Sony is selling the PlayStation 4 at a loss come November. Â The console priced is priced at $399, and will be $100 cheaper than the Xbox One. Â To get it to this price point, Sony will need to take a loss on the hardware, but they believe they’ll be making up the difference with their premium PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
A Sony Japan executive explained to Eurogamer that the initial investment from buyers of the PlayStation 4 will cover the loss at which Sony is selling the base hardware. Â And while Sony didn’t come right out and say it, it’s assumed that price is around the same cost of a PlayStation Plus subscription.
While Sony’s PlayStation Plus program has gotten a lot of praise in the last couple of years, this fall will mark the first time where it’s been mandatory to pay a subscription fee to access online multiplayer. Â For fans of online games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and others, this PlayStation Plus subscription is going to be an added cost on day one. Â Of course, the PlayStation Plus subscription does come with some other perks that make it a pretty good value.
These new subscribers won’t just be getting access to online multiplayer, but access to a growing catalog of games in PlayStation’s Instant Game Collection, which spans across the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PlayStation 4.
Will you be paying for a PlayStation Plus subscription this fall when the PlayStation 4 launches? Â Let us know in the comments section below.