Sony will make up PS4 hardware losses with PS Plus subscriptions

Sony is selling the PlayStation 4 at a loss come November.  The console priced is priced at $399, and will be $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.  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.  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.  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.  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?  Let us know in the comments section below.