Playstation Network may not always be free ...

[purbeast0]

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Eric Lempel, director of PlayStation Network operations, has said that the company may one day charge for PSN. He also feels PSN and Xbox Live are currently operating on a roughly level playing field and reveals improvements to the service currently in development. More within...

Speaking to Geoff Keighley on the latest edition of Gametrailers? Bonus Round, Lempel said that there was little to differentiate Xbox Live and PSN offerings to consumers bar the price. However, Lempel indicated that as the service grows, PSN may not always be available for free.

?Microsoft had a year jump on us for the launch and essentially we?re offering a lot of the same stuff. I don?t think there?s a big difference in exactly what we?re offering when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of what?s actually there for the consumer? We?re not charging money for our service. That?s a key differentiating factor.?

However, that could be open to change in the future.

?Right now that?s our model. In time anything can change but right now we?re happy with it.?

Lempel did concede that Sony was working to replicate a number of Xbox Live?s most successful features including cross-game invites, the ability to access the cross-media bar in-game, and an achievements system.

?I like how their marketplace is integrated directly into their user interface?.Talking across games is fantastic. That definitely builds momentum for games and actually migrate users to other games and keeps you in touch with your gaming community.

?We?re working on an achievements system... I can?t say if it?s definitely tied to a gamerscore or something like Xbox does but that is an important feature.

?We?re continuing to build on this. We?re definitely going to have all of those features at some point. We know that they (consumers) want it and we?re building to get there? It?s not in the next firmware update but it?s something we?re working on."

Lempel also stated that the notion of a unified PS community hadn?t been forgotten and that efforts were being made to that effect.

?We?re definitely going towards this one unified community. PlayStation Network doesn?t mean PS3, it extends to the PSP, it will extend to the PSP (we think he meant PS2). That?s something you?ll see in the future. There?s a lot more coming.?

Last week Aaron Greenberg from Microsoft was in the Bonus Round chair fielding similar questions about the respective strengths and weaknesses of Xbox Live and PSN. Read his comments here.

Watch the Lempel interview here.

You can see the link to the video interview from that page.

This is very interesting nonetheless ...

 

[mlm]

The way I see it, they're just phrasing it that way in the event that they have to charge. It's not an absolute at all.

It will probably just end up like their services for the PS2 and PSP. Once it's no longer beneficial to keep the servers open, they'll close them.

 

[tatteredpotato]

So basically he's saying he wants and XBL clone.

 

[ObiDon]

Originally posted by: BlameCanada
So basically he's saying he wants and XBL clone.

sweet deal. they could charge us for the service AND for the content!

 

[Randum]

Sony has to know they are in trouble with online offerings. Using both consoles, for online play, I instantly choose the XBL, because of the large community and ease to communication. (voice with all games, private messsages while gaming etc)
Sony needs to adapt this, and apply it but realize they can make money while doing it...so they will charge... its a necessary evil. At somepoint though, this giants have to realize that they lose a large portion of the market once they begin to charge (kids with no credit cards, and people working full time jobs) one of the main turnoffs to MMOs is the fee based playing. I am sure online gaming will suffer the same turnoff. But there are not enough people saying no to make it change back to free online gaming....

 

[Queasy]

Not too surprised. You can't build up an infrastructure to support all of this without additional revenue from some other source (ads, item sales, subscription) other than game or console sales. I look at Home and think, "how are they going to make money off of this?"

 

[Inspector Jihad]

^doesnt home have ads?

 

[destrekor]

everyone.. let's play jump to conclusions! It's a mat you lay on the ground, and you jump to squares that have conclusions written on them! See... you jump, to conclusions! Get it?

ugh
people need to learn marketing speak. This is simply Sony's defense if anything ever needs to change. But it likely won't this generation. Sony has grand plans, is quite capable of pulling them off, and has, on multiple occasions, stated they would like to keep it free. By stating they cannot predict the future and any changes that may happen, it basically saying 'don't hold me liable if anything happens, as anything is possible, but nothing will likely change in any time soon.'
don't fret, nothing will likely happen for a LONG time as far as charging the player.
but, I am definitely looking forward to the future of PSN. Everything is starting to look like it will all fall into place quite happily. Great games, and great features are all on the way, from now through Q2 of 2008.

 

[Ichigo]

Well, as long as we have *your* word that nothing will *likely* happen...

 

[ObiDon]

OMG! tomorrow they start charging?!?!? NOOOO!!!!

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Ichigo
Well, as long as we have *your* word that nothing will *likely* happen...

im not saying my word. but what that rep said is exactly what all reps say when asked a question like that. its takes the heat off of them. and almost never means anything other than that. it's business thing.

 

[DaveSimmons]

In other news, Microsoft has revealed that the failure rate for 360s is no higher than 49%.

ArsTech
When asked directly about the 360's return rate for malfunction, Holmdahl cryptically responded by saying nothing more than the "vast majority of the people are really happy with [the Xbox 360]."


Also, Microsoft may be raising the price of Live to $150.00 a year. After all, they've never promised it will be $50 forever.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
In other news, Microsoft has revealed that the failure rate for 360s is no higher than 49%.

ArsTech
When asked directly about the 360's return rate for malfunction, Holmdahl cryptically responded by saying nothing more than the "vast majority of the people are really happy with [the Xbox 360]."


Also, Microsoft may be raising the price of Live to $150.00 a year. After all, they've never promised it will be $50 forever.

lmao

 

[tatteredpotato]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Also, Microsoft may be raising the price of Live to $150.00 a year. After all, they've never promised it will be $50 forever.

I thought they said it was going to be 129.99 and a virgin princess.

 

[TallBill]

I'll gladly pay monthly for an mmorpg or gaming service that is worth it. Plus hopefully it'll weed out some children.

 

[NaOH]

No way am I paying 150.00 a year. They'd have to give me all those extras and live arcade games with it.

 

[mad0maxx]

Paying that much is like paying for a MMORPG ^_^ LoL

 

[hans030390]

I thought they were bragging about how it would always be free a while back...?

Well, if it is, hopefully it's cheap...(Live isn't cheap to me)