Reasonable on 20 January 2012
I'd say the can't at this point. They are behind MS in the key online territories of US and UK and Live is seen as having more features - PSN for online has to be free to compete IMHO.
PSN Plus made sense for Sony I think - they'd failed to build in the right OS features from the start for cross party chat and left it too late to try and add it. Plus allows them to generate income with more of a loyalty scheme vs Live's model.
Next gen though I'd expect Sony to have cross-game chat and others from the start (as with Vita) and I suspect they've keep basic online free but have PSN Plus add cross-game chat and other features to entice more to pay for it.
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...
