I have an unwarranted reputation amongst Kotaku readers of being a total PS3 cynic. As one of our Mensa illuminiti eloquently emailed us yesterday, "Y DOES FAMBOI FLORAN EKHART HAET PS3!" What this email illustrated to me was that even our most intelligent and discriminating readers feel that I'm somehow prejudiced against Sony. This isn't so. I'm merely less than impressed by Sony's boneheaded blunders in regards to launching the PS3. The PS2 is actually my favorite console. Far from wishing them ill, I hope they do well, because when Sony does well, it's great for me, not only as a gamer (when I hang out with Eliza) but also as a gaymer (when I hang out with Ashcraft or Crecente).
So I'm interested in mitigating the rumors of my being "out" for Sony. Hence, I'd like to say I fully applaud this move: Sony intends on offering free support for online multiplayer in the PS3, instead banking on purchasable content to fund the online infrastructure.
Straight from Crazyman Kutaragi's spittle spraying word hole:
"We don't charge for the basic functions of the network like matching services. Things like that are taken for granted on a PC, aren't they? There's the feeling of why a game console gets to charge for a service that's normal on a PC. So, we just made the basic services available, and based our business on the contents," he said.
This is really the way Live should be: it sucks to have to pay a premium to play against opponents online. Perhaps the competition with Sony's HUB (Ars Technica swears this is the name, but it's the first I've heard of it) will cause a shake-up in Live pricing, which is further good news. (Sorry about the original formatting errors, guys!)
Sony to offer free online play [Ars Technica]
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