PlayStation Now Pricing Revealed: More Expensive To Rent Than Buy!?

Sony’s PlayStation Now service allows gamers to stream games to their PS4, PS3 or PSVita devices over the internet. The service is currently in a closed beta and all participants are supposed to be under a strict NDA, but as always details have managed to leak out. The most entertaining of the leaks is the absolutely ridiculous pricing and rental structure. Sony offers all games to rent in four different time periods: 4 hours (what is the point!?), 7 days, 30 days and 90 days. The pricing is variable by game but let’s take a look at two of the examples. Saints Row: The Third The Full Package costs $5 for a measly 4 hours or $29.99 for 90 days! Bare in mind you can pick the game up for just $20.87 on Amazon delivered. Next we have Deus X: Human Revolution which costs the same exorbitant prices, you can pick this game up for just $12.18 delivered at Amazon! Talk about a con. Of course it’s worth pointing out that price and rental structures may change before the PlayStation Now service goes live and we sincerely hope this is the case.

The Open Beta for PlayStation Now will arrive in July so Sony will need to get their act together for that, or face a significant backlash. Rumour has it that Sony could be moving towards a subscription based model where you can get access to a lot of games based on the type of subscription you have, instead of having to pay per title which will undoubtedly work out very expensive.  Here’s to hoping that an overwhelming negative response will encourage Sony to drop the prices significantly!

Yeah, wasn't too interested in the games and pricing I've seen since the most recent beta update but it said that they're testing out price points so they'll probably change before the full release.

i really hope they do ...

and i think who ever leaked this will help sony push that point .. as right now thats a joke pricing....

for  renting 
now for like a newer game that might pan out but old games should not be priced like that

The Beta was FREE until about a week ago, then they updated with new games and pricing.  Also, there is no NDA associated with the Beta and this was reported by many sites so this is not a leak.  That said, the pricing is stupid high right now.  Sony has also publicly stated that the pricing is not final and they are using the Beta to tweak pricing.  I honestly don't expect it to stay this high, especially with the public backlash.  If they do, I will not use the service much. 

However, one more thing to consider... Yes you can buy a copy of Saints Row 4 for $20, but you can't buy a copy that works on a PS4.  If you want to play on the PS4, PS Now is the only option.  Food for thought.

I wouldn't be surprised if the 7 day pricing settles around $6-8 with the rest of the pricing structure being set around that.  That's about what it costs to rent a game at the local chain video store.  That being said, I could see some games being more based on their demand or lack of availability for purchase on the PS4 or less if they're less popular.  

Overall, I don't have any issues with the service.  I have a good internet connection so I had games that played smooth and I noticed no difference from a streamed game vs one on my HDD or a disc.  I'm not a fan of the pricing and might be willing to try some of these new pay to play offerings, but not the prices they have listed.

Prices will eventually settle to where the market wants it to be.  It's a pretty cool service and I can see it being successful if Sony sticks with it.  I'd be happy if MS started something like this.

Yes, I may not be able to play Saint's Row on the Ps4, but I can pay 100$ for Ps3 and then have access to the entire library at a reduced cost in the long run.

Shuntentatsu wrote:Yes, I may not be able to play Saint's Row on the Ps4, but I can pay 100$ for Ps3 and then have access to the entire library at a reduced cost in the long run.

This is very true.  You'll be able to buy a lot of the games for like $5-10 used and possibly new.

Very true but I don't like going back if I don't have to. I have a PS3 and a 360. Aside from Dark Souls 2, I have not touched either sine the launch of the PS4

Yeah, I was really curious about Playstation Now rent prices, but I wasn't expecting to see something like this.  I know that prices aren't final, so here's hoping that they change to be a little more accommodating.