The PlayStation 4 was unveiled last week, and today we have another detail to add to what Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758) revealed last week. While we don’t yet know how much the PS4 will cost or what the console actually looks like, it appears as if the company’s PlayStation Plus service will play an important part in the ecosystem of the PS4.
EU PlayStation.Blog conducted an interview with Jim Ryan, Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO and Michael Denny, the Senior VP of Worldwide Studios. According to Ryan, all PlayStation titles will be available both on a disc and as a digital download via PlayStation Plus on their launch day. However there appears to be more to the story.
He called PlayStation Plus “a core part of the way forward,” and while he said Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758) wasn’t yet “in a position” to explain just what they have in store for the digital service, he did say “there will definitely be a prominent role” for the service to play in the ecosystem of the PlayStation 4 console.
The company has said that it is considering the addition of more than one subscription level. Currently there is only one set price, which is $50 per year.
Forbes pointed out that Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758) recently acquired Gakai, predicting that PlayStation Plus will move from being just an extra service committed gamers can sign up for to a main service similar to Xbox Live Gold.
Also with the shift toward cord-cutting, Sony could be looking for new ways to push into the video streaming industry. Some apps for video streaming are available through the PlayStation 3 currently, but there is the possibility that they could expand those offerings and make some of them part of PlayStation Plus in some way as well.
