PS4 News: Sony Execs Talk About Switch To Paid Online Services and PS3's Future

With the impending release of the PlayStation 4, it appears that we are in the final few months of the PlayStation 3's life.

While some major titles are expected to appear on the PlayStation 3, such as Bungie's Destiny, once the PlayStation 4 launches the stream of games for the PlayStation 3 to dry up. However, that does not necessarily mean that Sony will drop the PlayStation 3 like a hot potato once the next gen console is released. As Sony Japan president Hiroshi Kawano told Famitsu (via Kotaku):

"It's been seven years since the release of the PS3 and the console continues to sell at a constant pace, plus we have many upcoming titles. We have no intention of immediately shifting from the PS3 to the PS4," Kawano said.

While this strategy worked well when Sony transitioned from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 4 has been setting preorder records despite having no clear release date plan, so Sony may decide to drop the PlayStation 3 if the demand keeps up.

Shuhei Yoshida was also interviewed along with Hiroshi Kawano, and he gave gamers a clear picture of why Sony was abandoning their free online service, which had been one of their key platform features:

"The main pillar for the PS4 will be online play. We're developing many new ways to play and connect which requires a large investment of resources. Considering the cost, to try to keep such a service free and consequently lower the quality would be absurd. We decided that if that's the case, then it would be better to receive proper payment and continue to offer a good service."

While many are upset that there will be no free online for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Plus has proven to be a quality premium online service that Xbox Live is now only starting to emulate. In addition, Sony will be able to add more security to their online services by charging players for it, thus making a more secure online experience a reality for gamers. Look out for the PlayStation 4 later this year.