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The story
It became a hot topic on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“Geha”) board that the PS5 hands-on corner at Sony’s “PlayStation Matsuri” event in Osaka requires a PS Plus subscription just to make an advance reservation. The official guidelines state that “only the person who made the reservation may try the demo” and that “if we are unable to verify your identity on the day, you may be denied entry,” and explicitly spell out that companions cannot try the demos themselves and can only stand and watch. In the thread, opinion split between those calling it an insular event that shuts out newcomers from the get-go, and those reading it as meaning PS Plus is only required for the reservation itself, with walk-up demo play on the day being a separate matter — leading to a back-and-forth where posters kept citing the same text but arriving at opposite readings.
At “PlayStation Matsuri,” you’ll be able to try out a wide range of popular titles, including buzzworthy games that were exhibited at the PlayStation booth during Tokyo Game Show 2026 this past September.
Source: playstation.com / Original article here
What people said
You can't exactly log in somewhere like that
Turning new players away is seriously a baffling way to run this
This event's supposed to be for bringing in new people
Are they out of their minds
Stay exactly the way you are
Wait, so it's an event aimed at existing players?
That's just market research lol
Probably some kind of prep for when they sell the next console, I'd guess
Does everyone need to have PS Plus?
If so, that's hilarious 😆
Sony: "Companions, just stand there and watch"
"Only the person who made the reservation may experience the demo. The right to participate in this event may not be exchanged for cash or transferred."
Surely they're not refusing anyone who isn't a PS Plus member, that'd be insane lol
Nah?
It means if you want to try anything at the PlayStation booth, you need to sign up for Plus
Maybe they just want people to feel some sense of privilege for getting to try it at all?
PS Plus is only needed to reserve a demo slot
You can still try the demo without reserving
Why tell a lie that's going to get caught immediately
"2. About this event"
"Only the person who made the reservation may experience the demo. The right to participate in this event may not be exchanged for cash or transferred."
"*If you do not arrive at the designated location by the specified time, you may be refused participation in this event."
> "Only the person who made the reservation may experience the demo"
Lying like that is just going to disappoint people who were looking forward to it on the day
That's the terms for the advance reservation, though
Exactly — without an advance reservation you can't play the featured titles, that's the whole point. Can you not read Japanese or what
> "We may verify your identity at the venue on the day, so please bring something that can confirm your PlayStation Network account, such as a printout or your smartphone screen. Please note in advance that if we are unable to confirm your identity on the day, we may refuse you entry."
That's all still terms for the reservation, though
Which is exactly why it's mandatory, that's the point
If you're so sure of that, go find me a single line from Re: #1 that says you can play without reserving
It's just that PS Plus is needed if you want to reserve —
PS Plus itself isn't a requirement for the demo
The fact that you can't even join the event without reserving in the first place makes that argument pure sophistry
Seeing as you can't even take part in the event without reserving in the first place, that's about as sophistic as it gets
If they can't verify your identity, it doesn't stop at losing some perk — you get denied entry outright.
Given that, how could someone without a reservation possibly be let in?
I think it just means being a companion doesn't let you skip the line if there is one
Though whether there'll even be a line is questionable
Nowhere does it say you can't try the demo without a reservation
It also doesn't say you CAN try the demo without one
Hmm, I wonder about that
Feel like I've seen that same thing happen with Palworld too ("Paruwa" = slang for Palworld)
Honestly I don't think the reservation is even necessary,
but scalpers might swarm the place, so that's probably why
Looks like they forgot all about the "approx. wait time: ___ min" part
Background and key points of this discussion
PS Plus is Sony’s paid subscription service, whose main perks are things like online multiplayer and access to free monthly titles. The “PlayStation Matsuri” event in question here is a promotional event letting attendees try out titles that were exhibited at Tokyo Game Show 2026, and reading the official wording, Sony isn’t asking for PS Plus as payment for the demo itself — the actual requirement is presenting a PSN account for reservation, identity verification, and anti-scalping purposes. The thread’s sticking point was whether to treat this “reservation requirement” as the same thing as a “requirement just to try the demo”: some argued that if a demo unit happens to be free on the day you might be able to use it without ever reserving, while others countered that since you can’t even take part in the event at all without reserving, PS Plus is effectively mandatory regardless — and the two sides never quite met in the middle. What readers may easily get wrong is that this condition doesn’t extend to PS5 hardware or game purchases in general; it’s a temporary measure for managing entry to one specific promotional event.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry “Geha”) thread “[Sad News] Sony Ends Up Forcing PS Plus Subscription for Osaka PS5 Hands-On Event.”
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