Gamers must hold a PlayStation Plus subscription to play PlayStation 4 titles online, Sony confirmed with GameSpot this evening.

PlayStation Plus subscriptions are currently offered for $50 per year.

Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida explained to GameSpot that the requirement is a response to the additional investment the company has had to make on the network side.

This approach is similar to that of Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold membership level, which is the only way to play games online and access other features like Netflix.

The PS4 launches later this year for $399/€399/£349, or $100 less than competitor Microsoft's Xbox One. In addition, the PS4 will play used games and won't require an online check-in.

The current PS Plus memberships gamers hold will carry over to the PS4.