I'm honestly surprised it took them this long to even consider this.

Profitable by March 2011?  Are you serious?  So they are going to break even right around the time they start promoting the next gen system?

they better not start charging for online,free online is one of the things that makes them so much better than the xbox,it show's that there not as greedy as microsoft,and also no rrod.

3d gaming would make me sick,along with a headache.thay had better make it opitional.

my question is how much will the subscription cost?

Greedy their both businesses trying to make as much money as they can. Sony will charge for online play.

Whoa, I'm a little wary about that "premium online subscription option" they're talking about.  They better not pull any Xbox Live pay-to-play-online BS on us; that was one of the primary reasons I chose the PS3 over the 360.  It doesn't sound like that's their intention, but I'm not 100% sure.

As far as the 3D thing goes, that seems like a giant gimmick to me.  Also, my face is already bound by glasses, and it's uncomfortable as heck to wear something else over my glasses.

Years later their[gov.] gonna wanna connect brain cancer to this technology.

If I have to pay to play games online then I'm sticking with Xbox Live.

I would be most interested to see if they start charging for online play if Microsoft increases the payment for Gold Membership. I'm hoping they don't, but I would also like to see Sony succeed, they made an excellent piece of hardware, and I would like to see them continue, and not die out like Sega did.

If they satrt chraging i am not buying. I can't believe this i just begged my parents to get me this system because it has free online network and they decide now to change that? If they take away free online things like the multiplayer in games such as mw2 and others i will sell my sytem and games and go buy ike a wii or somthing.

* Sony is considering offering a premium online subscription option to go with its current free service. "We are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model," said Sony's Kaz Hirai, "offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services."

As long as you keep it "in addition to," that's fine. As long as I can still go online and play games as much as I please for free as it is now, they can have all the "premium services" they like.

Those services would have to be STELLAR add-ons before I'd even CONSIDER paying for it.

XBL is vastly overrated.

Playing online and downloading games/add-ons are the only things I have any interest in using any online gaming service for, and as long as I can do those for free I couldn't care less about them adding a paid premium package. I'm more bothered by the 3D. Personally 3D is a major fun-killer for me and I won't use it either way, but objectively I don't think valuable time and budget money should be spent on something so superfluous instead of improving the games.

I'm interested in 3D gaming and it would be a cool addition, but Sony should not make us pay for a subscription.  Don't go the Microsoft route!  I would not be on PSN if it wasn't free.  I think Sony should take that bold step and make 3D gaming free for the masses.  Probably not going to happen, but if they're going to make it a firmware upgrade (that's mandatory) then why not give it us for free?

Well well, one of the big three pushing for 3D gaming! This will be most interesting. I can't wait to see it! If they manage to make 3D mainstream and affordable, it might put them ahead.

It sounds like MMO stuff and maybe other new services on top of the services they are offering now.

I would pay to be able to rent video from the playstation store. I think that would be basically all I would pay for subscription wise.

For me it all depends on what they will still offer for free.

It all depends on the price but the fact that online play is free from Sony is one of the reasons I buy cross platform titles for ps3 and not xbox. I will be interested in 3d gaming if and when I get a compatible tv but I don't see that being anytime soon.

im moving to pc gaming anyway. but if they do this i'll quit buying any ps3 games i buy for online play. im still buying ac2 ps3 version since this does not effect it. these companys are getting greedy because games are slowly losing sales and sony is toying with the idea, give them negitive feedback please. i don't give a *** about little extras like live's but i like psn where it is-free "plus the internet i pay for every month"

just don't make messaging,demos or the online play "premium"