Ben-DutkaAfter announcing it at E3, many of you have had questions concerning Sony's new PlayStation Plus "premium subscription" service for the PlayStation Network.
Well, this detailed post at the European PlayStation Blog should answer any questions you may have. They clear up the important issues first: Plus launches on June 29 (obviously in both North America and Europe), the current PSN features will all remain free , features awaiting Plus subscribers include exclusive discounts, full game trials, automatic downloads and exclusive items on the Store, and membership can be purchased through the PlayStation Store on the PS3 for either three months or the full year. And if you decide to jump in early and sign up for the 1-year subscription between June 29 and August 3 you will receive a free downloadable copy of LittleBigPlanet . There's a lot more, too, like games and "special offers:"
"As a member you can expect to get your hands on at least 4 games a month at no extra charge. Each month there will be a selection of 1x PSN game, 2x minis and 1x PS One classics. A list of the games available in month 1 and 2 can be found below. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available, until the new selection replaces these."
Any games you get through Plus are yours to keep so long as you remain a member. If your subscription expires and you lose access to them, simply re-subscribe and the games will reactivate. If you accidentally delete a game you want back, simply log into the Plus section of the Store and grab it again. In addition, you will receive 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons, so that's great for avid PSN fans. Those discounts? They'll range from 20-50% off anything you buy, so that really helps to defer the overall cost of the membership. Personally, I'm most interested in the preferential treatment Plus subscribers get regarding select demos and beta trials…bad-ass.
There's lot more, though, so make sure you check out the full update through the link above. For American gamers, the three-month Plus subscription will cost you $17.99 and the one-year subscription has a price tag of $49.99. And no, cross-game chat is not a feature of Plus.