One of the most disappointing revelations during the Sony’s 2013 E3 press conference was the confirmation of paying for online multiplayer. I didn’t want to pay for online multiplayer but in the end I decided $49.99 for online player along with the offerings of PlayStation Plus was worth it.
My brother and I were all set to activate our own PlayStation Plus memberships when I recalled a few salient points made by Sony:
- Games you download can be played by users who share your PS4™ system, such as your family and friends. You do not have to log in to the system for other users to play these games.
- If you join PlayStation®Plus, benefits such as online multiplayer features that come with that membership can be enjoyed by users who share your PS4™ system. You do not have to log in to the system for other users to enjoy these benefits.
- Games you purchase can be downloaded and played on any PS4™ system if you sign in to PSN. There is no limit on the number of systems you can use. * Only you can start games that you download.
- If you join PlayStation®Plus, you can sign in to PSN from any PS4™ system and enjoy your membership benefits.
With those facts in mind, it was certainly possible that my brother and I could share a single PlayStation Plus membership. This is how we set it up:
- My brother redeemed a 7 day PlayStation Plus membership and activated my PlayStation 4 as his primary console.
- He initiated downloads of Resogun and Contrast and logged off my console.
- I logged onto my PlayStation 4 with my own PSN account and was able to access the games he downloaded for me and online multiplayer.
- My brother logged onto his own PlayStation 4 and accessed all of his PlayStation Plus benefits as per usual.
The pros and cons of this arrangement are:
Pros
- We save $49.99 between the two of us
- Both players have access to online multiplayer
- Both players have access to content purchased or acquired by the PlayStation Plus account holder
Cons
- My brother’s “primary console” is now my console which includes the following limitations:
- Content he purchases on the PSN web store will be automatically downloaded on my console
- Using Remote Play via the Internet will connect to my console
- I do not have access PlayStation Plus cloud saves
If you are okay with those setbacks, this is a viable solution to save some money. I’ll continue to test and jot down impressions and caveats as I encounter them.
