Sony Taking on Live

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"'It's very real,' one source tells us. 'They (Sony) are dead serious about it. They've declared, and I quote, a 'full-on assault' on the latest version of Xbox Live.'"
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http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/31/sony-declares-full-on-assault-on-xbox-live/

Personally, I think its 90% marketing, 10% actual delivery. No offence to Sony, but they aren't a software developer. Microsoft's internal development tools are first rate (and exclusive to them, although they do use Visual Studio which is available to all). If Live took them as long as it did with limitless funding, true project management and a MASSIVE usability department - I don't see Sony making something to even half match Live by the time the PS3 launches.

It may support the same features per se, but it won't be half as usable and certainly shouldn't be as reliable.
 
Sony seem to be all over, first they laugh Xbox Live! off and now they know they need to compete.
I have never seen a company look so amateur over the launch of a console. It was unveiled a year ago and people still don't know what they are going to get. Hell, people don't even know if they actually SAW the console at all with the recent rumours of a total re-design.
 
Kudos to MS for forcing Sony's hand. It was clear on seeing just how good Live! is on the 360 Sony would have to do something.

Taking into account how far MS are already ahead in this field, though, it remains to be seen just how well Sony could compete.
 
Yer it's SoE (Sony Online Entertainment) that own and created EQ2, they are a side branch of sony. People who say Sony don't have any software developers are a little miss guided. They wont have the kind of software development team M$ have but it's not like they will be starting from nothing. (Verent created EQ 1 and sony brough them out I believe)
 
hahahaha its gonna have to be some thing fantastic to complete with live cos im amazed with it. It'll end up like a copy or be worse i reckon. Also this is the 2nd console MS have done it on so they have had some practice perfecting it where as we all know how bad sony's online attempt was in the past!
 
I'ts not that I'm sticking up for Sony, I've very indiffrent between the two and hope for everyone they both do amazeingly well (as thats the best way WE the consumers will have more choice and better prices!) but...

where as we all know how bad sony's online attempt was in the past!
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I remember a game called Asherons Call. It was a good game. M$ wanted to get a bit of the online MMG action and brough it, then it went very quickly from a good game to a bad game. Sometime later M$ sold it back to the origional creators, the game became better again. Yes M$ have the jump on Sony, but sony can (and probibly will) use a lot of the features from the Live! system, again they have a helping hand to try and develope their product without such a need for experiance.
 
R5Rich said:
hahahaha its gonna have to be some thing fantastic to complete with live cos im amazed with it. It'll end up like a copy or be worse i reckon. Also this is the 2nd console MS have done it on so they have had some practice perfecting it where as we all know how bad sony's online attempt was in the past!
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Live is good but what is actually so special about it ?
What are the top 5 things that you like about live?

I like the fact that I can play games against others and use a headset all hassle free.
I like the rankings and achievements and Gotham TV etc.
I like the downloads of demo games and old arcade games.

Other than that I just like the fact that it works, takes no configuring and is simple.
I see nothing about it that Sony can't do equally as well. As an old EQ player they already have the experience that they require to offer a massively online gaming environment but with far more than 8 people per game.

Sony are also very innovative, the eyetoy for example. I am sure that online eyetoy games wouldbe popular.

I love my 360, it is a fantastic bit of kit, Live is great and very cheap for what you get. I just don't see why some people think that Sony would have to struggle to match or better it. They have lots of experience already. the biggest problem that they are facing is that the PS3 is way behind schedule and it may even be back to the drawing board for them.

As another poster mentioned - more competition = better gaming experiences for us, so bring it on Sony.
 
VIRII said:
Live is good but what is actually so special about it ?
What are the top 5 things that you like about live?

I like the fact that I can play games against others and use a headset all hassle free.
I like the rankings and achievements and Gotham TV etc.
I like the downloads of demo games and old arcade games.

Other than that I just like the fact that it works, takes no configuring and is simple.
I see nothing about it that Sony can't do equally as well. As an old EQ player they already have the experience that they require to offer a massively online gaming environment but with far more than 8 people per game.

Sony are also very innovative, the eyetoy for example. I am sure that online eyetoy games wouldbe popular.

I love my 360, it is a fantastic bit of kit, Live is great and very cheap for what you get. I just don't see why some people think that Sony would have to struggle to match or better it. They have lots of experience already. the biggest problem that they are facing is that the PS3 is way behind schedule and it may even be back to the drawing board for them.

As another poster mentioned - more competition = better gaming experiences for us, so bring it on Sony.
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Couldnt have put it better mate. Well said. ;)
 
What if SOny make PS3-Live and then make it free? Doesn't have to be better than Live, hell it could be worse but all of a sudden Joe Q Public who likes to spend his money on beer(tm) is going to be knocking Sonys door down...
 
LordSplodge said:
What if SOny make PS3-Live and then make it free? Doesn't have to be better than Live, hell it could be worse but all of a sudden Joe Q Public who likes to spend his money on beer(tm) is going to be knocking Sonys door down...
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It wouldnt be feasible financially to make it completely free, so the best they would be able to do is have an equivalent to Live's Silver package.
 
I think people under-estimate how complex something like Live is. The hard part is getting it all working smoothly, reliably.

Think about all the little things you can do. The GamerTag stuff, the Live Arcade points stuff. This sort of thing is something MS have loads of experience, and the 360 is their second go. No, there is no reason why Sony couldn't do it, but I don't think they have got something as good. If they had been working on it for 3 years, why send that questionaire round so recently? Even then, it is only Sony's first go. I am not saying Sony couldn't, but I think it is rather unlikely.

My view? I think Sony will have a PSP like system. You setup your network in the console's OS menu, they provide networking libs for developers, but no full on Live/Arcade style system. They can still do a lot with it, and most people will be happy.
 
Caustic said:
My view? I think Sony will have a PSP like system. You setup your network in the console's OS menu, they provide networking libs for developers, but no full on Live/Arcade style system. They can still do a lot with it, and most people will be happy.
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I agree, I can see it being implemented within games so you get that always connected aspect to gaming but I doub't they would have a market place type set-up or have a gamer tag linking all your gaming achievements or progress to a single central gamer tag.

I'd also be doubtful if it had the same community feel to it with friends lists and notifications of if your friends are online and communtication with players in different games.
 
Live!'s been in development for years with it being an evolution of XBox Live!

With Sony in effect starting from scratch (something like Live! is pretty different from, for example, EQ), they really are playing catch-up so I'd be (pleasantly, admittedly) surprised if they came up with a product equal or superior to Live!
 
This should be a good laugh...

A hardware/media company versus a software company (and the top one on the planet at that) :D

Sony really seem to think they can do all this in the time they have left?

IMO the only way they can do it is by using open source software (e.g. Linux) as that already has proper network support, and with Samba can even connect to a Windows network (e.g. for media purposes.)
 
A point some 1 else made on forum was that if its not on the actual console but implemented onto games some developers may not use it as its an extra cost for them and if the game flops then its an even bigger loss.

What about all the games already being devoloped? They must have something like live already being used otherwise launch titles wont be as fun as most of the 360 ones. Surely this is something most developers will want to know from the start??
 
It'll certainly be interesting to see what they come up with.

I can't see, nor can either of you, into the future, so I can't say what it's going to be like. If they work on it, and make it easily updatable, then it should be fantastic and at LEAST on par with Live. But we will have to wait and see.
 
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