Providing a free service can only get a company so far. At some point they will have to monetize their investment if they wish to continue its operation. When looking to implement a premium service to the network most users are afraid that the existing free-to-play multiplayer will go away in likes of Microsoft’s Xbox Live pay-to-play online service. Sony has stated before that existing free services will remain free, so users can relax and know that the free-to-play model will remain. So then you have to wonder, what are they thinking about adding as premium features?
Possible Premium Features
Cloud Storage Space for Games
Store your game saves on a virtual secure saver. This would allow you to access your game saves at any point in time, and from any PlayStation 3 or PSP console you are logged in on.
Free Access to PSOne Classics, PSP Minis, and PS3/PSP Themes
Get a fixed number of PSOne Classic games, PSP Minis (bite-sized games), and PS3/PSP themes per month to keep for free for as long as you are a subscriber. The PlayStation Store offers these types of content for $2-6 each.
Catch-up TV
Get access to popular TV shows and movies through service providers such as Hulu, simply by clicking an icon on your PS3 XrossMedia navigation bar.
Cross-game Voice Chat Access
Get exclusive member-only access to cross-game voice chat. This is the ability to use your headset to voice chat with friends on your PS3 regardless of what they are doing on the PS3.
Online Music Service
Get a streaming music service that allows you to choose your channel based on music style, artist type, etc. and listen to an unlimited number of tracks. This service would be for use outside of playing a game and similar to Pandora or a Last.fm.
Issues Defining A Premium Service
Launching a premium service 3 years into a systems life can be challenging. Sony will have to find a balance and actually provide “additional” services and avoid bundling core features. One such feature, cross-game voice chat, is listed in their survey. This has been a highly requested feature from the PS3 community and I can imagine that it won’t be taken too well if they require a subscription fee to use this feature. With that said, Sony is doing right by keeping existing free features free, so users can continue to enjoy online multiplayer.
Are You Interested?
Keep in mind that the above possible features are for survey purposes and in no way mean that Sony has finalized their offerings and prices. With that said, do you think what they have listed so far works? Should they also include offerings from the Video store? What about Qore? What combination of features would be worth it to you?
See full list and descriptions at Engadget.