Xbox One will lock almost every online feature behind a paywall – the PS4 won’t

Xbox One will lock almost every online feature behind a paywall – the PS4 won’t

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The eighth generation of game consoles is only a few months away (sorry, Wii U), and by now, we’ve learned almost everything there is to know about them. One muddled point, though, just what paywalls will be employed on either console. It would appear that not every online feature is stuck behind PlayStationPlus or Xbox Live Gold.

The first thing everyone should remember about Xbox consoles is that almost every online service is stuck behind the paywall of an Xbox Live Gold subscription. For instance, if you have a Netflix membership and want to binge on 49 episodes of New Girl one lonely weekend, you’ll need to either subscribe to Gold, or watch it on your PS3, Wii, phone, tablet, computer, 3DS, PS Vita, smart TV, your side-loaded Ouya, Roku, Chromecast, and everything else that doesn’t place it behind a subscription. As you can see from that list, what would be considered a basic feature on just about every other platform is locked behind a subscription on a Microsoft console. However, the big difference between the free PSN and and Xbox Live Gold subscription was always that Xbox Live provides a more coherent, feature-rich service for online gaming. This generation around, Sony’s console will require a yearly PlayStation Plus subscription if you want to play games online, just likeXbox Live has required a Gold subscription to do the same. However, the mandatory PS Plus subscription still doesn’t lock down as many features as the Gold requirement.

The official Xbox website has been updated to show everything that has been shoved behind that Gold paywall. It includes old favorites like online gaming and other internet-enabled services, such as Netflix and browsing the web. Now, though, it includes services like the NFL on Xbox, One Guide (the television overlay), Game DVR, Skype, and SmartMatch (which is the new and improved way Live will match players online). Basically, everything you can do online is behind a paywall, as it’s always been. As for the PS4, head of SCE Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida made perfectly clear that Sony won’t put much behind the PS Plus paywall. In response to a series of questions posed to him on Twitter, he said that other premium online services — such as Netflix — won’t require a PS Plus subscription to use. He also noted that unlike the Xbox One, the PS4′s game streaming and DVR capabilities won’t require a subscription.

So, while the Xbox One continues its 180 and changes policies and upgrades its hardwareleft and right, the PS4 still has the lead in terms of positive features — and so far, Sony hasn’t had to change a thing.