Sony unveiled the specifics of its Xbox Live-like PlayStation Plus program on its PlayStation Blog, revealing an underwhelming set of features for the $50 annual fee. Bear in mind that Sony already gives away online play — something Microsoft charges for.

PlayStation Plus, which launches Tuesday, aims to be the champagne room for your PS3, offering a rotating selection of games you can download and keep as long as your subscription remains active, the ability to let your PS3 automatically download game and system updates, extra PlayStation Store discounts and free downloads of Qore, Sony’s gaming show. PlayStation Plus also lets you download full games, play for an hour then choose whether or not to buy the game.

The service’s introductory post ends with what seems like an apology for the slim pickings:

PlayStation Plus is a continually evolving service and we are always working on identifying new partnerships, developing new features and providing new content that our users want.

Hopefully PlayStation Plus evolves into something compelling.

PlayStation Plus: Your Questions Answered [PlayStation Blog]

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