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The Playstation Plus Thread


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:ps+: What is Playstation Plus? :ps+:

Playstation Plus (PS+) is a paid subscription service available through the Playstation Network. PS+ features include:

 

 

  • The Instant Game Collection for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita
  • Discounts on games and DLC only available to PS+ members
  • 1 GB of cloud storage for game saves (including locked saves)
  • Automatic trophy sync, cloud save sync, and game patch installation
  • 1-hour Full Game Trials, allowing you to try more of the game than is available in most demos
  • Exclusive beta and demo access
  • Exclusive avatars and themes

PlayStation Plus is required to access online multiplayer on the PS4. One subscription works across all three systems (PS4, PS3 and Vita).

There are currently three PS+ regions: Europe, North America, and Asia. Each region receives different content for free and discounted games. (Australia and the Middle East are considered part of the EU region.) According to Sony, this is due to licensing issues in the different regions. If you want the games the other region has, you can create an account for that region (details below.)

 

 

 

:ps+: The Instant Game Collection (IGC) :ps+:

 

 

The IGC is the core of PS+ for many gamers. Every month, 14-18 full retail or PSN games will be available to download for free: 12 for PS3 and 6 for PS Vita (US) or 10 for PS3 and 4 for PS Vita (EU). These games will be available to play as long as you remain a PS+ member. Each month, some games will be removed and new games will be added.

With the release of the PS4, the number of games in the IGC (as well as the ratio of games for each system) will likely be adjusted. In the US, 2 free PS+ games were available for PS4 at launch: Contrast and Resogun. Drive Club will be available once it is released. Sony will no doubt be making more PS4 game announcements in the weeks/months to come.

 

 

 

 

:ps+: How much does Playstation Plus cost? :ps+:

 

 

US: 3 months for $17.99, 1 year for $49.99

EU: 3 months for £11.99/14,99 €, 1 year for £39.99/49,99 €

Asia: 30 days for SG $6.99, 1 year for SG $42.99; check your country for other currency

 

 

:ps+: Where can I check to see what's currently available in the IGC? :ps+:

 

 

US: http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-plus/

Europe: http://uk.playstation.com/playstationplus/

Asia: http://asia.playstation.com/sg/en/psn/p/plus

 

The PS3Trophies.org main site also lists the Playstation Store weekly updates, including PS+ content, in the Latest News section.

 

Store updates, upcoming PS+ content, and more can also be found on the Playstation Blog: US Playstation Blog | Europe Playstation Blog. You can also visit the Sony Entertainment Network Store on PC.

Edited by Slamma
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:ps+:Signing Up

:ps+:

 

You can sign up for Playstation Plus through the PSN directly, or by purchasing a game card through Amazon.com, Gamestop, Best Buy, or other stores. You can enter the code from a game card on the PS3 under Account Management → Redeem Codes. If you prefer the content available in a different region (for instance, if you would rather have what Europe offers but you live in the US) it is possible to sign up for a PS+ account for a different region than the one you live in. You will need to create a separate PSN account for that region and then purchase a PS+ game card for the specified country. The code available on this card will only work for its given region or country - if you try to use a European code on a North American PSN account it will not work, and vice versa. PS+ free games can be played on all the user accounts on that PS3, so you can have both a US and EU account and play all the games on one user, if you so choose. (Of course, you will need to pay twice if you do this.) Note that DLC purchases are region locked.

:ps+:Finding Content

:ps+:

 

On the PS3: Go to “Games” on the PS Store menu and then select “Playstation Plus.” Here’s a breakdown of the menu:

 

Featured: This is what Sony is highlighting at the moment with free games, discounts, etc.

 

New Arrivals: These games are not necessarily new releases, but have been recently added to PS+ (both free and discounted.)

 

Expiring Soon: These games will be removed from the Instant Game Collection or the discount price will end with the next PS Store update.

 

How It Works: A summary of PS+ by Sony.

 

Free Games: The current games available in the Instant Game Collection. PS3 and Vita games are both listed here.

 

Other Freebies: Free avatars and themes available to PS+ members.

 

Discounts: Games with special sale prices for PS+ members.

 

Exclusives: Demos, betas, early releases and such.

 

Timed Trials: Games that have a 1-hour trial available.

 

On the Vita: The Playstation Plus icon appears in the ribbon of scrolling icons on the main page of the PS Store. Tap the icon to get a list of free and discounted games. Unlike the PS3, which shows both PS3 and Vita games, only Vita games will appear on the Vita.

:ps+:Downloading Content

:ps+:

 

Playstation Plus games, both free and discounted, are purchased like any other content in the PS Store. Instant Game Collection games, however, should have a total purchase price of 0.00 listed and you will not actually be charged. (If there is a price other than 0 listed at the end, let Sony know before proceeding with the transaction - some people have been accidentally charged for supposedly free games shortly after they appear on the PS Store. If this happens to you, contact Sony Customer Service.)

 

Although the PS Store prompts you to download a game immediately, don’t worry if you don’t have enough free space on your system. On both the PS3 and the Vita, once you “purchase” a game, it can be accessed from your download list at any time in the future, even if it’s no longer available in the Instant Game Collection. You can even “purchase” a Vita game from your PS3, then access your download list later from the Vita and download it from there. If your Playstation Plus expires, the games will temporarily disappear from the download list, but they will appear again once you renew.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: This works a bit differently for PS4. PS4 content does not appear on the PS3 version of the PS Store. If you do not have a PS4, you will need to add the PS4 games to your download list from the Web Store. This way they will be ready for you to download once you get a PS4. (Thanks to Psikorps for this info)

Edited by Vyrastas
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:ps+:Renewing and Cancelling

:ps+:

By default, Playstation Plus is set to automatically renew and charge your credit card at the end of your trial or current subscription. To cancel, select the :psn:Playstation Network tab on the XMB, then go to Account Management → Transaction Management → Services List → Playstation Plus. You can check your expiration date and/or turn auto-renew off from there.

 

If you add more time to your subscription, it will add on to your current time remaining. So, if your PS+ was set to expire on May 13 and you bought another three months on May 1, the new expiration date would be August 13.

 

:ps+:Features and Common Questions

:ps+:

What happens to my games, avatars, and themes when my PS+ expires?

 

Any free avatars and themes are yours to keep. Any discounted games or DLC you have purchased are also yours to keep. However, free games you've downloaded through PS+ will not be playable unless you re-subscribe. (Games without an expiration date will revert to trial mode.) Note that if you bought DLC for a game that was free for Plus, you will need to buy the game in order to use that DLC.

 

If you renew PS+, you will be able to play all your games again. (Make sure you’re signed into PSN when you try to start them.) I have always had the games work without issue after renewing, but some people occasionally have to re-download them to get the PS3 to recognize their subscription. (Check this thread for more info.)

 

:ps+:Full Game Timed Trials

:ps+:

 

Full Game Trials are one of the features available for PS+. Instead of only playing a limited demo version of a game, you can download the full game and play it for an hour. Any trophies you earn during this time will count, but they will be “locked” until you purchase the game. Note that starting a full game trial will add the trophy list to your account, but it will only be visible on your local system (not any online lists) if you don’t purchase the game. If you don’t want the trophies on your local list, you can follow the tips in this thread.

 

:ps+:How does Automatic Updating work?

:ps+:

 

You can change your Automatic Update settings in the menu under Settings → System Settings → Automatic Update. You will also be asked if you want to enable Automatic Update when you start a new game that is compatible with the PS+ cloud save (which most games are.) When you turn on automatic updating, you need to select a 2-hour time window from a list of options. At this time, the system will turn on, go through its automatic update processes, and then turn back off. You will want to choose a time the PS3 will not be on, as Automatic Update will only trigger if the PS3 is in standby mode.

 

You can enable or disable the following features for Automatic Update:

  • Download game patches
  • Download the latest system software
  • Download recommended games and videos [selected by Sony]
  • Upload saved data to online storage
  • Sync trophy information with the server

Most of these options can be changed in System Settings, but the “Upload saved data to online storage” option is specific to each game. Also, if you have less than 5 GB left on the hard drive, data will not be downloaded automatically.

 

Here’s a reference guide for the feature from Sony: http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/autodownload.html

:ps+:Manually Syncing to the Cloud

:ps+:

 

If you want to choose when to update your saved games on the cloud instead of having it done automatically, you can do so by going to Game → Saved Data Utility (PS3) → press :triangle: on the save in question and click “Copy” with the yellow :ps+: icon. You can either upload each save individually or click “Copy Multiple” to highlight more than one at a time. Some locked saves can only be downloaded once every 24 hours; the PS3 will let you know if this is the case.

 

On the Vita you can access your cloud saves through Content Manager → Online Storage.

Edited by Vyrastas
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:ps+:Important Note

:ps+:

 

Currently, if you "purchase" a game while it is free, you will not be able to later buy it for its normal price if your PS+ membership expires. If you want to buy the game but not renew PS+ membership, you will need to either buy a physical copy of the game (if it exists) or create a separate PSN account.

 

(Please let me know if this changes; I have never seen a straight answer from Sony about whether this is intended or not.)

Edited by Vyrastas
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Here's a question. Say I "buy" a game from the IGC for "free" and my PS + expires. I don't renew but intend to purchase the game for retail price on the PS Store. Can it be done since I had already purchased it at the "free" price? I ask because I've heard people say once it's been purchased for "free" via PS + you can't buy it for an actual price later on if your PS + expires.

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Here's a question. Say I "buy" a game from the IGC for "free" and my PS + expires. I don't renew but intend to purchase the game for retail price on the PS Store. Can it be done since I had already purchased it at the "free" price? I ask because I've heard people say once it's been purchased for "free" via PS + you can't buy it for an actual price later on if your PS + expires.

 

I was debating posting this in the thread, but I wasn't sure if I should since it's kind of confusing to explain and it doesn't come up very often. Currently, you can't buy the game unless you create a new PSN account. I'm not sure if calling Sony Customer Service would help or not. Some people on the official blog have asked this question and have never gotten a response that I could see.

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I was debating posting this in the thread, but I wasn't sure if I should since it's kind of confusing to explain and it doesn't come up very often. Currently, you can't buy the game unless you create a new PSN account. I'm not sure if calling Sony Customer Service would help or not. Some people on the official blog have asked this question and have never gotten a response that I could see.

 

Thanks for the quick response. Here's the message that comes up when you choose to add a free game to your cart:

 

This item is available as a free download for PlayStation Plus users. You will be able to use this item as long as you remain a PlayStation Plus subscriber. If your PlayStation Plus subscription ends, you will no longer be able to use this item. If you purchase add-on items for use with games obtained for free through a PlayStation Plus offer, those add-on items will only be usable as long as the game is usable. If the game is no longer usable because you are no longer a PlayStation Plus subscriber, a separate purchase of the game will be required in order to use the add-on items you purchased.

 

So in other words if your subscription runs out you can no longer access it - I'd assume that means even if you renew it again at a later date. On top of this, you'd need a separate purchase of the game i.e. on another account since you can't purchase the same thing on one account multiple times to access DLC. Conversely you could probably just use a physical copy if the game comes in that form.

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The IGC is the core of PS+ for many gamers. Every month, 18 full retail or PSN games will be available to download for free: 12 for PS3 and 6 for PS Vita. These games will be available to play as long as you remain a PS+ member. Each month, some games will be removed and new games will be added.

 

That's US only. EU has 10 PS3 / 4 Vita and I think Asia is still on the old model with minis.

 

US: 3 months or $17.99, 1 year for $49.99

EU: 3 months for £11.99/14.99 €,1 year for £29.99/37.49 €

Asia: 30 days for SG $6.99, 1 year for SG $42.99; check your country for other currency

 

The EU price is a promotional offer. 1 year is 34,99 GBP / 49,99 EUR regular.

---------------

 

Nice to see an updated faq, though I doubt it will help much once this thread reached 100s of pages :p

Good work, keep it up!

 

So in other words if your subscription runs out you can no longer access it - I'd assume that means even if you renew it again at a later date. On top of this, you'd need a separate purchase of the game i.e. on another account since you can't purchase the same thing on one account multiple times to access DLC. Conversely you could probably just use a physical copy if the game comes in that form.

 

Once you renew, you have access to everything again - including former IGC titles you purchased.

Once your subscription ends, all freebies become purchasable for their normal price again, so no need for another account.

The only beef is, when you want to buy an IGC item because you want to keep it. That's not possible, because as long as your subscription runs, the item is either free or already marked as purchased.

Edited by c1ned1ne
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OP, The UK price is wrong, the £29.99 is a limited time offer. The usual price for 1y is £39.99. However if you shop around it can be found for £29.99 with other retailers.

 

Same for the € price. €37 is an offer that lasts till the 9th of January. Normally it costs €49,99.

 

Another 2 links that could be added, which lists all the new stuff coming to PS+ (and more) every month, are the:

 

PS Blog EU

PS Blog US

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The only beef is, when you want to buy an IGC item because you want to keep it. That's not possible, because as long as your subscription runs, the item is either free or already marked as purchased.

 

Right - so people's complaints come when there's a good sale on a game that is also free. Currently there's no way for them to take advantage of that sale.

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Alright, thanks - I'll fix the Europe prices.

 

And yes, you can access the content again once you renew. I've never tried to buy a game that was once free, but people have said that they only get the free for Plus price listed even if they don't have PS+ anymore. Maybe it was fixed with the new store. Is anyone able to test this?

 

In any case, the easiest workaround seems to be to create a new account to take advantage of sale prices.

Edited by Sunlit Garden
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The Europe price should be correct now. I added the PS Blog links and changed the IGC numbers to reflect the numbers of Europe's PS3/Vita games. I visited the PS+ Asia page again, but I'm still not really sure how to explain what they get, as it seems much more arbitrary. Can someone from Asia clarify a bit maybe?

Edited by Sunlit Garden
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I was debating posting this in the thread, but I wasn't sure if I should since it's kind of confusing to explain and it doesn't come up very often. Currently, you can't buy the game unless you create a new PSN account. I'm not sure if calling Sony Customer Service would help or not. Some people on the official blog have asked this question and have never gotten a response that I could see.

 

I always thought you could buy it just not while you were a psn+ member so you have to wait for it to expire. Which is annoying if there's a sale and you know you won't resubscribe.

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I've definitely seen people complaining on the PS Blog that the game they previously had as a PS+ member isn't showing up as available to buy now that their PS+ is expired. Maybe it's inconsistent (certainly wouldn't be the first time.) Either way, having to create a new account or wait for it to expire on your current one is still annoying. I tried to have my informational posts be neutral in tone but that's one thing that I find irritating about PS+ as well. (Plus, they often have sales on DLC for games that are free for PS+, but even if the DLC is yours to keep after you buy it, if the game is a free one you end up with the same issue with not being able to play it if PS+ runs out. Frustrating.) My PS+ account currently runs out on the 25th of January so if nothing else I can test it out myself then.

 

I think maybe I'll discuss this stuff in my last reserved post. Probably won't get to it until later today or tomorrow though.

Edited by Sunlit Garden
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The Europe price should be correct now. I added the PS Blog links and changed the IGC numbers to reflect the numbers of Europe's PS3/Vita games. I visited the PS+ Asia page again, but I'm still not really sure how to explain what they get, as it seems much more arbitrary. Can someone from Asia clarify a bit maybe?

 

As an asianplus user, i myself isn't sure how it works. Sometimes they give a game for 2 - 3 months then change the cycle. As of now,they've given games in November (once) and December (once). We don't have the - every week get a free game - cycle, instead it's per month. Currently i'm waiting for January's games. Following the dates last 2 months, it should be around the 15th.

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As an asianplus user, i myself isn't sure how it works. Sometimes they give a game for 2 - 3 months then change the cycle. As of now,they've given games in November (once) and December (once). We don't have the - every week get a free game - cycle, instead it's per month. Currently i'm waiting for January's games. Following the dates last 2 months, it should be around the 15th.

 

I preferred the monthly cycle rather then the weekly one, more chance you get something you like and less checking in to see if anything decent came.

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I've definitely seen people complaining on the PS Blog that the game they previously had as a PS+ member isn't showing up as available to buy now that their PS+ is expired. Maybe it's inconsistent (certainly wouldn't be the first time.) Either way, having to create a new account or wait for it to expire on your current one is still annoying. I tried to have my informational posts be neutral in tone but that's one thing that I find irritating about PS+ as well. (Plus, they often have sales on DLC for games that are free for PS+, but even if the DLC is yours to keep after you buy it, if the game is a free one you end up with the same issue with not being able to play it if PS+ runs out. Frustrating.) My PS+ account currently runs out on the 25th of January so if nothing else I can test it out myself then.

 

I think maybe I'll discuss this stuff in my last reserved post. Probably won't get to it until later today or tomorrow though.

 

Yeah, I think it needs to be added as a caveat. This could affect people like me who "purchase" a free game but never download it, in case I feel like playing it in the future. If I let my membership lapse and want to buy one of those bought-but-never-downloaded games, I'm screwed without another account it seems.

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AOL On - PlayStation Plus Gets Mega Man, God of War Beta

 

Found this video while randomly surfing the web. We are getting both megamam 9 and 10 is good since it probably only takes 1 slot in the igc. Still don't know what were getting for vita,if we are getting a vita game this week, though the store lists chronovolt as being removed. Shame i already bought them though.

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