Sony has announced that it has plans to expand the PlayStation Network service, which is at the moment free to all those who own a PlayStation 3 video game console and have an Internet connection, by creating something provisionally called the Sony Online Service. It will require a paid subscription and will offer content ranging from games to books, video, music, and a variety of Sony devices, from the PS3 to the PSP, the Sony Reader and even television sets.

Kaz Hirai, who is a senior executive vice president at Sony, has said that “SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of hardware, software, peripheral, and PlayStation Network. Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services”.

Speculation has existed for some time that Sony is getting ready to ask gamer to pay for PSN, in an effort to get more revenue from the service as it prepares to turn profitable in 2011. Kaz Hirai has made it clear that multiplayer gaming, Facebook and Twitter access will be free for all those who sign up for the Sony network, while the delivery of other content will be paid for. Sony Online Service does not have a release date at the moment and the company is promising more details in early 2010.

Recently, as the prices of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 have been set at the same level, both Sony and Microsoft have sought to emphasize the services offered via Xbox Live and via PSN as a good reason to buy one or the other. With both services now offering Facebook and Twitter access, players will likely be looking more at the quality of videogames released on each platform in order to make a buying decision.