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.
SlapnutzUK
Everything I have now I will still have once Playstation Plus is introduced. On that basis alone I can only see Playstation Plus a a good idea.
If you get a store discount all year long, access to free games be it full, PSN, mini or classic, the ability to get updates automatically, etc…. and are happy to pay for it then go for it.
:)
Nerran
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.
Is this also meant to non PS+ Users? So if I don’t want to have PS+ does it turn on aswell?
iAvernus
Nope, only subscribers get that feature.
TSBonyman
About the only interest i had in this was for the discounts as i buy a lot of games from the store (currently over 75) which also means i’m likely to have many of the free games already. Now that i know that the discounts aren’t across the board but will only be offered on select titles(again probaly many games i already own) my interest is fading fast again. And this nonsense about deleting Demos.. I specifically keep certain demos on my HD not because i play them constantly but because i like having certain content readily available should i choose to play it. For instance i have the Gran Turismo HD Concept 2.0 demo which i rarely play but it would be a right kick in the teeth if i got up one morning and it was gone. I know it should still be on my downloads list but then what’s the point of automatic downloads if you then have to manually seek out and download stuff again..
Bollocks anyway, i’m out again.
Incidently why do people have to accept these ToS even if they aren’t subscribing to the service?
Dexter17
Extremely unsure about this. I’ll read the Terms and Conditions in full and then make a decision.
rossthebassist
Now, i have quite a few minis, and psone games so chances are i aint going to see a big saving immediatly… HOWEVER, chances are im going to get allot of games i wouldnt have normaly paid for under my subscription. which is cool.
im deffinatly game.