Why is PS3 online free and xboxlive not?

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Soldato
Joined
2 Dec 2006
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I just been wondering what does xbox live offer over the ps3 equviliant? I bought an xbox 360 long ago as i rather many of the titles on it. But being a pc gamer i can't warrent paying for xbox live for the few games i own. This makes me feel i made a bad choice picking the xbox when the ps3 was free to play online.

What is there on xbox live that makes it worth paying for over the ps3, especially to a guy that will always play fps games on the pc?
 
Party chat. Cross game chat is such a useful feature that PSN doesn't have for some reason. Apart from that though there isn't much in it. Especially playing online I really don't notice much difference at all in terms of features etc. Live does have more headset users. Though there are more dedicated servers for PS games.
 
I read somewhere that cross game chat is coming to PSN in a new firmware update at 'some point in the future'. Not sure how it will affect games that have chat in them already.
 
i prefer the xbox over the ps3 i have both, its easier to talk to more than one person

using XBL using the headset. Gnerally i have found the servers to be better on xbox and

i dont mind paying less than 10p a week :D
 
I think the Xbox Live experience is a lot better and it's much more polished. The game play I haven't noticed much of a difference in but the interface of Xbox Live is much tidier.

(I only own a PS3 now before anyone starts)
 
I also find XBL a lot easier to operate than PSN. Be it checking what friends are up to, communicating, organising a game, checking the market place etc etc. The whole shenanigans.

Whether that's worth £25 remains to be seen, but then it's only £25. I can afford that/
 
Community side of XBL is superior to PSN, things such as cross game chat, party chat, cross game invites, slicker intergration and UI. The actual MP gaming part is about the same with PSN having more dedicated servers and at present bigger on line battles e.g 256 players. If all you want to do is play games against other people and a few mates, then PSN is fine just not as polished as XBLA at present. On a side note anyone see some analysts reckon that XBL will go up to $10 a month or $100 a year in a year or so?
 
What do those analysts reckon to PSN remaining free?

I've hardly used PSN but from what I played of Warhawk, it seemed no different to XBL except no one talked.
 
I have a ps3 now and had an xbox in 2006. I can't tell a difference between the services, aside from different interfaces.

I prefer PSN; as its free!
 
It's just one of the ways they make the console itself seem cheaper. Similar thing with the wireless adaptor.
 
if you have a friends list, xbox live is far better.
if not, its just better.

if £40 per year is hard to justify for you, then choose ps3 ;)
 
I only know 2 people with XBL so it appears for what i want ps3 would have been far superior if it has dedicated servers that can do 256 people. shame. There is a few xbla games though ive seen that i wish i could play online. Like bomber man, that must be pretty mental.
 
8igdave said:
I only know 2 people with XBL so it appears for what i want ps3 would have been far superior if it has dedicated servers that can do 256 people. shame. There is a few xbla games though ive seen that i wish i could play online. Like bomber man, that must be pretty mental.
Click to expand...

bomberman is also on the psn
 
The reason PSN is free is due to the developers paying for bandwidth etc, XBL supposedly has a better matchmaking facility and a better selection of DLC (demo's and expansion packs) due to the developers not taking the hit, but infact the gamers (£25-£40 p/a).

Think developers have to pay $0.16 per GB downloaded, which soon mounts up and that includes demo's, DLC you name it they have to fork out for it. Which means they have to be careful what is put up to be downloaded as a 1gb demo downloaded a million times is the equivalent of $160k..

What makes it worth paying for the sub though, not a lot really.. I mean unless you wanna play online and in which case if you play on your 360 regularly the cost is pretty negligible for the service you do get. However if you don't, I'm not sure I'd bother, I used up quite a few of the free GTC that came with some games and had about 2 months spread across lots of cards for the odd bit I needed it before resubbing for MW2/Borderlands.
 
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Party chat. It really does make or break online, online play without party chat is so bad once youve tried it.

Basically you can join a chat group with your friends, which you will be in constantly, no matter what. You can talk on loading screens, across games, anything.
 
Its always had a charge from the days of the XBox, its had a yearly fee, it works, its not that much, its very good and gets better every year, Sony could have gone with the yearly fee or offer it for free to tempt 360 owners and people after a console.
 
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