Back then, in golden October 2024, we were still smiling. One PlayStation Plus user stacked his subscription up to 2048 - a quarter of a century of streaming, cloud gaming, game catalog and monthly titles that made you wonder every time if Sony had accidentally pressed the wrong button. Many thought it was a quirky curiosity. Today, it seems like the investment of the century. Sorry, Bitcoin.
Subscribe, but with pain please
The alarm bells have been ringing for many PlayStation Plus users these days - once again. Sony announced a further price increase some of which were so severe that even oil barons flinched for a moment. Without warning, of course - after all, surprise makes everything more exciting.
And in case you thought this was a local phenomenon: price increases in Latin America, Asia, Australia - basically everywhere except the moon. But don't worry, that's bound to happen as soon as the PS5 Lunar Edition is released. Europe should follow soon.
The subscriptions of the future - today already priceless
It's becoming increasingly obvious: gaming is becoming a premium hobby for premium people. If you don't have at least 3 jobs, you won't even need to start soon. Nintendo's friendly "80 dollars for a game" experiment has shown where the journey is heading. So it's no wonder that many people are switching to subscription services - at least you get something, even if it's sometimes only Tchia is.
PlayStation Plus promises access to hundreds of games - or at least as many as your patience can handle. And yes, no new AAA titles on release day. But let's be honest: who wants that anyway? Microsoft has shown that Game Pass premieres are not worthwhile for multimillion-dollar productions. Surprise: if you spend money and don't get any in, it's bad for business. Who would have thought that?
The exception in the matrix
But while the rest of the world waits in silent despair for the next price increase, On_Reddit_In_Class leans back and relaxes. 2048 is assured. The man lives in the future - with yesterday's prices. Or rather: with a price tag from the era when games still came in cardboard boxes.
"Of course I'm pleased that my bet is paying off, but it's still early days and there's still a long way to go before 2048." writes he said in an email. Probably while others are downgrading their subscription to monthly to at least save their cloud storage.
He points to the historical price development of subscription services, which appears to be based less on inflation than on a roll of the dice. Lack of competition is to blame. Or perhaps simply boundless chutzpah.
Of course, the question also arises: Will PlayStation Plus even still exist in 2048? Or has On_Reddit_In_Class perhaps simply made a colossal gamble with its 24-year plan? Who knows if Sony won't have introduced the next subscription model by then - perhaps "PlayStation Ultra Max Infinite Deluxe" with NFT-locked content and a monthly surprise amount based on a random algorithm. Or maybe gaming will be completely outsourced to the cloud by then, where you only fight against micropaywall opponents, while the console is a relic from times gone by - like VHS, AOL CDs or the belief in fair prices. But hey, optimism is part of being a gamer.
Whoever laughs last has probably paid for 24 years of PS Plus in advance
Perhaps On_Reddit_In_Class was not an eccentric gamer, but a visionary. A prophet at a time when we still thought 60 euros for a game was a lot. And while we'll soon have to decide whether we'd rather pay our electricity bill or extend PlayStation Plus, he'll continue to relax and play - until 2048, and probably beyond.
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