'Xbox LIVE 12-18 months ahead of PSN'
360 'continues to pull ahead of the competition' in terms of the complete entertainment experience says analyst.
Xbox LIVE is currently 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival PlayStation Network when it comes to offering content beyond traditional games, says Martin Olausson, Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics.
Olausson is described on his Strategy Analytics profile as an "authority on online media and communications services and has expertise on online services such as Online Video, Online Music, Online Gaming, IP-based TV, Voice-over-IP, Video-On-Demand and much more".
"Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox LIVE currently is about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival PlayStation Network when it comes to offering service and content beyond traditional games," said Olausson. "By introducing innovative new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video, and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize sales in the next few years."
Olausson's comments come as Microsoft confirmed a November 17 launch date for Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm on Xbox LIVE.
Do you agree that Xbox LIVE currently has a large advantage over PSN? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Highest Rated Comment
CheekyLee@ David-Macphail
You suffer from a common misconception. The Live subscription doesn't cover paying online. It covers matchmaking, which is the whole unified system that basically means any Live game works like any other Live game. It also, and this is quite important, covers a guarantee that servers for your game will still be around 3 years from now.
Rainbow 6 Vegas is a prime example of why Live is superior. On the 360, my girlfriend can log in as player 2, and the two of us can play on our gamertags, earning achievments and having fun. On PS3, player 2 has to be a guest. Things get even worse when you take it online, though. On 360, I get to see a bunch of lobbies, showing me how many players there are and what gametype it is. I can set up my own lobby, and invite friends or people I have played with before. On PS3 it just throws me into a random game.
If PSN offered all that, I'd pay for it too. At the moment, we just get a minimal service, that you will only think is good if you have never experienced what Live offers ; A unified and integrated service that the games are built around, as opposed to an extra.
User Comments
rbevanx@ clangod
clangod@ rbevanx
rbevanx@ clangod
clangod@ rbevanx
Wido
The option is there if people want to pay for the best infrastructure or go for the free online gaming which has a pretty decent infrastructure for being free. You got to look at both sides of the coin than just one side and looking a total cabbage.
clangod@ David-Macphail
Clearly you have nothing valid or even minutely relevant to post here so go away.
"......Because of your ignorance i hereby condemn you to Xbox LIVE with the rest of the little morons who shout racial abuse at the few real gamers on there..........".
First, are you going to pay for me to shout racial abuse on Xbox LIVE? Didn't think so... You've "condemned" me to that yet all you've done here in this forum is abuse other people with no regard for the community, declaring you're undying love for your PS3. You're not just a fanboy, you're also a blubbering idiot.
David-Macphail@ clangod
Because of your ignorance i hereby condemn you to Xbox LIVE with the rest of the little morons who shout racial abuse at the few real gamers on there..........
Mr_Ninjutsu
Microsoft Xbox 360 vs Sony PS3
And The Winner Is...
rbevanx@ guyderman
I'm still waiting for a console that make toast without the need of USB attachments.
guyderman
^^ what more can be said - I wish everyone had this fantastic point of view - things would be a lot calmer around here. TU!
rbevanx@ David-Macphail
I can decide which is better and why the 360 is worth the money.
You cannnot as you are a PS3 Fanboy.
I can't be bothered like the others to talk sense to you. Because you will not listen to others and just put silly facts up which you make up randomly.
When you can bothered to talk and not shout rubbish at others, then I will listen to you.
Until then grow up.
clangod@ Karlius
You're quite right that PS3 users would complain about the service if they had to pay for it as is but given it's free, there exists a mute point.
I personally am overall happy with the service I do not need to pay for. I don't have the time to dedicate too much to multiple platforms and in all honesty that's the only reason I do not own both consoles at this point in time (PS3 & Xbox 360). I am only one of the many who know people with Xboxes & Wii's and have used them enough to be objectional in my opinion/ preference...
Provided that all consoles continue to evolve I know that I, as a gamer, have nothing to worry about.
Karlius@ David-Macphail
Why didn't this happen to PSN last year? Simple not the same demand. But what happened on Tuesday and Wednesday this week? A huge launch of the biggest game of the year. What happened to PSN? It died! Also look at the game which network is having problems with matchmakig? Live? No PSN. It's that damn simple! You have ***** in your eyes. What update has left users without certain features as they rely on model and not IP address? Live no PSN.
If MS turned around and said the only way we can maintain our service to the means it is now is by raising the costs to £50 a year and justified it. I would not hesitate to pay!
El Dev if your having problems with Sky Player I suggest Port Forwarding! If you've done this I suggest calling your broadband provider as your being capped. You can get perfect return on as slow a connection as 1mbs (Around 80kbs DL). I've clocked it.
Last point PSN is free granted it's not as polished as Live but it's free so you can put up with the crap. If PSN asked for a subscription tomorrow would you be complaining as it's not up to PAR with Live? I think so!
Woffls
Mr_Ninjutsu@ clangod