Ben-DutkaUpdated: April Fool's a little early from PS3Clan…and it's gutsy – or just plain stupid – to quote Kaz when it's a lie. Sony might get upset. Anyway, y'all know by now but we still need to update, of course.
Original Story:
Sony has often said that although they are planning a Premium subscription service for the PlayStation Network, the basic membership will always remain free. But big business has a way of changing that outlook.
We know the Premium service is coming later this year, although we haven't seen any official plans or details just yet. However, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai may have dropped a bomb we weren't expecting: according to European site PS3Clan , his latest statements say that if you wish to remain a PSN subscriber, you'll have to pay…no matter what. Most of that article through the link is in Dutch but it's the English translation of Hirai's comments that will turn plenty of heads and ruffle a few feathers:
"We are confident the Premium service will differentiate the PSN further from other online services. With the new functionalities the PSN will offer the most complete online experience possible. SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of software and the PSN. New functionalities as ‘cross game chat’ and Facebook connectivity, are part of our ambition to grow towards a profitable position.
However, to increase revenues further, we are forced to charge a subscription fee to all PSN users, instead of offering Premium services as an optional subscription. I cannot comment in depth at this time but we are looking at $60 to $80 a year. In return, the full Premium services package will be available to anyone without additional subscription fees. The Premium service will be available in the third quarter of this year for everyone to enjoy."
Of course, it could be a screwy translation but that doesn't really seem likely. It appears they toyed with the idea of an optional Premium subscription but perhaps they were worried that wouldn't bring in enough revenue; hence, they decided upon simply charging everyone a certain fee like Microsoft does for their Xbox Live service. Perhaps they don't need the "free online" benefit to sell PS3s these days but current users likely won't be too happy about the new cost. Then again, one can definitely make an argument that the Network has not only caught but surpassed Live in many areas. Is that not worth $60 to $80 per year?
Well, we're not sure. We'll have to see how Sony responds to this and it'll also be interesting to see the widespread gamer response…
I'm lucky 501 🙁
So, after this, I'd suggest that PSX not even publish any kind of story from a foreign magazine that quotes an exec. It seems like a high number of these stories result in untruthful information.
That being said, has dropping this article completely been considered? There's really no point to having it any more since the entire basis of it is false. All that's going to happen now is that some poor chuck is going to read the headline and freak out–"OMG SONY IS GOING TO START CHARGING FOR PSN!"–without bothering to read the article.
You want over 500 posts deleted, you're a meanie.
If that's too much, at least change the article title to something like, "Stupid April Fools' Joke Lies About an Interview."
Funny how people seem to just gloss over Bens update that this is indeed a hoax.
You know what they say, reading is overeated.
No, it's not a misspelling.
HOLY S***!!! haha
Damn… that was a nasty joke…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
I'm sorry I just have to be a part of this unprecedented 500 comments+ event which I'm sure will be refered to with awe by future psx readers (and all of mankind).
April fools joke in march interesting…
@ LV its not that I can't afford to pay for online ect it's that I shouldn't have too, these companies make more than enough money on Content, the games and other little accessories here and there that paying for a service ontop of already paying for a internet service is ridiculous. I have a lot of Xbox fans plus I use to work for the tech support and trust me Live goes down more often than enough that I bet if that happened to you while u were online and everything crashed u'd be pissed my friends have said recently they are more off line with the console than online due to M$ always updating something or the video game developers servers are botched. I know u'll argue with me until u're blue in the face but sometimes when you pay for something you never get what you pay for where as if it's free you see the better results and work harder to give the customers the best once a comapny charges for something time and time they get lazy and my friends have all said being loyal xbox fans that they have noticed Live getting worse and worse over the years cause M$ takes the customers for granted due to getting a lot of money from them on the live service which is 60 bucks a year in Canada.
April Fool's joke huh? Cute…it won't be so funny when Sony actually announces their plans to charge users for PSN and pricing comes out being similar to this articles.
If they aren't charging for the service now: Playstation Store, Playstion Home, access to Sony Servers to play multi-player games, etc., then they shouldn't start. Nintendo doesn't charge for their online services and look at where they are with console and game title sales? Through the roof people, through the roof.
As with the fat PS3s losing the option of being able to install OtherOS, sucks to be you if you're an owner of one. I have a PS3 slim, as will millions of people buying a PS3 this year and beyond. For us, this option being removed is nothing lost as it was never provided.
The option of being able to install another OS to my PS3 was the only feature I actually felt I missed out on when I got my PS3 slim. Though after seeing videos of Linux on a PS3, I quickly lost interest. Now that Sony is catching everyone up to Slim standards all the better.
Last edited by RebelJD on 3/31/2010 2:37:39 AM
Thats pretty lame!
WooHoo! 0_o o_0
LAST!?!
NO im LAST 🙂
You guys…you PS3Clan guys really enjoy throwing rocks at a hornet's nest, don't you?
I like jumping out of perfectly working airplanes myself. Now if YOU would like to throw rocks at a hornet's nest give me a minute.
*Runs far away and yells*
Ok you can start now, I'm going to watch.
PS3clan!-Ya can all suck my-
*Gets punched in face by mr.deeds*
LV,
This post is dedicated to you for my incomplete and not so thorough post somewhere above.
My sincerest apologies master Vertigo.
Well, I missed this post. I admit I have been rather engrossed in the last 3-4 weeks playing GoW 1-3 straight through after playing Dante's Inferno just prior. I re-calibrated with a little RB2…. and JUST settled in on 4/1/10 to finally start Bioshock
To my surprise, an update that KILLS "Other OS" option…. unless I refuse it then can never sign in to the network!
No story on this yet I see… I imagine the Fit is going to hit the Shan with many fellow PSXExtreme members!
record 526 comments?
527! 😀