Survey proposes PSN subscription service

A new survey on PlayStation's Asia website includes the rather interesting proposal of a monthly subscription plan for users of the PC-based PlayStation store (although the plan could apply elsewhere, the survey's focus was on the PC store). This isn't a monthly subscription akin to Xbox Live Gold, however, where you pay monthly to use online multiplayer (and now receive DLC a week in advance). The proposed plan, according to the suggestion, is "one price for unlimited download."

The pricing plan would be especially interesting in Asia given the vast number of PSOne classic titles available for download (North America and Europe have a rather paltry list). The comment itself is brief enough to consider it a passing though, although that Sony is at some level considering the option is very noteworthy. (An example of an analogous service for the music industry would be Rhapsody.) What would it take for you to consider a monthly subscription plan for PSN downloads?

[Via PSP Fanboy, Siliconera]

Reader Comments (29)

Pay for something thats already free... lets see... no?

Games for download on PSN aren't free.

How about paying for school and learning how to read? Is that a no no too?

Xbox 360 Online Play will never be free :(
They already have us hooked and they keep raising their price and we keep payin' because that's the only thing we can do.

I don't see it ever changing T_____T

PS this is not a response to the guy up there. That guy is a tard.

You should learn to read.

No, ta.

Other - Give them all away for free.

Wait, they're not actually going to go with the most votes?

Subscription for unlimited downloads? AWSOME! It would be better if the American PSN had all the PSX titles that the Asian PSN had.

Oh and this doesn't compare to the Xbox Live Subscription since they are asking if you would want unlimited payed software for a single monthly cost vs paying per title.

It doesn't sound like this would affect gaming online or demos at all... like Xbox Live does....

I guess it is exactly because of the content on the asian PSN that this survey was only made there...

anyway, this is actually awesome...a monthly fee of like 10-15USD would be awesome, what I would really like though is the freedom to be able to use the items you have purchase regardless of having an active account or not...

and no, XBL is MUCH different, take in mind the latest problems, if you aren't able to connect to your XBL, you can't access the content you have bought....and also, there is only a la carte service...which I don't really understand since they already have the other system for the Zune marketplace...

You can access content you've purchased if you purchased it on that console.

So, effectively, you're right. (If the XBLA titles are still available, you can delete them and download them again for free, so that they're marked with your current console. Not sure if it saves your scores and saved games, though. I haven't tried it yet.)

It would probably work like Napster and the other music subscriptions sites. It's unlimited downloads but stop paying and you can't use what you have downloaded.

I can't see Sony allowing everyone to pay let's say 19.99 for the month, download what's on the store and stop paying.

Sony doing awesome stuff?! Somebody over there must have divided by zero!

Who divided by zero?!

I hear that Ken Kutagari has been dividing by zero again

He's Back Baby!

Chuck Norris does.

lol @ you guys. damn that Krazy Ken

Id say leave well enough alone. I dont know how but this could backfire in some way...

hmmm. Only problem with this is that you'll have to keep paying if you want to play the games(at least that's what I would assume they would do. No way they'll let you'll keep all those games).

I'm gonna guess(if this does happen) the price will be between $15-19 a month.

Stop paying and you stop playing. All those downloaded games would be switched off.

Anyone clicked that image thinking it was a poll thingie? :x

They could put a download limit. Even if it was at (2)PSX games, (1)Downloadable game a month, it's still nearly a steal.

That would dampen the unlimited download part of the option a bit.

I think it would be nice to have a plan to dl whatever games you want based on a monthly fee. This of course has to be done with a much larger game library for download though.

See if I had enough time to use this I would probably go for it. But since graduating university and getting a proper job I just don't have time for consoles. If they built this around handhelds as well then we might be talking.

actually James, this is for the PC based PSN, meaning that it would also include the PSP :]

or it could be a contract like a 2 year cellphone plan to make sure you stay with them.

Other - allow download from any web browser, on any OS that can mount the PSP or the memory stick.

Hum pay for something that is free. WTF is sony thinking.

I think you should use your imagination here - they are likely talking about for bonus items like games, movies, and music and not playing online.

Unlimited downloads for a subscription price doesn't sound bad as long as they allow those who don't download things from the store that often to still pay per purchase.

I just hope they aren't planning to charge for playing games online like Xbox Live since it, in my opinion, is the PlayStation's biggest selling point over Xbox.

Survey proposes PSN subscription service

Reader Comments (29)

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