If Xbox Drops the Cost, Would You Be Happy Still Paying for PS6 Multiplayer?

Rumour has it that, with Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox hardware, the company plans to drop the requirement to pay for access to online multiplayer.

If that really is the case, Sony’s PS6 could be the only next-generation console still charging for the privilege.

Obviously we won’t know for certain whether this will happen until it happens, but it begs the question: Will PlayStation fans be bothered? Will it make a difference?

Paying for online multiplayer has been part of the fabric of console gaming for a long time, and funnily enough, it was Xbox that led the way in this regard.

When the Xbox 360 rolled around, players had to subscribe to Xbox Live in order to enjoy online games with their buddies. Meanwhile, on PS3, the burgeoning PlayStation Network and all its online services were free — as they were (and still are, of course) on PC.

Now, obviously PSN felt taped together in those early days; PS3 was Sony’s first properly connected console, after all, and it took a little while for the tech to catch up to what modern players expected.

It was free, though, so despite falling victim to one of the most infamous security breaches of all time, Sony mostly got away with it.

However, the premium Xbox Live wasn’t perfect — it had its outages too, and that’s to say nothing of Xbox 360 hardware, which was notoriously unreliable, at least in its earlier iterations.

Anyway, Sony cottoned on with PS4, with online multiplayer added to the benefits of its subscription service, PS Plus.

At the time this was a bit of a kick in the teeth for PlayStation users, but it was a like it or lump it situation. Charging for online play was what the competition was doing, so it just seemed to be how the industry was going.

Eventually, Nintendo got in on this as well, and we are where we are: All major console platforms currently ask consumers to pay for online multiplayer.

Now, if true, it sounds like Xbox is planning to ditch this whole approach when its more open-ended console/PC hybrid comes around in a couple of years or so.

That makes sense for a box that combines your Xbox and PC libraries together. If your console can access Steam, why on earth would you bother paying for online play on the Xbox side when it’s right there for free?

We suppose Microsoft might be compensating for that loss of income by charging more for the hardware itself. Apparently, PS6 could represent a relative bargain when comparing sticker prices for the consoles themselves.

However, for Sony, it makes a little less sense to revert online play to a free service. We can’t begin to imagine how much money platform holders have made just from people looking to play Call of Duty online with their pals — why stop that revenue stream when PS6 will continue to be a walled-in platform compared to Xbox?

The only reason to follow Microsoft’s lead in this regard is to keep consumers happy. It’s obviously not going to be a great look if PS6 is charging for online play when the competition isn’t, regardless of why.

But again, if PS6 comes in as a cheaper next-gen machine and remains a closed platform, Sony may not see any reason to drop online multiplayer from PS Plus Essential.