Sony unveils PSN Day 1 Digital program

Sony is always looking for more ways to make the PS3 standout from the likes of the Xbox 360 and Wii (soon to be Wii U), and one new way its doing that is by putting games on PSN the same day they launch at retail. Unveiled today, Sony's new "PSN Day 1 Digital" program will kick off in October with the release of Resident Evil 6, letting users purchase and download full, new games on launch day right from their couch. Even better is that PS Plus users will get to enjoy a 10% discount in some cases.

Out of all of this, the fact that PS Plus users get 10% off is probably the most surprising. Console manufacturers – Microsoft especially, Sony to a lesser extent – sometimes like to keep prices high on digital versions of retail games. The result is that occasionally you'd end up paying more for a digital copy of the game than you would for a physical copy from a brick and mortar store, but this time around, Sony is ready to pass on some discounts provided you've subscribed to PlayStation Plus. Of course, just being a PS Plus member doesn't automatically mean you're entitled to the discount, as you'll have to pre-order the game in question before Sony and the publishers will shave 10% off the purchase price.

Here's the full list of games that will be launching on PSN on launch day. Keep in mind that PS Plus prices only apply if you pre-order the title unless otherwise stated:

Resident Evil 6 – October 2, $59.99

NBA 2K12 – October 2, $59.99/$53.99 for PS Plus members

Dishonored – October 9, $59.99/$53.99 for PS Plus members

Doom 3: BFG Edition – October 16, $39.99/$35.99 for PS Plus members

007 Legends – October 16, $59.99/$53.99 for PS Plus members during first week of availability

Medal of Honor Warfighter – October 23, $59.99

Need for Speed: Most Wanted – October 30, $59.99/$53.99 for PS Plus members

Assassin's Creed III – October 30, $59.99

Unsurprisingly, three of October's biggest games – Resident Evil 6, Medal of Honor Warfighter, and Assassin's Creed III – don't come with a discount for PS Plus members, though Assassin's Creed III is still available for pre-order. There's no word on if these games will be available to download at midnight on launch day, but Sony's recent launch day release of Borderlands 2 wasn't, so it isn't looking good for the rest of the bunch. More details will almost certainly be coming shortly, so stay tuned.

[via The Verge]