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Paying to play online

Zenpai

By Zenpai
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Zenpai Enthusiast

Zenpai

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So the more I think about it, the more I realize paying to pay online is a bad joke.

 

 

youshoudlfeelbad.jpg

 

 

Online gaming was something that slowly came into being over the years, mainly on the PC side of things, before finally stabilizing in the late 90s and early 00's. As I said, this was all done mainly on the PC side of things, but with the sixth generation, consoles also started wanting a piece of that online action. The Playstation 2, the Gamecube, and especially the Dreamcast made some forays into the field with varying degrees of success.

 

The original Xbox, however, was the one that truly brought online gaming to the console field with Xbox Live. The service was so revolutionary that it was deemed a premium service, and hence, a paid service. So far, so good.

 

The problem began, however, when multiplayer modes in games got locked behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall. With online multiplayer being held at ransom, people had no choice but to pony up the money if they wanted to play with their friends (or just other people). And with the Xbox 360 being King of the Hill for some time, especially in the United States, Xbox Live Gold thrived because of this paywall.

 

Meanwhile, on the Sony side of things, online multiplayer was free on the Playstation 3. Playstation Network was at first very unstable, but they could just hide behind the fact that it was free. That also meant Microsoft could defend Xbox Live Gold by comparing it to the PSN, saying that their premium service's quality would be as bad as Sony's if they were to drop the paywall. However, after some time, the Playstation Network began to see some stability and Xbox Live Gold began to show some flaws, and this was when people began questioning the necessity of paying to play online. But this was the status quo for some time.

 

Until the 8th Generation, that is.

 

image.jpg?w=500&c=1

 

Seeing that people were willing to pay for the "privilege" of playing online, Sony, too, decided to put online multiplayer behind a paywall on the PS4. Microsoft continued with their strategy unchanged and that is how the situation currently is.

 

I'm going to tell all you upfront: I'm not an online gamer. At all. If multiplayer modes were to disappear from all games, I personally wouldn't give a flying fuck. I only ever use them to get online trophies and hate every second of it. And yet, I still cannot understand why this paywall exists. Don't get me wrong, both Playstation Plus and Xbox Live Gold offer a lot of features for those that want them, but to lock away a specific feature of a game you already paid for behind a paywall is just wrong to me.

 

While some might say that companies have to pay for the network and the stability of their service, I remember seeing both services were still pretty unstable despite the inflow of cash. In fact, both of them are frequently attacked and even DDoSed. And to this day, both the Playstation 3 and the Vita's online are still free, and I don't see them being any more unstable compared to the PS4. And there's also, you know, PC, which has never had an online paywall and probably works better than all consoles. And I get the feeling that, the same way developers don't get any extra money from their online games on Steam, Playstation 3 and the Vita, they're also not getting any more from their Xbox and Playstation 4 games.

 

(Also, Nintendo has consoles and you don't have to pay for online on any of them either - and I hear the service is actually pretty stable)

 

8rl3Vnt.jpg?1

 

 

Some might also argue that MMORPGs have always been paid, but those are a bit of a separate case, both on PC and on consoles. The entire game, not just part of it, is based on online and there are always a lot of events going on and new content constantly being made available, hence why they've always been behind a subscription paywall, both on PC and on consoles. On the other hand, multiplayer modes in single-player games mostly stay the same from launch to server closure.

 

There is no problem with a premium service on consoles. Some of the features, like free games every month, could save backups and automatic updates are pretty damn cool for those that want them. But to lock away a portion of a game you already paid for behind a paywall... now that's just wrong. With Nintendo, PC, the PS3 and the Vita still having free multiplayer to this day, I can't possibly fathom that it's that expensive to keep servers online for a few years. Is it because the Xbox and the PS4 are more popular and therefore have to be maintained more? Funny, because the PS3 was free throughout all of its lifecycle and there are still a lot of people that play it to this day. Also, Steam has been enjoying massive popularity on PC and I don't see anyone paying extra to play online - and that might actually be one of the reasons why Steam's been getting more and more popular every day.

 

 

zRTjmPF.jpg?1

 

 

Personally, and as I've already said before, I'm not at all an online gamer. Apart from local multiplayer and online multiplayer in games that are, at their core, very competitive, like racers and fighters, I couldn't possibly give a rat's ass about MP modes. I'm more about enjoying the story, the characters, the music and the experience. But even I can see how this paywall is a bad joke. Sony's change of strategy with the PS4, in particular, just reeks of them seeing that the paywall worked with the Xbox 360 and wanting to get on that sweet, sweet dollar sign bandwagon.

 

What I know is that I won't be rewarding this kind of behavior. I know it's easier for me, since I hate online, but even I got into multiplayer to get the trophies, and in turn, helped people that also wanted to get their own. But having to pay for a feature I don't even enjoy? No, thank you. I might be giving up on a few platinums, but I don't really care as long as I get the offline ones. I got all trophies for the part of the game I truly enjoyed. So as long as they still make cross-generation games, I'll just be getting the PS3 and Vita versions. They're actually cheaper, so win-win for me.

 

See you guys next time.

 

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HardXDXtraga Experienced

HardXDXtraga

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I'm not too fond of the idea of paying to play online either. But the fact is, I've saved so much money with PS+ discounts that in the end paying 40€ for it didn't bother me at all.

Same, and I'd rather have this than online passes in every game, ps+ is an amazing service IMO and even if they up the price in europe it will still be worth it for me

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DO_or_DIE_312 Enthusiast

DO_or_DIE_312

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Why are these topics still being created?Its 2016 not 2006 paying for online is fine.People are just so use to the ps3 online being free.Thats fine though its oldschool.Dont complain about ps4 online then stick to your old ps3 and play for free then.Im actually glad that ps4 charges for that.Anybody that can buy games can pay monthly or yearly so deal with it or stop complaining

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What I'm curious is. If these consoles gave the service for free but increase the cost of the system, would they make more money instead? Say add 100$ to the system. Since there are a portion of the population not having plus. So are we willing to pay more a console?? I think everyone rather have that option and would rather pay for the cheapest cost of a product or is it ok to force it down your throat? Because some just don't care about mp online like yourself OP.

So now we get options and people still complain.

I think I gotta wait for Sony to make it free to play online :hmm:...

By the way, how much do you pay to play online?

I think only.... 0.16 cents a day.

0.16 cents for online play, a cloud save, and some bad indies...

Yup a very bad deal.

Edit: my bad it's

0.1643561644 cents a day.

At least for NA.

Edited by ERGOPROXY-DECAY
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totallycrushed Enthusiast

totallycrushed

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Why are these topics still being created?Its 2016 not 2006 paying for online is fine.People are just so use to the ps3 online being free.Thats fine though its oldschool.Dont complain about ps4 online then stick to your old ps3 and play for free then.Im actually glad that ps4 charges for that.Anybody that can buy games can pay monthly or yearly so deal with it or stop complaining

I already pay to my ISP for internet access, I paid 400€ to Sony for their new console. I bought games brand new that make money to Sony and the devs and I'm required to pay 50€ yearly to play those games online? I will complain about this even if it will die someday. I won't shut up about how shitty business practice this is. Even worse PS+ is an awful subscription if you compare it to Xbox Live Gold,

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DO_or_DIE_312 Enthusiast

DO_or_DIE_312

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I already pay to my ISP for internet access, I paid 400€ to Sony for their new console. I bought games brand new that make money to Sony and the devs and I'm required to pay 50€ yearly to play those games online? I will complain about this even if it will die someday. I won't shut up about how shitty business practice this is. Even worse PS+ is an awful subscription if you compare it to Xbox Live Gold,

There making progress it helps for better servers to prevent cheaters and hackers unlike the ps3.Pc online is filled with hackers and cheaters because its free
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DaivRules Grand Master

DaivRules

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And there's also, you know, PC, which has never had an online paywall and probably works better than all consoles.

 

 

You, most certainly, didn't know the pain of online gaming in the mid to late 90's. PSN's outtages would have seemed like a dream compared to getting some online games working correctly.

 

At the end of the day, I know that servers cost money. The $5.00 a month I end up paying is appropriate for the online backups and auto-updates, which are the two services I keep paying Plus for. The "online gaming" for PS4 games and the bonus games of Plus are not really factors for me, but occasionally end up being a nice bonus.

 

I always assumed PC gaming wasn't a pay service because the sheer quantity of people who buy the games for PC dwarf console sales and PC provided un-supported online servers. Always made sense to me. Console servers were managed and you were able to get a hold of Sony or MS if you had issues and at least talk to someone.

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Shadiochao Enthusiast

Shadiochao

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Why are these topics still being created?Its 2016 not 2006 paying for online is fine.People are just so use to the ps3 online being free.Thats fine though its oldschool.Dont complain about ps4 online then stick to your old ps3 and play for free then.Im actually glad that ps4 charges for that.Anybody that can buy games can pay monthly or yearly so deal with it or stop complaining

 

It depends how often you play games. Most people at the moment are probably fairly active gamers, so they're able to get their money's worth out of it and any other incentives.

 

I kept going back to my Wii and DS for years after I stopped actively playing them, just to have a few races on Mario Kart every now and then. If I had to pay £5 every time I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have bothered.

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Guest

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I already pay to my ISP for internet access, I paid 400€ to Sony for their new console. I bought games brand new that make money to Sony and the devs and I'm required to pay 50€ yearly to play those games online? I will complain about this even if it will die someday. I won't shut up about how shitty business practice this is. Even worse PS+ is an awful subscription if you compare it to Xbox Live Gold,

Your ISP service is just for PSN? Im sure you use it for "other" services too.

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Brawler Experienced

Brawler

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I'm not too fond of the idea of paying to play online either. But the fact is, I've saved so much money with PS+ discounts that in the end paying 40€ for it didn't bother me at all.

 

This sums it up pretty well. Between the deals and the amount of use I get out of the online features/ cloud saves, I really can't be mad about paying. Especially when Gold ends up being really cheap come Black Friday. Plus may as well, though I haven't checked in to that. I should seeing as the price is being hiked up, though. 

 

Would free be nice? Absolutely. But the current price doesn't warrant complaint for me. Others who don't use it as much? I totally get that. Price hikes for what appears to be no reason, though? That rubbed me the wrong way. I'll just get it on sale like I said before.

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Jak Veteran

Jak

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Posted (edited)

This thread looks very, very similar to another one I can't seem to remember. 

 

Anyways I can sympathize with the point of this thread, but at the moment I have a bigger problem with incomplete games at launch via base content that's not in the game, not DLC expansions, with even (the best) developers not mattering and delays also not seeming to help actually polish games to what they should be. Not to mention this is also adding to the total space of games which is clearly immense. So imo, I think game production this generation is the biggest issue and concern... (because at least the online servers for PS4 are consistent most of the time).

Edited by Mar
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MesopithecusUK Veteran

MesopithecusUK

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This thread looks very, very similar to another one I can't seem to remember. 

 

Anyways I can sympathize with the point of this thread, but at the moment I have a bigger problem with incomplete games at launch via base content that's not in the game, not DLC expansions, with even (the best) developers not mattering and delays also not seeming to help actually polish games to what they should be. Not to mention this is also adding to the total space of games which is clearly immense. So imo, I think game production this generation is the biggest issue and concern... (because at least the online servers for PS4 are consistent most of the time).

 

Yeah, a lot of the comments being posted here were aired in the topic regarding the PS+ price increase (http://psnprofiles.com/forums/topic/40376-ps-price-increase/page-1)

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding game production this generation. 

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Jak Veteran

Jak

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Yeah, a lot of the comments being posted here were aired in the topic regarding the PS+ price increase (http://psnprofiles.com/forums/topic/40376-ps-price-increase/page-1)

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding game production this generation. 

 

Wow. So it's actually a combination of that and that the OP's work reminded me of his other creation - http://psnprofiles.com/forums/topic/39533-why-im-going-to-stop-buying-games-new/#entry1050423- but I was a little off from the level of my claim. Some false memory was created when I remembered that thread specifically but not where the similar comments came from.

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Evil_Joker88 Enthusiast

Evil_Joker88

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The Problem with this online play paywall Sony created for the PS4 is that i don't see any improvement at all.. worse actually, the games for ps+ are mostly boring or unfamiliar since ps4 came out - this month is the exception for this year (hopefully not the only one)

 

I personally don't see this paywall as a big problem since i paid for ps+ since i had my ps3 for the igc (the cloud and discounts are bonus for me) and with 2€ (~2,24 USD) a month i will stay member for the time being :D... if you could use your ps+ games without membership that day i cut off my membership :devil:

 

But talking about trophies, the devs make some decisions in favour of not paying ps+ for online play: in some PS3 Remastered like Uncharted, Bioshock and Assassin's Creed II it really IS appealing that there is no mp part in these game i think :D

Edited by Evil_Joker88
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Sofa King Experienced

Sofa King

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Online play isn't a priority at all for me, but I like having PS+ for the cloud saves, access to my IGC backlog, etc. Even when I do finally get a PS4 those reasons will still be the same, regardless of whether I play online or not. Yeah, I agree that paying to play online is lame but at least with PS+ and Xbox Live you're getting more than just that from the services. 

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Manuelito Enthusiast

Manuelito

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OP if you hate every second of online trophy hunting why do you still even do it? Just play offline game and you won't have to pay 50€ for the PS+. Problem solved :)

I think only.... 0.16 cents a day.

0.16 cents for online play, a cloud save, and some bad indies...

Yup a very bad deal.

This to me looks like a great deal. The games alone are worth that and then there's the 10GB cloud storage! Edited by Winston
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Zenpai Enthusiast

Zenpai

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OP if you hate every second of online trophy hunting why do you still even do it? Just play offline game and you won't have to pay 50€ for the PS+. Problem solved :)

 

I do get what you mean, but, as I'm sure many here can understand, I like to collect all trophies and unlock that sweet platinum at the end. If I have to endure a little bit of online multiplayer to do that, I can deal with it, despite disliking it. As long as it's not immensely grindy or insanely hard, I'll do it if I can. Gaming sessions have thankfully also made the process much faster and easier.

 

Though, as I said in the original post, paying for PS Plus just to get the online trophies is where I draw the line. If I can get at least the offline ones, I'll be plenty happy.

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