Sony Launching $70 PSN Premium at E3

[McBunny]

VG247 cites sources that say Sony will introduce us to a new version of PSN next month. While the current PSN costs nothing to use and will remain free, the new premium PSN will cost under $70 per year.

VG247's 'highly placed source' says this premium service will also include one game a month for free, with users choosing from between two and four titles.

"If you work it out, PSN games cost an average of £6-9 each, so over a year you’re basically going to be breaking even," the source is quoted as saying.

The source went on to say that though the premium service would offer lots of extras, it wouldn't mean fewer features for those with the regular, old free version. When asked about the possibility that cross-game voice chat was being saved as a paid feature, the source said this was absolutely not the case.

"I can tell you now, 100 percent, that that’s not the case. There’s nothing in the premium package which will gimp regular PSN users."

 

[richy22]

I would happily pay for it if the connection issues were a lot better.

 

[Cookie]

Wait until they phase out the free one altogether

 

[Brazo]

I'll stick with the free one myself! It does everything that live does albeit admittedly not quite as smoothly!

 

[Munson]

PSN sucks. I wouldn't pay a packet of Polos for it.

 

[The Ironist]

LOL. Xbox Live ftw

 

[oska]

PSN sucks. I wouldn't pay a packet of Polos for it.

It does what I want from it, to play games online. That's all I use it for so I wouldn't pay for it either. I get the impression that this is a completely revamped platform though and it's got to be decent if they want people to pay for it. A free game a month isn't much of an incentive though, I'd imagine they will be pony.

 

[McBunny]

revamp i doubt it they have found out they cant give it away for free and provide a half decent service. sony computers are financially in the s**t really they need cash although it does just re-enforce what ms did with live pay for it and you get a better service

 

[Munson]

It does what I want from it, to play games online. That's all I use it for so I wouldn't pay for it either. I get the impression that this is a completely revamped platform though and it's got to be decent if they want people to pay for it. A free game a month isn't much of an incentive though, I'd imagine they will be pony.

That's fair enough but it's still rrrrrubbirrrsh. The download speeds are comedy, and I've seen less lagging at a loft insulation convention I went to recently.

A free plate of dogshit is still a plate of dogshit.

 

[Craigus]

Lol, Xbox is clearly the best option. Only peasants complain about having to pay for it.

 

[The Hoff]

Queue a sea of people jumping to conclusions over an article which contains no spec detail.

Oh wait, they beat me to it!

 

[Sym0n]

PMSL as the XBL fanbois trying to jump on this.

PSN works well for me, except when it doesn't i.e. the MW2 DLC shambles; but then the "superior" XBL struggled there too IIRC .

I'll happily pay for PSN premium if it actually offers any benefit, from the rumours above though I can't see that it does. Wait and see what E3 brings.

 

[Cookie]

Achievements > trophies

End of discussion.

 

[sneeks]

I own both and both work great online.

 

[Munson]

I'm not a fanboy of anything. I have PSN and XBL, and XBL crushes PSN.

 

[oska]

But you pay for it. If they are going to charge people to use a premium service PSN I would expect it to rival XBL.

 

[Munson]

Yeah for sure. I haven't mentioned cost, just that PSN sucks c**k. What's the point in a free car with no wheels? An extreme example, of course. It just seems most people are unable to criticise anything they have/own.

It's s**t!

 

[Weeman]

Xboxs are like clitoris's every c**ts got one, PS3 FTFW

I wouldn't buy one on the general principle, that they are cheaper ,therefore purchased by more "plebs"

 

[Munson]

PS3 is definitely a better all round entertainment box. I only have two games for my xbox and they both have Forza in the title.

 

[Craigus]

It's a games console, I use it for games. Therefore I don't need to spend an extra however much for a Blu-Ray player and pay £25 per film. DO NOT WANT.

 

[Munson]

Consoles are s**t anyway. Power PCs are where the big-guns play.

 

[Weeman]

Thats true ^^^

 

[colossuss]

Only peasants complain about having to pay for it.

Or the real gamers, PC gamers

 

[Munson]

Knows. PC gamers have laid the foundations for these imposters who think they are the big hitters on their cheap-ass 5-year out of date hardware.

MPSL at them, their shooters, and their two rubber dildos. The PC boys were rinsing up shooters with proper K&M when they were playing conkers.

 

[seb]

you can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter.

i'll buy it as the quote used the word ''gimp'' and i am a high roller.

 

[Brazo]

I'm not a fanboy of anything. I have PSN and XBL, and XBL crushes PSN.

And you've spent a combined time of at least 10 minutes on both to come to that conclusion

 

[Munson]

Look. XBL is better than PSN. Anyone who disagrees is either doing so because they're a Sony fanboy, or because they've never had anything better.

It's free, which is nice, but it's still s**t. End.

 

[.Ben.]

20mb Virgin Broadband and PSN do everything I want or need them to (admittedly, my usage of PSN is limited to online FPS games).

I've not really experienced lag except for in CoD games when people were hosting matches and using the modem 'standby' function.

Lag was about as much of an issue on the 360 too (minimal), so the only thing I miss about Live is the ability to leave voice messages. PSN's current solution is a ball-ache (typing via a joypad - eurgh).

As long as I'm able to enjoy online multiplayer games uninterrupted, the service suits me fine.

 

[oska]

I don't think anyone disagrees that XBL is better than PSN. I certainly don't. But if as Nero and I have said all you want is to be able to play a game online then why would you want to pay for a service with all the fandangles. We don't. End.

 

[Brazo]

Look. XBL is better than PSN. Anyone who disagrees is either doing so because they're a Sony fanboy, or because they've never had anything better.

It's free, which is nice, but it's still s**t. End.

XBL is better absolutely.

But PSN is equally as fast, assuming you don't have a stone age ISP.

PSN just works tbh, doesn't have the whistles and bells but it works equaly as well! Its only xbox fanboys who say PSN is a turd. And for those people who rarely (if ever) use both they are simply regurgitating crap they have read on the internet!

 

[Munson]

I'm not an xbox fanboy and I say PSN is a turd. It's not as quick. It's downright slow. I have both. I have 20mb Virgin, and XBL is way faster for me. Downloading anything over PSN takes weeks. Therefore that's my opinion. Nothing to do with reading something on the internet.

 

[Sym0n]

Can't say I've noticed any problems download stuff, even the MW2 maps (when I could finally f**king buy them) downloaded in under a minute.

 

[Brazo]

I'm not an xbox fanboy and I say PSN is a turd. It's not as quick. It's downright slow. I have both. I have 20mb Virgin, and XBL is way faster for me. Downloading anything over PSN takes weeks. Therefore that's my opinion. Nothing to do with reading something on the internet.

wifi on Ps3 and ethernet on xbox?

 

[RoryW]

Can't say I've noticed any problems download stuff, even the MW2 maps (when I could finally f**king buy them) downloaded in under a minute.

You downloaded over 280mb in under 60 Seconds!?!?

My ps3 is used purely for iplayer etc upstairs. The 360 gets used on online mainly due to most friends having them and I gotta say the xbox downloads a shed load faster than the ps3. It took me HOURS to download a 1.20gb demo recently.

 

[The Hoff]

Such a pointless conversation, it's been done to death. Preaching to to unconverted is always going to end in absolute failure, so lets all be happy with what we have and stfu.

 

[conneh]

My PSN and 100mb connection up and down was awesome. Demos would take all of 5 minutes to download and i never lagged in game. Can't knock it really.

 

[Brazo]

As sad as I am I actually timed the download of Fear 2 demo on both XBL and PSN approx 1.2gb.

PSN was 21 minutes, XBL was 20 minutes so yeah XBL is miles faster and PSN is a turd

 

[Munson]

wifi on Ps3 and ethernet on xbox?

Wired and Wi-Fi. Slow. Not even close to utilising by connection.

 

[st3ve]

I honestly cannot say that I am sold with regards to the OP.

I bet at E3 they do a song and dance about avatars and themes etc. Both of which I am not stupid enough to pay for.

Only thing I would pay for is if they promised to provide official dedicated servers.

 

[Sym0n]

Let's drag this back to life...

Playstation Plus is coming on 29 June £11.99 for three months or £39.99 for a year.
Apparently you'll get games, DLC, avatars and themes as part of the package. As well as discount on store purchases, access to betas and earlier releases of demos (including full game trials).

Finally part of PS+ is automatically pushed updates for firmware, games and demos. Early adopters will get a free copy of Little Big Planet.

Supposedly everyone will get the choice to trial PS+ for free for three months, but I can't find anything official on that.

For £40 a year I'll probably grab it, just for the pushed updates.