It’s been a while since the PlayStation 3 required you to re-read and agree to a new set of Terms of Service, but that’s what you’ll get when you next switch on your PS3 and go online. In preparation for PlayStation Plus, which goes live next week, the detailed set of conditions you agree to has been updated, and you’ll need to read them carefully before playing online.
The salient points, highlighted and paraphrased by TheSixthAxis reader Teflon, are:
Some Subscriber content may be made available for download for limited periods only. As mentioned in our PlayStation Plus FAQ, you’ll need to ensure that you grab the subscriber stuff as it appears. It’s also true that you won’t be able to retrospectively get any such content, so if you want everything that PlayStation Plus has to offer you’ll need to subscribe from the word go.
There are two types of Subscriber based downloadable content, split neatly into those that you can re-download after your subscription ends and those that you can’t, as we’ve said in the past.
- Type 1: Premium Avatars and Themes, which, so long as you download when originally available you can re-download after you end your subscription.
- Type 2: PSN games, PS1 games, Minis and “Premium Game Elements” which we assume is a fancy word for DLC. This, as you’d expect, will no longer be accessible for use after your subscription period expires, even if you downloaded it before expiry.
Again, the new terms point out that if you do not renew your subscription immediately at the end of each Subscription Period, but later renew your subscription, you may lose your rights to access any Type 2 content. So, either you keep the subscription going, or you’ll lose all Type 2 content.
Automatic downloads have finally been detailed: they will only be usable by a single PS3 per subscriber account at any time, and will happen every 48 hours at a time you select. The PS3 will turn on automatically every 2 days to check for system software, game patches and game demos. Firmware updates won’t be applied until you’ve accepted the terms.
It appears there’s a limit to the number of game demos to be kept, and if you’ve turned their auto download on, then the least recently used demos will be deleted to make room.
Finally, it doesn’t appear that there’ll be a blanket PSN Store discount, as was suggested – it’ll be case by case. To see the new terms and conditions for yourself, sign into the PSN on your PlayStation 3 or PSP (either will do) and the PlayStation Plus stuff starts about half way down the rather massive list of conditions. This is definitely the situation in the UK, other territories may be slightly behind with the new terms pop-up.
Thanks, Teflon.
Apnomis
Sony have already confirmed that if you stop your subscription you can’t access Type 2 content, but if you resubscribe at a later date you WILL get access back again – you would just miss anything available during the time you didn’t subscribe. The only check it does is ‘PS+ Yes or No’, not whether it’s been continuous or not…
I don’t like the sound of it deleting my old demos to make room either – I like to be in charge of what I do and do not keep on my harddrive thank you very much!
Still not interested though, I want actual features adding, not a selection of freebies and game rentals. If they added more actual feature enhancements (like auto-downloading) then I would be interested…
Bilbo_bobbins
right with you here. Thats what I think, getting things at a discount (What Sony decides to make cheap, most probably because it’s not selling) is not worth it, hoping that something you MIGHT like might get a discount. It wont be stuff like COD DLC or anything like that. I want proper added features, not hopes of discounts that will get taken away after you don’t subscribe. I might aswell just not subscribe and get to keep the games I buy. It’s hardly saving you money either at 20% discount. Majorly confused by this !
bunimomike
It’s the classic “we’ll save you money”… (on the things you probably weren’t going to buy).
If you hit the PSN hard with plenty of smaller titles and oodles of DLC then I can see the PSN+ being pretty good. However, if not, I’d definitely give it a miss and choose where your pennies go instead of into the PSN+ lottery.
Bilbo_bobbins
Thats exactly what it is, a lottery, hoping you get decent stuff from Sony. And we all know Sony aren’t always that generous.
bunimomike
To be honest, matey, I love the PSN. I spend poop-loads on smaller titles and have purchases nearly every item of LittleBigPlanet DLC which kinda means there’s a decent chance I’ll already have whatever PSN+ is offering. The last thing I want is that resentful feeling of “each month comes along and each month they give me something I already have”. I think the free 3 months will let me test the waters sufficiently.
Also, don’t forget to check out the forum as there’s a nifty way to bring down the cost by buying PSN cards online instead of just adding to your wallet normally.
ScottW-1976
Right with you guys. I’m seeing nothing at the moment that interest’s me in +. If they start adding some more features and stuff like extended HW warranties, discounts on peripherals (Move?) then might get look at it again. Couldn’t care less about half arsed PSN titles and demo’s TBH.
Apnomis
@bunimomike, I always buy my PSN funds from Zavvi, that gives me a nice discount on all my purchases which again makes me less fussed about getting freebies.
And your point about buying lot’s of stuff is also another concern I have – not only do you risk being annoyed when things you buy are added to the PS+ freebies, but there is a secondary risk that PS+ subscribers buy less because they just wait for the freebies – how is that going to benefit Sony or Publishers/Developers?
I already know someone who has said they are not buying Joe Danger because they have a feeling it will be a PS+ freebie in a few months, previously they were happy to pay £9.99 on launch day – how many other people are thinking like this?
It seems to me that Sony have shot themselves in the foot with this idea…
teflon
The whole continue/resubscribe thing is to cover their arses in the ToS. But, having said that, there’s a big difference between it being in the ToS and some bloke just saying it. After all, I would have expected to be able to re-download all the content that I’d unlocked during my subscription, but that’s not the case. You either DL it in the month it’s available, or not at all.
DeathByNumbers
So if your PS3 breaks you won’t be able to go into your dl list and redownload the stuff? I thought they just meant it would all be added each month to a PSN+ section that changes every month and if you didn’t get it and add it to your download list you lost whatever was available that month. Not that whatever you download in July can only be ever downloaded for free in July??
MiguelX69
At this part: “Again, the new terms point out that if you do not renew your subscription immediately at the end of each Subscription Period, but later renew your subscription, you may lose your rights to access any Type 2 content. So, either you keep the subscription going, or you’ll lose all Type 2 content.”
So, if I take a day or two to re-subscribe this, I lose it all? They should give us like a week or so.
teflon
They don’t say how long you have to resubscribe.
But I imagine it’ll be at least a week. There’s also the ability to have it auto-renew from you credit card attached to PSN, and I expect they’ll send out reminders to your email address.
SpikeyMikey23
Does anyone know if i will be able to pay for this using direct debit or not?
YOURMUMANDME
Oh dear, I’m reaaally bad at letting subscriptions and payment schemes lapse ….. I’m currently doing a No2 thinking about what might happen to Type 2 :(
david
Still cant get my head around why people would pay for demos and like one member has mentioned, will the games they offer always be of Wipeout quality or will it be the stuff we never would have bought any ways?
I think Ill hold off and see what opinions are.
DeathByNumbers
Will I be able to use the free games, minis, dlc and themes on my other ps3? I understand the automatic downloads thing is restricted to one console per account, but what about the games I won’t get it if I have to play them all on my living room tv as I play PSN games alot in bed at night too. Also I noticed it said something about them limiting the number of times a device could be activated and then deactivated? Anyone know how it’s all going to work out for me?
teflon
Not sure, I can’t remember it saying anything about that. Just that you have to DL the content when it’s available, or not at all. So I assume within each month you can download stuff as much as possible.
retro_
Wonder how you sign up to this, will be part of the Account Management, i.e. Tick box to signup to PSN+
wuntunzee
I will be getting the PSN+ for 1 year to see how it goes. I’m just curious as to where the money goes. If its just to pay for the subsidised PSN retail games, there’s no point in it, I’d rather buy the ones I want at full price.
I’m hoping it goes to improving servers and netcode, so that we can compete with XBLA.
Has anyone followed the money yet?
hol
not sure about this yet? Would’ve been better if they combined this with first play imho
Amateratsu
hmm its not jumping out at me as something i want. i also dont like the risk of losing your content if you dont resubscribe in time… that sucks