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Forums - Gaming - "Sony’s PlayStation Now Service Feels Like Highway Robbery"

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fighter on 01 August 2014
Munkeh111 said:
gergroy said:
Munkeh111 said:
Yes, so an overpriced service is like stealing. There's definitely no logic missing there.


Anyway, if they price it too high, people won't buy. But I doubt Sony are the only ones setting the prices it. Personally, I'm not hugely interested, I still like owning physical games and I don't have the choice anyway given my UK location

highway robbery

 
noun
1.
robbery committed on a highway against travelers, as by a highwayman.
2.
Informal. a price or fee that is unreasonably high; exorbitant charge.

There's clearly a difference between robbery and a high price. The whole point of a robbery is that the money is taken against your will

it's a figure of speech

if you understood that Sony was literaly stealing then you are probably unfamiliar with it



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DeadBigfoot21 on 01 August 2014
BillyBong said:
DeadBigfoot21 said:

I use gamefly and I pay $22 a month for 2 games at a time. I usually finish them in a week and return them and order 2 more. Shipping for me takes 2-3 days at max. I get to play games the same day they launch so that is new games for you. Games on PS now will not be new so that is a huge bummer. I can walk into GameStop or shop at amazon and get most of those games listed on PS now for cheaper and I get to keep them and do whatever I want with them. Also another thing is that PS now is online only.....what if my internet is down? Well guess what buddy?! You can't play those games. I thought you guys hated online only? Same reason why Microsoft was hated on but now suddenly its ok? That irony!
EA's plan sounds a lot better IMO. If Sony does a subscription based deal then it would be better as long as games aren't 5 years old.

what is the issue really?  Do you realize that PSNOW will benefit those that don't own/will never own a ps3, but would love to play the games on a compatible device?  Have you also ever rented anything ever?  the pricing is fine other than the $3 for 4hrs.. one can assume, it will only get better once out of beta.  a subscription im not sure will truly work for a service like this, considering the amount of games from different publishers this service is offering.

So sure.. go walking into a gamestop or online at amazon and buy a game cheaper than you can rent it for on a system you do not have.. oh wait.. how would you play it?  ding ding ding.. that's what this service offers.. access to a whole world of the playstation catalog without having to actually buy a console.  for ps4 owners that never owned a ps3.. same thing.  access to a catalog of games you would of never got to experience.

Nope, Sony just found a way to make more money. They don't want you to go spend your money on GameStop so they created this service which is about the same amount of money as buying the game used. Buying used games doesn't help the publisher so Sony wants a cut from that.



Mr Puggsly on 01 August 2014
Trunkin said:
The problem with PSNow is that it's a rental service, and rentals are expensive as shit. In an age where you can get dozens of games for $50 a year, unlimited access to hundreds of movies and TVshows for $8 a month, or games less than a year old for $10 a pop, $8 for a week for a single outdated game just feels obscenely expensive.


PS Now isn't that expensive, PS+ is just a better value. However, PS+ doesn't give you the games you want when you want them. We just hope PS+ will add games we want every month.

Also, if you have a PS3 than buy these games on PS3. PSNow is ideal for users that want to play PS3 games on a platform that doesn't support PS3 games. If I had a Vita, I would definitely take advantage of this service when I want to play PS3 games away from home.



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BMaker11 on 01 August 2014
kowenicki said:
BMaker11 said:
DeadBigfoot21 said:
I just came here too see all those Sony fans defending this because Sony is doing it.
Prices are way overpriced and if you're ok with them then you simply are blind. You can use gamefly for lower the price and still get newly released games for cheaper. Heck EA's plan is a lot better.

What part of streaming to PS4, PS3, Vita, and Sony TVs instantly aren't people getting? You know server maintenance for that isn't free, right? And what part of "You can rent a game for $10 for a month" aren't people getting? That's overpriced? To have 2 games out at any given time for Gamefly is $22 or $23, I believe, and you have to wait on shipping, which is (from what I've read) 3-4 days. Not to mention, games are queued up for rental (there isn't an infinite supply), so if it's not available, you're not getting that game. For $20 on PSNow, I can get the same games INSTANTLY for the month.

How much is Redbox? $2/day? So $14 dollars for 7 days vs. $8 for 7 days via PSNow.

I fail to see how these things are way overpriced. But no, ignore the practical options that are available, and only focus on $5 for 4 hours to yell out "overpriced". If looking at other rental options and seeing similar or lower prices on PSNow and thinking that's good is "blind", well then I'm as blind as Ray Charles in a dark cave in a black hole. The day that $8 for 7 days is overpriced, but $14 for the same time period isn't overpriced, kindly kick me in the nads

edit: and just to correct a prior statement from you, Gamefly isn't $10/month, it's $16 and that's for having 1 game at a time. Are you gonna get a game, finish it, then return it in a week? Well, factor in the 4 day shipping between the two games, and that's 8 days (plus the day or so it takes to ship back to GF head quarters). You're now less than 3 weeks of gameplay time for the $16 you spent. Getting a 3rd game would bring you up to 12 days (remember, include the days it takes to return the games to Gamefly), almost 2 weeks in shipping time (or more). Depending on how long you play a given game, you've rolled over into the next month, meaning you really only got 2 games for $16. So at best Gamefly is equal to PSNow, price wise. In terms of pragmatism, PSNow > Gamefly. You get your games instantly, no shipping times, no queues becomes games are already rented, etc.

The vast majority of people on the internet are in agreement on this. Its just a few notable exceptions that arent.  I guess you are one of those excpetions. Thats fine though.... I have been in that postition myself. 

I'm gonna assume you're talking about the vast majority agreeing on PSNow being "overpriced". Yea....mostly MS fans or people otherwise not paying attention to rental prices of various services.

Like I said Gamefly, price wise, is a wash with PSNow, but in terms of how pragmatic each are, PSNow > Gamefly. And Redbox is $2/day. PSNow beats it in price and pragmatism (instant games instead of having to go out and get them).

If not being ignorant to reality makes me an exception, I'll happily be an exception. In the "EA Access isn't a good value thread", everybody bitching about PSNow saw, and only saw "$5 for 4 hours" and scoffed at it and that was the only talking point, in terms of the value. The 7-day, 30-day, and 90-day options are there..but I guess I just can't click them, right?

But keep only viewing that way if you want. Make fun of PSNow prices, but don't say a thing about Redbox (whose video games service is thriving right now) whose prices people don't seem to have a problem with. Go ahead and buy the games on the cheap to play on a PS3 you don't own, and would cost $100+ to attain.



BillyBong on 01 August 2014
DeadBigfoot21 said:

Nope, Sony just found a way to make more money. They don't want you to go spend your money on GameStop so they created this service which is about the same amount of money as buying the game used. Buying used games doesn't help the publisher so Sony wants a cut from that.


did you just read what I wrote?  why are you going to go buy a game for a system you don't have?  it's okay you can rent from other places for more outrageous prices, but because it's Sony, it's that bad?  seems you just hating to hate...



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TheBlackNaruto on 01 August 2014
DeadBigfoot21 said:
BillyBong said:

what is the issue really?  Do you realize that PSNOW will benefit those that don't own/will never own a ps3, but would love to play the games on a compatible device?  Have you also ever rented anything ever?  the pricing is fine other than the $3 for 4hrs.. one can assume, it will only get better once out of beta.  a subscription im not sure will truly work for a service like this, considering the amount of games from different publishers this service is offering.

So sure.. go walking into a gamestop or online at amazon and buy a game cheaper than you can rent it for on a system you do not have.. oh wait.. how would you play it?  ding ding ding.. that's what this service offers.. access to a whole world of the playstation catalog without having to actually buy a console.  for ps4 owners that never owned a ps3.. same thing.  access to a catalog of games you would of never got to experience.

Nope, Sony just found a way to make more money. They don't want you to go spend your money on GameStop so they created this service which is about the same amount of money as buying the game used. Buying used games doesn't help the publisher so Sony wants a cut from that.

Isn't that what most companies do? Find ways to make money? And also it seems you are missing the point for current PS3 owners this isn't really that big of a deal because as you said you can go buy the game cheaper. But what is someone doesn't want to buy the game but still wants to play it? Wouldn't this benefit them? Or what about the people that only have a PS4 and no PS3 like I mentioned in my other post wouldn't this benefit them? It's like you are just completely ignoring those two things...



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LudicrousSpeed on 01 August 2014

Its ok, I think someone else will create their own digital service for their games and put it on PSN, allowing users with Internet's access to access their games at a much fairer price. This competition will force Sony into a more consumer friendly position price and content wise. Of course, competition also improves your services and features. Sony, being the current market leader and #4theplayers after all, will surely embrace this and any other competing services and would see them as a way to improve their product to gamers and would never ever block it or anything.

So hold on tight people, our days of paying $8 to stream Critter Crunch for a few days will soon be over.



BMaker11 on 01 August 2014
LudicrousSpeed said:
Its ok, I think someone else will create their own digital service for their games and put it on PSN, allowing users with Internet's access to access their games at a much fairer price. This competition will force Sony into a more consumer friendly position price and content wise. Of course, competition also improves your services and features. Sony, being the current market leader and #4theplayers after all, will surely embrace this and any other competing services and would see them as a way to improve their product to gamers and would never ever block it or anything.

So hold on tight people, our days of paying $8 to stream Critter Crunch for a few days will soon be over.

Gamefly: Doing just fine right now. $23 a month for 2 games out at a given time.

Redbox: Doing just fine right now. $2/day. $60/month for a game

PSNow: apparently, terrible prices. $10 for a month for a game (like KZ3 and FFXIII-2....nice try with Critter Crunch, though). 2 games = $20 for the month.

Non-Sony game rental services: such fairer price. much consumer friendly.





Munkeh111 on 01 August 2014
fighter said:
Munkeh111 said:

There's clearly a difference between robbery and a high price. The whole point of a robbery is that the money is taken against your will

it's a figure of speech

if you understood that Sony was literaly stealing then you are probably unfamiliar with it

I just think it's very very different, I understand it's used that way, but I'm generally annoyed by the overuse of accusations of rip-offs

With consumer culture the way it is, people forget that prices are done based on demand.

Look at football (or soccer if you're American). Everyone calls the tickets a rip-off, but still buys them. To me that clearly says that the tickets are the right price

Here, the prices are clearly too high i many cases. But given that there are multiple ways of getting all this content, "highway robbery" feels too strong a phrase



Trunkin on 01 August 2014
Mr Puggsly said:
Trunkin said:
The problem with PSNow is that it's a rental service, and rentals are expensive as shit. In an age where you can get dozens of games for $50 a year, unlimited access to hundreds of movies and TVshows for $8 a month, or games less than a year old for $10 a pop, $8 for a week for a single outdated game just feels obscenely expensive.


PS Now isn't that expensive, PS+ is just a better value. However, PS+ doesn't give you the games you want when you want them. We just hope PS+ will add games we want every month.

Also, if you have a PS3 than buy these games on PS3. PSNow is ideal for users that want to play PS3 games on a platform that doesn't support PS3 games. If I had a Vita, I would definitely take advantage of this service when I want to play PS3 games away from home.

PSNow is a good deal for what it is, but what it is isn't as good a deal as what it could be if they just went with a subscription. If they could charge, say, $15 a month for unlimited access, that'd be great -- expecially with the multiplatform nature of the service. Even $20 a month to play whatever I want, whenever I want to would be better than rentals, IMO. I'm sure it all hinges on what the publishers are willing to accept, though.

I can see myself renting a month of a game for $12 under the right circumstances, but I'd hate myself for it all the same. Just like I hated myself for spending $6 to rent the Hobbit digitally just to see it in HD.