Official PS+ Thread (Info Inside)

Ok SW. Here's what we get for PS+ straight from the mouths of Sony:

First off, at launch, PlayStation Plus will offer subscribers the full PlayStation Network game, WipEout HD, PSP minis and PS One ****cs 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 life****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 ****cs 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 ****cs – 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.

There's no more need to speculate. This is what it is.

Thanks!

Good thread. A lot of the bickering I've seen over PS+ is based on misinformation, hopefully this clears most of that up.

Slashkice

Are those automatic downloads optional or mandatory?

This topic needs a sticky, and this is the thread that needs to be stickied. It's just getting out of hand moderators ... please do the forum a favor and end the flood of PS + > XBL and vice versa!

Also great job on the thread Zero, really appreciate it! :)

As for the topic at hand, PS+ definitely seems like a great deal and offers a different approach to paying for an online service. Now I'm a 360 and PS3 owner, and I use both services frequently for various reasons so while I look at both PS+ and XBL I don't see much similarity. One seems to offer membership discountsto products they're offering in their store (PS +) while the other is enabling features for users to use (XBL) ...

So in the end how can one be better than the other? If we wanna talk value, PS+ wins, but when discussing features XBL wins ... hopefully in the end both companies will learn from one another and we can have even more robust online services to choose from :)

Not anything I would spend $50 on, I might sign up if it was free though.

Sorry, but its a RIDICULOUS "feature" list. Automatic downloads...glorified demos... *shakes head*KittenWishes

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

BURSTIIIFIRE

Not anything I would spend $50 on, I might sign up if it was free though.

Yangire

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

BURSTIIIFIRE

Just like Live PSN+ is a major waste of money imo. i5750at4Ghz

but its still not a better online service than XBL which some fanboys make it out to be.

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

BURSTIIIFIRE

Any "info" if the Automatic Downloads optional or mandatory with the subscription? I wouldn't want to turn on the PS3 and find out I'm just going to delete the demos since I already have those games or not interested in those games.

Thank you so much for the sticky!

I want to see how PS+ works out before I make judgment on it.

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"]Just like Live PSN+ is a major waste of money imo. BURSTIIIFIRE

but its still not a better online service than XBL which some fanboys make it out to be.

One PSN+ thread to rule them all! :)

[QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

Santesyu

One PSN+ thread to rule them all! :)

Teufelhuhn

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"]Just like Live PSN+ is a major waste of money imo. BURSTIIIFIRE

but its still not a better online service than XBL which some fanboys make it out to be.

It's PS+ not PSN+. :P

[QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

Santesyu

Its not being handed to me...I am paying $50 to get some free themes and renting $1-$10 games. It's worse than any other rental service because it doesn't even let you PICK what you want to rent.

Note: the ps store description says all free items are yours to keep as long as you continue to service unless otherwise noted. None of the addons are noted as being kept forever, except by a PS blog. so keep that in mind when your addons dont work any more after you quit the service.

[QUOTE="Slashkice"]

Good thread. A lot of the bickering I've seen over PS+ is based on misinformation, hopefully this clears most of that up.

Zero_epyon

Lol I was just reading the other thread where you were trying to explain it to KittenWishes. Proven wrong so he just called everyone a cow. Jeez does that guy not get it. He'll probably avoid this thread as well as it probably took away most of his ammo. Anyways, great job covering all that information and I hope that most of the other fanboys will read this before opening their mouths.

[QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"]Just like Live PSN+ is a major waste of money imo. i5750at4Ghz

but its still not a better online service than XBL which some fanboys make it out to be.

um no...does PSN+ offer cross game chat, private/party chat, voice messaging, custom ingame music etc. It doesn't, so its not better.

[QUOTE="Zero_epyon"][QUOTE="Slashkice"]

Good thread. A lot of the bickering I've seen over PS+ is based on misinformation, hopefully this clears most of that up.

OneLazyAsian

Lol I was just reading the other thread where you were trying to explain it to KittenWishes. Proven wrong so he just called everyone a cow. Jeez does that guy not get it. He'll probably avoid this thread as well as it probably took away most of his ammo. Anyways, great job covering all that information and I hope that most of the other fanboys will read this before opening their mouths.

[QUOTE="gago-gago"]

Any "info" if the Automatic Downloads optional or mandatory with the subscription? I wouldn't want to turn on the PS3 and find out I'm just going to delete the demos since I already have those games or not interested in those games.

Slashkice

It's optional. You can turn it on/off under 'System Settings'.

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"][QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

but its still not a better online service than XBL which some fanboys make it out to be.

BURSTIIIFIRE

um no...does PSN+ offer cross game chat, private/party chat, voice messaging, custom ingame music etc. It doesn't, so its not better.

[QUOTE="Santesyu"][QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

This service is crap unless they actually let me CHOOSE what games to rent.

i5750at4Ghz

Wasn't is just a year or two ago when the cows were raving about Sony being superior because their online service was free whereas Microsoft was ripping off their customer base because they were being charged to access online content.

Now look a the mindless Sony sheeps defending the PSN+ service yet still talking down XBOX Live.

Oh, I love the hypocrisy of fanboys.

COWS are lulz machine, always bringing the laughs.

cypher860

Wasn't is just a year or two ago when the cows were raving about Sony being superior because their online service was free whereas Microsoft was ripping off their customer base because they were being charged to access online content.

Now look a the mindless Sony sheeps defending the PSN+ service yet still talking down XBOX Live.

Oh, I love the hypocrisy of fanboys.

COWS are lulz machine, always bringing the laughs.

cypher860

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"][QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

but its still not a better online service than XBL which some fanboys make it out to be.

BURSTIIIFIRE

um no...does PSN+ offer cross game chat, private/party chat, voice messaging, custom ingame music etc. It doesn't, so its not better.

[QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"] Thats based on the person you ask. i5750at4Ghz

um no...does PSN+ offer cross game chat, private/party chat, voice messaging, custom ingame music etc. It doesn't, so its not better.

I was talking about online FEATURES not rental services...in that aspect XBL is still superior, wether it interests YOU or not is beside the point.

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"][QUOTE="Santesyu"] why can't you take it as is? atleast its being handed out to you. Santesyu

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"][QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

um no...does PSN+ offer cross game chat, private/party chat, voice messaging, custom ingame music etc. It doesn't, so its not better.

BURSTIIIFIRE

I was talking about online FEATURES not rental services...in that aspect XBL is still superior, wether it interests YOU or not is beside the point.

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"][QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

um no...does PSN+ offer cross game chat, private/party chat, voice messaging, custom ingame music etc. It doesn't, so its not better.

BURSTIIIFIRE

I was talking about online FEATURES not rental services...in that aspect XBL is still superior, wether it interests YOU or not is beside the point.

[QUOTE="BURSTIIIFIRE"]

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"] Again what if you care about none of these features and only renting games/cheap dlc? It's all personal preference.FIipMode

I was talking about online FEATURES not rental services...in that aspect XBL is still superior, wether it interests YOU or not is beside the point.

It's PS+ not PSN+. :P

gago-gago

PS+ marks a HUGE turning point in this generation's online category. Glorious time to be a gamer.TehNubTuber

I'll sign up to give it try. I like the fact that its an optional service and I can still play online and use regular PSN if I cancel.