In an interview with Nikkei, Sony Computer Entertainment technology boss Masuyuki Chatani hinted at content and services could in future be offered for a fee – potentially in subscription form. Sony is apparently looking at other ways to gain more from online revenue.
He said in the interview, “Servers and the like have running costs after we sell the hardware, though; we continue to sell products such as content and services. We expect to see considerable growth in digital content, such as game download services, avatar items and the like, we can also accept payment in a growing number of ways. In addition to single-payment packaged software, there are also schemes like monthly fees or per-item charges. I think this variety of payment methods will bring about a diverse range of playing methods, too.”
So to me it sounds like they could use a similar model the Xbox Live, where basic functionality will be free and for premium features you might have to pay. The ‘free lunch’ days could be numbered.
See the full Nikkei interview.
BWHAHAHA, pay-up PS3 fan boois, it was just a question of time….