游戏机作为独立游戏机(standalone gaming)的时代早已过去。今天，每个现代控制台都依赖于连接到内容和服务(content and services)网络。订阅占游戏机公司业务的很大一部分，而PlayStation Plus是该模式的先驱。
如果您正在考虑购买 PlayStation 或已经拥有一台 PlayStation，但正在考虑购买PlayStation Plus，我们会为您提供决定PlayStation Plus是否适合您所需的所有信息。
那么，什么是 PlayStation Plus？
简而言之，PlayStation Plus是一项订阅服务(subscription service)，您必须支付超出控制台成本和单个视频游戏成本的费用。您可以按月、按月或按年订阅。您预付的费用越多，服务就越便宜。
PlayStation Plus(Does PlayStation Plus Cost)的价格是多少？
如果您从未订阅过，您将免费获得PlayStation Plus的前 14 天。如果您购买的是新游戏机，则很有可能会在包装盒中免费提供几个月的代金券，具体取决于您购买的捆绑包。订阅有三个选项：
- 1 个月 – 9.00 美元
- 3 个月 – 24.99 美元
- 12 个月 – 59.99 美元
您还可以购买预付卡(prepaid cards)，这些卡有时是通过开展销售和折扣的第三方卖家提供的。这是一个以更少的价格获得一年服务的好机会。只要确保您购买的是适合您所在地区的正确卡。
我可以用PlayStation Plus做什么？
如果您选择订阅PlayStation Plus，您可以获得一些超出标准体验的功能。
对于大多数人来说，最重要的功能是多人游戏。如果您想通过互联网与朋友一起玩游戏，您真的别无选择，只能购买PlayStation Plus 订阅(PlayStation Plus subscription)。
这也有例外。一般来说，免费游戏不需要PlayStation Plus 订阅(PlayStation Plus subscription)。一些有自己订阅费的游戏，例如《最终幻想 XIV(Final Fantasy XIV)》，无需支付Plus 服务(Plus service)即可玩。
另一个独家功能是云存储。如果您是PlayStation Plus 订阅者(PlayStation Plus subscriber)，您将获得 100GB 的云存储空间。此存储空间(storage space)用于上传和同步保存游戏数据。如果您的 PlayStation 死机或者您有两个游戏机并希望在它们之间同步保存的游戏，这将非常方便。
这是我们认为可以被视为PlayStation 体验(PlayStation experience)“核心”的仅有的两个功能。如果您可以在没有高级游戏多人游戏或云存档(game multiplayer or cloud saves)的情况下生活，那么PlayStation Plus的案例就不那么引人注目了。
分享 PlayStation Plus 的好处
PlayStation 4被设计成一个共享系统。您可以在一台机器上拥有多个帐户。每个人都可以在控制台上玩所有游戏，条件是该游戏属于将该控制台注册为主要控制台的用户。
那么，您是否需要为控制台上的每个用户购买PlayStation Plus 订阅才能受益？(PlayStation Plus subscription)答案是视情况而定。在多人游戏方面，该控制台上的每个人都可以在线玩，只要至少一个人拥有PlayStation Plus 会员资格(PlayStation Plus membership)并且这是他们的主要控制台。
此外，毫不奇怪， Plus 用户(Plus subscriber)购买的任何游戏仍然可供其他所有人使用。这包括“免费”的 PlayStation Plus(” PlayStation Plus)游戏，我们稍后会介绍。
遗憾的是，系统上的其他用户无法访问云保存功能。这意味着，如果PS4出现问题，只有Plus 用户(Plus user)才能将他们保存的游戏保存在安全的地方。
“免费”游戏如何运作？
在撰写本文时，Plus 订阅者每月至少获得两款PS4游戏作为订阅的一部分。(PS4)您无法选择提供哪些游戏。这意味着它可能是您过去已经购买的游戏，或者您不感兴趣。
您玩游戏的许可也与您的订阅服务(subscription service)相关联。这意味着，如果您让 Plus订阅失效(subscription lapse)，您将无法再玩这些游戏。这也意味着您需要不时连接到互联网，以便游戏可以更新您的许可证。
从好的方面来说，即使您的订阅时间超出预期，您过去申请的PlayStation Plus游戏仍会保留在您的(PlayStation Plus)下载列表中(download list)。因此，如果您重新开始订阅，您可以再次玩这些游戏。
过去，PS3、Vita、PSP 和 PS4 游戏(PSP and PS4 games)每个月都会被收录，但索尼(Sony)最近已将它们全部停止，除了PS4游戏。很有可能是在为PS5做准备。
PlayStation Plus 价值主张(PlayStation Plus Value Proposition)：折扣、独家内容(Content)和免费游戏
在决定PlayStation Plus时，有很多不同的因素需要考虑到是否物有所值。在线游戏和云备份(Online gaming and cloud backups)当然物有所值，但前提是您确实要使用这些功能。那么剩下的呢？
纵观PlayStation Plus的免费游戏历史，以纯美元计算，这无疑是一笔了不起的交易。如果您必须单独购买这些游戏，那么任何两个高级游戏的价格都可能超过一年的Plus。这对你来说价值多少将取决于标题、你的品味以及你已经拥有的游戏数量。这还取决于您通常多久购买一次新游戏。
独家内容也是如此。Plus 会员可以获得头像、游戏内内容和其他各种独家数字物品。但是，它们可能不适用于您玩或关心的游戏。使它成为一个非常个人化的因素。
从我们的角度来看，除了多人游戏和云(multiplayer and cloud)，只有Plus的数字折扣很容易弥补成本。如果您每个月（平均）购买一两个特价游戏，并利用 Plus 的额外折扣百分比(Plus)，(discount percentage)您将赚回钱等等。最重要的是，您将获得您选择并真正想要的游戏的折扣。
PlayStation Plus 和下一代
在撰写本文时，没有人知道PlayStation Plus将如何在即将推出的PlayStation 5上运行。假设核心产品(core offering)将是相同的，但当然索尼(Sony)可能会有变化。
鉴于PS5旨在向后兼容PS4游戏，我们可以通过 Plus 每月查看四款可在PS5 控制台(PS5 console)上运行的游戏。另外请记住，即使您还没有PS5 ，您也很可能能够以(PS5)Plus 订阅者的身份兑换免费的(Plus subscriber)PS5游戏。
自PlayStation 3(PlayStation 3)时代以来，PlayStation Plus 就一直伴随着我们。随着控制台变得更加以在线为中心，我们预计下一代体验(generation experience)将与服务更加紧密地交织在一起。
What Is PlayStation Plus? A Guide
The days of gaming consoles as standalone gaming machines is long behind us. Today, every modern console depends on being connected to a network of content and services. Subscriptions make up a large part of console companies’ business and PlayStation Plus is a pioneer of that model.
If you’re thinking about getting a PlayStation or already have one, but are considering buying a PlayStation Plus, we’ve got all the information you need to decide whether the PlayStation Plus is for you.
So, What is PlayStation Plus?
In a nutshell, PlayStation Plus is a subscription service that you have to pay for over and above the cost of the console and the cost of individual video games. You can subscribe on a monthly, three-monthly or annual basis. The service becomes cheaper the more you pay upfront.
How Much Does PlayStation Plus Cost?
If you’ve never been a subscriber, you’ll get the first 14 days of PlayStation Plus for free. If you bought your console new, there’s also a good chance that there’s a voucher for a few months free included in the box, depending on the bundle you purchase. There are three options for the subscription:
- 1 Month – $9.00
- 3 Months – $24.99
- 12 Months – $59.99
You can also buy prepaid cards, which are sometimes offered through third-party sellers that run sales and discounts. This is a good opportunity to pick up a year’s worth of the service for less. Just be sure you’re buying the correct card for your region.
What Can I Do With PlayStation Plus?
If you choose to subscribe to PlayStation Plus, there are some features you get beyond the standard experience.
The most important feature for most people is multiplayer gaming. If you want to play games with your friends over the internet, you really have no choice but to fork out for a PlayStation Plus subscription.
There are exceptions to this. In general, free-to-play games don’t require a PlayStation Plus subscription. Some games that have their own subscription fees, such as Final Fantasy XIV, can be played without paying for the Plus service.
The other exclusive feature is cloud storage. You get 100GB of cloud storage if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber. This storage space is used to upload and sync save game data. This is very handy if your PlayStation dies or you have two consoles and want to sync saved games between them.
These are the only two features we think can be considered “core” to the PlayStation experience. If you can live without premium game multiplayer or cloud saves, the case for PlayStation Plus is much less compelling.
Sharing PlayStation Plus Benefits
The PlayStation 4 is designed to be a shared system. You can have multiple accounts on one machine. Everyone can play all the games on the console, under the condition that the game belongs to a user who has that console registered as their primary console.
So, do you need to buy a PlayStation Plus subscription for every user on the console to benefit? The answer is that it depends. When it comes to multiplayer, every person on that console can play online, as long as at least one person has PlayStation Plus membership and that’s their primary console.
Also, unsurprisingly, any games bought by the Plus subscriber are still available for everyone else. That includes the “free” PlayStation Plus games, which we’ll get to in a moment.
Sadly, other users on the system do not get access to the cloud save feature. Which means that if something happens to that PS4, only the Plus user will have their saved games in a safe place.
How Do The “Free” Games Work?
At the time of writing, Plus subscribers get at least two PS4 games every month as part of their subscription. You have no choice in which games are offered. This means that it could be a game you’ve already purchased in the past or that just doesn’t interest you.
Your license to play the game is also tied to your subscription service. Which means that if you let your Plus subscription lapse, you can’t play those games anymore. This also means that you need to connect to the internet from time to time so that the game can renew your license.
On the upside, even if you let your subscription laps, PlayStation Plus games you’ve claimed in the past remain in your download list. So if you ever restart the subscription, you can play those games again.
In the past, PS3, Vita, PSP and PS4 games were included each month, but Sony has recently stopped them all except for the PS4 titles. Most likely in preparation for the PS5.
The PlayStation Plus Value Proposition: Discounts, Exclusive Content And Free Games
When deciding on PlayStation Plus, there are lots of different factors to take into account in terms of whether it’s worth the price. Online gaming and cloud backups are certainly worth the cost of the service, but only if you’re actually going to use those features. So what about the rest?
Looking at the history of free games with PlayStation Plus, it’s certainly a fantastic deal in pure dollar terms. If you have to buy those games separately, any two of the premium titles are likely to cost more than a year of Plus. How much that is worth to you will depend on the titles, your tastes and how many of the games you already own. It also depends how often you normally buy new games.
The same goes for exclusive content. Plus members get avatars, in-game content and various other digital items that are exclusive. However, they might not be for titles you play or care about. Making it a very personal factor.
From our point of view, aside from multiplayer and cloud, it’s the Plus-only digital discounts that easily make up the cost. If you buy (on average) one or two games on sale every month and take advantage of the additional discount percentage of Plus, you’ll make back the money and more. Most importantly, you’ll be getting those discounts on games that you choose and actually want.
PlayStation Plus and the Next Generation
At the time of writing, no one knows how PlayStation Plus will work on the upcoming PlayStation 5. The assumption is that the core offering will be the same, but of course Sony may have changes in store.
Given that the PS5 is meant to be backwards compatible with PS4 games, we could be looking at four games a month via Plus that will work on the PS5 console. Also keep in mind that you’ll most likely be able to redeem free PS5 games as a Plus subscriber, even if you don’t yet own a PS5.
PlayStation Plus has been with us since the PlayStation 3 era. As consoles have become even more online-centric, we expect the next generation experience to be even more deeply entwined with the service.
