Speaking to the Official PlayStation Magazing, SCE UK chief Fergal Gara has said that charging for online multiplayer on PS4 has helped reduce the price of the console. It’s the first time Sony will be charging gamers to play online, requiring a PlayStation Plus subscription to access the online component of games, although it was something Sony had to “agonise over for a very long time.”
However, in addition to giving you access to online multiplayer, PlayStation Plus also gives gamers access to free games each month. And if you’re already a subscriber, your subscription will roll over to the PS4 when it launches later this year. A single PlayStation Plus subscription can be used across the PS3, PS Vita and PS4.
PlayStation Plus currently costs £40 a year, though Sony sometimes discounts the price. The subscription can also be stacked, so you can purchase two 12-month subscriptions and have PS Plus for a 2-year period – something that’s useful to do when the subscription is offered at a discount. The PS4 will also support cross-game chat – something that fans requested with the PS3, but could not be supported.