Sony explains why you have to pay for PS4 multiplayer

Sony has gone into more detail about why players will have to pay for multiplayer gaming on the PlayStation 4.

The company will now offer the same type of deal as Microsoft with the Xbox 360, where players pay a monthly fee to enjoy online games.

Sony UK boss Fergal Gara said it was a decision that the company agonised over "for a very long time", but ultimately it led to the PS4 having a cheap $399 USD launch price.

"First of all, we wanted to introduce the console at a healthy price-point compared with PS3," he told OPM.

Gara added that another reason they're charging for multiplayer is so that social features can be improved, and overall there'll be "better performance [and] better reliability".

Paying for a PlayStation Plus subscription will mean you get to enjoy the benefits across the PS4, PS3 and PlayStation Vita, so you can continue to download and play games on the three platforms as long as your membership lasts.

Subscribers will also get a free-to-play version of DriveClub, while cross-game chat will also be available on the PS4.