Campaign against Playstation Plus paywall

[th3birdman]

I think it's crazy I pay a water bill every month when water was free for hundreds of thousands of years but I deal with it.

Next thing you know they will be charging us for air.

They did in Total Recall 

Seriously though, this is a stepping stone. Once they see we will accept these kinds of anti consumer practices, they will continue to see how much they could get away with it.

If they could find a way, I am almost certain a corporation would try to charge for something as fundamental as air.

Just look at what we have allowed organizations to do to us:

Taxes (unconstitutional, and straight up illegal.)

Paying for water (as you've said)

Ridiculous limits on internet (people in HK pay for 500 mbps for around $25)

Costs of food, but decrease in quality

and various other things.

The sad thing is that we will have people that defend these things.

I know it sounds like I'm on a soapbox, but these kinds of things matter. A snowball starts as a single snowflake. It just needs to be enabled-- and THAT'S what we're doing. 

 

[th3birdman]

How the hell are you going to call someone out for saying they think the charge for online play is worth it to them, then say that someone isn't getting the full value of something they paid for?

That's what YOU think.


OP you are either really naive or really stupid, I'm leaning toward a bit of both.

Perhaps you've missed the point, or didn't understand something.

Video games cost around $60. There are games that are created with multiplayer in mind, or entirely the focus. They also have single player. This means there are effectively two parts to the game.

Still following me? Cool.

Here's the rub: Online multiplayer being behind a paywall means half of the game is being blocked-- ergo, you're not receiving full value of said game should you elect to not pay ANOTHER fee to access it. 

In short, you're paying full value, for half a game, if you don't pay the online fee. 


How is stating FACTS naive or stupid? I'm curious how you will respond to this. 

 

[SneakerProSr.]

OP I actually agree with you in principle it just grinds my gears because there are much worse things in the world to complain about.

Hell I live in Texas I gotta pay to drive on the tollway which is freaking ridiculous to me.

If I gotta pay to use it I should be able to go as fast as I want.

SRS

 

[SneakerProSr.]

How the hell are you going to call someone out for saying they think the charge for online play is worth it to them, then say that someone isn't getting the full value of something they paid for?


That's what YOU think.



OP you are either really naive or really stupid, I'm leaning toward a bit of both.

Perhaps you've missed the point, or didn't understand something.


Video games cost around $60. There are games that are created with multiplayer in mind, or entirely the focus. They also have single player. This means there are effectively two parts to the game.


Still following me? Cool.


Here's the rub: Online multiplayer being behind a paywall means half of the game is being blocked-- ergo, you're not receiving full value of said game should you elect to not pay ANOTHER fee to access it. 


In short, you're paying full value, for half a game, if you don't pay the online fee. 



How is stating FACTS naive or stupid? I'm curious how you will respond to this. 

But you know this ahead of time and you don't have to buy the game. Online multiplayer games typically have more re-playability hence the added cost versus paying the same 60 bucks for a game like Bayonetta.

 

[KingParappa]

Just don't buy the console. Speak with your money.

Pick up a new hobby, I guess.

 

[th3birdman]

But you know this ahead of time and you don't have to buy the game. Online multiplayer games typically have more re-playability hence the added cost versus paying the same 60 bucks for a game like Bayonetta.

Games costing $60 is a whole nother box of tarantulas that I won't jump into, but I will say that the costs of playing online are already paid for in the purchase price of the original game. Servers are ran by developers, NOT SONY. Sony only access those servers, but do you feel that something as easy as flipping a switch for them is worth $50 a year? I don't see how that make sense. 

Just don't buy the console. Speak with your money.

Pick up a new hobby, I guess.

Why should I? I've enjoyed gaming for the better part of 20+ years now, and I should just get out, because of a silly company practice that could be changed easily should we get the traction? I don't find that logical. Not buying the console makes more sense, but what if we could change it?



 

 

[jking0821]

If a game has multi-player online...i have no problem paying more for that game technically. If new battlefield was $70 but had free online play....id buy it. Same with COD and Destiny and FF XIV....so i don't see a problem with this since you can get a PS+ card on amazon for $40 for a $50 credit....that to me is like buying 4 games all year with $10 up charge on each for the hours of entertainment i get from online multiplayer.

The one thing i would like to see though is an a-la-cart methodology to online. Like like me pay per minute. I have months where i go without gaming. I wish i could buy 15 hours of PS online and just use that whenever i go online instead of a yearly pass

 

[GTA 809]

Do you have to pay per console or one for every user?

 

[sole vintage]

Do you have to pay per console or one for every user?

one user with plus gives every user plus and access to mulitplayer

 

[harlemtothebronx]

As long as Sony uses the money to better the online experience, I don't see the problem. Gamers were lucky Sony allowed free online multiplayer to go on for all of last generation.


Suck it up. I really don't think it's that big of an issue of principle.

This kind of reasoning I seriously hate.


So, we were LUCKY Sony decided to...go par for the course?

Online gaming being free IS THE NORM. Microsoft was previously the absolute only company charging a premium for it. 


Also I should suck it up? 


You mind answering a question people keep ignoring?

Are you OK with not receiving the full value of an item you've already paid for, unless you pay again?


 

I'm just dealing with the reality of the situation. Microsoft was able to justifiably (depending on how you feel, but the majority of gamers would agree) charging for online gameplay. This is a billion dollar company, why wouldn't they head that way if it's worked for Microsoft. Thusly, gamers are lucky that Sony waited this long to collect money that was there for the taking.

I'm not speaking on the principal of it, or whether its right or wrong, I'm looking at it logically and realistically.

And at the end of the day, we all have the option of not purchasing the console if we disagree with Sony that much on the issue.

 

[100proof]

I gotta give it you OP, I like your stance. I see so many PS heads online trashing XBL for years about how paying for online was dumb and they'd never do it. Now that Sony's charging they like "well its ok cause its a good deal".

Stand ya ground OP. Don't pay the 5!

 

[KingParappa]

But you know this ahead of time and you don't have to buy the game. Online multiplayer games typically have more re-playability hence the added cost versus paying the same 60 bucks for a game like Bayonetta.

Games costing $60 is a whole nother box of tarantulas that I won't jump into, but I will say that the costs of playing online are already paid for in the purchase price of the original game. Servers are ran by developers, NOT SONY. Sony only access those servers, but do you feel that something as easy as flipping a switch for them is worth $50 a year? I don't see how that make sense. 

Just don't buy the console. Speak with your money.


Pick up a new hobby, I guess.

Why should I? I've enjoyed gaming for the better part of 20+ years now, and I should just get out, because of a silly company practice that could be changed easily should we get the traction? I don't find that logical. Not buying the console makes more sense, but what if we could change it?



 

We're not changing it. If someone did something I didn't like and I couldn't change it, I guess its not for me anymore.

I'd pay the money. I paid for XBL for almost 5 years now. This makes no difference to me. And aren't Sony still giving away games with the PS+?

 

[SneakerProSr.]

But you know this ahead of time and you don't have to buy the game. Online multiplayer games typically have more re-playability hence the added cost versus paying the same 60 bucks for a game like Bayonetta.

Games costing $60 is a whole nother box of tarantulas that I won't jump into, but I will say that the costs of playing online are already paid for in the purchase price of the original game. Servers are ran by developers, NOT SONY. Sony only access those servers, but do you feel that something as easy as flipping a switch for them is worth $50 a year? I don't see how that make sense. 

Just don't buy the console. Speak with your money.


Pick up a new hobby, I guess.

Why should I? I've enjoyed gaming for the better part of 20+ years now, and I should just get out, because of a silly company practice that could be changed easily should we get the traction? I don't find that logical. Not buying the console makes more sense, but what if we could change it?




 

From a business perspective why shouldn't Sony charge?

 

[T Lo Sweater]

dog

i really dont think its thats serious

 

[SneakerProSr.]

Also people like me is why Sony is about to charge.

I don't pay retail for any game other than Madden. I'm going to go pick up Mass Effect 3 for 8 bucks as soon as Best Buy opens.

I refuse to pay more than 20 bucks for a game.

 

[36Hypno]

It's not about the money. 


It is anti consumer to the point of being almost as bad as DRM. I mean, are you OK with a company artificially halving the value of something you purchased for full value?


Why are people ignoring this point?


Even if it were about the money, why are you people content to let this slide, and take advantage of the people who aren't as well off as you (those who "aren't cheap")? Seeing the things I've seen on this site, I will conclude that many of us are from poorer families and can understand how it used to be when all you could afford was the console and MAYBE a game. Through that lens, why are we sweeping this under the rug? There are still many people like that, and they don't have anyone looking out for them...


I can afford the money. I posted a link showing that I was an Xbox gamer in the beginning, and yeah I paid Xbox live. I could probably pay 4 subscriptions and it not affect my bottom line. It's about principle here. We need to stand up to these companies and not let them take advantage of us ALL THE TIME. It's a shameless cash grab by Sony, and we shouldn't stand for it. 

OP you say its not about the money but you mention how poor families will be affected by this. I agree to an extent. But if you can afford to pay $399 for a system and $60 for each game I would assume you can pay $50 for a yearly subscription. This isn't just a cash grab by them. XBox Live is a far better online gaming experience than PSN because of the support that they provide. They can do this because they have the funds. PSN was shut down for nearly 2 months if I recall because of some virus. To my knowledge nothing like that has ever occured on XBox Live. I specifically got a 360 because of that and I know a few other folks who left the PSN ranks due to the number of issues it has.

 

[captnaj phd]

I'm haven't been a hardcore gamer since PS2, and it's because I could see **** like this on the horizon with the advent of paid online services.

As someone who grew up spending their own hard-earned teenage money on games, I expect to receive the entirety of the game when I pay for one. If I'm plunking down 60+ to experience a game, I should be able to access all facets of it through gameplay (and maybe cheat codes from the back of Game Informer).

This new stuff with the paid DLC and premium features for a game I already paid for (which is really just giving me a key to unlock components of the game that were present upon purchase)...even figuring out a way to charge for the same disc twice with these used game locks is just a way to squeeze every cent they can out of consumers in a disingenuous fashion. If people have accepted this, then so be it. I just can't see it for anything else.

I understand the cost of production for any product rises over time, but this is a trick something like how the food companies keep their unit prices the same and just decrease the size of the item. Ever notice how a box of cereal is 2-dimensional now? How Hot Pockets look more like eggrolls? How bags of chips quietly shrunk until the chips in a given bag could fit in one of those airline peanut packages? They still cost the same, you're just getting less for your money.

It's not about paying to be online...I'm doing that right now with no beef. It's about paying for content that is, could and should be included and is withheld for pure profit reasons. A cash grab in its' purest form. It's like buying a DVD and having to pay for special features and deleted scenes...sure, you're able to watch the movie, but you paid for a DVD and you've come to expect these things to be included. You're deceiving people into thinking they're getting a complete product when there are many add-ons involved, and I personally would rather they at least be upfront about the cost of the intended game experience.

Like I said, I'm no longer a hardcore gamer at all. I'll jump in on a game of Madden and trash anybody with a life using Captain Falcon in any of those three games, but my days of buying consoles on release day and being deeply plugged in to the culture are pretty much over. A lot of it is because of unsavory business practices like this.

There are two main ways to show your disapproval of a company/industry's methods...I chose one, OP chose the other. If enough people are committed enough to their beliefs to practice either, they have no choice but to get the message.

We'll see what the consumer allows to happen.

 

[pr0phecy718]

go buy a wii u

 

[Mark Antony]

Damn did they slip this in after the preorder opened? I remember comparisons saying online would still be free. Console makers giving no ***** next generation.

 

[Nawzlew]

Damn did they slip this in after the preorder opened? I remember comparisons saying online would still be free. Console makers giving no ***** next generation.

It's been known that you'd have to pay.

 

[jaysfiend23]

If you make this an issue on change ppl will sogn

 

[domogotsole]

My opinion is it was free for quite some time and I remember during prime time hours service was sometimes meh. This fee lightens the load a bit on the servers so it should be a benefit. Although the fee is cheap now, no doubt it will only rise from here. Quite honestly I'm more concerned with the prices of my internet service provider. That is a fee I'd really like reduced.

 

[yungchris504]

I get your point but the fact that you also receive the perks of PS+ i.e free games, makes the purchase negligible. Now if they went they xbox live route where everything required a subscription to work I can definitely see the issue. Also if it improves the online experience it is welcomed.

We really don't know what to expect until the release of the PS4 hopefully it isn't the same online experience as the PS3.

 

[mangudai954]

Only it didn't.


PSN is perfectly fine, and actually has more users than XBL (although that number may be skewed a bit because of multiple accounts). PSN doesn't disconnect, nor does it lag for me. Anecdotes are not fair for this type of discussion. 


If it's so bad, then why are people like me fighting to keep it the same? You'd think 77 million people would be clamoring for improvements, and not being shocked by this news. 

Lol tell that to the virtua fighter guys. Playing on XBL instead of PSN is literally a day and night experience. PSN is very laggy and games and rooms drop a lot more. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case for many more games, VF is the only game I happen to have played on both systems.

I mean lol Gaikai alone is worth the cost, never mind the fact that you get FREE games through Plus, it pays for itself! Imo most people who are complaining either just don't want to pay or don't understand business and the cost that goes into what Sony is trying to do. (Running and maintaining servers for millions of gamers = $$)Which is fine that's your prerogative but then, don't buy a PS4.

 

[deleted]

inb4 "You're missing the point." or "Are you telling me I shouldn't stand up for something I believe in?" or "People like you are the reason for *insert historical wrongdoing*"