Sony starts talking about PSN fees again

This isn’t the first time Sony folks have talked about possible PlayStation Network fees. Last time, Kaz Hirai was quick to reassure PS3 owners that current PSN services will remain free. He may have to do it again soon, seeing as how SCE’s Masayuki Chatani recently broached the subject of monthly PSN fees again.

 

 

This isn’t the first time Sony folks have talked about possible PlayStation Network fees. Last time, Kaz Hirai was quick to reassure PS3 owners that current PSN services will remain free. He may have to do it again soon, seeing as how SCE’s Masayuki Chatani recently broached the subject of monthly PSN fees again.

 

In the same Nikkei interview where he talked about Sony’s plans for an even smaller PS3 Slim, Chatani  said that Sony could face more difficulties if they become dependent on the “sell-and-forget model.”

 

“Servers and the like have running costs… after we sell the hardware, though, we continue to sell products such as content and services,” he said. “We expect to see considerable growth in digital content, such as game download services, avatar items and the like.”

 

Among the possible payment avenues open to Sony, Chatani said that “in addition to single-payment packaged software, there are also schemes like monthly fees or per-item charges.” Monthly fees! Even more telling is this follow-up statement: “I think this variety of payment methods will bring about a diverse range of playing methods, too.” Playing methods? Something like how a Silver Xbox Live account is different from a Gold account?

 

 

[Nikkei Japan via CVG]