Sony not “Defensive” or “Apologetic” about PS4 Multiplayer Costing Money With PS+, Due to “Very Significant Step-Change in the Online Experience”

June 11, 2013 Written by Sebastian Moss *EDITED FOR LENGTH*

Jim Ryan, president of SCEE, told VG247:

The online experience on PS3 has got better, but at the beginning it was rather rudimentary, and the investment associated with it reflected that.

We are going to make a very significant step-change in the online experience with PlayStation 4. Some of that functionality was spoken about yesterday, and some on February 20, and that’s all great and we’re really happy that we’re able to make our online experience much more competitive, but the flipside is that this stuff comes at a cost. When you’re trying to achieve a $399/£349 price-point and trying to deliver all this functionality, the money has to come from somewhere.

He added that the best way to get subscribers in a ‘good’ way would be to add it in to PS+:

It seemed to us that the most appropriate way to do this was to put online multiplayer into the existing PS Plus package, and, like some other platforms, for something like €5, or whatever the sterling equivalent, per month, yes, there is a charge for online multiplayer, but there’s also a pretty damn strong package of content and services in there. As you’ll know, it’s pretty good.

Adding:

I think we’ve done it in a reasonable and fair manner, and I don’t feel defensive in sitting here and looking at the whole package. Yes, we’re charging for online multiplayer, and we have to be quite straight about that and not hide it at all. It is part of PlayStation Plus, and all the good stuff that goes with that. Set that against the competitive offering and the overall value proposition that it’ll provide UK consumers, and I don’t feel bad about it at all. I don’t feel apologetic.

SOURCE: http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2013/06/11/sony-not-defensive-or-apologetic-about-ps4-multiplayer-costing-money-with-ps-due-to-very-significant-step-change-in-the-online-experience/

IN ADDITION

Yoshida seems to care. Also outlining what non plus member get and its not bad.

He also went as far as to apologize for placing an additional cost on the customers’ wallets:

I apologize for the financial burden on our users, but on PS4 it’ll also provide early access to beta versions, free games and discounts like on PS3 and PS Vita. In addition to that PS Plus members will receive for free a special edition with slightly reduced functions of DriveClub.

http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/06/12/e3-2013-sonys-shuhei-yoshida-shares-relevant-details-on-playstation-plus-requirement-for-multiplayer-on-ps4/