PlayStation Now Subscription Plan Confirmed Along With PS2 And PS1 Games

A PlayStation Now subscription plan is being worked on, according to comments made by SCE’s Director of Marketing Peter Jamshidi. In the comments following a post on the Official PlayStation Blog about the arrival of Mass Effect 2, Mirror’s Edge, and other titles to the PlayStation Now digital rental service, Jamshidi confirmed the plan to offer a subscription plan for the service as well as expanding the library of games to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 libraries.

In a reply to a commenter on the original article, Mr. Jamshidi stated the following.

“Yes, A subscription plan is being worked on, and I’m very excited about it. We see it adding a complimentary option to rentals as a way to enjoy immediate access to PlayStation 3 games via PlayStation Now. More details coming in the near future!”

PlayStation Now is a digital streaming service, similar to Netflix as the Inquisitr has reported on previously. The service is still in beta, with pricing still being worked on for rental periods that can stretch from 45 minutes to 90 days. Some of the bigger criticisms levied against the Playstation Now service involve the perceived high price point for the four-hour and 90-day rentals. Many of the games offered on the service are available for purchase at retailers for significantly less, which has led to an increased demand for a subscription offering.

Other criticisms, which Paul Tassi at Forbes noted, was the complex and unfriendly UI as well as the structure of the service. It caters to the publisher over the gamer, which leads to the confusion and uneven pricing of the service.

While the service has come down in price since its initial unveil, there are myriad problems with it that a PlayStation Now subscription could help with. Rumors have floated around the internet that a subscription could come with a Playstation Plus subscription, or at a discount for those who already subscribe to the PlayStation Plus service.

Other comments in the post point to more first party releases for the service.

“Recently we published ‘God of War: Ascension,’ ‘Twisted Metal,’ and ‘Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus.’ Yes, we will definitely have more first party titles coming soon to the service and realize a lot of people may have missed out on the types of amazing experiences you mention that are only available on PlayStation.”

A subscription plan for PlayStation Now makes the most sense for the consumer. However, it will be harder to convince publishers to put their games on a service that has a flat fee rather than a more lucrative time-based rental pricing structure.

Solving the issue of backwards compatibility with PlayStation Now is a great idea for Sony and for gamers who may want to experience the games that helped shape the industry. Hopefully a more intuitive rental pricing structure is developed, along with an enticing subscription model. Time will tell.

[Image Source | PlayStation Now]