While Hulu.com is still free to all those in the U.S., Hulu Plus is the subscription side of the service which costs users $9.99 per month. Hulu Plus gives subscribers access to the full season of select shows currently airing and a larger back catalog of television shows and movies. According to the announcement, next week all PlayStation Network members will have access to the online streaming service.
The move by Sony and Hulu makes the PlayStation 3 the, “first and only console dedicated to gaming to offer the service.” How long this statement remains true is yet to be seen, as Microsoft has been working to get Hulu on the Xbox 360 since early this summer. While there hasn’t been any news on Hulu coming to the Xbox 360 recently, one has to believe that a deal between Microsoft and Hulu is in the works.
This is just the next step in the race to make the holy grail of video game consoles, the single set-top box. For years video game companies have tried to make their console the one and only box you’d need plugged into your TV. With the popularity of online streaming video that dream is becoming more of a reality, and Sony appears to have taken the lead. The question that remains is, “will anyone use the service?”
PlayStation 3 owners, are you going to subscribe to Hulu Plus next week or are you in the camp that a gaming console should only be for games?
Source: PlayStation Blog
