As an overview, the XFire tools are "middleware," as stated in a question Next-Gen (www.next-gen.biz) to the Xfire folks about the "deal":
"The deal with SCE [Sony Computer Entertainment] is a tools and middleware license that lets us basically build a plug-in for any PS3 game."
The key in this was the term "license." This word, in most industries, is synonymous with "cost." Someone is paying for this license. Who?
Here is what Ozymandias says in his blog:
"This definitely isn't what Sony would have wanted to do if they had other options. What we end up with is a bit of a mishmash of online accounts, logins, and services. For example, now when I play a PS3 title I simply can't depend on having a single Friends list. Sony will manage the "master" list, which should have presence in every PS3 title, and Xfire will be a plugin that some publishers integrate into some games. This means gamers can't depend on finding their friends in one place (if the game even supports Xfire). The possibility exists that Sony might do a larger deal to integrate Xfire into every PS3 title, but frankly, they should have simply swallowed their pride and purchased Xfire a long time ago and made it their default backend technology."Having multiple services will impact customers understanding and expectations. Let's face it - most of us are in this to game, not to close on a home loan. We don't want to think about services, signing up for multiple things or have to feel like we're gaming on a PC. Personal computers lack a tight integration because there are so many varients on each system and provider.
A good example of this in the PC market is GameSpy. It is a great system, costly for developers to integrate but provides many games with the interface they need for lobbies and game connections. However, Xfire has another system, Valve's Steam is yet another and some cable providers are trying to build "game networks" as well. We don't want this "open ended system" on our integrated consoles, do we?
He goes on to blog...
"Another challenge is that Xfire is now effectively middleware - and that's not free. Had Sony purchased and integrated Xfire into their SDK I could see the effective cost of integration being "free" to publishers. Now, unfortunately, each and every publisher has to look at their budget and decide whether adding a second online service/friends list/presence is worth it. I have no idea what Xfire's licensing costs are, but whatever it is, it's not free - Sony lost that opportunity. And that means publishers have to decide whether to spend extra dollars, effort, and time in an era when game costs are already spiraling higher and higher."So, the key to Ozymandias's talk: someone must pay for this license and it will be the publisher. What modivation does the publisher have to pay for yet another service with the costs of production already being high for next-generation systems?
Now, if a few big publishers integrate the technology others will follow and the technology will probably occur in most products. However, if there is hesitation, could it die before it even starts?
Console gamers want to feel like they're part of a greater family of gamers. Many don't understand the concepts of networking, TCP/IP, IP-Addressing, services, etc. We want to power on the box and be told how many of our friends are doing the same. A full package of integration. You know... like Xbox Live.
Network gaming on the console has been standardized by the first company to be successful doing it: Microsoft. PlayStation 3 gamers that have backgrounds on the Xbox or the Xbox 360 are going to come to expect the same level of service and integration they get with XBL. Or maybe we're just off-base?
Source: ozymandias.com
