Xbox One will charge for key features The console, which is due to be released in the UK before Christmas, will require a subscription if users want to record and share gameplay videos, find gaming opponents or make Skype video calls. An account with Xbox Live Gold currently costs $60 (£40) and will be needed to access any of these. The Sony PlayStation 4 - seen to be the console's key competition in the Christmas 2013 market place - will require users to pay for some online services, but will not restrict recording functions to subscribers. Users will only need a PlayStation Plus account, which costs $50 (£32) a year, if they wish to access online multiplayer features. Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, confirmed in a tweet that users would not have to be PlayStation Plus subscribers to access the functions restricted on Xbox one. A gaming fan tweeted at the company president: "are the PS4 game recording and streaming features exclusive to Plus subscribers?" Mr Yoshida replied simply: "no." Updates on the Microsoft console's website confirmed that owners of the console would need to have a Live Gold account if they wanted to play online multiplayer games, or use streaming services such as Netflix to watch films, as they do with the current Xbox 360. Both consoles are reportedly scheduled for release in November.