Sony has jumped on the bandwagon of making users buy a one-time pass to their online services, but honestly, its not so bad. Read on to find out what this means, and a bit about the programs already established by other companies.
I do just want to make this clear:
SONY IS NOT CHARGING FOR ONLINE SERVICES
Many companies have begun to charge a one-time fee for online services. Usually, its around $10, and allows unlimited access to any online feature. This pass is included with a new copy of the game, but if one purchases it used, they would have to purchase the pass separately. Mainly, this is being done by producers to limit the affect of used sales. The biggest drawback is that if a game you weren't too sure about isn't that great, you can't return it, only trade it in. Buying used allows for returns if the game isn't that bad. Gamestop has somewhat adjusted for this, by lowering prices of used games to $47.99 rather than the usual $54.99. Without a PowerUp Card, though, this only saves you $2 off the new title, so it really should be lowered just a bit more.
Personally, though, I buy all of my titles that I really desire brand new. Sony doing this isn't really surprising, but people may get the wrong impression. Sony IS NOT charging you for online play. Sony is merely following suit with EA and other companies in charging for their online services and encouraging users to buy new.
I really think that instead of charging to use online services, they should include bonuses for buying it new. Certain maps would only be available to new users, or could be purchased for a small fee. Or even what Homefront did, in making you only able to level up to Rank 5, then limiting what you can unlock. This will at least allow the users to play the games first, and see if they like it, before investing. Honestly, I understand why companies are doing this, and in their position, I'd do something similar. Although, as a consumer, its hard to understand, but in the long run, its definitely good for the longevity of gaming.
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