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PlayStation 3 will still get support even after PS4 launches, promises Sony

Alexandra Burlacu

PlayStation 3 owners with no plans to upgrade to PS4 can be rest assured that their consoles will continue to get updates even after PlayStation 4 is released.

Sony confirmed that it will not abandon its current money-maker, the PlayStation 3 (PS3), even after the PlayStation 4 makes its debut this holiday season.

During an interview with Japanese gaming publication Weekly Famitsu, translated by Kotaku, Sony Japan president Hiroshi Kawano and Sony Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida said that support for the PS3 console will continue indefinitely and Sony has "no intention of immediately shifting from the PS3 to the PS4."

Kawano further notes that the 7-year-old PS3 console continues to "sell at a constant pace" despite its age, so it makes sense for the company to continue supporting it. Not only will Sony continue supporting the older console, but Kawano also adds that the system will receive many upcoming titles as well.

"With the 2014 launch of our cloud service in the US allowing users to play PS3 games on the pS4, some people may switch consoles from the PS3 to the PS4," notes Kawano. "But that'll be a gradual process, and to say 'we're releasing a new console, so trade in your old ones for it' would be a maker's ego talking, plain and simple."

Yoshida, meanwhile, elaborated on the company's decision to implement a mandatory PlayStation Plus subscription fee for online play. The service used to be optional, but it "requires a large investment of resources," explains the executive.

"Considering the cost, to try to keep such a service free and consequently lower the quality would be absurd," says Yoshida. "We decided that if that's the case, then it would be better to receive proper payment and continue to offer a good service."

If the main account on a given system had such as PlayStation Plus membership, however, all other accounts on the PS4 would be able to enjoy the same benefits. In other words, families will not have to pay for several memberships. Moreover, online play or video services that were not "realtime" would not require a PlayStation Plus membership. 

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