Gamer Chat: Is PS+ REALLY Worth It?

"I have a friend who bought a PS Vita the first week it came out. At the time, he bought every single big Vita game that came out like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush and WipeOut 2048. He was kind of pissed off at the way Sony is deciding to use PS+ and we had a discussion via Skype about it. Here’s how it went."

[LOGICWINS]

Good points here. PS Plus will discourage people from buying games close to launch. AC: Liberation will most likely be on PS Plus sometime in the summer. Why spend $50 on ONE game when for that $50 you can get dozens of games, timed trials, betas, discounts, cloud storage, themes etc.?

I guess it's balanced out by increased hardware sales brought upon by PS Plus. I wouldn't have even considered buying a Vita if it wasn't for it having PS Plus support.

Because of PS Plus, Sony will be getting my $250(Vita bundle + a one year PS Plus sub) that they never would have seen otherwise.

[Snookies12]

Trust me, you'll enjoy it. It's a fantastic handheld. The main issue it has is the pricing of memory cards. If Sony can just cut those down, I think a lot more people would take the plunge, especially with Plus on the Vita now.

[LOGICWINS]

Not sure why I didn't think of it before, but the expensive memory card thing isn't really a factor for me. I can easily store PSV games on my PS3 and transfer two games at a time to my 4GB memory card.

[GribbleGrunger]

My God, Logic! It's a mighty fine day...

On the subject of PS+ and the rather suspicious conversation printed in that article, I don't think it works quite that way. For every 1 person that will wait for a game to appear on PS+ there are 1000 who won't be able to wait.

[MikeMyers]

"On the subject of PS+ and the rather suspicious conversation printed in that article, I don't think it works quite that way. For every 1 person that will wait for a game to appear on PS+ there are 1000 who won't be able to wait. "

So what you're saying is that 99.9% of the people will already own, have owned, or have already played the games that will be offered for free down the road?

What this article is saying is that most of the games they are offering for free doesn't really serve the loyal customers. Which seems to be what you're also agreeing on. If Sony and it's partners can also include discounts to PS+ members on new games then that would be a great option that serves both new and old customers. Thankfully Sony does do that from time to time.

What I would like to also see from the PS+ service is unique features. The 1GB data cloud storage and automatic updates are great options but I'd like to see more of that type of stuff down the road. I know non-PS+ members won't like that.

[Abash]

I doubt it will be, Sony has to get the ok from the publisher to add their game to their "Instant Game Collection". Being as ACIII: Liberation is one of the best received and most attractive first year Vita games, they will take advantage of that and wont let it be given away with PS+

Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, and WipEout 2048 are there because they have already made their money and can afford to be given out like that.

That being said, PS+ is a fantastic service and can't wait for the Vita content. I'm surprised with how much I like Quantum Conundrum that was the latest PS+
game. I normally wouldnt have bought it but I got to see how fun it is because of the service

[Blacktric]

"Trust me, you'll enjoy it. It's a fantastic handheld."

pfpfptpfpfpfpptfpptt

[Snookies12]

Lol, I hope that's a sarcastic pfpfptpfpfpfpptfpptt...

Because if not, you've put up a very good case as to why it's not a fantastic handheld, haven't you? ;D

[Blacktric]

Just like you did? Also ever heard of something called buyer's remorse and denial? Because they tend to go very well together. And add the weekly sales numbers of it, especially in Japan (4k vs 187k of 3DS), on top and you got yourself one hell of a case. Vita is massively failing right now and it's mostly because of the lack of good releases and you're actually pushing someone further to pay 250 dollars for it without giving a couple good reasons why it deserves that price in its current state.

http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...

;) > not self affirmation

[nukeitall]

@Blacktric:

Whoaaa! PS Vita is nearing Xbox 360 numbers in Japan.

That is not good. Sony better do something quick otherwise, the competitions platform will continue to eat up your market.

[Zuperman]

I wouldn't pay for PS Plus. I have better things to worry about lol

[Nicaragua]

Thats nice dear, now run along and try not to say anything else stupid.

[Sanquine90]

LOgicwings you got yourself a bubble^^ ( A positive bubble) :D

[iamnsuperman]

Its a good sell for Sony though. Also though if people thought like that they would wait anyway for the price to drop as they usually do anyway and so the Plus doesn't really have much of an effect as those people would wait anyway

[Meep]

"Good points here. PS Plus will discourage people from buying games close to launch. AC: Liberation will most likely be on PS Plus sometime in the summer. Why spend $50 on ONE game when for that $50 you can get dozens of games, timed trials, betas, discounts, cloud storage, themes etc.?"

Good points about what? This sounds like a reason to buy PS Plus. I really don't get it. I mean I can imagine no matter where you buy the game the all parties are getting what they want. Consumers get their product, and the business get money.

[The_Con-Sept]

I have PlayStation plus on my PS3. I got borderlands 2 because borderlands 1 I never played or even cared about until it was free on ps plus. I even bought the DLC packs for borderlands 1. But this guy with his cry baby vita ps plus rant just can't see how this service is really being used. Developers still get a cut from Sony when they decide to go ps plus. But look at the time frame for the games being offered here. I almost have golden abyss platted... And its been almost 4 months since the game launched. The only problem you have to solve is your own patience. Can you wait 3 months for a game to become free? By that time most people will have moved on to another game. I like the service because it is like renting games. You don't have to make a full commitment to the game. It's the greatest value that anyone can afford.

[KangarooSam]

The thing is, some people were stupid enough to buy a 360 instead of a PS3 (myself). And considering I can't afford one right now, is $50 a year worth it if you only own a Vita?

I know I'll try Gravity Rush, WipEout 2048, and Mutant Blobs Attack, and that is my money's worth right there. But still, I wouldn't have purchased those otherwise. Is $50 a year worth it if the instant games collection contains 6 and only one of those is rotated once a month? Considering I'm supporting the Vita/Devs by buying the bulk of major titles released for it, the next 12 months may just hold (for myself) games that I already own.

I love Sony, I'm just saying money's tight right now and I don't want them to let us down after the first big push with collection of minis or all the major games most customers have most likely bought before they realized they'd be on Plus.

[Snookies12]

Well consider you're getting 6 games right off the bat... Every month you're getting at least one extra game after that as well. Even if you delete those free games from your system and they get switched out, it will always be in your log to download again as long as you have Plus active. I think even if you DON'T pay for Plus for a little bit and reactivate it, those games will still be there to download any time as long as you grab them once.

[KangarooSam]

I understand that. (I assume you just initiate every download so you can go back to them whenever? lol)

But, will they be games that are worth it? And if so, then shouldn't I just stop buying titles at launch?

I'm 95% sure Sony will suck me in with this. I just don't want that feeling of "Oh, that game's on Plus now. Too bad I paid full price for it a few months ago and may not have even finished it yet."

So basically, for some reason I hate the feeling of wasting hundreds of dollars, go figure haha

Edit: If there's a game I'm not interested in currently or there's no room on my memory card, say Final Fantasy Tactics, could I just initiate the download and come back to it in a few months, even if it's off the list of free content?

[Nicaragua]

You dont need to initiate the download. You just select the PS+ section of the store, go to the checkout and confirm the purchase for zero £, $, €, etc. Then just continue shopping without downloading and they will appear in your list of purchased products allowing you to download them at leisure.

[Snookies12]

I understand your concern. It's really a guessing game I suppose... I say, buy the games in which you want to support the developers, or simply can't wait to try... If they're retail especially, consider buying a physical copy, then seeing it come up on Plus in the next update. You can always trade it in for a little money back.

Whether or not they're worth it is personal preference really. Consider getting one full priced game that you really wanted on Plus. Even if it was only ONE game all year, that's still worth the price you paid regardless right?

As far as initiating the download, yes you can do that. Just click it to download, then cancel it right after. As long as it appears in your log, you can always come back to it later to download it again. :]

[KangarooSam]

Thanks for the advice Snookie! :) Lol one of the main reasons I purchased a Vita and a 32 gig card was for all digital purchases, so I guess I'm gonna have to go big or go home every time, so to speak.

And one last question, if you have the time: Ratchet and Clank, yes or no? Not necessarily if it'll be on Plus, just your opinion, if it looks like it's worth $20. Seems very multiplayer-centric to me.

I assume PSASBR will never make it to Plus so won't even bother asking about that haha.

Edit: Bubble up too, smart comments.

[Snookies12]

You're quite welcome, I try to help out where I can. :]

I honestly really like the Ratchet and Clank series, but haven't ever played any aside from Future Tools of Destruction for some reason lol! This one definitely looks good, and I'm considering purchasing it as well, though I think I'll be waiting to see what some fans think about the game before purchasing. Just to make sure it's a great entry into the series.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect PSASBR to make it to Plus, but who knows? I've been surprised at some of the Plus games that have come out, so that has a slim chance of making it at some point. (especially the Vita version considering they're trying to push Vita unit sales)

Thanks a bunch though! Bubbles for you as well for asking some well thought out questions that I could reply to. XD

[talisker]

I don't have or want Vita because mobile gaming isn't my thing. But since PS+ will gather more and more Vita games anyway (I'm enjoying it on PS3), I'll eventually buy it and play those games. I wouldn't do that without PS+ incentive.

[MrBeatdown]

Someone should tell these guys about price drops.

It's pretty funny that one of the guys thinks waiting for a game to possibly be added to PS+ is a good idea, but yet that guy isn't bothered enough by the $50 - $60 games that almost always drop to $20 - $30 even faster than that.

- Game is practically guaranteed to cost at least 50% less after six to eight months... meh.
- Game is possibly free in six to eight months... outrage.

[Ddouble]

Why not just buy the game, trade it in once your done with it and pick it up when/if it's on plus.

Also Gravity Rush and Uncharted are there because they're first party titles and they wanted to kick start PS+ on the vita. I wouldn't expect games like those every month especially third party titles. It will be similar to the games that the PS3 plus users are getting which are smaller cheap titles like PSN(/PSP) games or old blockbuster titles to promote/ build a bigger fanbase for their sequels.

So if we see something like ACIII Liberation on there which I doubt, it won't be anytime soon, you can't guarantee when it would come and it would only be up for a month.

PS+ provides great value for games but it certainly won't replace the way I buy games.

[GribbleGrunger]

Absolutely. This is just to kickstart Plus on the Vita. The PS3s version of PS+ can draw on 6 years of gaming... the Vita has no such heritage of its own so at some point it's bound to borrow from the PS1/PSP/PSMobile in order to fatten the offerings. There WILL be more AAA titles as the Vita gets older, but not just yet.

[shempo]

compared to crappy Ms live ofc its worth it

[GribbleGrunger]

I can see what you are trying to say but the value isn't comparative, it IS good value regardless.

[josephayal]

think about it, paying 50$ a year for over ten free ($260+ usd) games a month is a pretty good deal

[Meep]

This is stupid to me. Loyal fans are getting screwed over (spending more money) for buying the games on day 1....WELL THATS THE COST OF BEING LOYAL.

[Minato-Namikaze]

Isnt that the same of any early adopter of anything?

[LOGICWINS]

But you got to play these games before the people who waited until now. AND u OWN these games, we're just renting them.

[Meep]

I think there is some confusion. What I am saying is that its stupid to complain about PS Plus. People who say they are loyal, who also buy games on day 1 pay more because of the reasons you just stated.

Personally I don't play my PS3 that much anymore, but I would so opt in for PS Plus if I did.

[Redempteur]

the simple fact i can backup my saves easily is a good thing i already have +14gb of content on my vita ..so having a backup in time sof needs is worth my money for that only ..the free games are only a bonus

[sdozzo]

Speaking from someone who had their first PS3 power supply go, this was a life saver (Demon's Souls 100+ hours).

[Nutsack]

The one thing PSVita now needs is unit sales. To get it up from 3 to 4 mln sold to about 8 to 10 mln sold. Then it has its critical mass of units for 3rd party developers to make games for it and less risk of selling too few copies of their game.

That is all what PS+ does. It certainly sells PSVitas to PS3 owners that have PS+ already and feel they're missing out on content by not having a PSVita and using their free games, it draws in new PSVita users too by being able to play a lot of games in a year for 50 bucks. Even though they're kind of rented, it also gives discounts on other games that when you buy them remain yours even if you won't subscribe for PS+ again after a year.

So it is win win. And those that bought the games given for free... I have Uncharted too. I can chose to either keep it, or sell it back to the shop. And next month two new games will be given as each month after it, so no worries stuff one doesn't own will come along

[zgoldenlionz]

Great comment.

[sdozzo]

Obviously, the 12-month purchase is the best option. Overall, I think it is worth it... especially, the 12-month version.

You never know what SONY might roll-out or saving a few bucks on games you buy. It's a fair deal.

Even being able to save stuff to the cloud makes it worth it.

[mister_zolos]

i will not get in details why is worth it i think even someone with low iq can say its worth it... no question about it

[JoeSchmoh]

I want a PSvita!