PlayStation Plus May Bring Back Popular PS3 Feature

By Tyler Fischer

PlayStation Plus may be bringing back a popular PS3 feature. PS Plus is expanding this summer with the addition of two new and pricier tiers of the subscription service. And according to a new report, if this new expansion of PS Plus does well on PS4 and PS5 for Sony, then there's a chance another major change will be implemented. Back on the PS3, online play was free. You did not need PS Plus to play games online, a big difference between the PlayStation console and the Xbox 360, which required Xbox Live Gold to play online games. With the PS4, Sony rescinded this offer and made PS Plus a requirement to play games online. Right now, on the PS4 and PS5, you don't need PS Plus to play free-to-play online games, but this exception is limited to free-to-play games. That said, a new report says soon PS4 and PS5 users won't need any PS Plus membership to play any online game, free-to-play or premium. 

The report comes the way of Oops Leaks over on Twitter, who adds that current PS Plus subscribers will have "special benefits" when it comes to first-party live service games presumably as an incentive to keep your subscription beyond the "free games."

"There's also a high chance we'll see a free online play comeback if the new PS Plus will be successful," said Oops Leaks. "PS Plus subscribers will have special benefits in first-party live service games."

At the moment of publishing, it's unclear how much of this is pure inside information versus laced with speculation. Whatever the case, take everything here with a grain of salt. None of this is official information and even if it's accurate, it's subject to change. Of course, if Sony comments on any of this, we will be sure to update the story accordingly, but it almost never comments on rumors, so there's currently no reason to expect it to comment.

For more coverage on all things PlayStation -- including the latest on the PS5 and PS4, PS VR, PlayStation Plus, and PlayStation Now -- click here. 

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