One of the reasons I got a PS3 over a 360 was the free online support. What I want to know is what does Microsoft offer that Sony doesnt? Im asking because I never played a 360.

Im just curious as to what is so different and great about it that you are happy to pay $30.

 

To be honest, while owning both systems, I've noticed two major differences in the connectivity: reliability, and speed...

Free is great, but when my PS3 is down for the only 2 hours I can play because of a system update, it's somewhat frustrating...and having it disconnect regularly when playing online is sad, too (using Ethernet, not wireless).

 

I like how the Xbox 360 offers free trials on arcade/community games. The PS3 offers the network for free, but I remain skeptical about any arcade game they release.

 

The biggest thing is a unified service and the fact that you know every game you own works within the Live network in some way.

The entire 360 experience is much more community oriented while the PS3 basically just offers PC like connectivity. Well the PC before Steam.

 

I admit that I was a very late adopter of paying for Live, only started doing so within the last two months, but so far I've been satisfied.

I can't really compare the technical abilities of the two, but a big reason for me to make the jump finally was Netflix. I even have a media PC plugged into my TV, but prefer to use the 360. It boots faster and I don't have to mess with a web browser, just bam, right there.

 

We've gone down this road before, but for me, I like that Live seems to be a step ahead of PSN most of the time. The mere fact that you can still play Xbox games on Live with full support gives me confidence that my online games will be going strong for years to come, and that right there makes spending $60 a little easier.

Sony has a lot of cool ideas for PSN, but they don't seem to exploit the potential that they've crafted into their network, and I personally believe that a subscription income would move that along better. Apparently, so does Sony, because one look at Quore tells me that they're struggling to find ways to bring in more money without being obvious about it.

The partnerships that Microsoft is forging with Rare and Netflix are signs of good things to come for all three companies and gamers alike. Avatars, Netflix, HDD, wireless controllers, Bluetooth headsets, wireless network adapter, Live Gold membership...all of these are optional to the consumer, and each one enhances gamers' experience in its own way.

Now that Sony has finally contracted for a decent Bluetooth headset that gamers seem to really like, Home should be abandoned and efforts moved to network optimization and research. A more effective and informative friends list goes a long way. Eight-person parties are even better in my opinion!

 

And really - there's no reason to pay $60 anymore. There's been plenty of deals to get 13 months for $30 - and regular price at Amazon seems to be $40 for 13 months now.

 

And I forgot to add...Boooooo, Marc, for dissing the Goldmember icon!

 

Hmmm, there are some weaknesses to the PS3. I believe I would pay them a fee in order to get better quality services. I would like demos of all games, not just some. Also, one of my major concerns was the lack of outside game chat. Does the 360 allow you to chat with a friend while you both play separate games offline?

I forgot about Netflix, but thats almost worth it for me. Id rather have them come to my system rather than always waiting for the DVD to come in the mail.

I think Home is a joke. Initially, I thought it was going to be simply a new menu system, but I saw it was a stupid online community. I would rather play an actual game then chat with a bunch of random people while waiting in a virtual line to play virtual bowling.

 

Absolutely. And with the NXE, you can have 8 people in a chat, and all be doing different things.

 

Geez, I would totally pay just for THAT service. I am so upset with the PS3 in that respect.

I would think they would have fixed that via a patch or something by now...

 

Now that I have both consoles, I have to admit I am definitely happy with XBL's service. Having access to oh so many demos is a godsend to a cheapass like myself. Psn is free because in it's present state, I doubt Sony could sell it to anyone. At least with XBL, microsoft has some wiggle room with being able to lower the cost, offer more options like netflix, and be much more reliable. With PSN it's free, so I guess you have some gratitude that for being free, it works pretty well, but that's as far as it gets.