnoj: Well said! Questions about PlayStation Plus were answered on the EU Blog right away. Some people at SCEA seem to have a rfeal communication problem. And as far as cross-game chat goes, they kno we’re passionate about it, but they just dont seem to care enough to give us an actual answer.

  • Earlier I contradicted myself and said I will not purchase the service then in another line I said I probably would not. I will not be purchasing it until cross chat is available. Just to clarify.

  • I sent Sony an email, if you already own LBP and infamous TOO BAD. Great way to get people to jump on this service there sony. Not having any choice over what games, avatars, etc… to get for free is a deal breaker for me. Plus, were are the much needed PSn updates?

  • Its not Sony, its Sony SCEA America. For some reason SOny America is being run by clowns right now. Terrible marketing as wll, see kinect everywhere, dont see move anywhere. Step up Sony. No communication either.

  • What does this even mean??

    “Cross-game voice chat is a feature we know our passionate user base has asked for and we’ll continue to look at as a viable offering for the PlayStation Network.”

    Seriously Sony, please for the love of god wake up already.

    What is the hold up? Make it a pay feature and lose tons of loyal customers. Make it free and gain tons of loyal customers. I seriously do not see how this could not be any clearer.

    If this is a pay feature, I won’t subscribe. I won’t pay 50 bucks just to chat with friends when I can do it for free on my 360. Which I’ve done already with friends while on the ps3. We use out 360’s to chat while playing single player games and I don’t have a gold subscription.

    It’s a feature we’ve been wanting since the beginning years ago. What the hell is the hold up?

    Do you really think charging us for that will go over smoothly? If you really think that, you have no idea what we want anymore and you’ll end up being $ony.

  • How can you do it for free on XBOX? You cant even play Online on Xbox. The silver on Xbox is crap compared to anything on PSN.

  • @theperfectmurder can’t you log into the main account and change the age on the subaccount?

  • @ jeffsmither.

    If you already have Wipeout HD you won’t be able to convert to another game.

    PSN + sounds like Qore had been.

    Qore had free games as well and many of those games I had already purchased before Qore offered them for free. You can’t exchange for another game.

    Still, I’m going to try it out for the first year. I liked Qore, even though some posts here seem to be hating on Qore, I found I looked forward to it each month and Veronica Belmont was a nice extra.

    If I don’t feel that it’s worth the money after the first year, I can always not renew again, but I think Sony stated at E 3 they know they have to keep up the PSN + service, or people won’t continue to use it.

    People complaining about Chat not being available with PSN +…they did state they will look into the Chat feature…so it may be coming down the road within the first year….they didn’t say that it won’t….just not on the first month.

  • This reminds me of the good old days of the PlayStation Underground. I love getting my hands on demos and other stuff early and all the inside information. Best of all, online play remains free for those that don’t want the extra perks. Those of us that do, and are willing to plop down $50 a year, will help it stay that way for the rest of you.

    It’s good for Sony.
    It’s good for me.
    And it’s good for you.

    No one should be complaining about it.

  • The fact that Sony cannot even give us a straight answer, and deliver a sensible chat system after 4 years is moronic. PSn also needs some major updates, its so far behind.

  • Can we get a web site like Asia and EU has that shows the current months offer and the next few? It would be nice to know what’s upcoming. The two features we need are more friends list space and cloud storage for game saves. Add these and Plus is definitive. Oh yeah, are we getting Home content like Asia and EU markets are?

  • 15 months for $50, and what sounds like tons of free content? Sign me up!

  • PERFECTMURDER, why not use your brain and email Sony like I did? They will answer you in 1-2 days, GEEZ>

  • @207,206,205… You are my Leader (but im not a follower, i too am a leader) you the man! i might like to repost your stuff on my future blasts talk here in nyc, aka sony rant/raves talk i have a following with here in nyc. Hard Core Gamers and Hard Core Hip Hop.

  • Sony America = incompetent, no wonder its the only region the other box is still outselling PS3. Where is the Sony marketing for Move? Kinect is everywhere.

  • Damn I was hoping for more:

    1) Ability to change PSN ID/Name at any time.

    2) Access to additional PSN website exclusive features.

    3) Free PlayStation Blog Avatars for your PSN ID.

    ok the last one is a bit creepy I guess. LOL

  • Remember, the free games are free as long as you are a subscriber. That means anything you got for “free” while you had psn+ will be stolen back from you if you do not renew. It is their way of locking you into it forever.

  • PlayStation Plus: Your Questions vaguely answered and/or ignored.

  • @GGCAN they said they will continue to look at it as a viable offering. Could they be any more vague? At least tell me the damn service is coming out or not. The way they are saying it makes it sound like well we will look but you may not get it. I want a straight answer.

  • PERFECTMURDER, stop with the spam, email sony you dipshiiT, use your head, they will answer you.

  • Will i lose game add on content when my subscription runs out? How long after my subscription runs out do i have to renew it before i lose everything i had?

  • Xamimdar – its a rental service, do you keep netflix movies? NOPE, its not a hard concept, Geez.

    Why would you keep games that you got from a Subscription service? Sony ain’t a charity, LMAO>

  • WHERE IS CROSS GAME CHAT???????????

    THAT IS THE ONLY QUESTION WE WANT ANSWERED!!! AND WE WANT IT ANSWERED NOW!!!!!!!!!

  • ThePerfectMurder

    @mastorofpuppetz

    I have emailed them. All you get is a bunch of people doing tech help behind computers. I wanna get Jeff or someone behind me on this. Its a simple thing that I’m asking for really.

  • Email sony you imbecile ThePerfectMurder, they have support for a reason. GEEZ.

  • I emailed them they answered my question first thing. They arent gonna answer your spam either.

  • mastorofpuppetz, yes exactly. They do hide it a little by calling the games free. They should be calling them rentals.

  • Thats what they are really rentals.

  • The cloud saving idea is great i hope that comes out soon.

  • how bout da online gaming experience? is it gon be as good as XBL, better or stay da same?

  • Can we get a straight up answer towards xgc… is it coming or not??

  • I want to be able to use that Cross-game voice chat, c’mon SONY!

  • Shut up about XGC! Might as well ask them about Mii-like avatars since some want to turn the PS3 into a 360!

  • “Cross-game voice chat is a feature we know our passionate user base has asked for and we’ll continue to look at as a viable offering for the PlayStation Network.”

    Lol ok we’ve been hearing this crap for over 2 years now. With all the time and thought that was put into Plus cross game chat could have been done and added. Another let down.

  • @252…you’ll likely be banned before you have a chance to spam you complaints. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, sir! Think about it.

  • My Qore end this September…. so what if i pay for this PS+ will i some how get something extra?

  • No one wants it to be like a 360, but asking for better services is not a bad thing, PSN needs a lot of improvements, dont be such a fanboy.

  • PSN+ was something i had thought about getting but it offically now has become a joke of a service. I cant believe how many people think this first month of PSN+ games and stuff is worth it. They are giving you games that have been out for many years, a “full hour” trail of inFAMOUS which im sure almost everyone has already played, beat, or even tried the demo already!

    If you all think paying a subscription fee to be able to play games release over a year or longer is a value, then i got a deal for you. Send me $50 anually and the first free game I’ll give you will be Folklore. You don’t wanna pass up this deal!

  • Count me in Sony, SOLD!!! 8)

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