PlayStation Stars, a rewards program Sony tragically failed to market by licensing the theme song to a certain ogre’s swamp animated film, is rolling out today in the United States.
First announced in July, PlayStation Stars primarily awards players “digital collectibles,” raising some eyebrows at a slew of prizes that looked a lot like NFTs. (Sony swears they’re “not NFTs.”) But long-term participation in the program can also award you points to redeem on the PlayStation Store. Here’s everything you need to know.
“PlayStation Stars”? Like, the fighting game?
no you think about PlayStation All Stars Battle Royalea 2012 platform fighter who tried to pander to Sony’s roster of first-party heroes for a PlayStation exclusive Smash Bros. clone. By most accounts, the game failed. Terribly.
Despite being centered around a dopamine-fueled progression system, PlayStation Stars isn’t a game at all. It’s a free add-on to an existing PlayStation account. You are assigned a number of tasks, officially called campaigns, which rotate on a rotating basis. Completing campaigns gets you free stuff – like, yes, “digital collectibles” (to reiterate, “not NFTs”). The more campaigns you complete, the more campaigns you can unlock, which increases your PlayStation Stars Status Level.
The program first rolled out to Asia on September 28, hit North and South America on October 5, and will expand to Europe, Australia and New Zealand on October 13. .
How do I sign up for PlayStation Stars?
First, you must have an account on PlayStation Network, Sony’s online service. (A free account is fine, though members of Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription will get additional benefits.) In the PlayStation app, you’ll see a blue button with a star on it in the top navigation bar. Click on it, then follow the steps.
A console version of the program is not currently available.
What are the rewards?
PlayStation Stars rewards primarily fall into one of two categories: digital collectibles – trophies that you can store in a digital trophy case on the PlayStation app – or points, which can be used on other collectibles or games from PlayStation Store.
At level two (purchase a game from the PlayStation Store to unlock it), you get a bonus collectible. Once you reach level three (buy two games), you get a collection anniversary. At level four (buy four games) you unlock “priority chat routing – essentially early access to customer support queries, although in an FAQ Sony said wait times are “subject to availability “.
So the rewards, for the most part, are digitized statues that you can only view in a mobile app, for now. You can see everything you have unlocked in the showcasefeatured on the homepage of the PlayStation app (this is the simulated blue bar with God of the war text).
So… NFTs?
“They’re definitely not NFTs. Definitely not,” Grace Chen, Sony’s vice president of network advertising, loyalty and licensed products, told The Washington Post. sell them.It does not leverage any blockchain technology and certainly not NFT.
What are the challenges?
The campaigns are quite rudimentary. For example, for the Registration in October campaign currently active on my account, I must complete a rudimentary objective: “play any game (PS4/PS5).” When finished, I will unlock the Tyrannosaurs Rex PlayStation Tech Demo – a dinosaur standing in front of a tree, a reference to a tech demo for the original PlayStation.
Some campaigns fall into the category of “spending money to earn (a pittance) of money”. For the Choice of PlayStation Store campaign, I have to buy one of the six specific games — NBA 2K23, Saints Row, TMNT collection, The Last of Us Part I, Madden NFL 23Where Registration, Polygon’s GOTY 2021 — at full price on PlayStation Store. In return, I will earn 50 points.
Sony said it won’t require you to stream PS3 games – a perk that’s only available to people who sign up for the most expensive PlayStation Plus tier – for all campaigns.
How much are PlayStation Points worth?
Fork over 200 points allows you to get a collectible from a spin slate. You can also spend points on games, although the exchange rate is not an exact science. Currently, you can redeem points for a handful of games through the PlayStation app:
- Worship of the Lamb (6,250 points)
- It takes two (10,000 points)
- underworld (6,250 points)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (15,000 points)
- The career (17,500 points)
You can also redeem points for PlayStation Store funds: 1,250 points for $5 or 5,000 for $20. You cannot redeem or transfer points to another account.
Is it worth it?
If it costs money, no way. Ponying up for a full-price game in exchange for less than $1 in PlayStation Store funds isn’t exactly appealing, no matter how you do the math. And whatever your thoughts on “not NFTs” are, keeping them locked away in a mobile app, where they can’t be viewed or traded, seems silly. But hey, PlayStation Stars is free.