PlayStation 4 gameplay streaming, recording is free

Gamers that enjoy streaming or recording their video game playing will be excited to hear that those options will be free for PlayStation 4.

While Xbox One will have DVR features that require the Xbox Live Gold membership, similar features for the PS4 will be free.

The confirmation of the PlayStation 4′s ability to offer these features without a PlayStation Plus membership comes from Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida. When Yoshida was asked by potential PlayStation 4 customers if the upcoming console would require a PlayStation Plus membership to record, share and stream gameplay, as well as watch streaming content from third-party services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.), he responded by simply saying “no.” Yoshida-san then elaborated by saying all users would have that functionality.

We already knew that streaming would be free without a PS+ membership, but it's good to hear that many features will be free for those that don't want to purchase the subscription for certain niche features. However, the convenience of DVR features will likely not be there.

The only difference between PS+ now and for PS4 looks to just be the ability to play video games online with others. That's not a bad idea at all, considering the online universe for PlayStation needs to be fixed up a bit.

[Image credit: Matias Vega]