PlayStation Plus: Want vs. Need

While Playstation Plus is easy to rag on, it's important to focus on the very real fact that unlike Xbox Live, we don't need PSPlus but some of us seem to want it.

I was in the audience at Sony's E3 press conference this year when they revealed what Playstation Plus (PSPlus), the $49.99/yr subscription-based service upgrade to PSN, was going to entail.  Needless to say, most members' first reaction was to snicker, laugh, or begin tearing apart what was clearly a bad idea.  As an avid downloader of DLC games and add-ons, naturally I wasn't as unimpressed as many of my peers but it was still admittedly a tough sell.  The problem is that we need Xbox Live in order to play online, a feature many would argue is a necessity for the console, whereas PSN already offers online play and PSPlus doesn't enhance or change anything about online play (at least not yet).

So it's at this point that we enter a want vs. need model.  As I said before, we all need XBL for our 360s to the point that I integrate a year of live in all my friends' budgets when they plan to buy the system.  PSPlus is definitely not something you need to get the most out of your console.  In fact, if you don't like or intend to play PSOne titles, downloaded games, or add-on content then you are immediately not part of the target market.  While this isn't me at all, this is a decent portion of players, especially those that like to buy one game with a significant online component and just play that game all day long (ahem, Modern Warfare 2).  In this model, XBL gets your money but PSPlus does not.

No, PSPlus is for those of us who don't have to think about budgeting or planning to drop $50 on a boatload of content.  PSPlus is intended for those that like playing all types of games from the console hardcore to the little five minute "minis" that PSN has recently released.  But even if you're into all types of games and add-ons, PSPlus also has an additional setback: you don't get to pick the special or free content.  No friends, you are forced to play and download what they have selected for the month.  In addition, if your subscription runs out, any games downloaded for PSPlus (for free) will be rendered unplayable until you're a PSPlus member again.  In return, you do get a bunch of decent freebies, and given that we've only had PSPlus for about 3 weeks of the inital 15 month period (you currently get 3 free months if you buy a year outright) who knows what could come out next.

So far I have downloaded Wipeout HD, which I must admit I was about to buy anyway so the idea of dropping $20 for it versus $50 for PSPlus helped my decision greatly.  I didn't even bother downloading Rally Cross for PSOne because it was such a boring and poor game that it isn't worth the free space sacrificed, but imagine if Final Fantasy VII or Resident Evil 2 is next month's choice.  I took advantage of the free episode of Qore because although it's a PR fest I do occasionally get some new information.  I also have downloaded the free minis, which are to me like catching the iPhone free app of the day so I can't really complain.  There was also a free one hour demo of inFamous.  That's another of the meatier parts of what PSPlus claims to offer that can make it impressive if handled correctly: hour long demos.  I was drastically in love with my PS3 when inFamous came out so I naturally jumped right into Sucker Punch's new title on release but those that haven't yet played inFamous would definitely benefit from the free initial hour.

Whether or not PSPlus is a decent value definitely remains to be seen.  Qore started out very similarly as something that could have been amazing and after giving away the now defunct Calling All Cars and a handful of themes and PSOne titles, it's a joke that no one pays for.  The initial value of your subscription really depends on whether or not you're going to take advantage of the free items already available and probably whether or not you own Wipeout HD.  Regardless of whether it's a good or bad investment, I'm going to ride this first year out and hope for the best.  I may get burned but I've already got roughly $25 in games I wanted anyway and some new free avatars.  But don't think I'm completely fooled by Sony PR folks, because no massive blog post about how much of the PSN library has gone free for PSPlus made a lick of difference in my decision to purchase.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of That Gaming Site or any of its other staff.  Playstation Plus currently sells on the PSN for $17.99 for 3 months or $49.99 for 15 months (1 year + 3 bonus months) and was purchased by the author.