PlayStation Network To Remain Free
See Full ImageOne of the biggest advantages of the PlayStation Network is an obvious one: it's free. Xbox Live charges a fee, and as time goes on, the Network has gotten awfully close to the Live service in terms of robustness and overall options. Furthermore, with PS3 sales steadily rising and more and more people logging on to check out the Store, it begs the question: will Sony start to charge a fee? It will soon cost more to keep everything up and running...
But according to a Next-Gen interview with PlayStation Network director of operations Eric Lempel - also a frequent poster at the official PlayStation blog - it seems we needn't worry. Just because there are more registrants than ever doesn't mean Sony is looking to start charging; they're content with the way things are:
"Were happy with what were doing right now and were going to stick with it," said Lempel. "I think being free is always an advantage. The fact that its free is nice for consumers who want to try out the online experience, those who may be new to it and may not be ready to commit to spending dollars, and thats a really good message for us."
Obviously, Lempel would like to add that we can save our money for use on the Store, but hey, the service itself remains free. And as far as the foreseeable future is concerned, it's going to stay this way, and that's good news. Many Xbox 360 loyalists have always believed the free aspect of the Network was only a promotional gimmick to get people to sign up, and when they fleshed it out, the charges would begin, just like with Live. But it's not turning out that way, is it?
7/4/2008 Ben Dutka
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Yogi
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 3:06:41 AM
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SHADOW [Moderator]
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 4:13:26 AM
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ThePoetRazel
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 6:16:36 AM
But to admonish the business practices of success is absurd. Microsoft has done well and Mr Gates is the genius who created that success. So which moral code of the fool-philosophers do you read from to say that success is evil? In business you beat the competition or you get beat. This is the real world, not a Disney movie.
And as Nietzsche once pointed out, there is no such thing as a universal moral. This should be more apparent than ever with today's level of inter global communication.
I'd also disagree with you that LIVE does me to give to it's subscribers than PSN. LIVE is an older service which has had time to develop. PSN is a new and rapidly developing service that is fast catching up to it's older cousin. In short time we will see the PSN either equal or surpass LIVE in all ways.
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Gabriel013
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 1:44:23 AM
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The 360 does seem to get a lot more downloadable demos BUT that isn't worth £50 per year (or whatever it costs now for LIVE).
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Ultimadream
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 2:21:59 AM
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aaronisbla
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 2:45:18 AM
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Not counting pay to play games like WoW, it seems as if microsoft is the only company charging for online gaming. i could be wrong though
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Qubex
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 4:10:07 AM
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Q!
"...Join me and together we will rule the galaxy like father and son!" [Star Wars | Empire Strikes Back]
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SHADOW [Moderator]
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 4:20:37 AM
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Qubex
Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 11:05:01 AM
Q!
"...Join me and together we will rule the galaxy as father and son!" [Star Wars | Empire Strikes Back]
Last edited by Qubex on 7/4/2008 11:05:33 AM
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Zapix
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Friday, July 04, 2008 @ 1:19:36 AM
Oh well. Least I'm not paying for PSN and not getting content. As for the multiplayer gaming, I think that should just be free to begin with, PSN and Live! They're directing alot of games to be multiplayer, and Microsoft which has more money than it knows what to do with, charges people for it. Granted, it works off of their servers and all too, but then they nickle and dime people for anything and everything. Oh well, I guess Bill Gates didn't become so successful being fair to customers, or giving anyone a break... Grated he's also the most generous man in the world when it comes to charity, but his business ethics are brute force. I hope under new leadership, Microsoft will become a slightly more customer friendly company, and not as the iron fist it has been.
Sony has far less money than Microsoft I'm sure, and Sony can afford to do this... You sure know Microsoft can afford to do it.
Last edited by Zapix on 7/4/2008 1:26:46 AM