PlayStation Plus

PSN now has a pay option - we check it out

One of the core strings in the bow of PlayStation fanboys the world over was the fact that PlayStation's online experience didn't cost anything - whereas Xbox Live is only really useful if you choose the option with an annual fee.

As of the beginning of July and the release of firmware 3.40, xbots can finally stop defending the concept of user pays - mostly. PlayStation gamers can still play online free, where Xbox 360 gamers still need to pay a premium for the feature.

So what do you actually get? There's been a lot of discussion on the internet about PS+, even before this year's E3, where the oft-rumored service was finally announced. However, the specifics of exactly what you get for your annual fee ($89.95, or $29.95 for 90 days) were somewhat difficult to determine - until now.

At the high level, the core features of PS+ (which is what the kids and the marketing team at Sony are calling it) are as follows:

Ability to automatically download patches, updates and demos
Early access to demos, betas and other high-profile content
Full-game trial, where you can download a game and have full access to it (including earning trophies) for an hour of game time
Free full games, where free means "while you continue to be a PS+ subscriber"
Your avatar gets a little "plus" symbol next to it in friend lists, so you can announce to your friends that you have more money than them

These benefits are not restricted to the PS3 either, with PSP gamers able to get in on the fun too.

The list of premium content available to Kiwi PS+ users in the first month (which runs through to 3 August - better sign up if you want in on this lot!) is as follows:

• PlayStation Plus trailer
• WipeOut HD - full game
• A discount on Gravity Crash (Now $12.40, was $15.50)
• Destruction Derby (PS1 classic) - full game
• Field Runners (mini) - full game
• Age of Zombies (mini) - full game
• Steel & Titanium pack for Killzone 2
• A discount on the God of War level kit and the LocoRoco costume kit for LBP (were $5.50 each, now $2.95 each)
• Expansion pack for Fat Princess
• Savage Moon - full game trial
• Shatter - full game trial
• "Game is just the start" dynamic theme
• "Sackboy on the run" dynamic theme
• Fat Princess - Blue and Red Princess BIG avatars


European gamers also get a freebie copy of Little Big Planet as a founding member signup bonus - for whatever reason (presumably retailer lobbying) Kiwi gamers do not appear to have access to this deal (it's possible they do - I already have LBP which may prevent the PSN store from listing it for some reason).

Comparatively, US gamers get an almost entirely different list of goodies:
• inFamous game trial (60-minute trial)
• WipEout HD (Full Game) FREE [normally $19.99]
• Rally Cross (PSOne Classic) FREE [normally $5.99]
• Age of Zombies (minis) FREE [normally $4.99]
• Warhark Fallen Star (Add-On) FREE [normally $1.99]
• Collision Theme FREE
• Fat Princess: Fat Roles DLC $3.99 [normally $4.99]
• Fat Princess Pink and Blue Princess Avatars FREE
• Gauntlet II $2.50 [normally $4.99]
• Mortal Kombat II $2.50 [normally $4.99]
• Rampage $2.50 [normally $4.99]
• Rampart $2.50 [normally $4.99]
• Cuboid $7.99 [normally $9.99]
• Cuboid Booster Pack FREE [normally $2.99]
• Cuboid Bundle Pack FREE [normally $4.99]
• Cuboid Level Editor FREE [normally $3.99]
• Hamsterball $7.99 [normally $9.99]
• Interpol $7.99 [normally $9.99]
• Magic Orbz $7.99 [normally $9.99]
• Magic Orbz Witches Pack FREE [normally $2.99]
• Magic Orbz Jungle Pack FREE [normally $2.99]
• Magic Orbz Winter Pack FREE [normally $2.99]
• Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom $7.99 [normally $9.99]
• Mahjong Tales Ancient Wisdom Booster Pack FREE [normally $4.99]
• Smash Cars $11.99 [normally $14.99]
• Smash Cards Virus Run FREE [normally $2.99]
• Wakeboarding HD $11.99 [normally $14.99]


There's no official list of upcoming content that I can find, however, Eurogamer are listing the following as the offers available in the service's second month:

Month 2: 4 August - 1 September
• Zen Pinball - full game
• Blast-Off (mini) - full game
• Alien Zombie Death (mini) - full game
• Medievil (PS1 classic) - full game
• Inferno Pool - full game trial
• Mushroom Wars - full game trial
• Zen Pinball Earth Defence Table - 20% discount
• Warhawk Triple Combo Pack - 50% discount
• Super Stardust HD - 20% discount
• WipeOut HD Fury (expansion) - 20% discount
• Premium Game Elements: Motorstorm Pacific Rift: Adrenaline Pack
• Flower and Pixel Junk Shooter demos will be pushed to opt-in PS+ players
• "SCEE produced: PlayStation + Dynamic Theme" (in production), Heavy Rain Crime Scene Theme
• 2 x Heavy Rain Avatars (Bird and Butterfly)

The PlayStation Store is a bit weird with this content - on the PSP, there's no PlayStation Plus section. On both the PSP and the PS3, if you already have the content (and this includes when you download it for the first time thanks to PS+) the listing details change - removing all of the explanation as to what you get (in regard to the title you're looking at) by being a PS+ member. Theoretically, these little glitches will be ironed out with future updates...

So is it worth almost a hundred dollars per year (a whole 4c cheaper than an Xbox Live Gold subscription)? It all depends. In theory, the content you get access to represents superb value. Already this month I've downloaded some kickass content, with games like Field Runners and Age of Zombies having earned their place on my PSP's memory stick hall of fame. If I didn't already have WipeOut, I'd be all over it like a rash as well.

The ability to trial full games has huge potential too, with no poorly constructed demo experiences to worry about when trying to form first impressions.

Then there's the themes, which, if you are into that kind of thing, rumour has it that you actually get to keep forever (unlike the games, which expire when your subscription ends).

There are some unanswered questions though: like what happens to your content if you let your sub lapse for a while then re-sub - do you get access to the old content or does it disappear? What happens to trophies you earn if you stop subscribing and lose access to the games in question?

Even with those open questions, chances are pretty good that most gamers will see the package as representing pretty damn good value for money. Assuming that content continues to be released at the levels we've seen in month one (and have hints about for month two) what you really have is something much better (and cheaper) than a rental service - and that's not even considering the other benefits. After all, where else can you browse a library from your couch, download full titles at no extra cost and keep them for as long as you like with no need to ever return them? For $90 a year, this seems like a superb deal - the only important question that remains is whether or not it will still seem like a good deal in 12 months time.