If you deeply care about video games, you’ve probably already heard about Sony’s supposed triumph over Microsoft at E3 2013. Unlike Microsoft’s Xbox One, Sony is not implementing DRM into the PlayStation 4 (at least not at a system level). Players will own their games and can sell, trade, or lend them as they see fit. Not only that, the PlayStation 4 will launch this holiday at $100 less than the Xbox One ($399 as opposed to $499).
Enthusiasts and media outlets alike have praised Sony for sticking up for the consumer, and they’re not wrong for doing so. Microsoft’s draconian policies inconvenience a large number of people, particularly those on a tight budget or those in the military.
Still, that doesn’t mean we should elevate one corporation’s status to that of a savior. At Sony’s conference the other night, the roar of the crowd was deafening when the price flashed on giant monitors above the stage. The crowd even chanted “SONY, SONY, SONY.” You’d think the people gathered at this press conference were fans at a basketball game rather than journalists and critics.
Sony is not your friend and I think it’s fair to call them out for not being completely clear. You may not have heard that a PlayStation Plus membership will be required to play online games. That’s because Sony didn’t make a peep about it during their conference. Only afterward, once a giant chorus was loudly singing praise, did Sony mention the Plus requirement. The overwhelming white noise of positivity allowed them to sneak in this detail without virtually any repercussion.
“When you’re trying to achieve a $399 price-point and trying to deliver all this functionality, the money has to come from somewhere,” Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, told VG247.
Isn’t there already enough value in Plus to entice fans? With free games and discounts every week, having Plus if you own a PlayStation Vita or PlayStation 3 is a good idea anyway. Why not just continue to add value rather than lock something that used to be free behind an arbitrary gate?
Sony raised a red flag by not being as straightforward as possible. Had they addressed the PlayStation Plus requirement directly during their conference, this would be much less of an issue. It feels gross when a company sweeps important details under the rug.
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