The PlayStation Subscription Outrage: Paying More for What, Exactly?
Ah, dear gamers! Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more perplexing with Sony’s subscription offerings, brace yourself for this utterly flabbergasting piece of “news”. I emphasize “news”, because I’m struggling to see how this is anything other than a dystopian punchline. But oh, it’s no joke. The numbers are very real, and they’re very, very high.
The Mysterious Labyrinth of PlayStation Subscriptions
2022 was, by no means, an easy year for gamers when it came to PlayStation’s subscription packages. PlayStation Now, PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, Premium… “PlayStation Extreme Super Ultra Kitchen Sink Enterprise Extravaganza”, the list goes on. Sounds like a bad joke, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not April 1st, and no one’s laughing. It was already a tall order to figure out which plan was right for you, and now we’re all expected to scramble even more?
Hold Onto Your Wallets, Gamers!
The crushing blow comes in the form of a price surge. Yes, you read that right. More money for the same convoluted service. Here are the staggering figures:
- PlayStation Plus Essential Subscription: Get ready to shell out a whopping $79.99 USD, £59.99, €71.99, $96.96 AUD, or 6,800 Yen.
- PlayStation Plus Extra Subscription: Are they kidding? $134.99 USD, £99.99, €125.99, $169.95 AUD, or an astounding 11,700 Yen.
- PlayStation Plus Premium Subscription: The kingpin of them all. Say goodbye to an eye-watering, bank-caning, budget-shattering, salary-destroying hefty $159.99 USD, £119.99, €151.99, $196.95 AUD, or a mind-blowing 13,900 Yen.
PlayStation has been gracious enough to tell us that this outrageous price surge is all for our benefit. Their exact words: the price increase will “continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits to your PlayStation Plus subscription service.”
Asking for Basics While Paying Premiums
Can we just talk about how we’re not asking for a golden console here? Most of us would just be happy with a functional one. There’s a sort of dark comedy in the fact that amidst all these skyrocketing prices, many of us are still struggling with consoles that have, let’s just say, a mind of their own. Like when it randomly starts ejecting discs. Oh, but sometimes, it simply won’t let go of a disc, forcing us to resort to bizarre and borderline barbaric methods to get our own game out such as having to:
Turn the console upside down, tear off a cap from a hole, rip off a sliding panel, pull the HDD part way out of the console, thrust a screwdriver through plastic breaking it, turn the screwdriver counterclockwise, then forcefully pull the disc out while the unit is mechanically grasping it.
But that might be too much to ask? At these prices? It feels like being robbed twice.
Is a Second Mortgage the Future of Gaming?
It’s come to a point where one might question: are these subscription prices aiming to rival our mortgages? And hey, if you’ve got money growing on trees in your backyard, maybe this isn’t a big deal for you. But for the average gamer, these prices are, frankly, absurd. Are you thrilled about shelling out these exorbitant sums? Do you feel like you’re essentially paying off a second mortgage just for the privilege of navigating this mess?
In Conclusion…
This isn’t just about money; it’s about respect. It’s about acknowledging the loyal gaming community who has stuck by PlayStation through thick and thin. And it’s about expecting fairness in return.
Perhaps it’s time Sony revisits the drawing board. Not for yet another subscription plan, but to really understand what the gaming community wants, and more importantly, what it deserves.
Dear reader, what are your thoughts? Is the PlayStation price surge acceptable to you? Or do you feel like you’re being asked to sign off on a second mortgage? Let’s keep this conversation going. After all, in the vast realm of gaming, the player’s voice should always be the loudest.