This is why net neutrality is going to be such a big deal in the future. As service providers continue to get bought out by the likes of Comcast, this will be an issue with your speeds to various websites. Not sure how this is going to affect services like XBL or PS+, but it's something to look out for, especially for those who do play online games.
As for the PS+ being mandatory, I think it really depends on the types of games you play. FPS will almost always be tied to online play so their pretty much handcuffed to the services provide by sony or microsoft. Other games are hit or miss. My musou games and Diablo 3 play just fine w/out online multiplayer. Sure it would be nice to play with others online, but I have family that come over and play locally. Nintendo has been slow to adapt, but it is happening. Maybe not this gen, but in the next round of consoles, I'm sure Nintendo will offer more online capability.
For that matter, that's also another reason why I do not own digital copies. I can lend my games to family as I wish. Cant do that with a digital rights copy. It's all about how you use the console and which games you play.
It's already affecting us
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/5/5474850/comcast-isnt-letting-customers-watch-hbo-go-on-ps3
I see no reason why they wouldn't pull the same shit with Sony/MS/Nintendo directly as they gain more power and get greedier.
Nintendo better not charge for online, what they have now is a joke even compared to PS360. No invites system, voice chat is practically non-existent, no way to access accounts from another system, hell they don't even have any sort of achievement system in place so I can see who on my friends list has played what games.
I totally understand that argument but really you own the system and you are likely to buy games throughout the year. Most people who are that down on their luck financially that they can't spend $40 on all that PS+ has to offer most likely don't have the money to have even gotten a PS4 in the first place. If you want to keep your huge library of free games for $40 a year plus play online that is your choice in gaming. Instead of buying one of the games you planned for that year you instead just pay for your online so that you can still have access to countless games PLUS essentially 24 more throughout that coming year.
This alone is a great example. Just this one game, out of 24 for the PS4 offered in a year, is $15. As a CAG I am sure you can get PS+ for $35-40 easily. So right there it is already almost half the cost. I don't know. I just feel PS+ has justified its worth many times over now.
It's not about not being able to afford it (for me at least).... it's about being forced to pay for the same service twice, or best case scenario, pay for a bunch of "free" games I have no interest in. If I want a game, I usually buy it myself, not wait for it to go free on PS+. That goes for the example you shared..... I bought Injustice forever ago (technically I've bought it twice, vanilla version and the Ultimate version).... so getting it free on PS+ is nothing to me. I wouldn't even download it, I'd rather just change out the discs and keep the free space for some other PSN/DLC in the future.
I tried PS+ on PS3 twice..... other than sales on Assassin's Creed and Tokyo Jungle I got no real use out of it. Yeah, fooling around with the freebies I didn't already have sounds cool, but out of all of them I only even bothered to download RCR, Scott Pilgrim, and Street Fighter, and I never spent more than an hour with each of them before I deleted them.
So yeah.... I don't get all the love for PS+. It's miles better than XBL, that's for sure, and I didn't mind it before they started trying to shove it down our throats, but it's never appealed to me. I see all this excitement for "free games", but it seems like you would've bought the game yourself by then if you really wanted to play it. I mean hell, aside from PS4's launch have they ever included a PS+ freebie that you couldn't already get for under $20 at Amazon or Best Buy?
Ugh.... I'm just sick of being nickeled and dimed. Had they not pulled this PS+ shit I probably would have bought a PS4 at launch, but as it is I am leaning more and more towards just getting a gaming PC and sticking with Steam.