PlayStation Now brings the worst deals in gaming

It’s rather ironic that Sony chose to attack EA Access. For $5 per month, or $30 for the year, you get unlimited access to select titles. Yet they passed on it saying it was not a good deal for PlayStation fans. That’s rich, when you look at the prices on PlayStation Now, which just launched this week.

We’ve been hearing just how expensive the games would be from those who got in the closed beta. Now that everything is open to the public, it’s actually quite impressive just how bad a deal they actually are. Many of the games actually cost more to rent that they do to buy new in box.

For example, if you want to play Sam & Max Season 2, you have to rent all five episodes individually. They’re each priced at $3.99 for a term of 90 days, the only pricing tier available. That comes out to $19.95 for the complete set. They’re currently available on Steam for $19.99, yet you get to keep them indefinitely.

Things are worse when it comes to Metal Gear Solid 4. EB Games sells it for $9.95. On PlayStation Now, it costs $14.99 to rent it for 90 days. So you’re actually paying more to stream than buying the actual disc version. Pricing tiers are bizarre as well. It costs $3.99 to rent for 4 hours, $7.99 for a week, $12.99 for a month, and $14.99 for 90 days. Curiously, pricing does not seem to be inflated here in Canada. Especially given how quick Sony went for the cash grab after the dollar began to slip.

SNAKE! You’re not a cheap date.

PlayStation Now is not quite the Netflix of games people were hoping for when we first heard Sony had acquired Gaikai. Especially considering the quality of the games is largely dependent on how fast your internet connection is, and more importantly, how low your latency is.[/centre]

Sony has been discussing the possibility of a subscription service. Though I’d only be interested if it gives unlimited access. It would have to be comparable to what GameFly and GameAccess offer. Both charge around $18/month to rent one physical game at a time. I think that would be a fair price for a streaming service. If they do continue with the tiered rental service, prices do need to drop of course to something more reasonable. You should at least have the option to buy the game and steam it indefinitely.

We’ll have to see how things evolve through the public beta, but right now PlayStation Now is a raw deal that should be avoided.