Why PS Now’s Prices are the Nail in the Coffin for Sony

Although this was predicted way back in January, the fears have come to fruition. Sony’s PlayStation Now streaming service is in beta at the moment, and prices have just been announced: $5 to rent a game for 4 hours, $30 for 90 days. And that’s for a game from 2012! These prices are absurd, and this is the nail in the coffin for Sony, who are already having a pretty bad year. Here’s why.

[Majin-vegeta]

I guess someone didnt get todays memo.*Coughtestpricescough*

[colonel179]

They are test prices, but it's been reported that if you are in the BETA and want to try a game, you HAVE TO PAY those prices! That's ridiculous!

[ginsunuva]

The BETA is not a game-beta where it's a semi-private testing zone.

It's the beta stage of release. The word beta has different uses in games and software services. Remember how Google Search said "Beta" under it for over a decade?

[paidadvertiser]

Expect only 100 more articles like this, even after the final prices are set. Blog journalism is probably going to be the nail in the coffin for N4G.

[maniacmayhem]

Sony is testing these prices out but as of right now that is not a good deal at all.

[explicitbaron]

Prices will be high for a while until they get their subscriber base up and add more features and get more games on it.

[BattleAxe]

Then where's the incentive to sign up in the first place?

[wsoutlaw87]

to play older games you couldn't otherwise. Alot of people are veiwing these prices from the perspective of already owning a ps3 but that would be against the whole point of now. I also dont see in anyway how this could be a nail in the coffin. The vast majority of console buyers probably dont even know what the service is, so if it never takes off huge its not going to kill sony; thats just stupid.

[Batnut00]

Oh my god, would you people freakin' Relax? These prices are NOT FINAL!! If you have a problem with it, Sony is encouraging you to SPEAK UP!!

[admiralvic]

You realize your statement is an oxymoron, right?

Sony wants people to speak up, thus articles like this are encouraged (it brings the issue to peoples attention and Sony can see just how displeased people are, similar to the DriveClub fiasco), yet you're discouraging them and telling people to relax...

[F4sterTh4nFTL]

Well said, people over here are too quick to defend Sony not realizing they are actually hurting themselves and also Sony by not telling Sony the truth about what would be more convenient for them and others like them.

[Batnut00]

You can't tell people to relax and have a calm discussion on why you hate this? I'm not discouraging anyone, but I've been seeing people freak the freak out all day and than we got this guy saying this is the final nail in Sony's coffin, which is ridiculous.

[LeCreuset]

@admiralvic

You realize to relax and to speak out are not mutually exclusive, and thus not an "oxymoron," right?

@FasterThanFTL

You must have Sony gamers mixed up with some other camp. They're the first ones to jump on Twitter and directly hit up the company president about issues ranging from the light on the DS4 controller to their distaste for policies that restrict used games. I certainly wouldn't classify as overly defensive someone encouraging people to speak up, while rightfully criticizing an article talking about death nails and presenting misleading information about "announced" prices.

[wsoutlaw87]

you dont know what an oxymoron is. oxymoron /= contradiction.

[LordMaim]

It's not an oxymoron. Batnut00 is saying that Sony is encouraging you to speak up, but not in some random forum where it won't change anything. Sony wants you to speak up TO THEM, on their official forums where they have many many threads dedicated to this subject. That way they actually receive your feedback rather than starting internet flame wars.

[incredibleMULK]

Bone headed move after boneheaded move. Good job sony. Mouthfart! This isn't going to get u out of bankruptcy, or recover that $160 billion you squandered. It's sad when Xbox has more exclusives than you do.

Rip Sony

buried in the plot next to wiiu and psp go.

[dragon82]

I think someone needs to go back and count the exclusives for each system again. I bet Sony had less exclusives last gen too huh?

[kenshiro100]

Hey, little one bubble warrior. No one cares about your delusional rant. Just like any other troll, you don't own a PS4 so stop it.

[ramiuk1]

lol wouldn't be room in cemetary since the beremoth xbone and its power brick have taken all the space up

[vergilxx3]

You trust Sony too much as I did with borderlands 2 for vita they have claimed it will run 30 fps on vita it runs like shit with 15 fps and with more games being released on system and I see a shit although the prices are not final they will not change or maybe by -10% Max

[DanielGearSolid]

Not even gonna click this...

[mrpsychoticstalker]

Lol. Don't you dare click the button. Just contemplate the title. Lol

[randomass171]

Good idea. It really feels a lot like jumping the gun. People expressing displeasure with the prices is actually a healthy thing, but calling it "the nail in the coffin" is overly dramatic.

[Philoctetes]

Loving my PS4, but those prices are ridiculous. Come on.

Edit: LOL at "nail in the coffin." Sony is pretty much owning this generation so far.

[dragon82]

Gamefly is $15.95/mo for the 1 game plan. You can buy more than half of the games they offer for less than that.

My local video rental store offers 5 day rentals for
$8.00 on video games.

How exactly are the "beta prices" of PS Now ridiculous??

[andibandit]

Cmon man Streaming vs local...

[Criti-Choco]

not to mention ttheres no downloads involved, no discs, no returns to worry about.

For the convinience and service I'd say its more than adequate, I don't understand why people feel they are entitled to a lower price.

I've had experience with PSNow and its worthwhile to me, the 7 day option is more than enough to finish most games in the ps3 library

the only thing I could argue about the prices is the pricing on the 4 hour rental, 1-2 dollars would be good on the larger titles, 3-4 bucks seems a little too much.

[dragon82]

Streaming games would actually take more to maintain on Sony's side than a physical store. A physical store just needs to make the initial purchase of the games and then after that it is pretty much just paying employee salaries which covers the entire store. Sony has to continue to maintain and update their network and servers. They also have to account for bugs and stuff.

Let's look at Vudu for a minute. Vudu charges $5.99 for a movie rental in 1080P HD. That is 2-3 hours of digitally streamed content for $5.99.

I just don't understand how people can think that these prices are that far off the mark.Sure they could be tweaked a bit more (which I am sure they will be). It just seams like this generation thinks they are entitled to everything they want when they want it.

[Sitdown]

"It’s not a killer blow, but it’s yet another setback for a console that’s already starting to stumble. Suffice to say, Sony’s early lead in this generation is quickly being eradicated."

Did I miss something? What are Sony's other stumbles, and how is their early lead quickly being eradicated?

[mikel1015]

It's definitely overexaggerated, but I won't say Sony has been perfectly fine. They are abandoning the Vita to indies and third party, instead of giving a much needed first party push, compared to say Nintendo with the Wii U

[SoapShoes]

The Wii U has barely had any support from Nintendo and now we get two big titles this year and act like they're supporting it to high heaven? Even the PS4 has had more first party support tha Wii U.

[Nodoze]

Sony needs to discontinue the vita and focus on ps4. So that was smart. Why move internal studios from their popular platform to make titles that won't sell. That is a stupid move. Sony has tried in the handheld space, but frankly they have failed. Cut your losses and move ALL focus to the success of the PS4!

[Reeze]

@Soap

Please be joking. I'm sorry, but what you said is simply not true. There are lots of first party games on the Wii U, and E3 this year was almost completely devoted to giving the Wii U the games it deserves.

[wsoutlaw87]

I love how the headline is "nail in the coffin" but then says "not a killer blow", terrible. Ya mikel1015 you are being way to reactive to one e3. No ones abandoning the vita and the wii u hasnt had much games.

[Software_Lover]

Nail in coffin for PS Now, not for Sony.

[randomass171]

Only if the prices stay that way, which I doubt. I think PS Now will thrive, even if I'm not entirely on board with game streaming.

[F4sterTh4nFTL]

Yeah the prices should to half of what they are asking now.

[vongruetz]

I think the main problem are the two extreme price options. $5 for 4 hours is too much. $30 for 90 days is too much, but $6-8 for a week isn't bad. A couple of bucks more for the whole month. For a lot of games that you'd play through once and never go back to, it's not a bad option.
Stick It To The Man only takes a few hours to get through, and the current PSNow price is $4 for a week. That's a pretty good deal. Once you get through the game, chances are you aren't going back to it.

[slutface]

Such a dramatic headline Haha.

[Yo Mama]

I think they should just have "all inclusive" pricing. $6-9/month for unlimited streaming.

[colonel179]

Even if it's $20 a month or $99 a year it would be a good deal!. I don't think it's a good deal at all to have prices for each game/ time period.

Should be like you said, certain amount monthly for unlimited streaming.

[ginsunuva]

How many ps3 games do you really want to play?

You'd just stop the subscription after a year or so.

Plus, people don't want to have a PS+ sub AND another one.

[No_Limit]

I think the issue here is the price is most definitely be a collaborated effort between Sony and third party publishers. Even if Sony want to lower the price a bit, I don't think third party publishers will incline to go with it just like many publishers will not be happy if Sony or MS suddenly demand online digital games to be $10-$15 cheaper than the retail counterpart. If you look at movies on demand from Sony store, Amazon, Apple, and MS, the rental prices are really pretty much the same because publishers have a lot of say on how much the pricing is.

[Whxian]

if they did a major change to their service they could bypass publishers probably. i mean if they made the service to stream all your digitally bought psn games for a monthly fee, then you have already bought those games and as such own them, which leaves the psnow fee which would go to sony just for allowing you to stream your games.

i know that in theory that would mean less money for them, but i doubt people will go renting crazy and rent several games a month with current model. i personally wouldnt use it as it is now, but if they went with the stream your own games instead, i think alot of people would be interested.

[JD_Shadow]

Yeah, I think that would be better off if they could just have a monthly fee to get everything that is on the service if you commit to a certain amount of months. Or perhaps you would be able to get access to it if you have PS Plus without the need for an additional subscription. That would be a good deal. Perhaps a "buy" fee in which if you pay a certain amount for a game, you can essentially "keep" the game in a separate library, and if and when it comes out on the PS Store, you'll already have it available to download without paying anything extra.

Don't think for a second this article isn't trolling, but those test prices isn't exactly consumer friendly right now, and if that's the best they can do (and it would be silly to believe that it would be, but I don't put anything past anyone in the game industry anymore), they need to get better at negotiating.

[wsoutlaw87]

but what would be the market to play some games you already bought on the psn a few years ago. Then if you wanted to play something else on now you would have to buy it from the store at a high price.

[Whxian]

@wsoutlaw87

the market is there, people want to play their ps2 games or ps3 games without having to keep their old consoles and/or play them on vita on the go. i personally dont have any "ps2 classics" bought on psn right now, but if it was made so you streamed your bought games, i would start buying those plus even ps3 games which i own on disks digitally just so i could use them on vita etc.
also games you buy for a high price would be new games, which is fine, but there are alot of bit older games that go on sale all the time, games that might be a few months old.

the only problem i can think of is having to explain the benefits ofthis model to "parents".

maybe they could have both models? one for renting games one for this, differntly priced and targeting different people.

[beerzombie]

Companies want money.Sony fans wants free stuff. The problem is Sony has trained the clients i.e. Sony fans that they get free stuff its their own fault. this is what I've been saying giving away great games for little or nothing cannot last for ever.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

How many final nails have their been at this point?

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

Is the author on drugs or is he Xbox fanboy? Since he typed down:

Is the PS4 dead?

"Probably not – they still have the advantages of a cheaper price, marginally better graphics and more popular exclusives. But PS Now was a big distinguishing feature, and that’s all-but-lost now. It’s not a killer blow, but it’s yet another setback for a console that’s already starting to stumble. Suffice to say, Sony’s early lead in this generation is quickly being eradicated."

How is it lead being eradicated? And how exactly are they stumbling? And another setback?

[TKCMuzzer]

Yeah, it reads like the author has something against Sony. "t’s yet another setback for a console that’s already starting to stumble" and "Sony's early lead in this generation is quickly being eradicated", is this a fact or a made up assumption, sorry but what a crock....

Here is a tip to the author, if you beta test a pricing structure, you don't start low and go up, you always start higher and go down, for two reasons 1: your likely to hit a better sweet spot 2: It makes you look like your listening to your community.

[Pinkdolphinyfg]

Uhmmm yes Ps now flopping would be quite a big setback considering Sony paid 300 MILLION to purchase Gaikai in their current financial situation which is not doing so well right now. So it would be in Sony's best interest to not mess this up because alot is on the line.

[OrangePowerz]

Gaika isn't only responsible for PS now they also helped on the PS4 to Vita streaming and other areas.

[wsoutlaw87]

that 300M is already spent having it fail now wouldn't lose them any more money. Obviously they do expect to profit off of it. Also as orange said they used gaikai to develop the play while you download and other ps4/psn features. They also got all the servers and patents they held.

[beerzombie]

equal price they are both 399.00$

[Soldierone]

Honestly who didn't think the prices were going to suck? The service is great, but I knew once the pricing game was handed over I'd leave.

I'd pay 99 cents for a few hours, 2-3 dollars for 24 hours, and 5-7 dollars for a week. A whole month is harder to price because most games can be bought for 20-30 bucks now. I'd have no problem renting for a few hours because half of the games released today can be complete in that time....

Digital services suck for one reason only, pricing, and I knew this would fall in it the second Sony said publishers would choose the prices. You can't ask companies like EA to fairly price their games, it just doesn't happen. To them every game, no matter what, is worth more than 60 bucks. Sony needs to offer a subscription service, build a user base of it, and ask publishers to participate or leave, just like PS Plus.

[TKCMuzzer]

I agree with a subscription but how do we not know one will not be part of the final pricing structure and their just testing smaller time frame pricing, or even that it will be part of a slightly more expensive PS+ offering.

There is so still time before it releases for all these things to happen.

[cyclindk]

More like bolt in the elevator to greatness meanie ;(

[Pinkdolphinyfg]

Despite being able to own some of these games for 15$ I think what the publishers believe is that there is a value proposition of having instant access and being able to play on multiple devices which is why they jack up the price on these rentals. But I think they are going to be in a world of hurt once this thing officialy launches because consumers are not that stupid to pay that amount on old games assuming they stick with these prices.

[JD_Shadow]

And keep in mind, too, that they've only announced that PS3 titles would be on this service (at least for right now, as of the time of me posting this comment). Want to know the best way to play PS3 games?

ON A PS3!

What part of PS4 not being backwards compatible did the early adopters NOT get? I kept my PS3, and all I have to do is to order the game, go to a Gamestop, or download something off of PSN, and I got the game in my collection to play whenever I want without the need for any fees. It's that simple. There are still games coming out for the system. Why did some people trade-up when knowing this? It boggles the mind.

[lonelyplayer]

That's insane

[KinjoTakemura]

Those prices mentioned in the article aren't completely accurate. The rental prices vary from game to game starting from 2.99 to 4.99 for a 4 hour rental. Then there are options for 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, and 90 days. The maximum length for a rental varies depending on the game. The prices for 4 hours of gameplay are pretty steep in my opinion. I've already email feedback.

1.99/4.99 - 1 day

4.99/7.99 - 3 day

7.99/10.99 - 7 day

10.99/12.99 - 14 day

The prices differ from game to game.

[TKCMuzzer]

I think the 4 hour option will get kicked in to touch at some point during the beta.

One of the better options is to have an extra PS+ subscription. Here in the UK it's £40 a year for PS+, maybe have a £60 a year subscription to include some kind of streaming inclusion, unlimited would be great and would probably attract many customers.

[beerzombie]

So you pay to play demos on Ps4 now, because that's what a 1 hour rental is.

[KinjoTakemura]

They aren't demos. They are full games from PS3 and i'm streaming them to my PS4. I won't pay to use a game for 4 hours and I don't know anyone who will. The current rates are test rates and are not final.

[ginsunuva]

They do the 4-hour then 7-day rentals gap to stop people from renting for 1-3 days and finishing a game for cheap.

[johny5]

F, that! It's much cheaper in the long run to just buy the system and order the games online, how much does a PS2 run on Ebay nowadays?

Why rent a 4 hour game for $5 if you can buy a physical copy and keep it for the same?

[SweatyFlorida]

They're testing prices, anyone can see how ridiculous the options are and how stupidly the 4 hour vs 7 days vs 30 days is. Furthermore, they're a business, so naturally they'd start off with the highest prices, and will change(lower prices) according to feedback since I'm sure they rather people use the service with fair prices, then no one at all with the current model, same goes for 3rd party.

But lol at "Sony's Doomed because their optional rental service seems like it's going to fail because of the current prices which they've literally said aren't final prices!"

[TKCMuzzer]

I mentioned this, anyone who thinks a company will test prices at a low point are in dreamland, you always start higher, that's how you get to a price people are willing to pay.

[dragon82]

i think the problem is that everyone had a "perfect price" in their heads and these don't match up. They don't seem to understand that this is a "closed beta". First they started testing the actual streaming of the games. Now they are on to the next step. They are testing the price structure out. They will probably change up the prices again in the near future to get more feedback. Once this goes to a "open beta" we will have a better idea of what the final product will look like. Even then there will be some changes before it goes live for good. People just need to relax and give their feedback through the proper channels so Sony will make the right changes.

[Artista]

This has to be a joke, it's just that I don't find it funny . . . ^_^

[Spotie]

The article IS pretty comical, isn't it?

[Sokol]

Nail in the coffin? Yeah. Just like PS4 remains fastest selling console in the history...

Jesus, anybody seems to believe they can write article.

[OrangePowerz]

The final nail in the coffin for Sony?

Armchair businessman. Yes Sony lost money and yes they are currently restructuring, BUT PS now doesn't make or break Sony. Even if PS now is a success it won't make them billions.

If needed they will sell more of their assets that lose them a lot of money and the Playstation brand isn't one of them. The PS4 is a huge success so far and they still continue to outsell the competition by a large margin at the moment and PS now isn't a huge selling point for the console. Plus the Japanese government reduced the taxes for companies just recently so that should help a bit as well.

Also PS now is in beta and the prices are not final.

[SpiralTear]

Even if these are the final prices and PS Now doesn't end up being a huge success, it won't kill Sony or even kill the PS4.

[Inception]

Sigh, another no name site with exaggerating headlines that hungry for hits

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

Okay, Sony. The test is over. These prices suck.

For the people brushing this off, if PS Now fails, it will be a catastrophic loss for Sony. All the R&D, and all the money spent acquiring Rackspace.

[comebackkid9891]

This will be the first gen I pledge fealty to sony but anyone who defends this is a rube.

[kenshiro100]

Defend what? They're test prices. Calm down.

[vergilxx3]

And you see they sucks and no one wants them but they will not change much what.? -10% ? It's Max what Sony will do ..

[AutoCad]

funny seeing people support sony for this..
it is n4sony after all.

[jessupj]

Funny I'm hardly seeing a single person agree with this.

Maybe you should go back and actually read the comments.

[Predaking77]

Those prices are not final. I don't get how is the nail in the coffin if the service is not even officially out and prices are not even set to stone or official.

[DinoNYC]

Honestly I find $30 for 3 months to be a fair deal. It's half retail and a good length of time to beat the game at a leisurely pace.

[bunfighterii]

$5 for 4 hours? $30 for 90 days? Wow this is going to be a flop with that price model. Why rent from them when $5 at the video store will get you the game for 3-4 days?

[DinoNYC]

I don't know of any video stores to rent games, but redbox or gamefly. Redbox is definitely cheaper as PS Now prices stand, but games at redbox require picking up and dropping off as well limited quantity/location.

[Takwin]

I am a PC Master Race guy who happily owns a PS4 and a Wii U (and a 3DS XL and an iPad and a Note 3...) and gladly buy nearly all of Nintendo and Sony's exclusives. I like to play video games.

The prices for Playstation Now are NEAR TROLL WORTHY LEVEL. Like, they better be f'ing trolling us or this is a disaster.

Steal Sale and Humble Bundles fill up your gaming library with really awesome games (many formerly $40-$60) for a few bucks.

They cannot expect people to RENT GAMES FOR (SOMETIMES MUCH) MORE THAN YOU CAN BUY THEM ON PC.

I think $14.99 per month ($9.99 for PS+) for unlimited access would be fair.

Although I'm no fanboy, I really love the gaming side of Sony and support them quite often. This, however, is clearly not one of those occasions.

This is going to fail HARD.

[colonel179]

IMO the highest it could be priced comfortably it's $19.99 per month. $9.99 for PS+ members sounds perfect.

[ger2396]

I just find it hard to believe that they would spend so much money on gaiki. Only to price it at an unrealistic point. I hope it's not final, because it will definitely be a hard sale.

[LAWSON72]

$8 for FFXIII-2 for only 7 days?!?

I bought it for like $10-12 around Christmas last year. Also Gaucamelee I got for like $2.50 on PC. The concept is interesting though especially if eventually it has PS4 rentals. I am surprised the service is not sub based

[colonel179]

Kotaku reported that Guacamelee was $14.99 to rent for 30 days, but it was also $14.99 to BUY on the PS Store.

[DarthBigE]

$5 for 4 hrs! I can go to redbox and rent a game for 2 bucks for the day. I remember going to blockbuster and renting a game for a week for 9 bucks and i thought that was expensive.
2 bucks for a day would be good. Can spend an all nighter trying to beat a game. Maybe $5 for the day and $2 any extra days needed.

[CaptainObvious878]

While the article is slightly troll baity, I would definitely agree that the prices need to be much lower.

Why should I pay more when I can buy the same game for less in most cases and get to keep the game and play it lag free without wasting my bandwidth.

I really hope Sony can slap those publishers in the face and get them to lower their prices.

[Kingoftherodeo]

i will never understand why people are willing to spend money on streaming old games. specially when the money doesn't add up. lots of people still have their ps3's heck if you wanna play ps2 games you can find a cheap one on ebay or use an emulator. aren't these suppose to be next gen machine's if you really wanna replay old games don't upgrade and stop settling for HD remakes

[Rimeskeem]

Why people dont realize that these arent final prices.... the world may never know

[ILLINOIS]

Sony will not hesitate to change prices as needed. There is no need to worry at all.

[paulogy]

This article was largely trash, but I agree these preliminary prices are broken, but I think rent-to-own can fix it:

If you knew that your rental fees paid for a given game counted as credit toward owning unlimited streaming access to it, would you feel better? (assuming they topped off at the actual value of the digital title) I know I would. Even if the daily fees were a bit high, knowing they'd max out at a certain point and then you'd have unlimited streaming access to that game going forward would be enough for me to dip my toes into some games I wouldn't have thought to try otherwise.

I explain more here, but I think this policy is what this service desperately needs:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Gam...

[NixonMonoxide]

LOL @ this rubbish article. SONY isn't going anywhere.
Howver; It's shit like this that ticks me off.

I have a nice collection of PS3 games, which I still play.
Give me bloody PS3 backwards compatibility instead of this bollocks.

Secondly, I still won't be subscribing to PS plus for so called "free games", that I don't own. I just want access to regular online play. I'll buy anything else I need.

Seriously? I have to use the rubbish DS4 instead of the DS3 for my fighting games? Sod that.

I'll gladly stick with my PS3 and possibly an offline XONE till a majority of these things are altered.

[Subaruwrx]

The 'test' prices are too high. Hopefully, Sony listens to the negative feed back and comes up with a more reasonable pricing structure. A significant discount for PS+ members would be a good start as it would be another incentive for Playstation console owners to sign up for the service. As for this article - the author is obviously an idiot.

[CaitSith]

More like talkingshit...

[gigoran]

A no name website exaggerating something in order to get clicks on their unread website and give fuel to the xbone and ms fanboys to bash Sony.

Can none of them read English? They didn't see the world TEST??? NOT FINAL???

Enjoying using your big boy voices and venting all of your Sony hate. When it's open and using the genuine price you'll shut up quick.

Remind me again... where is the ms equivalent of this service again? Oh? It doesn't exit? Kind of going to be a super strong kick between microsofts legs when someone can play console games without a console.

Anyway, it's funny watching ms fanboys getting all stirred up and excited.

[Scatpants]

Subscription model or GTFO

[colonel179]

That's the only way I see PS Now has a change of succeeding, otherwise it'll fail very hard and it could become this gen's HOME.

[BillytheBarbarian]

Hahahahahaha!

Sony trying to pull some trash. This generation is getting funnier and funnier everyday!

[Father__Merrin]

rubbish prices and service will be doomed to failure

[young7yang]

too much.. way to much.

[breakpad]

i agree with the article totally , gaming streaming services are the most worthless money stealing services ..i love Playstation as consoles and i have them all but i will never support such services ...if continues to invest on PsNow (and if it fails- very likely) it will be for sure a huge blow in Sony s financial course (probably will bankrupt after this) ..Sony invest on exclusives games not crappy services

[feraldrgn]

Test prices.

[KinjoTakemura]

The title and the article are just silly.

@"Why does it cost so much?
Two possible answers here. The first is the one that Sony will give you: it’s still a beta, and prices are preliminary – they can change. The second is the truthful one: publishers won’t let Sony charge any less. If renting a game through PS Now becomes too cheap, then sales will dry up. Publishers don’t want that, so renting becomes really expensive. It’s also to stop game retailers from getting annoyed – if Sony undercut (s) Gamestop too much, then Gamestop could just stop stocking PS4s. Sony are (is not are) balancing a bunch of corporate interests here, and the consumer loses out."

The idea that Playstation Now would undercut sales of games that are two years old or older is ridiculous. Most of the games that are more than two years old are worth less than 15 dollars. These game are worth that much because THEY AREN'T SELLING!!! The prices will be lowered because Sony doesn't have any choice. They have to recoup the initial investment in the Gaikai streaming service, but if prices are too high, consumers will stay away from the service. Look at it this way: Why would anyone pay 30 dollars to rent a game for a month when most games can be completed in less than a week? A little common sense will go a long way and hopefully, the people who are running the show at Playstation Now will use as much common sense as possible.

[Harpers_Ferry]

Well, this is obviously the final pricing model, just like every game being free a couple weeks ago was the final pricing model. That's how testing works, you know.

Also, I love the implication here that the PS4 is somehow in trouble or going downhill. Look at the last question here. You know who usually feels the need to tell you they aren't a fanboy? A fanboy.

[MattE]

So sony are testing prices.. lol

What you are saying then is they are testing the water.. and if you are daft enough to agree with the price plan prives will not change?

You really think sony dont knownthese prices are robbery?

Cannot take in what im seeing from people on this site.. Yoshida has you well trained hahahaha

[KinjoTakemura]

A well deserved one bubble.

[AnEwGuY]

Yikes....more like Playstation Not NOW Not EVER.

[SaintAlpha101]

When PS Now was announced, I knew straight away it'd be a flop.
The right internet speed isn't there for a majority of gamers and these 'daylight robbery' prices' are really extortionate, especially considering you could just buy the same games cheaper pre-owned from a store and keep them forever instead of any of this overpriced timed stuff.

I'm just going to hold out for a traditional disk-based/PSN download backwards compatibility on my PS4 and watch PS Now crash and burn.

[breakpad]

PS Now it will be a failed service (as with other gaming streaming services)....Sony forgot that games are a hooby and nobody will pay money just for renting (especially old products)..they thought that games are a necessary need in our lives and trying to steal money selling practically nothing ..i dont know who idiot dragged Sony and they bought Gakai but it was obvious a lame and super failed decision to invest on game streaming services

[Mister_G]

Bit of an over-reaction. If it's too expensive people won't use it, but it's hardly in a nail in the coffin for Sony.

[windblowsagain]

Here's what you do.

If you want to play last gen games, Buy a PS3. They are cheap.

Most single player games can be completed in 4-6hours.

You don't really want psnow for MP do you. That is silly.

[KakashiHotake]

I surely hope Sony's final prices for this service isn't insane. I'm really looking forward to it and the price could be the one thing that makes it flop.

[colony]

Ive missed these "sony is doomed" artcles.

[BLAKHOODe]

I knew Sony couldn't play good guy for long, especially since Microsoft has been wearing it's white hat these last few months. It'll switch around again and Sony will put the white hat on, but it's a never ending process. Trust neither. Just enjoy the gaming experiences each has to offer.

[FlexLuger]

Sony have us covered. the prices will be fixed because sony listens to the gamer.

[BLAKHOODe]

You don't know that for sure.

[welly300]

£15 month unlimeted access to all ps2 ps3 games £25 a month for latest games.

[CyberSentinel]

$1 a day, for each title, no reoccurring charges. Keep it simple.

[MAULxx]

I don't care about PS Now and will not use it but how is it "the nail in the coffin for Sony"? The service hasn't even launched yet. While its not something I want to use as I don't want to play streamed games, others may like it and use it.

[medziarz]

HAHA LOL the dedicated for life Sony haters KOTAKU, have finally fabricated some issue they "have" with the PS4. Followed my another hater small click-bait website.

Face it Drones:

The PS4 is DAAAAAAMINATING.

DAAA-A-A-A-A-A-A-AAAMINATING.

And you can do nothing about it.

[PS3and4_HAS_GAMES]

Final nail in the coffin?? No need to keep reading after that lol.

[TRGMatt]

These are the prices of a couple of the games...the rest are either free or start at $2.99 for 4 hours and go up to $14.99 for 90 days...which I'd say is almost reasonable as long as they offer an optional subscription service as well.

[DasTier]

Its stupidly priced, but with the success Sony have been experiencing, I'd be hard pressed to say there are any nails in the coffin.

[lobocob]

lol this is a such a stupid "article"

[TransientDreamer]

"Nail in the Coffin"? Ugh. Yuck.

[DealWithIt]

I agree with the argument about PSNow price.

But, the rest of article is BS. "Is PS4 Dead? Probably not" Really? If the leading console (that too by a great margin) in current gen is dead, console gaming itself is dead. STUPID.

[Max_steiner]

I wouldn t be surprised if the author is gligar13vids

[axerated]

How are Sony "already having a bad year"?
Things have been pretty awesome for them from what I've seen/read/heard, at least in terms of their console division

[TylerDenzine]

we're talking about new games why would you be able to play them for 7 days(enough time to beat almost all games) for anything less then 30 dollars.. gamer's are asking for free new games get your head out of the clouds.

[PS3and4_HAS_GAMES]

With all Sony's success so far with ps4 they having a bad year? Damn imagine if they were having a good year. I agree with the pricing but about them having a bad year unmm nah you smoking on that one.

[InTheZoneAC]

I don't expect any new game to show up on this service, but a game that's 6 months+ old, just have two options for any game, $5 a week, $10

And simple people need to quit comparing SCEA to Sony, SCEA is doing better than anyone right now, it's the other divisions of Sony holding them back

[alti]

I scoff at doom and gloom ps4 articles at this point. The console is unstoppable. Shut up, OP (of the article)

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

if you read the comment section in the article, it's clear the author just wants sony to fail for some reason. whether he's a fanboy of another company, idk~ but this "article" was written with the saltiest of tears lolz

[dboyman]

At these prices, I'd rather just buy a PS3 and some games. I know a few people who would rather pay $600 for a PS4 with built in Cell/RSX and other stuff and have Hardware BC for PS1, PS2, AND PS3...I would save up for that

[agrav8]

I live in the uk and would be willing to pay a £70/80 per year for unlimited access to the service. If there really contemplating this model it sucks i want netflix like access for my money.

[Mithan]

Depends on the game. Why not rent call of duty for 10 and play the single player game then never touch or again?

I think the prices are fine if your smart about it.

[Brighat]

More clickbait. It never ends.

[Slacker]

I'm just curious, because I haven't really seen any information this. Is the cost to 3rd party devs a lot in overhead to provide this service? Who picks up the bill to stream a game over PS Now? Just curious if that would account for higher costs negotiations with the two. One thing I will say, whatever the outcome, I have 6 modern gens gaming systems in my living room (assuming you count a WiiU and a 3DSXL), and even though this is just a beta test it still does little to get me excited for the service.

[Xbot1214]

$ony shows its true colors

[Tross]

Nail in the coffin? WTF? I'd like whatever the author is smoking. That said, the PS Now service doesn't really interest me at this point in time. Maybe if, and when it's worth my while, I'll give it a shot, but for now, it's mostly irrelevant to me.

[greenlantern2814]

This article was completely wrong.
First yes the current prices are to high but they might go down, subscription will most likely be added and allow different levels of service.
Second they have hundreds of indie games coming.
Third ps4 dwindling is s a joke it is still the top selling next gen system week to week and month to month. Also plenty of games this year from third party devs and next year seems like it will be strong.

[Slacker]

I think my reply earlier might apply to your response. Almost of your responses are some one idiotic, and make no seance. The Funny thing is that throughout this articles responses people are asking logical questions and the only response you have is one sided. and very fan boyish.

Edit: Why Bother I own all the last and new gen consoles and a PC and some handhelds so do not even try.

[greenlantern2814]

Don't even try what?
Like because you disagree with my comment I would call you an idiot or a fanboy I don't care if you had every system ever made.
Do you know for a fact the prices won't go down? No you don't. Do you know for a fact there won't be a subscription services that makes it worth while? No you don't. Dose ps4 have a lot of indie games coming? Yes it dose. Will there be lots of games to play on ps4 this year? Yes there will.
And I also have all the last gen systems, and a ps4,wiiu. Plus Nintendo, super Nintendo, GameCube, ps1,2, Atari 2600, 7200, genesis, turbo graphic 16. So what

[CawMasterX]

Sony is probaby gauging the responses from the community. Just two days ago, the Internet was up in arms over Sony not refunding the difference for the TLoU preorder before they even responded on an official capacity. Now they have and the refunds are coming.

[Slacker]

yeah I agree. If Naughty Dog was like we want 6 bucks for min rent they could be like heck no! I think the 3rd party fees will play a big part in there pricing.

[CawMasterX]

It will boil down to what pubs and devs say .