PSN survey hints at upcoming subscription-based features
Sony's European team has sent out a survey to some of its UK PSN members asking them yet again about possible subscription models for the service. The survey is run by a market research company called Ipsos, and appears to offer up a list of possible member benefits for a few different plan tiers, along with pricing for each. The benefits range from more tame ideas like exclusive and early access to content to more interesting options like "free title trials" (first hour of a game for free), user-to-user challenges, "token wagering" and a service called "catch-up TV." Oh, and since it's Sony we're talking about, there's even a listed option for "cloud storage space for games." You can find the full list of possible features after the jump.
The price options differ from plan to plan, but they go as cheap as £2.99 (about $5 U.S.) up to £14.99 (about $25) for monthly fees, with annual fees also listed for 55% less than you'd pay month to month (so around £19.99 up to £99.99, or $32 to $160). Note that just because all of these things are on a survey doesn't mean that Sony has them up and running -- it only means that they're testing the water in terms of what UK members are willing to pay for certain features. But you can just add this to the growing mountain of evidence that Sony is planning some sort of premium subscription service.
[Thanks Marc and everyone who sent this in!]
Customer Service Priority Access
Exclusive Experiences with Sony brands
Extended Console Warranty 3 years
Access to Beta Games
Early Access to Store Game Demos
Early Access to All Store Content
Member Demo Sharing of Full Game
Cross-game Voice Chat Access
Full Title Trial - 1st Hour is Free
Token Wagering
User-to-user challenges
Free Access to PSOne Classics, PSP Minis, and PS3/PSP Themes
Discounts on Store Content
Member Only In-game Content
Trophy Alerts
Cloud Storage Space for Games
Online Music Service
Automatic Downloads and Updates
Loyalty Program Rewards
Facebook Connectivity
Catch-up TV
Online Video Subscription Service
