One 2o2p member exposes the ugly truth the battle for online social superiority. Ready... FIGHT!
In the last generation of consoles, I greatly preferred the Xbox. So much so I eventually gave a neighborhood kid my dusty PS2 in exchange for him mowing my yard for a summer. However, for me, the previous generation of gaming did not include online multiplayer gaming.
In the current generation, I patiently awaited the release of the PS3 before buying any next-gen console to see which console would better meet my preferences. I read every review and comparison article on the PS3 and the 360 I could get my hands on. The RROD issue almost convinced me to go with Sony. However, at the end of the day, Sony's ridiculous price point, the lack of top flight launch titles, and Dead Rising and Gears of War cinched it for me. I bought a 360 and got a Gold subscription to Xbox Live (XBL). I have never regretted my decision and have become used to the level of online service available on XBL.
This generation of consoles pulled me into the online MP space and has once again made gaming a social activity. When my first console RROD'd, I sent it in for repairs and bought an Arcade model as a replacement. I couldn't stand to be away from my 360 and the folks on my friends list for even the week my console was "visiting" South Texas. On XBL, I would have simply invited him to private chat and asked him to turn off his rank restriction so we could go a few rounds together after he finished his current match. On the PSN, I had to send him a private chat invite, wait for him to finish his match, back out to the menus, accept my chat invite, and then join me in a chat room. Neither of us could play a game while in chat or even start the process of getting into a room together. The only option to chat while not in the same game is via text chat, which is a pain in the ass. Imagine trying to play Halo while simultaneously typing a message. It is simply not a viable solution. Cross-game chat is a necessity for the PSN. Simply put, until the PSN adds some functional way to chat across games, it will not compare to XBL in terms of providing gamers the ability to play MP games together. However, as a gamer, the social networking that matters most to me is the ability to easily play games with my friends. In that respect, the gulf between XBL and the PSN remains as big as the Atlantic. That gap could be closed by a simple (easy for me to say) firmware update that allows for cross-game chat. Until then, I’ll party up on Xbox Live when I want to enjoy some multiplayer action.
After I heard that the Playstation Network (PSN) was rapidly closing the gap on the features and functionality offered by XBL, atypical to the initial criticisms of the service, I took the plunge and purchased a PS3. I wanted to see for myself what the console and, especially, PSN had to offer. It didn’t hurt that the 360 started to lull in releases of the types of games that I enjoy.
Before you take this the wrong way, I love the PS3 as a console. The controller fits my hands more comfortably than the 360's and the exclusive games rock. I can’t stop playing inFamous. I love MLB: The Show (and I haven’t liked a baseball video game since the NES). I thoroughly enjoyed Heavenly Sword (more on that later). Uncharted 2's MP beta is pure fun. I have also picked up Little Big Planet, Uncharted and Resistance 2, but haven’t had time to play them yet.
But... from my experience and contrary to the reports that I had heard, the PSN remains so far behind XBL in the features and functionality that I care about that I can’t see myself ever buying a multiplatform MP release on the PS3.
One major hurdle for the PSN is gamertag changes. To change your PSN gamertag, you have to give up all trophies and online advancement in MP games (like your rank in Killzone 2). That is insane! MS is making a small fortune by charging people $10 to change their gamertags, while keeping their achievements. I have personally contributed $30 to MS to change my gamertag over the years. I have friends who are 10th level prestige in CoD and would stick with the worst gamertag imaginable rather than sacrifice all that time and effort. Retaining your online accomplishments (and online identity) has real value and is a major shortcoming of the PSN.
Secondly, while I was excited when Sony announced they were adding the trophy system to their games, I was disappointed that trophy support wouldn't be added to all games in the PS3 library (especially the exclusives). I love how achievements and trophies add replay value to games I enjoy. Sony’s decision to not require or, at least, strongly encourage trophy support throughout its game library hampers my enjoyment of earlier titles. I rented and played through Heavenly Sword, which doesn’t support trophies. I played through the game and promptly returned it because there wasn’t any reason to play through the game again. If trophies were supported, I would have considered buying a copy of the game or would have certainly kept my rental longer to maximize my trophy collection. The same issue exists for both Ratchet & Clank titles.
This isn't a major issue by any stretch, but it is a difference. There is not a single retail release on the 360 that does not have achievements. I hate to admit this, but there are games that I have played on the 360 after they were no longer fun simply to mine a few extra achievements. And yes, I am aware that neither achievements nor trophies have any real value whatsoever. By contrast, I have loved every game of Ratchet & Clank, but I keep pushing it down the list of games to play because it doesn't support trophies.
However, I could easily overlook the gamertag and trophy issues if playing online games with friends was as easy as XBL makes it with cross-game chat and the party system. As a test, I jumped online to play some Killzone 2. Everything was fine when I was playing in random rooms with random folks. There was very little lag, a solid frame rate and no connection problems. But when I tried to join up with a buddy, I realized just how far the PSN lags behind XBL in terms of functionality.
Whenever I try to join a friend for a MP game on the 360, I send him or her an invite to a private chat. If I’m trying to get together with several people, I start a party. Then, we coordinate what to play and who will host. When I tried to join my buddy’s game of K2 through PSN, I got a message that I did not have sufficient rank. I received this message because he configured his settings to only allow people of similar rank into his matches. I understood that. And since I was a newbie to the game, I wasn’t ranked high enough to join.
Finally, Sony has totally failed to market the services they do offer. Over the last two E3s, MS has touted partnerships with internet-based services like Netflix, Facebook and Twitter. Every one of these have always been available on the PSN. Because the PSN has a web browser, you can stream movies directly to your TV if you have a Netflix subscription (and you don’t have to pay for a Gold XBL subscription to do so). You can manage your Netflix queue without having to access a computer. Facebook and Twitter are also accessible through the PSN’s web browser. Yet nobody in the Sony camp has brought people’s attention to what the web browser allows people to do with their PS3!
I suspect most non-tech folks think they need a 360 for these features because MS has made such a big deal about them. In fact, I have read articles from people in the gaming industry (who presumably have all three consoles) claiming the biggest announcement at this year's E3 was Facebook and Twitter on the 360. So maybe even the tech folks don’t realize these features are already available on their PS3.
“Social networking" and "multi-media distribution" have become buzzwords in the gaming industry. The PSN offers comparable multi-media distribution services to what is available on XBL, and the inclusion of a web browser provides even greater social networking options and access to multi-media outlets (i.e., Hulu).
