14 DAY TRIAL // With prices locked at the same level for about six months, those who are in the market to buy a new gaming console need to look at accessories and exclusives to differentiate between the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 from Sony.
And one of the advantages of the Sony device is the fact that the PlayStation Network, which allows multiplayer gaming and other services, is free to all console users, unlike the Xbox Live Gold subscription. But Sony seems to take into account the possibility of throwing that advantage away.
Peter Dille, who is the senior vice president for marketing and the PSN at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, told IGN in an interview that “Will we charge for, or why don't we charge for it? It's been our philosophy not to charge for it from launch up until now, but Kaz recently went on the record as saying that's something we're looking at.” He added, “That's something that we're actively thinking about. What's the best way to approach that if we were to do that? You know, no announcements at this point in time, but it's something we're thinking about.”
Kaz Hirai, the Chief Executive Officer at Sony of America, stated in November of last year that only premium services and content were in line to be offered through a subscription, which suggests that Sony plans on keeping free those elements of the PSN that gamers have learned to enjoy.
It's not clear what premium content that could mean but it's obvious that even the higher hierarchy at Sony is still thinking about the issue and no plans are ready to be put into motion. 2009 was a growth year for the PlayStation Network, which now has more than 31 million registered accounts and has served a few hundred million downloads to its users.