Alby_da_Wolf said:
The right thing to do it would be: if multiplayer mode relies heavily on Sony servers, PSN+ fee required, if it relies on 3rd party ones (including publishers' own servers) and/or if it's P2P multiplayer where most of the resources are provided by the users machines themselves, while Sony servers just manage the initial handshaking amongst the players, free PSN subscription should be enough. Obviously Sony could reserve advanced matchmaking functions, leagues, every trophy system that it doesn't normally provide also for single player, etc only to pay subscribers. BTW this system could blend perfectly with the stuff you quoted about MMOGs, where the MMOG's publisher provides almost all the resources needed for the game, and charges the user for them (unless it's based on advertising and/or sales of extra game items), so it would be unfair to add another mandatory fee on top of it while not giving almost anything in return. |
It's probably not completely out of the question.
The whole split "some games you can play online without PSN+, some games you can't" would be a bit confusing to some users, and so at the very least, SCE will no longer be using the "online play is always free" marketing bullet they've been using for the PS3 (which will remain free if what was announced remains true).
But, I can see games that require some sort of subscription that are presumably running off developer's servers, or free to play games that again, are running off the developer's own servers, that wouldn't require PSN+ subscriptions to play in the interest of having the broadest audience available.
And while I acknowledge that PSN+ subscriptions are going to be the majority rather than the minority with the PS4, there will still be some developers who want access to the entire PS4 userbase.
At any rate, I'm curious to see what will actually be available to basic PSN accounts when the PS4 goes online. Even though I let my PSN+ service go, if I start playing more once my PS4 arrives, there's very little reason why I wouldn't renew.
