Sony hasn't done a good job communicating PSN+.
It's driven by content value so far (special discounts and freebies). e.g., 20% discount on new Fat Princess DLC appeals to me. However there's no promise that this appeal will last. I think the following GAF conversation is telling:
krae_man said:
For starters you have no way of knowing if the other 11 months content will be more to your liking as well..
Winterblink said:
This is my biggest fear. That month one, two, maybe even three's offerings are respectable. But suddenly there's a drop-off of good "free" content.
It boils down to: Sony didn't give us a way to measure their performance (How do we know they will do a good job after we pay them ?). The 1 hour game trial is nice but it's again limited to select titles per month. The freebies may be hit and miss. So basically, it's a catalog promotion service and you pay for access.
I would rather Sony say something like this:
If you're a heavy shopper on PSN, or if you're a bargain hunter... give us $50 ahead of time. We will give you (say) $60-70 worth of goods back like buying a pre-paid card in advance. That alone would accelerate spending. They don't have to spend extra manpower to negotiate for what amounts to the same thing in the end. The 1 hour trial sounds like a lot of work/cost for similar effect too (They should not promise it if this turns out to be ineffective for users and them). The other thing is some people can spend multiple $50 in one year (like buying multiple PSN+ a year).
There is another track in PSN+: exclusive services. But they reveal the package while still working on it. The upcoming Hulu Plus has no gaming benefits. Cross game chat, which many are asking for, is no show. Cloud computing was hinted earlier, but it's no where to be seen.
So for now...in my view, it's a catalog promotion service and you pay for access to the special discounts and exclusive content.
EDIT:
Penny-Arcade pretty much sums it up from what I've heard so far. Then again, I'm not really in the loop, so I'm a bit ashamed to ask:
What's currently offered with PlayStation+?
Is there anything concrete about what will be offered in the future, like features?
If I apply to PlayStation+, will I be able to turn that damn ticker off? <-- this is the most important question.
No need to be ashamed. I can't remember the details after reading through the description like 5 times. There're too many one-off decisions. Looks like US tax codes.
Turning ticker off would be a key benefit for me too. Damn it, why didn't I thought of that ?
EDIT 2:
I'm on the fence too. Currently deliberating whether to subscribe because of Fat Princess DLC.