A new friends list limit increase and party chat functionality are both coming the PlayStation 4 according to Sony.
On the same day that Microsoft confirmed the Xbox One would be getting a 1,000 friend increase to the friends list limit on the Xbox One but no cross-console party chat between Xbox One and Xbox 360, Sony has “conveniently” decided to drop some new info on their next-gen console.
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Sony uploaded a new PlayStation Access video on the official PlayStation blog today confirming that the PlayStation 4 will be able to store 2,000 more friends on a player’s friends list than the PlayStation 3 and that the PlayStation 4 will indeed have a party chat feature to help facilitate all of its other social functions.
The video also confirmed that, much like free-to-play games and media services such as Netflix, the PS4’s party chat will *not* be locked behind the optional PlayStation Plus subscription service (Sony quietly mentioned at E3 that PS Plus will be required for online multiplayer in standard PS4 games). This could help tip the scales further in Sony’s favor as Microsoft has yet to explicitly clarify whether or not the Xbox One’s Skype-powered party chat will require an Xbox Gold subscription.
While such large increases to the friends list limit on both Xbox One and PS4 may not be such a big deal for most casual gamers (the average Xbox 360 player rarely cracks the 100 friend mark let alone 1,000), the inclusion of party chat is no doubt a big deal for many PlayStation fans as it has been something that PS3 players have been asking for ever since the console first launched.
