PS4 And Xbox One: 9 Ways To Improve Every Future Game
6. Tear Down This Paywall
It came as sobering news that PlayStation Network, the last remnant of the era of free online systems (Steam notwithstanding), would be going to pay-to-play with the advent of PlayStation 4. Indeed, a PlayStation Plus subscription is required for the lion's share of PS4 multiplayer functionality, making the service required in all but name. Sonys decision heralds the dawning of a new age, one unsustainable without extra padding, perhaps in the form of $5 monthly. Thankfully, a few bucks a month is, for most, easy to swallow. Its hardly a change from the previous console generation, and both Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus throw enough rewards at subscribers to keep most happy. However, this is a pill easily made bitters by extra fees: look at Elder Scrolls Online, currently available for PC and, eventually, for new consoles. Its no grand secret that it follows the MMO gold standard of a $15 monthly subscription. On one hand, If anything, this invites a sigh from PC players familiar with the business model. On the other, the console consumers general reaction to a second monthly subscription can be expected to be nothing short of abhorrence. With so many gamesThe Division, Destiny, and even a potential console version of Guild Wars 2pushing the jump to online-centric play, theres concerning room for multiplicative subscriptions. PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live would buckle under the weight of one or, dare I say it, two game fees, in turn losing players. So, looking forward, the option not requiring the erection of a second paywall should be at the top of the pile.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
