Sony recently unveiled its new pricing model for its PlayStation Now service. The service is designed to allow PS4 users to stream PS3 (and eventually PS2 and PS1) titles to their consoles through the Internet, much like you would stream movies through Netflix. PlayStation Now is slated to come to the PS3 and PSVita a little while after it launches on Sony’s current flagship console, the PS4. Hit the jump to read on. If it’s too much to read scroll to the bottom for the TL;DR version.
During PlayStation Now’s beta phase, users could rent games à la carte at seemingly random prices depending on the game. God of War: Ascension ran for $1.99 for four hours, $5.99 for seven days, $7.99 for 30 days, or $14.99 for 90 days. Where as Ultra Street Fight 4, a game that is coming to PS4 this year, runs for $4.99 for 4 hours, $7.99 for 7 days, $14.99 for 30 days, $29.99 for 90 days. So it’s easy to see that there needed to be some sort of regulation to this madness.
The full service will go live in Canada and the U.S. on January 13th 2015. Luckily, Sony finally bit the bullet and settled on a rather fair price point of $19.99 a month, or $44.99 for three months of unlimited access to the entire PlayStation Now library. Although some would argue that $20 a month is a bit of a steep price, I would contend that buying any of these games alone would cost roughly $20 at GameStop or Best Buy. Seeing as how you don’t have to go anywhere to physically buy the games and bring them home, there really isn’t any need to poo poo the service.
Let me put this into perspective. God of War: Ascension is $17.99 on Amazon. That means if you buy the game on Amazon and then beat it within a week then you’re left with a disk of a game that you may not come back to again. Whereas if you were subscribed to PlayStation Now, you could play God of War: Ascension, beat it in a week, and then find another game to play without ever leaving the comfort of your own house.
Granted, if you’re not into beating games and trying to get the most bang for your buck, PlayStation Now (much like Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Instant Video) is probably not for you. The point of these services is to offer you a convenient alternative to going to a store and jumping through the hoops necessary to find a thing you want to dedicate your time to. Rather than renting a game at the now defunct Blockbuster, yon can just sit at home and do it through your console. In the age of instant gratification, this is just a thing we should probably start getting used to.
TL;DR
PlayStation Now is coming to the PS4 in Canada and the U.S. on January 13th.
The service will cost $19.99 a month, or $44.99 for three months (roughly $15 a month) for unlimited access to the PlayStation Now library.