Support NeoGAF

[coldone]

That pricing model is a joke. Please don't blow this Sony.

If iam a 360 owner and just want to play TLOU. I have two options pay $30 on PSNow and finish it in 90 days -or- pay $250 for PS3 + $30 for the game.

For non PS3 owners, PSNow is a great value.

PSNow is a PS3 console rental service. So dont compare this with gamefly, redbox.

 

[Caayn]

I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'm asking as someone who's ignorant, what is Nintendo's model and how are they doing it correctly?

They offer you hardware backwards compatibility and offer you the option to purchase games that where released on older (and previous competitors) consoles. This way you don't need to pay for gametime. A much better thing than what Sony is doing, imo.

 

[marcellok]

It's something like 2 out of 20 games that are free. And they also suck. So there is that.

5/29 currently. But they do suck, at least compared to other games they have/had.

 

[hodayathink]

Or at the very least, RedBox. Couple of bucks for a weekend is money well spent.

Every option except the 4 hour option is cheaper than it's Redbox equivalent. If you're keeping the game for more than 3 days, this is cheaper than Redbox nearly all the time.

Sony shouldnt let publishers or whatever set their own pricing as it makes it laughable at what they want to charge users. I believe the tech is there, service is good but pricing needs to be severely overhauled.

They do that and no major publisher wants to put their games on it, and the service is dead anyway.

 

[hodayathink]

They offer you hardware backwards compatibility and offer you the option to purchase games that where released on older (and previous competitors) consoles. This way you don't need to pay for gametime. A much better thing than what Sony is doing, imo.

Nintendo also hasn't changed their underlying console architecture for what's going on 13 years now, and that's a decent part of the reason that they're so behind on specs. If Sony had tried to stick with the Cell and nVidia for the PS4, it would have either cost a good deal more than it did, or been nowhere near as powerful. Especially since the PS4 would have been the only reason that anyone would have been trying to develop a more powerful Cell.

 

[jrolson]

Looks like I will be sticking with GameFly...

Disappointed @ Sony

 

[Head.spawn]

If iam a 360 owner and just want to play TLOU. I have two options pay $30 on PSNow and finish it in 90 days -or- pay $250 for PS3 + $30 for the game.

For non PS3 owners, PSNow is a great value.

PSNow is a PS3 console rental service. So dont compare this with gamefly, redbox.

Did I miss something? I thought you needed a PS3 or PS4 to use PSNow.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Did I miss something? I thought you needed a PS3 or PS4 to use PSNow.

It will also work on a Vita, a PlayStation TV, Bravia TVs and eventually Android, iOS and probably PC.

 

[CraigerGamer]

I sort of wish Sony would have given us beta testers a certain amount of BetaDollars to use. Sure the Beta$ is not real currency but make it only a certain amount for each user. Basically Sony could give us a budget and see how we would spend the Beta$'s. Would the 90 day sub be more enticing with those with larger budgets? Those with just a small budget, would they make 1 purchase or several small ones?

That how I was hoping the beta would run anyway. Would probably help find a pricing structure that's a bit more realistic and palpable for all types of customers.

 

[coldone]

Did I miss something? I thought you needed a PS3 or PS4 to use PSNow.

This is beta, they are asking PS3/PS4 owners to help in server load test. When the product launches PSNow will directly run on non PlayStation products like Bravia TV.

PSNow is for folks who doesn't have a PS3. It is a console rental service.

 

[Brad Grenz]

I sort of wish Sony would have given us beta testers a certain amount of BetaDollars to use. Sure the Beta$ is not real currency but make it only a certain amount for each user. Basically Sony could give us a budget and see how we would spend the Beta$'s. Would the 90 day sub be more enticing with those with larger budgets? Those with just a small budget, would they make 1 purchase or several small ones?

That how I was hoping the beta would run anyway. Would probably help find a pricing structure that's a bit more realistic and palpable for all types of customers.

Seeing how people spend real money will give them a far more accurate measure. Presumably they also want to test the real money checkout system as well.

 

[lucius]

You really shouldn't have to pay yet to beta test the games, the selection is not that great either right now, I am not renting any of those up now. put up some top games if you really wanna test the pay system.

 

[Cloudy]

I think they got rid of all the Free prices. Seems the newest batch has the pricing but its odd they are forcing Beta participants to pay to play them so they can get tested? The hell?

The whole thing is just dumb. When it was free, the games were complete shit. Now that there are games people actually want to play, they require payment? Where exactly is the incentive to beta test?

Then again, maybe seeing what prices people will pay is part of the test lol

PS: Doesn't the PS store already have timed gameplay for full game demos? Seems like adding that as an option would make sense for folks with poor internet connections

 

[Caayn]

Nintendo also hasn't changed their underlying console architecture for what's going on 13 years now, and that's a decent part of the reason that they're so behind on specs. If Sony had tried to stick with the Cell and nVidia for the PS4, it would have either cost a good deal more than it did, or been nowhere near as powerful. Especially since the PS4 would have been the only reason that anyone would have been trying to develop a more powerful Cell.

Nintendo could've used more powerful hardware, AMD still creates high-end GPUs and the same goes for IBM with their PPC technology. Sticking with the same architecture doesn't directly limit your options, unless of course you used an extremely exotic thing such as the CELL.

 

[vazel]

If iam a 360 owner and just want to play TLOU. I have two options pay $30 on PSNow and finish it in 90 days -or- pay $250 for PS3 + $30 for the game.

For non PS3 owners, PSNow is a great value.

PSNow is a PS3 console rental service. So dont compare this with gamefly, redbox.

LOL I never thought of it like that(nice rationalization of a shitty pricing model). But if you're a gaming enthusiast that is going to want to play many PS3 games it will be cheaper to buy a $200 PS3 on Black Friday.

 

[Zimmy68]

Whoa, stop the clock.

Sony is charging beta testers to play the games???

That is a new one to me.
If you can make that work, Sony, brilliant move.

 

[dolemite]

I'd pay a $20 for a one week rental of a brand new title. There's no way the third party publishers will allow that. I doubt that even Sony would put a game like Uncharted 4 for rent on day 1 to support their service. Any old titles are competing with the used games market/amazon super sales and, honestly, have no chance at these prices.

 

[PK Strawstorm]

If iam a 360 owner and just want to play TLOU. I have two options pay $30 on PSNow and finish it in 90 days -or- pay $250 for PS3 + $30 for the game.

For non PS3 owners, PSNow is a great value.

PSNow is a PS3 console rental service. So dont compare this with gamefly, redbox.

I honestly don't know, but what is the controller for PSNow? If it's a PS4 controller, then that's another $60. PS3 controller probably $40.

 

[anonymous_abc]

I honestly don't know, but what is the controller for PSNow? If it's a PS4 controller, then that's another $60. PS3 controller probably $40.

That's what the TV remote is for silly, another 60 bux saved .

Spoiler

I kid.

 

[Dragon]

Nintendo is doing it the right way already. They don't need to change.

In what way are they doing it the right way?

Purchases are essentially tied to the hardware for 99% of the people who don't use Club Nintendo.

They don't have every 3DS/WiiU game on the eShop.

Their online presence is a joke.

 

[coldone]

I honestly don't know, but what is the controller for PSNow? If it's a PS4 controller, then that's another $60. PS3 controller probably $40.

If it works directly on the Bravia TV, think of the sudden increase in install base. They could bundle the controller with every TV.

 

[Bobby_Sullivan]

A rental period for $2.99 may have been enticing in 2005. However now with digital distribution on PC, $2.99 is a sale price for a full featured game. I don't know if the market is willing to participate in that business model.

 

[icespide]

I'm already out of space in my entertainment center. my PS3 is packed away and sitting in the basement. If I can play older games with a superior controller without having to hook up my PS3, I'd gladly pay a little more for that.

why do people have a hard time seeing value in that?

 

[oSoLucky]

I'm already out of space in my entertainment center. my PS3 is packed away and sitting in the basement. If I can play older games with a superior controller without having to hook up my PS3, I'd gladly pay a little more for that.

why do people have a hard time seeing value in that?

Because a lot of the posters on this forum are the type that keep their old consoles and don't see any possible reason why someone wouldn't. I completely agree with you that there is definite value in the service. Some of the prices need to be adjusted, but if they take feedback right then it could end up huge.

 

[Joeki11a]

PS+ discount will bring the prices down dont worry

 

[DoubleTake]

I have to agree with others that the pricing model is a joke, at least the way it is now. Hopefully it changes soon.

Jumped on the beta to see if there was any new games then got excited that there were only to realize we have to now pay for the games such bull.

I bought Deus Ex on 360 about a week ago for 5$ and the rental price of 5$ on NOW gives me 4 hours or something ridiculous like that.

I agree with what another poster said. Why not give us a budget of fake money and then introduce the pricing model to see which is most effective. The way theyre doing it now wont give much if any positive feedback for their current model(which I suppose is a good thing).

Damnit Sony please dont botch this :/

 

[Rolodzeo]

Yeah, no thanks, Sony. For that money I could easily buy the game for sale/pre-owned pretty much elsewhere.

 

[FrankCaron]

The way theyre doing it now wont give much if any positive feedback for their current model (which I suppose is a good thing).

Dunno why the whole thread is up in arms. There has never been a better time to vote with your wallet. That's exactly what Sony is testing the waters to see.

If you think their analytics data doesn't give them a very clear picture of who is and isn't buying at these prices, and if you think that data won't be used to directly affect the pricing strategy, you're crazy.

This is how you properly market test prices for a mass market service that hasn't gone mass market yet. Have some faith, people. This is a beta launch.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Whoa, stop the clock.

Sony is charging beta testers to play the games???

That is a new one to me.
If you can make that work, Sony, brilliant move.

Haha, yeah, I didn't know that either. Crazy, never would have thought people would pay to be a beta tester, I know I wouldn't.

 

[chubigans]

Crazy, never would have thought people would pay to be a beta tester, I know I wouldn't.

Er, have you missed these last two years of game release models?

 

[J3ffro]

Every option except the 4 hour option is cheaper than it's Redbox equivalent. If you're keeping the game for more than 3 days, this is cheaper than Redbox nearly all the time.

RedBox is $2 a night. As I said in my post I would rent a game for a weekend, so a total of $4 for an entire weekend. I realize as the scale grows PS Now gets a better price per day than RedBox, but I'm typically busy enough during the week that the leftover time is wasted on me.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Er, have you missed these last two years of game release models?

Good point haha

 

[Caayn]

PS+ discount will bring the prices down dont worry

That's a strange way of thought.

 

[CraigerGamer]

Perhaps publishers can use this new system to their advantage? Say I buy Far Cry 4. With my purchase comes a free, 5 hour rental, of the Ubi game of your choice. Maybe something like that could drive sales or get their games out to a larger audience.

 

[Two Words]

I think it is very good how much backlash their pricing model is getting. Most new markets try and start off at the highest price possible to gauge what consumers will pay. It would be best if people didn't even bother trying to test these beta pay prices so they will drop faster. In the end, they need to adopt a subscription service price. Netflix is the winning model.

 

[brandonh83]

PS Now, as I've been thinking for quite some time, will likely be very shaky at first (pricing, performance, identity) but I think it could evolve into something great over time. But yeah, it's going to get off to a very rocky start.

 

[joecanada]

I think it is very good how much backlash their pricing model is getting. Most new markets try and start off at the highest price possible to gauge what consumers will pay. It would be best if people didn't even bother trying to test these beta pay prices so they will drop faster. In the end, they need to adopt a subscription service price. Netflix is the winning model.

for Sony games maybe, but no idea if publishers would go for a netflix style pricing on their games... I think the prices will be adjusted quite a bit at the beginning as others have stated. Also I think different price models will probably evolve, say psplus users may get sales on rentals, or sales on their credits if they use that route....
Renting a game off of your tv and renting a game for your sytstem with psplus should have different pricing but if they go somewhere in the middle I would rather just buy the games from psplus as rental would not equate to good value...
Great value for those with a sony tv only though.

 

[Two Words]

for Sony games maybe, but no idea if publishers would go for a netflix style pricing on their games... I think the prices will be adjusted quite a bit at the beginning as others have stated. Also I think different price models will probably evolve, say psplus users may get sales on rentals, or sales on their credits if they use that route....
Renting a game off of your tv and renting a game for your sytstem with psplus should have different pricing but if they go somewhere in the middle I would rather just buy the games from psplus as rental would not equate to good value...
Great value for those with a sony tv only though.

Publishers should be fine with throwing up 2 year old and older games up on there. Maybe even 1 year old games if they aren't still selling. At this point, they aren't stocking them in stores anymore and people are just buying them used. Might as well clean up on some money from a subscription and build awareness at the same time.

 

[Suzushiiro]

I think it is very good how much backlash their pricing model is getting. Most new markets try and start off at the highest price possible to gauge what consumers will pay. It would be best if people didn't even bother trying to test these beta pay prices so they will drop faster. In the end, they need to adopt a subscription service price. Netflix is the winning model.

I think Sony would like to see new games be on PSNow day one, and if they go Netflix-style with a single sub giving unlimited access nobody's going to want to put their $60 games on there.

The best balance would be a subscription that gives unlimited access to older games but still making you pay individually for newer games (with the sub giving you a discount, of course.) The pricing model they're showing us isn't that bad for $60 games, it's just dumb for the ones we can now get for $20 or less.

 

[see5harp]

RedBox is $2 a night. As I said in my post I would rent a game for a weekend, so a total of $4 for an entire weekend. I realize as the scale grows PS Now gets a better price per day than RedBox, but I'm typically busy enough during the week that the leftover time is wasted on me.

Not only that, but with Red Box you are actually getting the game and you at least have some guarantee about performance. Call me skeptical but I cannot see myself even wanting to play even a cheap blockbuster streaming over the internet. Is the sound quality decent? Does it support surround sound?

 

[Two Words]

I think Sony would like to see new games be on PSNow day one, and if they go Netflix-style with a single sub giving unlimited access nobody's going to want to put their $60 games on there.

The best balance would be a subscription that gives unlimited access to older games but still making you pay individually for newer games (with the sub giving you a discount, of course.) The pricing model they're showing us isn't that bad for $60 games, it's just dumb for the ones we can now get for $20 or less.

Yeah there's no reason why PS+ can't have both. Use the subscription model for games that make sense and a rental model for those that don't. Who the hell is going to rent FFXIII-2 for $30?

 

[schaft0620]

I'm already out of space in my entertainment center. my PS3 is packed away and sitting in the basement. If I can play older games with a superior controller without having to hook up my PS3, I'd gladly pay a little more for that.

why do people have a hard time seeing value in that?

I am not going to pay $3 to play Borderlands for 4 hours. I would be glad to pay $30 for the full blown GOTY Edition.

I haven't rented a video game in maybe 15 years.

 

[icespide]

I am not going to pay $3 to play Borderlands for 4 hours. I would be glad to pay $30 for the full blown GOTY Edition.

no one is considering the 4 hour option a useful one, but the other tiers aren't bad at all.

if I don't have any native hardware that could play borderlands? $7 for 7 days is not bad or even $20 for 90 days

 

[jim-jam bongs]

no one is considering the 4 hour option a useful one, but the other tiers aren't bad at all.

if I don't have any native hardware that could play borderlands? $7 for 7 days is not bad or even $20 for 90 days

You could also subscribe to OnLive and play it, and about 300 other games, for $9.99 a month. PC versions too, so they look and run better than the one on PS Now.

 

[icespide]

You could also subscribe to OnLive and play it, and about 300 other games, for $9.99 a month. PC versions too, so they look and run better than the one on PS Now.

that would be great except I can't use onlive on my PS4 and I don't want to invest in a PC

 

[marcellok]

that would be great except I can't use onlive on my PS4 and I don't want to invest in a PC

You don't have any PC at all? Not even a laptop? Cause OnLive doesn't require specs at all, thats the point of it, just like PSNow.

 

[jwk94]

I'm already out of space in my entertainment center. my PS3 is packed away and sitting in the basement. If I can play older games with a superior controller without having to hook up my PS3, I'd gladly pay a little more for that.

why do people have a hard time seeing value in that?

Because a lot of people in this thread still have their PS3.

 

[Caayn]

that would be great except I can't use onlive on my PS4 and I don't want to invest in a PC

OnLive will run on any PC that can stream video. Also I think jim-jam bongs wants to point out that a competitor of PS Now is capable of giving access to every game for one low monthly fee. Which makes the prices of PS Now seem even more ridiculous than they already look.

 

[Dragon]

OnLive will run on any PC that can stream video. Also I think jim-jam bongs wants to point out that a competitor of PS Now is capable of giving access to every game for one low monthly fee. Which makes the prices of PS Now seem even more ridiculous than they already look.

How many times does it have to be stated that they've stated more than once there's going to be a subscription model before people actually believe it? It's literally in the OP.

smh

 

[jim-jam bongs]

that would be great except I can't use onlive on my PS4 and I don't want to invest in a PC

Have you got a phone or a tablet? Because OnLive runs on those too, plug in a DualShock and get gaming my friend.

OnLive will run on any PC that can stream video. Also I think jim-jam bongs wants to point out that a competitor of PS Now is capable of giving access to every game for one low monthly fee. Which makes the prices of PS Now seem even more ridiculous than they already look.

Exactly. These prices are complete shit, and until proven otherwise I fully expect whatever subscription they offer to be complete shit too.