As we head towards what will undoubtedly become the best time of the year for gamers around the world, we find ourselves constantly amused by the sparring war going on between Microsoft and Sony.
With both consoles now official and revealed, the two companies are head to head, embroiled in a battle where they try to one-up each other with new features and advantages. Sony has recently landed another blow, with Sony revealing in a Q&A session that PS4 gamers won’t need to subscribe to a premium service in order to use third party apps like Netflix.
Whereas Microsoft will ask Xbox One gamers to pay out for Xbox LIVE Gold memberships in order to use apps and chat online, Sony says it won’t. A subscription will need to be made to the PlayStation Plus Network – meaning a payment – in order to game online, but it seems that Sony wants its gamers to chat and use third party apps for free.
Sony also confirmed that the PS4 will feature party chat, allowing gamers to converse online by way of text-based messages and voice. This feature will fall into the freebie section, with no subscription required if you just want to hop online and have a natter.
It was also confirmed that the PS4 will have room for you to add up to 2,000 friends, which is double Microsoft’s offering on the Xbox One. Still, we’re sure even the most hardcore and popular gamers will struggle to fill even Microsoft’s quota.
Both consoles will make their official European debuts at the end of August during the annual Gamescom show in Cologne. Sony, a veteran at the event, and first timer Microsoft will both be hosting big events to further showcase their respective consoles and games and we’re hoping that both will give more definitive release dates than simply ‘November’.