Next console Sony is definitely going to have paid memberships. It's still not profitable to them while MS has been raking in the dough for a long time, and STILL, even with paid memberships, you see Multiplayer games selling more on the 360. It's a no brainer.

" plus = added features  storing your save games requires servers and backup maintenance on Sony's part. you expect that for free after already getting free online multiplayer when they could just as easily have charged for that right out the gate like XBL? "

it is there for people that have money and can buy plus. i hope that sony doesn't go the way of charging for playing online. i don't want to pay for play online. it's one reason why i bought a ps3, to play online for free.

" If you don't want to pay sony to back up your saves then don't. Buy an external hard drive and use the system backup feature. "

We probably will have to start paying for the PSN soon. Which would be sad, but oh well. I don't really play much multiplayer on my PS3 anyway. It would suck for those who did do the majority of their gaming on the PS3, but hey, at least we got a good amount of free time, right? 
 
As for paying to back up data.... I just use USB's to back up saves. 

"...it does't remove any existing free features... "

" @Riboflavin said:

"...it does't remove any existing free features... "

Actually, now correct me if I am wrong, but the PS3 *used* to have support for copying your game-saves to a USB stick so you could bring it to a friends house. This feature was suspiciously removed not too long ago, so one could very well argue, they took something very similar away so they could charge for something else. "

Wouldn't it be funny if the next generation Sony was like: "If they can get away with charging $50 a year why can't we?"

" @p_p_o_d said:

" clouds cost money.  "

God must be soooo rich, then. "

" If you want extra features pay for plus, there is no reason bitching about it. And its not Sonys problem people bought that big lump for 600$. Lets face it the PS3 was really weak feature wise back when it launched. I'm happy i bought mine 3 years after it launched, cause at that time the feature set had been expanded, and the price had dropped.