Following the announcement of the subscription plans for Sony Computer Entertainment’s video game streaming service, PlayStation Now, the debate has now turned to whether it offers good value for money.
The service, which has been available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PS TV, has previously only allowed users to rent games across four time-frames: 4-hour, 7-day, 30-day, and 90-day, but the new subscription service, launching on January 13, will open up unlimited access to a catalog of over 100 PS3 games.
So far, we know there are two subscription plans confirmed for North America, where users can sign-up for either one month for $19.99 or three months for $49.99. Shortly after the announcement, we conducted a straw poll among our readers to gauge their reaction.
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The results reveal that 48 percent of our readers believe that the subscription plans are too expensive, 14 percent said they’re not interested in PS Now at all, and 23 percent voted that they might subscribe to the service when more games are added. That means just 14 percent said they would sign up to the service at launch.
The 48 percent that believe that the subscription plans are too expensive suggests that if it were cheaper they may sign-up. If Sony were to bring the price down then, it’s fair to say there would be thousands more subscribers. Moreover, with 24 percent stating that they might subscribe if more games are added, we also get feedback that the service is not currently perceived as good value with its current line-up of games versus the price being charged; at least not by PSU’s core PlayStation audience.
There’s numerous reasons why this could be the case. First off, PlayStation Now currently hosts PS3 games only. Though the line-up is impressive, anyone who owned a PS3 has likely played a large chunk of the better games, or more well-known titles, fairly recently and simply won’t have the desire to play the “average” games. Why would gamers subscribe to the service when it’s much cheaper for them to rent the handful of games they might want individually from PS Now, or even buy them second-hand?
For PS4 owners, PS Now currently offers a paid-solution to backwards compatibility, but HD Remasters of some great PS3 titles, such as Resident Evil, The Last Of Us, GTA V and Tomb Raider, means there’s no point playing those specific games on an older console, if those people already owned a PS3; and there’s likely many HD remasters on their way. More relevant to the “no” campaign, however, is the general attitude of console owners who buy each iteration of a new gaming machine. They put aside their old console, only going back to those games that they most enjoyed (which they’ll probably still own) and instead play the games that are built specifically for their current console. That mind-set may change in years to come as gamers look to enjoy some of the classics once again, but right now many PS3 games are still too current and fresh in the minds of gamers to warrant replaying, while the PS4 has only been out a year with many titles that require plenty of time investment.
So, who does PlayStation Now really appeal to?
Well, for those who have bought a PS4 and didn’t own a PS3, there’s definitely some value in PS Now with some great titles available that are certainly worth playing. In this instance, PlayStation Now offers incredible value for money. Then, there’s the consumers who own compatible TVs who have never played any PS3 games. To them, the PlayStation Now service must look incredibly tempting. But is that audience big enough? I don’t know, but I’d suggest it’s not huge. Sony could bring in a lot more subscribers, its core PlayStation audience that has followed them and bought its consoles for years, by simply reducing its pricing structure.
Either way, I believe the popularity of PlayStation Now is likely to grow as time progresses – the addition of PSOne and PS2 games will certainly excite some consumers who no longer have access to those consoles or games and seek the nostalgic-feeling gained from playing titles they used to love. I think it’s likely that Sony will stick to its guns for the immediate future regarding its pricing structure, until the arrival of PSOne and PS2 games when they can gauge whether this will bring in its core audience. Until then, however, it appears that very few of PlayStation’s core gamers will subscribe to its “over-priced” and “limited” games-rental service.
Want to try out PlayStation Now with no commitments? Check out the free seven-day trial available next week on PS4.
You can also still take part in our ongoing poll.