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.
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
- 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.
(More info on these below)
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.
If this is all there is to +, I guess I’ll be sticking to the free service. If the content and service was more comparable to the competition, then the comparable fee could be justified. Maybe next year if you truely evolve enough.
Wow the US blog is becoming lazy isn’t it? Been seeing a whole lot of copy and paste from EU.
can’t I just purchase it now? and have it start on the launch day?
Wow, so you’re not going to answer any questions.
Seriously SCEA and the US blog team, this post was a complete joke. No questions were answered and you still havn’t given a complete list of all the downloadable stuff, discounts, avatars etc for even the first month yet.
WAKE UP!
So, Europe gets LBP for free…. and we get- wipeout, oh please. And I already own LBP on disc, but come on, offer something besides “3 free months.”
So if i get this i’ll be able to get the MoH beta because this article states that subscribers will be able to be in multiple betas please answer my question. :)
@ Xxi_HEADSH0TZxX
Where does it say that subscribers will be able to be in multiple betas in this article ?
What I see from the article is:
“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.”
It says whenever possible they will try to get us into selected demos and beta trials before others, but it doesn’t say what you mentioned anywhere in the article.
Look, you can’t just put up a blog post and not stay around and answer questions. If this place is just for you to pretend you’re listening and let us “talk” to SCEA then you need to reevaluate yourself by firing Grace Chen. Secondly, Don’t say you are in touch with the gaming community.
You never was in touch with us from the beginning. Third, why the heck isn’t Cross Game Chat not a standard? The bullet point is the most stupidest thing I’ve seen. How long have this been asked and how long have you guys gave the same answer to it? If you can’t get Cross Game Chat to be in it say it.
Qore sucks. Crappy video interviews. crappy content. crappy free items. Waste of $24. You could also have made PlayStation+ be $29.99 – $39.99 but instead you pretend to add Qore to be an added feature but in actuality it’s 1.5GB of wasted crap each month that could be spent on something worthwhile.
Do us all a favor and get rid of Grace Chen. She doesn’t even talk to us when she post. EU Blog has people that communicate. You may be a business first but you’re going to have to find people that understand gamers if you ever want to really understand how to run things.
Hey did you notice the first line. “Playstation Nation”. That was my idea.
SONY LISTEN!!
For the love of GOD, PLEASE dont make cross game voice chat a part of PSN+. It must be free and it will make SONY happy (get more multi plat owners choose PS3 and XB live drops users)and PS3 user will forever be happy!
PLEASE!
All this content is great Sony, but I already have what I am interested in. This service should reward those who have purchased the quality content in the past. I honestly have no need for the first month of content…
What you guys should focus on is a more seamless online experience. Better integration, chat features, keeping track of friends, trophies, etc.
This content based service cannot be selected by Sony…it must be selected by the user. I wanna subscribe to a premium service, but this isn’t one. I will wait until you integrate something like mentioned above. I love my ps3, but I do want better integration. I have hopes for you Sony.
Stop bringing services the users don’t ask for… I feel like your responses are: “We didn’t bring you *specific desire* yet, but we came up with this random, unappealing, service to hold you over…”
Come on guys…with the quality of games you guys release, you think that quality would be reflected in your decision making skills regarding PSN.
What happens for current QORE subscribers?
Dear Sony:
My 2 cents:
Free forever avatars and premium themes = SUPER COOL
Filling up my HD with stuff I don’t interested = TOTALLY SUCKS
Discounts in the Store = COOL
Games free untill my subscription ends = SUCKS
Download a game (internet speed sucks) for playing 1 hour = TOTALLY SUCKS
Subscription price = SUPER COOL
Maybe you can consider less free stuff, but free forever.
More time for playing the full demos. At least 2 hours.
Better discounts in the store.
Thanks for reading!
wow, for a thread titled “your questions answered” you sure havn’t done much “answering”.
also, I agree with everyone else, find someone better than Grace Chen.
It’s a no go for me, I’m still bothered by it.
I also think this PS+ is completly useless guys.. here are my reasons and what i’d have had instead of “offered games” I already own :
– I need more stable servers to avoid being disconnected.
– I need a PlayStation 2 Store.
– Trophies are completly useless. I’d like to “trade” them to some rewards on Home for example. Home is a complete rubbish where you do nothing than “walk and look” and it gets so boring after 10 minutes.
– I need a MUCH BETTER PS Store : demos for each game, or at least a small video showing what the game (or DLC) is about. Everybody doesn’t spend 6 hours a day sticked to the gaming websites to look at videos there.
And concerning the full game test, let’s say I want to try MGS4, do I have to download 50 GB in my DD ? I think you guys (Sony) are acting like beginners in this matter. I thought PS+ will bring brand new features and stuff but now i’m extremly disappointed.
At first i was thinking about buying the subscription but now i think im gonna have to pass.. First month bonus you give free full copy of wipeout hd.. thats fine and dandy except i already own it so the bonus dont entice me at all.. Im not interested in ps1 classics or psp minis..
i bought a ps3 to play NEW games not old games or crappy mini games.. Now as for free themes, i can get them on various other websites way better than the premium ones that were ever offered on the store, avatars i could care less about.. You need to change your system here sony, let the subscribers pick the game they want for the month, not whatever you decide we should get..
Hell i have over 60 psn games, so lets say i sign up for a year and every month you pick a game i already have.. That just means the last thing that could of made me want to keep subscribing was a waste cuz i own them all..
This service needs some serious revamping before its launched, it doesnt really offer anything making it worth $50 for a year.
All i ask is you rethink your approach on this and let the subscribers pick their own games each month, I know theres alot of other people in the same place as me on this.
This is just RETARDED! I get these games for not free but the money it cost to subscribe, but when i dont renew they are gone. Thats like saying i will give you $50, and you let me play with your toys for a year, then ill give them back. Why dont i just take that $50 buy some games, and keep them. O yea and you havent announced any features! Oh wait Auto Updates who cares if my game updates while im asleep or something, it only takes 5-10 min. anyway, This is for lazy people! Why should i get this, why should anyone get this,why dont you just give us cool features for free, and we will use that money that would pay for the subscriptions and buy games and content we get to KEEP! Sony this is not what we need, we need better efficiency, better games, and CROSS GAME VOICE CHAT!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention all the other ideas that we need. DANG SONY i love you, and have for 12 years, but why dont you stop thinking about yourself and what you think we want , and start listening to the GAMERS just like you used to!!
give us cross game chat and better online profiles for free, then add all the other features to PSN+
Day 1 here :)
Free QORE for 15 months?
sign me up =)
Ima buy this for sure!! To bad im going on vacation so cant buy it day 1 :(
> DoSe420 : So true man, they suck so much on this :/ We don’t need PSN or crap mini games, we need new features as I talked about in #315..
I also really don’t give a **** about avatar or dynamic themes. from 2007 my avatar is a WaterMelon and i’m not gonna change it. I still have the black and white classic theme and I don’t spend 2 hours in front of the XMB just to look at my theme :/
It would be a great idea if cross game chat was available on day 1 of the PS+ launch. But I will be happy if that were to come out for PS+ users. I will sign up for the bonuses though.
OH YEA THANKS FOR COMMENTING WITH US GRACE! You need to stop thinking, and start listening!I bet you didnt even read this because all you guys do is read the first 50 comments then stop i never get a reply evan if im #1!!!!!!!!!!!!
You got me! First day buyer!
@DMPrince
You had best be joking as them as fightin’ words :) Grace rocks!
I want to sign up for PSN+ but I already have Wipeout HD so I might wait a month or two to see what other games are on PSN+.
i was thinking about getting it. but if the auto downloads, downloads demos to i dont want it unless u can turn off certian fetures of the auto dlownloads cause my internet has a set download limit.. and i already use it up fast eough as it is dont need demos doing that to…
GRACE DIDNT POST THIS
@gravislord
just shut up you obviously dont understand our point of view
@46 DMPrince Theres a perfectly good explanation why you have enough recreation time to comment on a blog , while Grace chen is employed by one of the largest companies in the entertainment industry . HINT HINT
the more i read about this, the more it sounds like a big rip off. 1-Games PS Store Discounts sounds alright if u buy from da store which i dont cuz u gonna loose it when ur system fails on you rip off #2 Exclusive offers on select demos LOL should of been free in da first place Rip off #3 betas and early purchases Full Game Trial again should of been free #4 Automatic Downloads WTF again should be free . ima a hardcore gamer but i understand this is wat some kids want but not everyone is a kid sony ur money comes from US hardcore gamerz, i back up ps3 angainst xbox360 , all da time but when i do yall just end up embarrassing us, wat we do need is motion sensing , watch movies in da chatroom room wit friends, free exclusive games, costum soundtracks in games, free ps classic i mean all of them not da ones we never heard of . free avatars and themes get da fuhk outta here wit dat bullcrap im this close to jumping to xbox band wagon and will bring ppl wit me , anyways like sony says step ur game up……
Sounds great, I will almost definitely be getting this.
i will wait a few months. most of the content being offered, i have already purchased. we’ll see what happens in the coming months.
I’m really only disappointed because this seems to be PS3 owner only, even though it seems perfect for handheld gaming.
WOW!
300+ comments and ZERO replies!
It is obvious you don’t give two farts about your customers concerns regarding your NEW service. Copy and Paste from the EU Blog and then disappear. That is such a classy way to make customers feel confident in your NEW service.
Susan Panico,
As a Senior Director of the Playstation Network, can you not answer a FEW questions regarding the NEW service? There are some legitimate questions here that have not been covered in your post.
Susan Panico and Grace Chen, please just fire yourselves or eachother already. Marcus could do a better job than both of you two put together.
It really is pathetic.
My god BigRaymond, that comment makes my brain hurt for so many reasons.
1)If you buy content in the Playstation Store and your system fails or you buy a new one or somehow lose the downloaded game, just go over to my downloads and redownload it. So there’s no reason NOT to buy from the store if it’s available in there beyond personal preference. If you’re gonna make up a reason to diss the PSStore, than at least make it one that makes some level of sense.
2)Exclusive access to demos means EARLY access to demos before the rest of the general PSN gets access.
3)Why should Sony give away things that take up a massive amount of server space? Data space & bandwidth are expensive. They’re getting cheaper, but they’re still really pricey, exponentially more so when your user base is as large as the PSN is.
4)What you need is a grammar lesson. Figuring out what you were saying was way more difficult than it should have been. If I can’t tell what you’re saying easily, what are the odds that ANYONE at Sony will waste their time trying to read your comment?
Generally I don’t do that to people’s comments. But my god man, yours hurt my brain too much to let slide without anyone giving it some kind of rebuttal.
Has anyone notices they haven’t replied to any of the comments? Seems to me they haven’t really got this thing figured out yet?
Why are so many people giving Grace Chen crap when she didn’t post this? Plus, she actually replied to questions on the last few posts she did put up(did some digging on it). Just doesn’t seem to make sense to me.
Bad customer service as always, this is a good idea but you need to give the people what they want, give an option of a select free game,not one that everyone already has(Warhawk,Uncharted,Gran Turismo Prologue,MAG/not like it even sold really well. etc) or the 3 months free,also can someone post a reply here once and awhile otherwise we will all begin to think you are robotic drones.
So since the new PS+ related ULA came through, I’ve been locked out of making purchases from the PS store in my home country. This means no PS+ money from me or thousands of other expats were attracted to the PS3 because of its openness relative to the competition.
How do devs feel about the fact that you release region free disks, but won’t let people purchase DLC for those disks should they live in a different region?
Ludicrous.
I’m am NOT an Xbox fanboy, but sony, if you want us to pay for this, you’re going to also have to include better internet for sure, and cross game VOICE chat. I think the text chat was just to mock us.
@ 306 DMPrince : Very good points you have there. Qore is useless, they used to offer early betas and demos to qore subscribers for the first couple months which was the only reason to maybe signup to that service but they stopped offering those bonus and the video content is useless to anyone that has an internet connection (which by the way is required to use qore :P). And CAN ANYONE ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT PSN+ ? This thread is supposed to help us better understand what PSN+ is but it only repeats what was said at E3 and copy pastes the EU thread minus the only important bit of info the EU blog had.. releases for first two months! Please sony, answer our questions! Thanks!
the only way im paying for psn plus, is if its activated on your ps3 and not only the account you buy it on.
since almost every member of my family has a user on ps3
Plz reply,
Can other users on my PS3 use the themes, avatars, qore, and add-on bought from one account on them too???
Save Cloud was something I really wanted out of this. We need a solution for people that own and play on multiple PS3’s. Copy controlled saves suck when you want to switch PS3’s.
Sony,
I really dig the current concept of PSN+. People always say they bought their console for gaming and this plan offers them just that! Even if it is rentals who cares! Does XBL offer you games for 50 a year? Nope..they offer you the ability to play online and other “services” non game related. Not saying those services aren’t cool but as I always say….take care of the gaming experience first…then work on the others.
That being said…I’m HIGHLY disappointed by the lack of XGVC. Be it via the + sub or free. I think this is a feature that falls into the “gaming related” …its a much requested feature and it would help drive the community.
I’m assuming you still haven’t figured out if it should be free or part of + cause…..you totally had it listed as a feature when the + page rolled out. So, I say, roll it out as a + feature..see what the network impact is…then depending on that, keep it apart of + or transition it to base PSN. Cause I feel that the community wouldn’t mind a paid feature going free…but a free feature going paid…….that might see much more uproar