Opinion piece on the painful experience of reviewing the Playstation Plus offer. Including screenshots of the poor usability choices made by the Playstation Plus team.
PlayStation Plus has improved the split of PS4 and PS5 players on its priciest tiers, but Sony continues to hide total subscriber numbers.
Uh...They're definitely not equivalent.
"Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service now has 34 million subscribers."
"the total number of PS Plus subscribers across all tiers was 47.4 million"
That PSN number seems like it should be much higher... especially when you consider that PS4 alone has a sell through of over 117m. To not even be at least half that is rather interesting.
To the XB side, having 34m to an install base of roughly 50m (XBO sell through) or even 85m (360 sell through) is a greater percentage of unit to member ratio than PSN.
darthv72
"That PSN number seems like it should be much higher... especially when you consider that PS4 alone has a sell through of over 117m. To not even be at least half that is rather interesting.
To the XB side, having 34m to an install base of roughly 50m (XBO sell through) or even 85m (360 sell through) is a greater percentage of unit to member ratio than PSN."
Have you ever heard of a PC before? I hear they are pretty popular.
What. Definitely more os plus subscribers but that makes sense due to actual console sales
Darth the difference between the bases are huge your right but you gotta think. Ps players buy more games, where as the Xbox base relies on gamepass for their gaming. So it makes perfect sense
What makes perfect sense though? You say PS players buy more games... so then logically there should be more PS+ subscribers given the increased number of online multiplayer games in the PS4 generation alone. The PS4 was the first time that + was required for online play much like Gold was for 360 users.
Keep in mind we are talking subscribers, not simply XB/PS users. I assume you meant to say offline single player games, which is most likely true as well. That gen also saw a significant increase in games with an online component comparted to the previous gen.
I for one will be going back to essential at the next renewal. When I feel a game is good & right up my alley, I’ll check trusted reviews & just buy it.
I have the top tier until 2028 as they gave me a massive discount for all the years I had left but I’ll most likely go to essential as well. I buy my games but my kids do use the service occasionally. They do prefer to own their games as well since any game can leave the rental service at some point and they don’t like that idea. They mostly use it to demo games then ask me to buy games if they really like it.
For me, I will cancel it all together but unfortunately I still have it till 2030 lol
I would like to see Sony add a fourth tier of PS Plus for people who just want to be able to play games online without any of the perks like monthly games, store discounts, or anything like that, and it should cost $20 annually, $30 maximum. There’s no way I’m paying $80 just to play games online. Even the original $60 fee was too much, and I would often wait for sales to re-up my subscription.
Essential is too expensive, I agree. We’ve got one Essential and one Premium sub. Dropping the Premium when it expires.
Just let my subscription lapse for the first time since 2010. Will sub again every now and then for a month or so to access my old ps+ games but for me it's the end of an era.
Let those numbers continue to drop because it is now too expensive. $80 per year just to play online. I noticed they didn't offer any discounts on the subscription or controllers during this year's days of play for the first time in many years and they will feel it when people choose not to renew.
My subscription will lapse next month and it will stay that way until further notice.
There were savings on subs and controllers here in the UK? I bought a controller yesterday in the sale..
It would be weird if those deals were not in other territories too?
Sony aims to release live service PlayStation games day & date on PC and PS5, but single-player games will have more "strategic approach."
How? I’m sorry but how when they literally port their games to the PC now after not even 2 years, it’s rumored GoW Ragnarok is next.
The best thing they could have done is focus on the generation before with PS3 / PS4 titles and when it got to the PS6 then start porting PS5 games so people will want to get the sequel on the new console
Now PC gamers just wait it out because they know it’s coming
Rock Star does the same thing. Release 1st on consoles, wait a year or two then release on PC. It's clearly a strategy that works for them.
They don't need a lot of PC gamers to move to Playstation, but they just need a few who would also buy into it and possibly double dip. There are some very unhappy gamers on Twitter, who wanted to hear day and date for all games.
Fox
Your analyse is not accurate..
If sony keeps things the way they are then they will grow the business. Some pc gamers who really liked God of War for example might buy PS4 or 5 to play Ragnarok. Same if they announce ghost of tsushima 2 or a new Ratchet game.
Rockstar?
Yeah I loved playing Red Dead Redemption on PC…….
@Cacabunga
I highly doubt it, PC gamers have their setups, if they didn’t budge for years to get a console despite all the cool exclusives then they aren’t going to budge now knowing a new PS5 game will get a port 2 years later
@cacbunga
Basically you're functioning under the assumption that PC players are impatient, rich and stupid.
Most will not budge. But if the hype is real enough they'll get a few. But those few won't actually be invested in the platform.
Those unhappy gamers will just have to suck it up. I'm sure Sony sees how thats worked out for Xbox. Why tf would they follow in their footsteps
How?
According to Sony, by co launching live service games like Helldivers2 day one, then enticing PC players to want to play sequels on the console for SP games.
That's how. If you play Ghost of Tsushima and Sony launches GoT 2 on PS later this year, you're more apt to want to grab the console and play the sequel instead of waiting.
Yeah, pc players are the most patient of players. They will just wait for the game to come to pc.
You're just spitting back out the Sony PR line.
PC-first and PC-centric gaming is a different beast. Helldivers 2's popularity and GoT's popularity are because they're good solid games, not because they're from PlayStation publishing.
It's the same PlayStation that put Helldivers 2 for sale internationally, then pulled their PSN-Steam removal card. The same PlayStation that released Returnal with UE4's dreaded shader stutter. The same PlayStation that released TLOU Part 1 in a broken state.
If Sony's PS4 slate of titles didn't convince PC gamers, if their current PS5 titles still don't, ports of games they've had *years* of knowing and reading and hearing about aren't going to convince them to finally buy a console.
Don't fall so easily for the same PR BS that fabricates quotes from their own studio heads.
I mean that's certainly the thinking, but for most PC gamers that just won't work. Like in a rare circumstance if someone was already on the fence about a console that might get them to take the plunge and buy a PlayStation, but it will be the exception rather than the rule.
PC gamers are super patient
There's no f****** way, for example, they are going to get a PS5 the moment Ghost of Tsushima 2 is announced just because they played the PC port of the first game
The mindset?
"Ah cool GoT2 has been announced, really enjoyed the first game. Anyway I'll just play on the dozens of other games I have while I wait for the obvious PC port from Sony in like 2 years"
Not a chance they'll all wait now.
@tacoboto
"You're just spitting back the Sony PR line."
I literally said: "According to Sony."
I was responding to someone who asked "How?"
I gave Fox an answer that reflects Sony's thinking. Maybe read the OP's comment and then reading a reply to that person as if it's an answer to their question instead of sounding off in such a bizarre way. See Jeece's reply to mine.
@Dom I do. Sony may not, but then again, they've made billions in the gaming industry and you've made $0.
@thorstein PC gamers have been condition to wait... Epic Games exclusives don't sell well and EA, Ubisoft, and MS have all come back/or arrived on Steam and that's all for preferred store front that doesn't cost money at all so to think people will rush out to spend 500 dollars on a console (whichvcould be used to help pay for PC upgrades) is a bit naive.
I think some of yall are giving pc gamers to much credit. Not every pc gamer is gonna be the same. I'm sure sony isnt expecting all pc gamers to switch, that would be foolish. Idk how many pc goers are there. 500 million 400 million idk really. Say son bgets 5 million of them to it was worth it. If you say none imma call bs
You're mistakenly speaking for all PC gamers, there are bound to be some people who are not willing to wait and for Sony those are potential console buyers.
eh, no ... if a PC gamer is playing on a PC, they'll continue to do so ... there are tons n tons of games on Steam alone and the steam gamers' backlog stories are one of the most discussed topic you'll find in PC forums ... indie is already huge there, plus early access, PC-exclusive titles, VR, big publishers' titles and now Sony's ports too.
Realistically speaking, usually there's not enough time to complete the backlog alone, than go buy a separate console altogether.
The only game that has the power somewhat to make a PC gamer to get a console is GTA VI.
PC gaming existed and proliferated well before this recent Sony's PC decision.
@romulus23
True, there will be new gamers who will be exposed to PlayStation IPs, and they will possibly obtain PSN accounts, both of which make people more inclined to purchase PlayStation.
I don’t think you understand PC gaming. We have sooooo many games to play it’s kind of ludicrous. The insane Steam backlog is not a myth. So, we’ll happily wait for the best version of a game.
How these guys think that they're only pc gamers that won't buy a console, I'll never know..lol. we're talking about the whole world here..not a few guys on this site or reddit.
Edit: in fact there's posts on reddit how they bought a ps5 after having played a few exclusives on PC.
"Not a chance they'll all wait now."
You don't know what all of them will do. Some may wait some may not.
Well, if they want the games when they release, they will need a PlayStation. If they are ok with waiting, then they can do that. I think it’s a sound gameplan for PlayStation. The release of games on PC, will generate additional fans for the ips.
So who cares how / when someone chooses to spend or not spend their money? Sony gets their money for their game sold either way whether its on PS5 or PC, so in the end what does it matter?
PC gamers will wait a year to get a game $10 cheaper lol. they ain't gonna go out and spend $500 on a system to play 1 game. people underestimate them big time.
@Fox
It actually works, i know some of my friends and cousins who cannot wait and bought a Ps5 to play Horizon FW. In fact they cannot believe that "ps has amazing games" lol
Sure there's others who can wait a whole year or two but then there's others who have to play as soon as possible.
*** Now PC gamers just wait it out because they know it’s coming ***
I think a lot of people who would abandon consoles entirely don't because of the wait. Sure, they aren't drawing new users from PC like they want, but they are maintaining while getting more from PC-only gamers (possibly even double taps from those who own both).
The PS5 Pro is going to be WAY above the average PC of users on Steam.
The PS5 Pro will be able to play every single game they have released on PC at PC settings with a minimum of 60FPS and higher with unlocked framerates.
I agree, there is zero logic from Sony on this. Sony completely underestimate how stubborn a PC player is. They can wait, I'll now wait as I've stopped buying games for my PS5 and will now acquire them for free on PC.
"While Helldivers 2 was released day and date on both PS5 and PC, don’t expect single-player narrative-driven games to be released in the same boat by Sony anytime soon. - This was confirmed by PlayStation’s soon-to-be co-CEO Hermen Hulst in Sony’s business segment presentation"
There you have it. Won't be 'day and date' single player games on PC anytime soon or for the forseeable future. They understand single player games are Playstation's backbone.
So much for the nonsense narrative that playstation is somehow failing so they are going to immediately start releasing every single game day and date on PC lol.
Agreed. First & foremost Playstation not only wants to sell their AAA first party games but their gaming consoles to play them on that is why their AAA first party games come to PC later after it sells on PS consoles.
I was told that Playstation was doing so bad on here and on X that Helldivers 2 was going to release on Xbox and Sony was going to start releasing all games on pc day and date with playstation. Why do people constantly lie on the internet!!!!!
We've gone from you'll never see PS games on PC, to you'll never see any PS games day one on PC, to you'll see some PS games day one but have to wait for others.
I mean, its kinda looks like it's heading one way no? That "wait" is going to get shorter and shorter.
It's happening.
God of War 2018 - 4 years
Horizon Zero dawn - 3 years
Horizon Forbidden West - 2 years
Well, with MS going full PC/multiplatform, PlayStation will need to adapt. Luckily, they are in a position to hold the fort for all lovers of console gaming. Otherwise, if MS’s business model was the norm, we can all kiss console gaming goodbye.
Thank god for Sony.
Ragnarok is now 1y and 10m between PS-PC release. Its only going to get shorter over time.
Well, change of leaderships on Sony did that, under Jim it looked like a lot has changed. Who would have thought eh?
Who would have thought under Big ole Phil xbox games would come to Playstation eh?
That's a smart move because at the end of the day playstation is a hardware business and need to sell hardware folks
Considering the amount of bangers PlayStation and Nintendo make, your name doesn't sound very apt.
Well I think he means that on PC, all software eventually is playable on it. Which is true.
Consoles just are a convenient way of playing some sooner than later.
Darth, all software eventually is playable on PC through emulation and theft of games. You forgot that part. It's not through legal means.
Apocalypse- You consider emulation theft of games? LMAO
Way to shill for corporations.
This gen has been trash. I was already on the fence but caved and bought the consoles, I have regretted that decision. Most of the games that I would play come to PC anyway. I'm done with consoles. I have had the best time with PC this gen and a good amount last gen that it just pulled me away.
During Sony’s recent business segment meeting and investor presentation regarding its game and network services, the PlayStation company revealed that PlayStation 5 is the company’s “most profitable generation to-date.”
It’s the top slide of the presentation, showing that in its first four years, the PS5 generation has already hit $106 billion in sales, having almost caught up to the PS4’s total $107 billion generated.
Operating income for the PS5 generation has also already surpassed that of the PS4, having now reached $10 billion.
I wouldn't doubt it. They released a high quality system. A lot of high quality games from themselves and their support of 3rd party developers and indies. They released many high quality remakes and remasters. They released a high quality GaaS game going against the naysayers thinking Sony would abandon single player games. And they most likely are profiting a lot more than PS1, PS2 PS4 and the loss leading PS3 that drained all their profits.
Now, I'll wait to see what's cooking tomorrow. But can you use some of those profits to better support your high quality VR headset? Because, by supporting it, you can sell more games and more systems and make more profits?
If it had some rpgs I would buy right fking now. It looks dope and alot of fun, but it's biggest game resident evil 4(maybe) I've got no interest in. I'm not a fan of racing games, even with that metro game coming i was never much into that series. Rpgs would be fantastic.
Lemme know if ya wanna play some Zenith 🙌
Bought it at release, but haven't played it more than 1-2 hours but for sure on my "todo list".
Normal when they released mostly cross gen games so far. That’s a lot of money saved..
We haven’t seen what PS5 can do yet. 4years in and PS4 games still look great to me. The gen leap isn’t quite there yet.
The interesting metric for me is the $106billion in operating income/profit (not sales as mentioned in the article) reaching the same as the PS4 did with only half the consoles sold.
In particular because they all are supposed to be making the most per hardware sold after a few years when manufacturing costs are down.
So even putting inflation aside(and the higher console price), it is interesting that they could reach PS4 $ with just half the consoles sold.
Maybe there is more to the metric thats whats seen at face value, but they have clearly been making a lot more money than before on the software side (with also less games released I suppose, given its only been half the generation so far)
The bulk of the money has to be coming from the 30% cut on all games and microtransactions. Especially on all the free to play juggernauts like genshin, apex, fortnight, etc.
@Versus
They are definitely making a lot on that for sure (which the $70 price increase factors into as well), but its not like many of those games werent around for the PS4 too.
They might be counting the gen as a whole and not just PS5 itself (so extra profit from PC sales, whatever that may be)
PS+ price increase and different tiers probably amount to part of that too.
But in general, its still quite a surprising metric. Half the time, half the consoles sold, less first party games released so far and still already making more of a profit than last gen is quite something, and as mentioned, there is probably more to it that we dont know, after all, since we are talking about operating income, all the expenses they have also factor into it, so it is also possible that they have found ways to significantly reduce that + all the means of increased revenue that appear to be factoring into the equation
All in all, just an interesting situation from a business perspective
It's for the whole generation, so it would likely be including PC. They also make much more profit on digital sales vs retail, and digital is far more prominent these days. The generation also started at the height of COVID when everyone was home, spending far more money on gaming/hobbies. It makes a lot of sense for this gen to be more profitable.
This will surely shut up all the new trolling accounts trying to spread lies and non facts in other articles comment sections before this article is posted.
Obscurely, those trolls or troll will not show in these articles as the truth is contradictory to his or their orchard-sized daily dose of copium and hopium.
Or... They're intentionally trolling you guys specifically. Because they know it upsets you so easily.
Name-dropping Orchard, after this many months? How long has it been and he's still in your thoughts?
I'm quite sure the individual is reading these positive comments downvoting & seething at the same time. Edit: It just downvoted my comment...lol!!
No I'm entertained by this individual. I love unhinged people, they are so interesting lol.
Wow! I am super impressed that in just 4 years, ps5 already caught up to the PS4's. Congratulations.
That happens when half of your games are cross platform. I'm still waiting to see what the ps5 is capable of, because they sure haven't pushed any limits.
And where are all these ps5 exclusive games?
Wow, was that an article about a spoiled child who wants everything for free after paying $50 a year (14 cents a day), and wants it right now or what? I think that's called a temper tantrum, but I can't be sure. ;)
While PlayStation Plus could certainly be better (what service couldn't?), it's more than worth the $50 a year for anyone with half a brain and a few minutes to spare. Hell, you could take any 30 day period from the last year and I've probably saved enough on games in those 30 days to afford another year's subscription - so how can you possibly say that makes you want to rage quit?
It may not be perfect or always have great games up, but as a whole it's a pretty damn good service if you ask me.
They aren't going to be offering AAA titles every month. Where was the author when games like metro, bioshock, tomb raider, etc were becoming available. I do share the same frustration as him when it comes to navigating the store especially on the ps3 but I wouldn't discredit the service for it. I for one love it because of the discounts and the free games that it provides even if at times they aren't my cup of tea. The service has introduced me to games that I wouldn't have bother looking into.
Xbox Live is officially better than PS+. PSN needs to start working on security first. I noticed today when I redeemed a code on XBL, that the codes are 10 digits longer than PS+/PSN codes. I mean how easy is Sony going to make it to figure out codes and also hack PSN? Now the PS+ games are weaker than ever and the XBL games with gold are getting better.
What you need to understand is not every game that will be offered, you will like. It just won't happen. You are just being entitled at that point. A lot of the games that have been offered, were not what I cared for playing either but I'm not crying about it and wasting people's time with opinion pieces.
Must be that time of the month for the author.