As the conference approaches, Sony is fast becoming a company to keep a close eye on over the course of this year’s E3, with word coming out now that the company could be gearing up to announce a “premium” version of its PlayStation Network.

Word of the upgraded, fee-based service comes from VG247, which cites a ‘highly-placed source’ has having given them a quick run down of what the service will offer to users and just how much we can expect it to set us back. It’s an interesting affair, and given the fact that Sony has long been rumoured to be gearing up for it, we’re not too surprised to hear that the for-pay version is in the works. Still, there’s a chance that Sony could end up alienating a percentage of its users; one of the biggest reasons to pick up a PlayStation 3 until now has been the fact that, unlike Microsoft’s Xbox Live, PSN remains free.

Of course, the source that spoke to VG247 was quick to quash any doubts, saying that the free service would remain unchanged, which should go some way towards alleviating any fears. Sony has long said that if it were to launch a premium version of PSN, it would ensure that access to multiplayer remained free, and that seems to be a stance that the company hasn’t shifted on; good news for those with no intention of paying for PSN.

Without taking away anything from existing, free customers, Sony has to set up something interesting to lure in users for the fee-based service, which is set to cost somewhere in the region of €60 a year. First is the news that users will be offered one game a month, from a choice of two to four games. Sony is also apparently gearing up to add a Spotify-styled music service to the PS3, one which, rumour has it, can be run while users are in-game.

If nothing else, it’s interesting stuff for those who wouldn’t mind paying for the service, but for us the real question will be whether or not Sony moves, as has been predicted in the past, to cloud-based game saves and settings. We’ll also be curious to see if the other announcement rumoured to be happening at E3 – the PSP2 – boasts any interesting PSN support.