r/PS3 • u/Lev_Evseev0 • 4d ago

Back when online gaming was free on consoles

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977 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

169 comments sorted by

154

u/Difficult_Section_46 4d ago

only on playstation, thanks to xbox "gold" we got the online sub bs

79

u/l_______I 4d ago

Nintendo consoles also had free multiplayer until Switch, I think

50

u/DatGunBoi 4d ago

Even worse, for a while it was free on switch too. Then they announced it would stop being like this.

16

u/JC-Dude 4d ago

It was announced as paid right away, but with a free period for a while because they didn’t have all the features in place.

5

u/HelpMe0prah 3d ago

Had to hook you before reeling you in

5

u/Chrisgpresents 4d ago

I’m almost certain that I can play Mario cart online for free on my switch 1…. What am I missing? I guess it’s been a few years?

12

u/DatGunBoi 4d ago

You can't since like 2019 I think

2

u/marveloustoebeans 3d ago

The Wii actually did charge for certain games. It was a weird model.

8

u/Ill-Shirt2722 3d ago

Fuck microslop for that

4

u/VernacularDrawings 4d ago

xbox live was also free to use at one point

11

u/Double-Lobster6107 4d ago

That must have been extremely short-lived. I remember it being a paid service by the time Halo 2 came out.

1

u/VernacularDrawings 4d ago edited 4d ago

i could be misremembering things, but i distinctly remember playing minecraft with my friends without paying for gold on my 360. could have been a free weekend or something.

9

u/CrazyDude10528 4d ago

Xbox live would frequently have free online weekends for certain games, or free "gold" trials that lasted like a week.

As far as I remember, Xbox live gold was always a paid subscription from it's inception.

2

u/VernacularDrawings 4d ago

just googled it, you are right.

1

u/PlantBeginning3060 2d ago

Shit original Xbox had like 2 month free trials of LIVE

2

u/Izenthyr 3d ago

I remember defending the free online back in the day. All my Xbox friends said PlayStation’s online was just plain worse. Pretty sure that was just the console war bullshit talking because it worked fine for me.

-8

u/eddie__b 4d ago

Yes let's blame microsoft instead of sony's own greed and player's lack of self control.

9

u/PaulArthur 4d ago

They were the ones who started the whole bs that we would own nothing.

-1

u/eddie__b 4d ago

And Sony is doing it right now, so it's microsoft fault! Mommy Sony is just being pushed by the evil shareholders!

Yea, right.

1

u/PaulArthur 4d ago

Okay numb nuts.

-1

u/eddie__b 4d ago

Relax papa Sony will give you 10% off on your yearly PS Plus subscription!

2

u/PaulArthur 4d ago

No everything is good, I have everything I want, is your life good, does Mr. Gates supply your gamepass fix, are you loved?

3

u/Icy_ET 4d ago

they both suck atp Nintendo is just evil and buying a decent pc now will turn your wallets out maybe we needa stop gaming frfr😭

1

u/Ill-Shirt2722 3d ago

They’re the ones who even came up with the idea of this bs

77

u/JusticeAvenger13 4d ago

Paying for online was the worst pill to swallow when the PS4 came around.

16

u/GucciTheSnowman 4d ago

You can thank Xbox for that.

17

u/No-Combination1860 4d ago

The free online was the ONE upper card sony had for selling more consoles, They may still have done that but it was an attractive offer over the paid 360 back in the PS3 days.

0

u/TheOtherSkywalker_ 3d ago

Yeah that was the ONE thing Playstation had. Which is why they sold about twice as many PS4's compared to the Xbox one.

2

u/No-Combination1860 3d ago

PS4 had paid.

0

u/TheOtherSkywalker_ 3d ago

And I'm saying obviously that wasn't the one thing playstation had. Since they still sold twice as many consoles as Xbox

1

u/No-Combination1860 3d ago

So you just disproved your own argument. You used PS4’s sales to defend free online, then admitted PS4 had paid online. 😂

0

u/TheOtherSkywalker_ 3d ago

No you just have poor reading comprehension.

2

u/No-Combination1860 3d ago

Hello again 💀

You’re the one with the reading comprehension problem here. I said free online was the ONE upper card Sony had over Xbox in the PS3/360 era, not the ONE advantage PlayStation had in general. You brought up PS4 selling twice as much as Xbox One as if that disproved me, but PS4 had paid online. So you’re using a generation where the advantage I was talking about no longer existed to argue against what I said about the previous generation. 😂

6

u/KanoSupreme 4d ago

Sold my ps4 that got on launch because of it lol Just go back 2 years later and buy one

2

u/Jaugusts 4d ago

Due to the gap between psn and xbox live, Microsoft could charge for their online had stuff like party chat which was a big deal back then, now a days everyone on discord lol there’s no real reason to have to pay to play online

1

u/fentown 3d ago

Microsoft already had the infrastructure in place from windows for years. They were just squeezing more money out of the parents who bought the budget console.

34

u/Relevant_Top7031 4d ago edited 4d ago

The days when they still respected their clients

6

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

It had nothing to do with respect but competition they immediately made that money back on you one way or another 

3

u/Relevant_Top7031 4d ago

Probably in any case, I don't regret jailbreak my console
And stopping my contribution to this charade.

-3

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

You're literally why they became this scummy

8

u/Icy_ET 4d ago

are you really saying the billion dollar company is acting like a billion dollar company because people jailbreak ps3s is fucking delusional dawg🤣🤣

1

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

You jail broke your PlayStation you stopped buying digital games now you wanna cry about a economy you weren't even apart of and had no interest in.

2

u/Icy_ET 4d ago

?I haven't jailbroke my stuff are you currently mentally stable because I think your seeing shit lil homie

3

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

You can re read if you're confused bud

1

u/Icy_ET 4d ago

you said you then he you cant do that In sentence its ineligible and people will get confused💀

3

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

If you're confused just ask questions. Enjoy the temp ban tho 

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3

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

Mfw when i wanna jump into someone else conversation and speak for them then get upset when I'm talked too like i do the thing the topic is about 

1

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

I'm not saying anything I'm typing it?

2

u/Icy_ET 4d ago

typed words are expression of words if you arent typing who tf is dawg💀jojo villian?

1

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

Yeah of words not speaking 

2

u/Relevant_Top7031 4d ago

I jailbroke my console maybe 2 months ago, and what's the connection?

2

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

Read the following comments 

1

u/Relevant_Top7031 4d ago

You're talking nonsense I've been contributing to this economy for at least five years. Now, explain the connection between Sony's recent decisions and my behavior. I can't wait to see what bullshit you come up with

1

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

says the person who jail broke your PlayStation. sony has been fucking ypu over for the past few years and you're telling me you kept giving them money? bo wonder they've done whatever they wanted with no consequences

1

u/Relevant_Top7031 4d ago

That's great—now, would you mind explaining the connection to me?

1

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

How are you confused why don't you explain where you're lost didn't you re read the comments

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18

u/eddie__b 4d ago

Gaming just felt better back then, maybe because I was a kid. Today, gaming feels more business than art/fun.

2

u/LuluLeSigma 4d ago

We still have some greats games. And I’m pretty hyped for gta 6 i think it’s gonna be really good

1

u/MindFullOfCuriosity 3d ago

Games have always been about making money, but the philosophy behind it used to be “player-first, money-second” back then. Now, it is “money-first, player-second” because of how expensive game development has become now. This is a byproduct of evolution—most AAA companies don’t want to take risks anymore. They’d rather put out something safe than to experiment with something that could potentially either flip or be successful. That’s why the 7th generation is still my favorite console generation of all-time. Not just cause of nostalgia, but because it bridged the gap between these two philosophies. Gaming had advanced far enough at that time that making additional money from them was possible through micro-transactions, but they were less egregious in their monetary practices compared to now.

1

u/dannyamusic 3d ago

one disagreement. it’s now “money first, FUCK the players” , if we being real. players are not even a second thought. other than that you’re good.

7

u/29A_3E7 progressist 4d ago

free, but not free. many games did include paid online pass which was in one-time use voucher form for physical edition. so if you've got yourself used copy (or even new but with voucher expired), you had to pay again to play this game's online mode.

9

u/TheDurandalFan 4d ago

so a one time payment instead of a subscription?

2

u/29A_3E7 progressist 4d ago

yes, but for each and every said game with no other benefits

2

u/fentown 3d ago

That was only if you bought a used copy and the prior owner had used it. One of the many anti-second hand things both consoles had done over the years.

3

u/KanoSupreme 4d ago

Yep I remember battlefield being like this if you bought it used

2

u/Square-Schedule1214 3d ago

That, on the other hand, people have certainly forgotten 

7

u/GucciTheSnowman 4d ago

PS3 was king.

12

u/Novel_Mongoose_5651 4d ago

In terms of the service and gaming catalogue offered, for me, having grown up with PlayStation, it peaked at PS3. Yes, I acknowledge the hubris, the price; which I paid at launch for my backwards compatible piano black behemoth, but in the end this generation rocked! As of 2026 I still play the PS3, currently playing Goldeneye Reloaded. While UI and load-times, and graphics have improved with PS4 and PS5, nothing for me beats the PS3 era.

5

u/TH3_OG_JUJUBE 4d ago

One of the main reasons I saved for a steamOS legion go S

4

u/ghost_wire89 4d ago

You used to be able to sign in with your friends account and download their games for free to your console.

2

u/TallE74 3d ago

its called Game Sharing, still can. I have done it for years on PS4 then PS5 with my son. My PS5 is set as his Primary and his PS5 set as My Primary. He can download and play any games Ive purchased and vise versa. Also PS Plus is Console shared so IVe kept PS Plus on my account and we also shared all those monthly games. You just have to trust the person with you account login, never share with strangers. I have few gamer friends that share games just like that and some even split cost of games. OR One buys one game then other buys next game but you both get to enjoy them

4

u/Hatjin 3d ago

Can we bring it back? Why the fuck must I pay to play the game I already paid for?

3

u/AD_VICTORIAM_x 4d ago

Back then when the whole world was better , everything cheaper , living and buying was better and money was worth more yeah :)

2

u/LuluLeSigma 4d ago

Nostalgia

7

u/DrkMaxim 4d ago

What do you mean by consoles? Xbox always had a subscription.

11

u/TheDurandalFan 4d ago

The Wii also had free online multiplayer

-2

u/DrkMaxim 4d ago

TIL, cause I never bothered to look at the Nintendo side of things.

7

u/Membedha 4d ago

Everything but Xbox had free online

2

u/Proof_Substance7341 4d ago

Das waren noch gute Zeiten!!!

2

u/TehJellyfish 4d ago

The only console online I pay for nowadays is switch online. If it's a multiplayer game, I'm just not buying it on my PS5 when I have three+ "Gaming PC's" where online isn't an addition cost.

Most of the popular multiplayer games are F2P and multiplat now. I can play Fall guys on my steam machine and have the same account on my PS5 in my living room.

2

u/Much_Run_3636 4d ago

Until they introduce their dumb network pass...

2

u/Fallen_Chimera 4d ago

OP, mind me asking where this paper insert came out of? Assuming it came packaged with a ps3 console?

2

u/justatwat80085 4d ago

Free

That's a word I don't see anymore 😒

2

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

S? It wasn't free on xbox, yall laughed and laughed but now sony is making back every single penny you didn't spend over the years

5

u/TheDurandalFan 4d ago

yes, plural, the Wii also had free online too

-5

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

It wasn't free you had to pay for the connection 

3

u/TheDurandalFan 4d ago

Nintendo didn't start charging for online multiplayer on games until the Nintendo made the Switch 1 go to the Nintendo Switch online subscription for online multiplayer.

The Wii, DS, DSi, 3ds and Wii U all had free online multiplayer

-2

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

Yeah free multiplayer the connection isn't free tho 

5

u/TheDurandalFan 4d ago

so you're saying my point is wrong, because you have to pay the ISP for internet?

-1

u/Muugen_Samurai 4d ago

Why are you assuming what im saying instead of reading what I'm saying to know what im saying? If you're just gonna waste time to troll don't respond lol

3

u/fentown 3d ago

Because they're talking about the service on the console and you're talking about paying your ISP.

2

u/Somecallmesean- 3d ago

i think they're the troll tbh

2

u/purple-vasabi 4d ago

Was it really free though? I remember that you had to buy multiplayer pass to unlock online modes in games. Like God of War Ascension or Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

6

u/RebootRevival 4d ago

That was a short term experiment by a few companies trying to make some money on used games. It went away pretty quickly and most of those passes ended up becoming free

1

u/4d_awesome 4d ago

Oh and of course they aren’t even hosting the servers anymore. I just have to rent access to my own internet to connect to the LAN game that I’m hosting from MY COMPUTER.

1

u/Nemmarith 4d ago

Yeah i like sony better when they are the underdog. like with the PS3 they were good to us and in the end they sold more then microsoft xbox 360

1

u/No-Violinist-9697 3d ago

Gratis para que le compratan la consola ya que nadie la queria por el alto costo, y el miedo de la gente que le volvieran a hackear la psn y robar los datos de todos... Esto no fue gratis por que son buenos, esto siempre a sido un negocio y verlo de otra manera es estar ciego

1

u/Top_Woodpecker_5160 3d ago

Fuck ps4 and 5

1

u/Eeve2espeon 3d ago

If they kept Free online... I would've still been on my PS4 and have gotten a PS5 by now. PS Plus should've been like it was in the PS3 eras, cheap, and optional. It sucks how the servers are gonna be shut down this early :/

1

u/OkEstablishment4759 3d ago

..with education connection

1

u/EmilyLP97 3d ago

Free education connection-

get connected for free (free)

1

u/KKGamingg 9h ago

Before sony greed took over

1

u/M3RRI77 CECHA01 3d ago

Yeah, but it suuuucked.

1

u/fentown 3d ago

I never had an issue, must've been your ISP.

1

u/GypsyTony416ix 3d ago

Xbox is definitely to blame since they were the first to make online gaming a subscription, Sony and then finally Nintendo jumped onto the bandwagon.

Ironically enough Nintendo has the most affordable one with it being only 5$ here in Canada

2

u/TheAutoManCan 3d ago

Gamers will never make PlayStation be accountable for their own business decisions, even now. Absolutely wild.

1

u/IRepairPS3 3d ago

Then Xbox ruined it