Playstation Plus

[WishMaster3K]

Re: Playstation Plus

PSN is still in bad need of an overhaul as XBL still has the superior UI, but that's a different topic.

I totally agree.

Another thing I'll say about XBL is that they sure know how to integrate a damn UI. It doesn't even feel like a separate store the way PSN does. I like the way that on XBL, if I'm looking at a game in my disc or on my friend's gamercard thing, I can see all the related content be they videos, downloads or demos. Also, while I generally don't trust the consensus of the internets, you can see how many people have rated a game and the score it got. With the addition of the XBE, Microsoft really seemed to want to have a community-oriented focus, which I can appreciate.

However, PSN has such a wealth more of content than XBL, be it movie rentals, TV Shows or whatever. Also, I can play PSOne classics, organize my PSP Memory cards and all sorts of other nifty stuff via Remote Play. I think that Sony is playing catch-up in many ways, but because they actually made some brilliant moves with PSN, there's already a good foundation there.

The problem with PSN is that it's a separate store, and it's not easy to see content, so many games (including some on this thread) don't think it has much stuff on it. Also, there's a limit to "Free", and some just don't get how money seems to make the world go round.

Sure I can go digging around IRC or Bittorrent and get all the anime I want, but it's really convenient to go to PSN and see a shytload of shows I forgot existed, all for cheap.

I mean, again, I'm into Digital Distribution and I don't mind paying a couple of dollars in micro transactions for some episodes of an anime, so this service is perfect for me. I feel that outside of playing games with my friends, the XBL doesn't offer much (NOT SAYING THAT PLAYING WITH FRIENDS ISN'T FUN, IT'S JUST NOT ALL THAT I WANT TO USE MY SYSTEMS FOR).

There's negatives to and positives to both XBL and PSN, so either buy both or neither. That way, you have nothing to complain about.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Playstation Plus

PSN/Live's movie/tv show rentals don't interest me one bit. I have Netflix and thats all I need and its cheaper. I don't know but paying $2-$3 per episode of a tv show is a lot of friggin money considering a year of a show could be 10-20 episodes. Its the same with movies. They want you to buy a movie for nearly the same price you can buy it for in the store. Thats ridiculous. If a new release is selling for $25 (HD) in the store then you should be charging $15. No case, no disc, no inserts, no middle man...come on give us a break. And DVD quality movies that I can pick up at BB used for a few bucks, you are still charging $10+. Now compare that to my $16.99 a month for Netflix (I have the Blu Ray option), and its a huge rip off. If they were smart they'd offer a similar option like Netflix but without the discs. Stream 4 movies a month for this price, 8 movies for this price, or unlimited for this price, now thats something I might be interested in.

[WishMaster3K]

Re: Playstation Plus

PS3 Update is live, and there is a button for Playstation Plus in the store. Just got it.

PSNID: Renarudo

[Malacite]

Re: Playstation Plus

The most annoying aspect of PSN is navigating the bajillion menus (which take FOREVER to load too)

I like how on XBL, as you said, you can go to a game on the store and all related content is shown. Be it DLC, themes, gamer pics or what have you. On PSN it's spread out across different categories which is annoying.


What would really truly be awesome though is if they could take HOME and use that instead as the base for everything (though do this as an option, not mandatory)

For example, I log onto home and check out what my buddies are up to. It'd be kinda cool if we could hang out in our virtual pads or at the mall or w/e until we're all ready to jump into a game, and from home just load the game as a party (and when you exit out, you can either exit back to Home or the dashboard)

Putting the PS Store into home would also be cool. Though, that would likely just be a massive resource Hog and likely reserved for PS Plus members.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Playstation Plus

I guess I just don't see the value in the movie/TV side and don't find the selection of games on PSN that impressive. Its sort of like the strategy guide argument:

Strategy guides are nice, but I have the internet.
HD downloadable movies are awesome, but I have Netflix.

Even though there might be a quality difference, I can watch unlimited movies for a set amount per month or I can download one HD movie and pay nearly twice that for it or if I want to rent I pay half that. A superior model came along and its likely to only get better.

If I want it that bad in HD I can still get it, but PSN's rental service is fucked, man. I've watched the stuff on an HDTV, the quality loss isn't really that bad unless scenes get really dark.

I suppose that if you don't care about the prior four years of PSP, PSPGo is OK. I guess you're the kind of person Sony hoped to attract, but it still sucks that a lot of PSP's best games just are not on the service at all and Sony cannot get their their act together. Its nice to see retail releases get downloadable versions almost right away in PSN these days, but that came five years too late.

Sony says PSP has a ten year plan and they want the world to believe they've done a great job of it for the previous four years. The honest truth is they only just now got their shit together on PSP and now its about to be blown out of the water. I still plan to get a lot of PSP games this year, but 3DS may very much be the deathblow. Developers are hot for it, gamers are looking forward to it. Its a gamechanger.

Loving MGS: Peace Walker, getting Persona 3 Portable next week, have Kingdom Hearts BBS on preorder, totally want Phantasy Star Portable 2, the next Monter Hunter, the new God of War and Valkyria Chronicles 2 - but this may very well bit PSP's curtain call.

[Malacite]

Re: Playstation Plus

I guess I just don't see the value in the movie/TV side and don't find the selection of games on PSN that impressive. Its sort of like the strategy guide argument:

You're also not Canadian/European/whatever. Microsoft keeps all the cool shit like that U.S. only.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Playstation Plus

You're also not Canadian/European/whatever. Microsoft keeps all the cool shit like that U.S. only.

360 has Netflix, so does the Wii. And iPad, iTouch, probably the newest iPhones, eventually Droid I'd imagine. Is there anyone out there today that doesn't have one of those things? The Wii version alone had over a million users within weeks of release.

[Ziero]

Re: Playstation Plus

What Do You Get With PlayStation Plus?

Official line up of the first month of offers from PSN+

Of note, the full download of Infamous (which as Kotaku pointed out, most PS3 owners should have this already) along with the "hour long" demo version (which is the same size as the actual game...meaning it is in fact the actual game). So that right there is a potentially nice perk for the service depending on what other full game downloads they offer.

Then there's the list of free games, which features Wipeout HD, one of PSNs top selling games, so that's a nice bonus. Then there's all the 1-2 dollar discounts on a lot of other smaller games, along with a lot of free DLC for some games as well. According to Kotaku's math, in the first month alone they're offering up well over $80 worth of savings and content. If they can keep this kind of thing up, it may actually just be worth paying for after all.

[Neverslip]

Re: Playstation Plus

<------- remaining with the free option cuz
... well...
...there's nothing that interests me in the least on that list of things. Paying for discounts on games I have no time for and a few minutes of gameplay on games I may never buy does not apeal to me at $50/yr. But thank you TGM for comprising/finding a list I was willing to read all the way thru in a place I can access.

and LOL

Boy you have a lot of fan boy in you don't you BBQ.

Once this phrase is uttered it's almost always a case of: Kettle meet Pot, Pot meet Kettle.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Playstation Plus

I still plan to get a lot of PSP games this year, but 3DS may very much be the deathblow. Developers are hot for it, gamers are looking forward to it. Its a gamechanger.

For you personally, I can see saying its a deathblow because everyone knows you prefer your Nintendo products over any other. But don't generalize and apply it to all gamers, 3D is great but its not OMFG AWESOME. I could see over the next 10 years things slowly gearing towards a 3D monopoly but to think its going to go from 0-60 is just wishful thinking. There will be an audience for PSP just as there will be for the 3DS because there are graphic differences and exclusives. I think that Sony is probably redesigning the PSP as we speak, what changes they are making, who knows. They could also be waiting to see if Nintendo steps in it with the 3DS or if there is enough demand to consider a possible 3D option for the next PSP.

[Kailea]

Re: Playstation Plus

the new 3DS has nothing to do with 3D, in fact I could care less of the feature, its a new stronger hand held, stronger then the DSi and stronger then the PSP

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Playstation Plus

Saying its stronger than the DSi or the PSP is a bit premature. In all likelihood it will be a strong system and I would assume it will be stronger than the PSP since Nintendo has a stranglehold on the handheld market.

[Feba]

Re: Playstation Plus

stronger then the PSP

Barely. It's technically stronger, but between 3D rendering, the split screens, lower resolution, and so on, it's going to look about the same as a well developed PSP game, if not worse. And it's only 5 years later.

Don't get me wrong, the PSP is totally the Game Gear of this generation, just without the "lol I got a costco membership so I can afford batteries" aspect. But to act like the 3DS is going to succeed on its processing power is just stupid.

The 3DS is going to succeed based on three things:

1- Everybody loves Nintendo. I mean seriously, who here can honestly say they've never heard an adult refer to any random video game as a "nintendo", off hand, unironically? They own the market. That simple.
2- The library. However strong it is at release, it also has backwards compatibility with the DS' huge library, possibly a virtual console style service, and the faith of millions of people. Nintendo, if nothing else, pulls through for their handhelds. If Sony decides to continue the fight, the PSP2 is pretty much doomed to eliminate the UMD format. Whether it goes purely digital or uses memory stick or some new format who knows, but UMD is a mark of shame, and Sony knows that. People won't be buying the PSP2 going "well hey, it has some new features, and I can still play all my old PSP games on it"; if Sony had wanted to allow people to digitize their PSP games, they would've done it long ago, at least when the GO came out.
3- 3D. Like it or not, people are interested in it. 3D alone will generate a lot of word of mouth, and all the more for having it in a handheld, and without glasses. It could very well be the first consumer electronic device to offer the ability to take 3D pictures; people will hop on that. It will almost certainly be the first 3D device that most people own and interact with. The 3DS will be like the Wii: People will show it to their friends, and those friends will be like 'oh hey cool, I want one'. Whether it's a gimmick or not will be a matter of opinion; but with the Wii going strong years later, I think it's safe to say that either way people still enjoy it.

---------- Post added at 08:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 PM ----------

Saying its stronger than the DSi or the PSP is a bit premature.

Meet The Graphics Chip Powering The Nintendo 3DS

we already have an idea of what the GPU will be like. That plus screenshots tells us most of what we need to know.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Playstation Plus

Don't get me wrong, the PSP is totally the Game Gear of this generation, just without the "lol I got a costco membership so I can afford batteries" aspect..

LOL Ouch, Feba. Ouch!

---------- Post added at 08:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:22 PM ----------

Meet The Graphics Chip Powering The Nintendo 3DS

we already have an idea of what the GPU will be like. That plus screenshots tells us most of what we need to know.

Well since I was basically commenting on Kitten's comment that the 3DS is not the deathblow for the PSP, I was assuming strong didn't mean the strength of the hardware but the strength of the support from gamers/developers.

[Feba]

Re: Playstation Plus

LOL Ouch, Feba. Ouch!

I'm only insulting Sega, Sony, and Nintendo in eight words.

In an unrelated subject, I'm still bitter about the little bastard my mom allowed to borrow my GG and then stole most of the good games. /steam