PlayStation Plus.

[patsu]

Of course it's obvious these streaming services can't have comprehensive libraries at $10 a month when the cable company expects to get $60, $70 or more for the same content.

I don't need comprehensive libraries. I don't use all the channels on DTV and cable when I had them. For those I wanted to watch, there were too many re-runs. There may be a market for a core subset for a much lower fee, like what Hulu is doing. The other channels can be obtained from other avenues.

Another way to do this is like NetFlix, give me a quota and let me manage my own viewing.

EDIT: Have 4 US PS+ members (out of 97 friends worldwide) on my friends list. Can't tell how many EU and Asian friends subscribe to PS+. I noticed that some European PS+ users, like Arwin, don't have a + sign added to their nick.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

All other smartphones have a $30 data fee as well and they're not flopping. It made no sense to buy a Kin over a fully featured Android, especially with the prices being so close.

The Kin however was not and was never marketed as a smartphone. That's why forcing a smartphone data plan on it was a killer.

It was designed to be an easy to use phone with casual (not business) social networking. When only used as such it was quite brilliant as many reviews noted. Viewed as a smartphone with a required smartphone data plan however, it was quite obviously unable to do most of the things that smartphones could do.

An iphone or a driod smartphone is overkill for a teen, IMO. And the Kin was targetted at the teen and pre-teen markets. Again something a smartphone data plan is going to kill.

But this is all going way off subject.

As for PS+ it faces a similar problem where they need compelling content and services to justify the cost. As such, similar to Hulu+ being on PS+, expect to see Netflix on PS+ only. For that matter, just about any new PSN feature that is considered a "must have" by some large demographic of people will be PS+ only.

I'm betting Sony right now is regretting promising online play will always be free.

Regards,
SB

 

[Arwin]

I noticed that some European PS+ users, like Arwin, don't have a + sign added to their nick.

That's interesting. Could be a replication issue, but it could also just be that it's part of the regular Trophy sync process? I'll sync my trophies tonight and see if that helps. When I got it, I didn't see anyone else in my list with the Plus sign yet either, by the way.

 

[nightshade]

Well if you look at it then XBl service offers three things:
1) Multiplayer
2) Party Chat
3) A week or two early access to demos

Beside thesse even XBL service is pretty barebones. I'm looking at a lot of people who believe that the service would've been worth it had they made multiplayer PS+ only (so weird). I mean just to make a service "look" more robust they should charge for something that has been free ?

I for one wouldn't actually mind party chat being PS+ only atleast as long as its just like how rumors state it to be (ie. requiring one premium member in the party chat at any time). The worst part is they may have a general lack of contents to offer.

 

[corduroygt]

The Kin however was not and was never marketed as a smartphone. That's why forcing a smartphone data plan on it was a killer.

I see your point, but this means that MS made a bad business decision and did not negotiate with Verizon to place the kin as a different phone with a different data plan. There are nokia Series 60 phones that only require a $15 data plan, MS should have at least negotiated with VZ and not released the phone if VZ didn't budge. But let's go back to the main discussion.

As for PS+ it faces a similar problem where they need compelling content and services to justify the cost. As such, similar to Hulu+ being on PS+, expect to see Netflix on PS+ only. For that matter, just about any new PSN feature that is considered a "must have" by some large demographic of people will be PS+ only.

I'm betting Sony right now is regretting promising online play will always be free.

Another way they can do Hulu+ and netflix without a disc is to sell the app in the PSN store. It'd be free for PSN+ subscribers (as long as they subscribe of course) or a one time 5-10$ download, just like any other PSN game.

About online play, a good reason that PS3 is selling well despite the higher price is because online play is free. Sony might be regretting it, but consumers aren't. I don't look out for business that I don't own, since they certainly don't look out for me.

 

[NavNucST3]

Decided I'm going to purchase this. Is there any talk of getting a marketplace.xbox.com style website integration so I can purchase items from work? Where is that on the wish list?

 

[Arwin]

Decided I'm going to purchase this. Is there any talk of getting a marketplace.xbox.com style website integration so I can purchase items from work? Where is that on the wish list?

There's the Media Go PC software, but nothing else I think.

 

[jonabbey]

I'm betting Sony right now is regretting promising online play will always be free.

Very likely. On the other hand, they spared themselves the burden of creating server farms to handle all the player matching and what-not that XBL has, as well as what it would have done to their already abysmal sales at launch if the price for entry was $499/$599 + a subscription fee.

 

[Arwin]

I just got a message that two demoes had been downloaded, Modnation Racers and Heavy Rain. But I already had both of them, so now I'm wondering if they've been updated or something else?

 

[patsu]

Decided I'm going to purchase this. Is there any talk of getting a marketplace.xbox.com style website integration so I can purchase items from work? Where is that on the wish list?

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Network/b?ie=UTF8&node=1289533011

Very likely. On the other hand, they spared themselves the burden of creating server farms to handle all the player matching and what-not that XBL has, as well as what it would have done to their already abysmal sales at launch if the price for entry was $499/$599 + a subscription fee.

It looks like they are still toying around with their PSN online gaming concept. Besides withholding Cross Game Chat, the announcement of Steamwork, and the repeated delay of SOE MMOs are very peculiar.

EDIT:

I just got a message that two demoes had been downloaded, Modnation Racers and Heavy Rain. But I already had both of them, so now I'm wondering if they've been updated or something else?

May be just 2 separate copies.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Well if you look at it then XBl service offers three things:
1) Multiplayer
2) Party Chat
3) A week or two early access to demos

Beside thesse even XBL service is pretty barebones. I'm looking at a lot of people who believe that the service would've been worth it had they made multiplayer PS+ only (so weird). I mean just to make a service "look" more robust they should charge for something that has been free ?

I for one wouldn't actually mind party chat being PS+ only atleast as long as its just like how rumors state it to be (ie. requiring one premium member in the party chat at any time). The worst part is they may have a general lack of contents to offer.

Well those aren't the only offerings though possibly the only ones you'd be interested in.

There's also the Netflix integration (a few people I know bought an X360 just for that, and subsequently a gold membership), social networking integration (again know a few people with gold just for that), upcoming ESPN integration (going to convert a lot of Xbox silver members to gold members), etc...

I expect PS+ to follow that path in trying to integrate services that people want, and making sure everything new is PS+ only.

Even with that though, you can't argue that when X360 launched, the online multiplayer was pretty much the only reason for people to pay for gold service. Which then allowed it to get a large enough established paying user base to then support and fund the addition of all the other services that came later.

PS+ could use a similar push. By having at least one "must have" feature establishing the paying user base, and then expanding on services offered once they have a steady flow of revenue. That way you aren't always operating at a loss. But with their promise of online multiplayer always being free, they can't use their biggest carrot to draw users. So they are faced with the more costly prospect of having to deploy attractive services without revenue to support it in order to attract users to turn PSN from a loss leader to a at least break even or possibly a revenue generator.

Crossgame/Universal voice chat would be another big carrot they could use but they are either unwilling to deploy it (god only knows why) or unable to implement it to satisfactory levels. That could have been a big enough carrot to have gotten PS+ up and running with a large user base initially.

As it is though, I'm seeing a lot of wait and see until people feel the service offers something worth it to them personally.

Regards,
SB

 

[goonergaz]

I can't believe people are complaining about the prospect (or as I view it inevitability) that any new features (like cross game chat) will be PS+ only.

The free service Sony provide is already substantially superior to XBL Silver, it's like day and night.

WRT getting 'free stuff', we all are grown ups and realise it's not 'free' (as such) - however I have been making a mental note of what I've managed to get back from my initial outlay, I figure if I get my outlay back then everything else is a bonus (like the 4 games each month) - also can you put a price on beta priority!?

Personally I think we may find the MMOs will either have a charge to play or me free for PS+

 

[patsu]

According to rumors, cross game voice chat may be available to all users for free, but only PSN+ users can set it up.

Video content-wise...

Public broadcast videos like BBCPlayer must be freely accessible by all users. NetFlix is also available to all PSN users who are interested.

Hulu Plus is exclusive to PSN+ users. I am curious to see if Sony will limit its own QrioCity video streaming service to PSN+ users only.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Hulu Plus is exclusive to PSN+ users. I am curious to see if Sony will limit its own QrioCity video streaming service to PSN+ users only.

That would be magnificently stupid. With 35 million PS3s out there, what's the sense to selling to only a handful? The whole idea of selling content is to sell to as many people as possible, so artificially limiting your market is shooting yourself in the foot. It's not like those millions of PS3 owners are going to see the possibilty of renting Qriocity movies is reasdon to subscribe to PS+, when you can already rent content from PSN with subscription, and can get content from other channels without subscription.

 

[Lucid_Dreamer]

According to rumors, cross game voice chat may be available to all users for free, but only PSN+ users can set it up.

Video content-wise...

Public broadcast videos like BBCPlayer must be freely accessible by all users. NetFlix is also available to all PSN users who are interested.

Hulu Plus is exclusive to PSN+ users. I am curious to see if Sony will limit its own QrioCity video streaming service to PSN+ users only.

That would push me across the finish line. Hulu, Qore, game discounts, free games, 1hr game demos, cross game chat, etc is a great value for me.

 

[patsu]

You'll need an additional $10/month for Hulu Plus, just to be clear.

 

[wco81]

So Playstation Plus is a questionable value proposition.

Then you have another dubious one in Hulu Plus (pay to watch shows with ads, what?).

PSN + may make Sony fond of PSP Go when they see the takeup rate.

 

[patsu]

PSN + may make Sony fond of PSP Go when they see the takeup rate.

PSN+ will have a slow take up rate, but it is far from the PSP Go problem. It is a lot easier to adjust a software service compared to a hacked hardware with complex worldwide inventory and channel challenges.

 

[wco81]

Inherent problem is that Sony is struggling to make a product that excites people.

It's been a long time, probably not since Kutaragi, though you can expand it to all their electronics products, not just SCEE or whatever the Playstation/PSP division is called these days.

 

[Arwin]

I'm willing to bet that Plus is already more succesful than the PSP Go!