PlayStation Offers Free Online Multiplayer Trial This Weekend

  • Thread starter Famine
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That's just an excuse for it though. Sure it's a good deal but why am I basically forced to pay for it?
Because Xbox Live users showed they would pay for it, and Sony realised they could to. Nintendo have also now realised they can.

So if you want to blame anyone, blame the consumers who didn't say no to paying for XBL and force a u-turn. Businesses are gonna business given half the chance.
 
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Because Xbox Live users showed they would pay for it, and Sony realised they could to. Nintendo have also now realised they can.

So if you want to blame anyone, blame the consumers who didn't say no to paying for XBL and force a u-turn.
Sucks but true
 
That's just an excuse for it though. Sure it's a good deal but why am I basically forced to pay for it?
Because Xbox Live users showed they would pay for it, and Sony realised they could to. Nintendo have also now realised they can.

So if you want to blame anyone, blame the consumers who didn't say no to paying for XBL and force a u-turn.
Well, that and the fact that the servers for online multiplayer cost quite a bit of money, more so as players numbers have exploded, and they were a poor relation to XBL back when they were free to use.

For reference, there are about as many PS Plus subscribers now as there were PlayStation Network accounts in total when PS4 launched. Approximate "active" subscriber numbers are:

PSN
November 2006: 0
January 2008: 5 million
June 2008: 10 million
February 2009: 20 million
June 2010: 50 million
January 2020: 100 million

PS+
June 2010: 0
November 2013: 5 million
January 2015: 10 million
June 2016: 20 million
February 2018: 30 million

Most recent numbers are more than 110m "active" PSN users and close to 50m PS+ users (10m added since 2019... for obvious reasons!). At PS4's launch there were roughly 60 million "active" PSN users (reportedly 100m accounts in total in early 2014, according to Andrew House).

If we assume a maximum of 50% of active PSN users play online multiplayer (as the stats suggest), Sony was providing free and relatively crap servers for up to 30m people, scaled up in seven years from close to zero; it's now at 50m people seven years further on.


You're also not forced to pay for PS Plus; if you play F2P titles and single-player games, you don't need it.
 
Well, quite. I've never paid for it, don't need it. I only play SP and my tastes aren't diverse enough for the "free" games to make it worth it. Not to mention I prefer to own games outright.
 
Why don't they just make it free like the normal respectable company they used to be during the PS3 era?... Paying for multiplayer is peak scummyness...
Ah, but don't forget that also gave publishers (mainly looking ta you here EA) the excuse to charge for on-line passes, the move to PS+ for online saw Sony ban them from the PS4 onwards.

However Sony shouldn't get to much praise for banning a system they helped create with SOCOM FB3

 
Why don't they just make it free like the normal respectable company they used to be during the PS3 era?... Paying for multiplayer is peak scummyness...
Agreed 100%.
Throughout my years of PS4 ownership, I only paid online for 2-3 months for GT Sport a bit and than called it quits. The whole concept of paying to play online never sat well with me. I already pay for internet every month (which is very expensive in Canada), I paid for the system, I paid for the game...and now I have to pay monthly? No thanks.

Some argue that you get games...well for someone like myself, I'm not interested in extra games since I don't have much time or desire to play anything outside of Gran Turismo & the Yakuza Games. If I do have the time or desire to try something else, I rather just buy the game myself. ^__~
 
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Agreed 100%.
Throughout my years of PS4 ownership, I only paid online for 2-3 months for GT Sport a bit and than called it quits. The whole concept of paying to play online never sat well with me. I already pay for internet every month (which is very expensive in Canada), I paid for the system, I paid for the game...and now I have to pay monthly? No thanks.

Some argue that you get games...well for someone like myself, I'm not interested in extra games since I don't have much time or desire to play anything outside of Gran Turismo & the Yakuza Games. If I do have the time or desire to try something else, I rather just buy the game myself. ^__~
Since playing online on PC is free we also have that, assuming one has a decent gaming PC. Still, appreciate Sony offering this. Maybe I will try GT Sport online for the first time.
 
There needs to be tiers of membership. I don't really care about the free games either and I'd happily pay less just to get multiplayer access. Nothing more.

If the Spartacus rumors are true I hope Sony takes this into account.
 
The saddest part for me with PS plus is that I will never, ever allow an M rated game in my house, so I lose some value by having those be available for free.
 
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