Sony Announces There Will Be No PS+ Price Hike [E3 2013]
Towards the end of Sony’s press conference Monday night some exciting things happened that really got everybody’s attention: the PS4 will not require any sort of internet connection, and used games will work the exact same way as they have on the PS3. Add on that the fact that the PS4 is being priced for $399, a cool 100 bucks cheaper than the Xbox One, and it’s safe to say that people were leaping out of their seats. It’s not surprise, then, that Sony used that moment to slip in a little bad news…
As you may have heard by now, PS+ will be required for use if you want to play multiplayer on the PS4. Luckily Sony isn’t taking this opprotunity to jack up the price on it. Instead, according to Adam Boyes, VP of Publisher and Developer Relations, the price will remain at $50 annually for North America. He also confirmed that serviced like Netflix and Hulu, which have not required PS+ in the past, will still be available for free.
But what about free-to-play games like PlanetSide 2? According to Sony Worldwide Sudios President Shuhei Yoshida it will be the “publisher’s decision whether they put it inside or outside of PS Plus.” Any company with a F2P game worth its salt will make it available outside of PS+, and in fact there might even be some bigger games that could find themselves outside PS+. And hey, keep in mind that while PS+ may be required for many online multiplayer experiences, it’s still a good deal when you consider all the free games Sony gives through the program, as well as cloud storage and access to early demos and deep discounts. Add to that the fact that it extends to the Vita, PS3, and PS4 and it’s kind of hard to justify why you shouldn’t get it if you’re doing a lot of gaming!
