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[Syanimuni]

Yes and No. It's true that you'd have no native platform, and yes, part of the cost structure is providing rentals for those servers, BUT I think ultimately the service would bring in more money if they allowed you to purchase games and the rental side was just a gateway to that.

Think about Steam for a second, how many people have libraries of hundreds of games they don't play or never played again after the first playthrough, even if somebody does buy 100 games and wants to stream them fairly regularly, he'll never actually stream those 100 games to a degree that would "beat the system", and if he did, he'd be an outliner to your average customer. The other outliner would be that guy that buys 1 game and never buys anything else and streams his 1 game he bought for the next 5 years, again I think that's more of an outliner then the norm, and if your delivery system/experience is good, people will buy things for it.

Most customers that actually buy digital and aren't terrified of the model like that peace of mind knowing they can return to said product at any time. I think an overpriced rental service for digital content is more damaging to the overall digital brand in general unless you give it some sort of attractive angle, and if they don't make it attractive at launch, it'll never catch on and will be a failure.

That being said, I don't fully understand game-streaming tech, or how much it costs to upkeep it, or if it's possible to sell games through such a service and keep it running smoothly, I'm not on Sony's Gaikai team, I just envision something a little different when I look at the service.

Good points, and the prospect of something like "rent to own" is enticing. Perhaps a hybrid PS Plus model would be the solution to offset server costs? Namely, for monthly fee, of say between $2 and $5 a month, you get indefinite access to any digital games you've purchased through PS Now and any PS3 games you've bought digitally in the past. Or better still, just go with the Netflix model and levy a monthly fee during which players can play any game without limit, maybe with a little extra for games less than a year old or something.

At least we should remind ourselves that this is a beta and Sony will be gauging the response to their pricing and general interest in the service. Their track record in value for the gamer has been excellent considering the PS Plus legacy, so I hope this continues.

 

[dearodie]

Ya know how we all ridiculed Microsoft for its DRM bullshit at the start of this generation, why do I get the feeling Sony is setting us up for something similar next gen which they are phasing in this generation to appear less intrusive.

I won't be surprised if there is no PS5 and they just release a streaming box and we are forced to pay these absurd prices.

Agree with this. Leaving aside the emulation of old platforms piece, this seems to be about the same prospect as what ms had in store.
Interesting to see how Sony takes no hate from it, yet.

 

[Portugeezer]

Agree with this. Leaving aside the emulation of old platforms piece, this seems to be about the same prospect as what ms had in store.
Interesting to see how Sony takes no hate from it, yet.

This is not what MS conveyed to us.

 

[DieH@rd]

$30 tier should be changed to be 100 hours of gametime, usable over 6 month period.

Either that, or bring those long-term prices down.

 

[Grewitch]

Nah, I don't think I can be bothered with rentals. There's only so much money I've got to go around, this doesn't entice me.

PS Now? For me it's PS Never.

 

[borghe]

All I'll say without breaking NDA, pricing on 4 hours is usually "why bother?". Pricing on 30 days so far is the sweet spot. About what you could get the game used for including turning around and trading it in. Pricing on 90 days makes no sense as you can pretty easily buy the game new/used for as much or cheaper.

But yeah for someone who buys new/used and then trades it back to gamestop after they beat it I could see 30 day rentals being a sweet spot.

Of course there are probably very few of you reading this who fall into that category. Still I have a few friends who fit the description to a T.

 

[lighthouse777]

the prices start at xx per every 4 hours
will post info below
PlayStation Now Prices Are Currently Insane
http://kotaku.com/playstation-now-prices-are-currently-insane-1594025919

Sony has added prices to the beta for their PlayStation Now streaming service, and though these are experimental numbers—it's a beta, after all—the current prices are insane.12P


What's more, as of right now, PS Now beta testers actually have to pay to play games. If I want to test out the service, I have to dish out crazy amounts of cash.P


This afternoon I signed up for the PS Now beta, which Steve tested out yesterday. And here's how much it costs to rent Final Fantasy XIII-2, which came out in 2012

$5 for four hours! $30 for 90 days! You can buy the whole game on Amazon for $17.4P

And here's Guacamelee

Why do you have to pay $15 for a 90-day rental when it costs $15 to buy the game on PS3?6P


Other games cost similar prices, which seem to be based on when they came out. P

There's a little note on the bottom of PlayStation Now that reads: "Game titles and features shown are for testing purposes only. Not indicative of the final price." But anyone who's in the beta right now has to pay these prices. I just tried to rent Deus Ex: Human Revolution and had to pay $4.99 for four hours of the privilege.P

And it looks like prices like this could be here to stay. From the PS Now FAQ: "The upcoming Open Beta will test multiple pricing tiers and rental durations. You will see shorter rental periods prices as low as $2.99 and most titles are between that and $19.99. More information to be announced later."P

Granted, Sony has promised that they'll be offering some sort of subscription program when the service actually launches, but at least for now, don't bother with the PS Now beta unless you've got a fat wallet.78P

I want my $4.99 back

 

[Brad Grenz]

Ya know how we all ridiculed Microsoft for its DRM bullshit at the start of this generation, why do I get the feeling Sony is setting us up for something similar next gen which they are phasing in this generation to appear less intrusive.

I won't be surprised if there is no PS5 and they just release a streaming box and we are forced to pay these absurd prices.

If that time comes to pass Sony will have to make the case for the technology in terms of value and quality of experience. If it's entirely server based they won't have to sell a box at all. It can just work on any internet connected device, so there'd be no up front cost. It could do away with $60 games. Everything could just be $8-12 for a week of play time as soon as it releases. The hardware platform could also be way more exotic, custom and powerful than would be economically feasible for something you want to sell in Wal-Mart since the cost per node would be spread across many users. Whatever their plan we can make a determination then.

Right now PS Now is just an option for people. There is nothing compulsory about it so there is no reason for any Xbox One DRM style outrage.

 

[immortal-joe]

If / When Sony launches a subscription model for this, it will not be able to include all publishers. They will not play ball with a Netflix-like "all you can play for a fixed subscription" model. Meanwhile, those same pubs will demand higher prices for on-demand rental of their games, and none will want to lower the price so as to not "devalue" their products. PSNow as we want it to be is simply too good to be true.

 

[Whipped Spartan]

Not interested unless they are renting me new ps4 games. Renting 5-20 year old games for these prices isn't doing it for me.

 

[IAmRandom31]

I think $7 for 7 days will be the money maker.

I could see myself using that throughout the month. Like a game a week or something like that.

Really hope they allow for rentals of PS4 games eventually as well .. Gamefly sucks.

 

[Badlucktroll]

How come in the early beta test, all the games were free! (I still have access to these free games, like riptide, ect). If sony wants it to be a good beta test, let us play some AAA games for free for 4 hours and thats it. The input lag makes the controller sensitivity feel all screwy.

 

[hydruxo]

Yeah I have no desire to continue using the beta if you now have to pay for the games. What a stupid decision by Sony.

 

[Kings fan]

Do not want. :\

 

[theusedversion]

Prices seem incredibly cheap to me. I could probably beat any game on the 7 day option so that's a good price for the experience. I'm not into collecting games and I rarely replay titles. I could just rent again if I wanted to replay something at a later date.

 

[quetz67]

Ya know how we all ridiculed Microsoft for its DRM bullshit at the start of this generation, why do I get the feeling Sony is setting us up for something similar next gen which they are phasing in this generation to appear less intrusive.

I won't be surprised if there is no PS5 and they just release a streaming box and we are forced to pay these absurd prices.

It is a service and they ask money for it. Nobody forces you to play old PS3 games or to sell your PS3 and use PS Now at all. The prices will adapt to demand, you sound like the "absurd" pricing, which is a first try, will be set in stone forever.

Value depends on the quality of the game. I might happily pay $20 to play TLOU on Vita again. Sure I won't do the same for an old PS3 game that is on Plus anyway. Also lets wait and see how it integrates with Plus, if we get a premium version or other bundle deals.

 

[quetz67]

Do not want. :

They have included the option of not using it.

 

[Zippedpinhead]

So the "beta" is taking actual money now?

Sounds more like a "soft" rollout, thanks but no thanks... I have never been able to post on the sony playstation now exclusive forums but If I was I would be letting them know now that this is crazy horse shit... Probably the most important aspect for feedback and most of us can't leave feedback...

 

[binarymelon]

Prices seem incredibly cheap to me. I could probably beat any game on the 7 day option so that's a good price for the experience. I'm not into collecting games and I rarely replay titles. I could just rent again if I wanted to replay something at a later date.

That might be the case if we were going to see day 1 releases on psnow, but we won't. At least not anytime soon.

 

[anonymous_abc]

If there is no good subscription deal available, this thing is doa... :/

 

[phanphare]

I'm sure this has been said already but PSNow seems like a way to extend playstation beyond traditional gamers. I doubt this service will appeal to people who own a playstation console, save for the occasional "oh I never played that game and I think I can beat it in 7 days".

it's mildly intriguing to me right now, though, because I haven't owned a playstation console since the original Playstation. so theoretically I could play the few games that I missed without having to buy a dedicated console for them. I think that's what Sony is going for with this service, and I think it could work well for them. I also think PSNow gives them some flexibility going forward if dedicated hardware isn't feasible at some point in the future.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

$2.99 for 4 hours is a disincentive as far as I'm concerned. Make it 3 days for $2.99 and the pricing would be better balanced. If Sony are really going to go for a 'pay for a demo' price then $1 for 2 hours could be introduced.

2 hour: $1
3 days: $3
7 days: $7
1 month: $15
3 months $25

That's what I would go with.

 

[jwk94]

I'm sure this has been said already but PSNow seems like a way to extend playstation beyond traditional gamers. I doubt this service will appeal to people who own a playstation console, save for the occasional "oh I never played that game and I think I can beat it in 7 days".

it's mildly intriguing to me right now, though, because I haven't owned a playstation console since the original Playstation. so theoretically I could play the few games that I missed without having to buy a dedicated console for them. I think that's what Sony is going for with this service, and I think it could work well for them. I also think PSNow gives them some flexibility going forward if dedicated hardware isn't feasible at some point in the future.

Yep that's precisely what they're doing. This isn't just for gamers. You have to consider the wider audience. If you're in a position to purchase the game for the rental price, this service probably isn't for you. Now having said that, I do believe that publishers and Sony should come to an agreement to lower the current pricing on most games and maybe even get never games on the service we're getting ground zeros after all so that's a good start.

 

[Dragon]

Ya know how we all ridiculed Microsoft for its DRM bullshit at the start of this generation, why do I get the feeling Sony is setting us up for something similar next gen which they are phasing in this generation to appear less intrusive.

I won't be surprised if there is no PS5 and they just release a streaming box and we are forced to pay these absurd prices.

Man false equivalence is an awesome argument...

 

[Jinko]

Man false equivalence is an awesome argument...

Who is arguing? I was simple making a statement of "what may happen".

 

[Moofers]

I deleted PS Now from my PS3 yesterday. Next time I turn on my PS4, I'm deleting it from that as well.

Fuck PS Now. If you want to be interesting at all, you've got to come way down on those prices or just go the Netflix route with a flat monthly fee.

 

[Dysun]

DOA with these prices. Get your shit together Sony, even if it's just a beta it's ludicrous

 

[Harlock]

Prices seem incredibly cheap to me. I could probably beat any game on the 7 day option so that's a good price for the experience. I'm not into collecting games and I rarely replay titles. I could just rent again if I wanted to replay something at a later date.

You know, maybe that is the problem. The price can be cheap for who finish the games fast but is pricey for who takes time.

 

[Dragon]

Who is arguing? I was simple making a statement of "what may happen".

It would be amazingly dumb considering what Sony did to win the PR battle at the start of this gen. Why bother? There are plenty of other reasons to have issues with this service without making up some.

And the amount of people that are so angry and want a subscription model when they've said there's going to be one is crazy.

 

[D1renegade]

I deleted PS Now from my PS3 yesterday. Next time I turn on my PS4, I'm deleting it from that as well.

Fuck PS Now. If you want to be interesting at all, you've got to come way down on those prices or just go the Netflix route with a flat monthly fee.

Lol! This seems like a bit of an overreaction. But I agree that the current structure is not ideal for the console owners. On the other hand, these prices do make a lot of sense for those who only have PS Now on their TV's or tablets. I don't know how viable that audience is tho...

 

[BokehKing]

They lowered the prices, it's like $10 for 30 days
$5 for 7


Source = I just rented blazblue (unfortunately I thought it would be better)

 

[Stealth_Cobra]

Nothing like paying the price of a greatest hits release for a rental... WTF...

 

[rrc1594]

I hope this is success, because I would love to see Nintendo and MS do the same thing. Those prices are bad thought.

 

[Kelsey]

I hope this is success, because I would love to see Nintendo and MS do the same thing. Those prices are bad thought.

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

 

[HORRORSHØW]

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

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?

 

[Tertullian]

I can kind of see the justification for $20 for a month rental, if I really squint.

But $3-5 for a 4 hour demo? To whoever came up with that: please keep shoving your head further up your ass until you disappear completely, and we never have to deal with you again.

 

[xKilltheMx]

They lowered the prices, it's like $10 for 30 days
$5 for 7


Source = I just rented blazblue (unfortunately I thought it would be better)

I thought there was a range already? Or was the price more before for blazblu?

 

[Tunesmith]

I thought there was a range already? Or was the price more before for blazblu?

Just looked, the prices haven't changed, they're the same as before. Ranging from Free for some games to 2,99-7,99 for 4h-90 days up to 4,99 - 29,99 for 4h-90 days.

 

[Uraizen]

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?

By not doing it at all.

Spoiler

Seriously.

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

I would pay £5 to rent a PS4 game for a week. Not much else I don't think.

 

[Darknight]

Just looked, the prices haven't changed, they're the same as before. Ranging from Free for some games to 2,99-7,99 for 4h-90 days up to 4,99 - 29,99 for 4h-90 days.

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?

Like they should of had pricing as an example and let users still play test the service? No way in hell I would pay up to beta test these games!

And like it has been posted, these prices are crazy. Might was well buy them on PSN store and have them forever. I believe they will introduce a a yearly membership like PS+ to entice gamers to buy into that than paying so much for 4 hours or so of game time. Like someone else posted, the prices should be $1,$3,$7,$25 for all titles on each tier. 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.

 

[Tunesmith]

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?

Like they should of had pricing as an example and let users still play test the service? No way in hell I would pay up to beta test these games!

And like it has been posted, these prices are crazy. Might was well buy them on PSN store and have them forever. I believe they will introduce a a yearly membership like PS+ to entice gamers to buy into that than paying so much for 4 hours or so of game time. Like someone else posted, the prices should be $1,$3,$7,$25 for all titles on each tier. 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.

There are still free games.

 

[ironcreed]

If I'm going to rent, I'll stick with physical copies from Gamefly. This is a joke.

 

[Slayven]

If they don't have a netflix model, it is probably because publishers wouldn't play ball with that model.

 

[rrc1594]

Damn I can only imagine UK prices

 

[CREMSteve]

People need to stop complaint about the pricin in the beta. There's free games on there, use those to test the service a no charge and wait for final pricing structures to be announced for the rest.

If you're paying the prices in the beta right now, you're only sending them data that indicates people are willing to pay it.

 

[J3ffro]

If I'm going to rent, I'll stick with physical copies from Gamefly. This is a joke.

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

 

[coldone]

If I'm going to rent, I'll stick with physical copies from Gamefly. This is a joke.

Does Redbox/Gamefly rent out PS3 too ?. This service is for folks who doesn't own a PS3. Think of the millions of owners who just have a Bravia TV and now they can play PS3 games.

Just today I wished I could have played FIFA while waiting for USA game to start in my friends house. They just have a old Wii and are willing to pay an extra $5-$10 to play game PS3 games without a PS3. Guys who just play <5 games a year can save a lot of money going with PS Now.

Think of guys who just owned 360/Xbone. They could play games like TLOU directly on the TV and not have to buy a full PS3 just to play one or two exclusives.

 

[vazel]

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

 

[Maybesew]

People need to stop complaint about the pricin in the beta. There's free games on there, use those to test the service a no charge and wait for final pricing structures to be announced for the rest.

If you're paying the prices in the beta right now, you're only sending them data that indicates people are willing to pay it.

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