PlayStation Plus vs. Xbox Live Gold
Written by Giang Cao   
Thursday, 22 July 2010 03:18
PSN Live vs. Xbox Live Gold

The argument between whose premium online service is better is somewhat fallacious. If you break down the features of the premium services, as well as their free counterparts, you'll realise the different strategies of Microsoft and Sony within the space. After the break, you can take a look at a table comparing all four services and how they stack up against each other.

PSN vs. Xbox Live table

Xbox Live Gold is an integral component to your online gaming experience, boasting a rich set of features that makes it a mandatory subscription for many hardcore gamers. PlayStation Plus, on the other hand, prioritises content over hard-set features. Essentially based on a subscription model, it enables players to sample what the PlayStation gaming experience has to offer - arguably playing to its strengths in quality content. In it's infant state, PlayStation Plus feels completely supplementary with really the only useful feature being automatic background downloads. If Sony are wanting to make this a viable business, they'll have to offer more than just store discounts and games that we probably own already.
Comments (6)
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written by Thomas Ella, July 22, 2010
Twitter and Last.fm feel like weird potshots against the PS3. Can't you just, you know, open the web browser and go to Twitter and Last.fm? Because if that's the case, why not list YouTube as something only the PS3 gets? Why not list access to theeasymode.com? Because at a certain point, that gets silly. It should've just been one category: Internet. PS3 gets "Web browser allows access to anywhere on the web." XBOX gets "Limited to integrated Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm access."
onionsaregross
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written by Russ Crandall, July 22, 2010
You can definitely use the PS3 browser to access those sites, but the apps within the Xbox 360 are a little more intuitive. They're not perfect by any means - I've only used them on launch day to try them out, and with so many other ways to access those sites, the 360 seems like a waste. What would be really nice is if they had full integration with the Xbox 360 OS; for instance, I'd like to be able to stream my last.fm music while playing a game.
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written by Doktor Wilhelm, July 22, 2010
Store Discounts? The Xbox Live Gold has access to Deal of the Week, where serveral games &/or iteams are discounted for a week, if that counts?
And I'd also question the free games part; if MicroSoft hadn't cancelled 1vs100 and show no sign of offerning any new free games. :(
giangc
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written by Giang Cao, July 22, 2010
@Thomas Ella
I made the distinction with them being native apps that are readily accessible on the OS, or at least being specifically curated for the console. Going through those sites via the browser seems like a cheap workaround and removed from PSN as a service.

@Doktor Wilhelm
Thanks for the heads-up on Deal of the Week. I've amended the table to correct that oversight.
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written by Thomas Ella, July 22, 2010
I wouldn't really call "accessing them almost exactly as you would on a computer" a "cheap workaround." Yeah, I hope they add their own native applications for those sites, but I've got to tell you... I've used the 360 native apps, and I'd rather just go to my PS3 and go to ACTUAL Facebook or ACTUAL Twitter rather than those. The Last.fm application is cool, but there are also plenty of streaming websites you can use on the PS3's web browser that you can't use on the 360, many of which let you just build playlists with no ads.

I guess I just take issue with it so much because people always forget that you've ALWAYS been able to access Facebook and Twitter on PS3. It just doesn't seem like you can really tout those as exclusive features for the 360 when they're just getting dumbed down versions of those sites, and the PS3 has a web browser that can access the real versions of them and infinitely more sites.
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A taste of things to come?
written by Danny B, July 31, 2010
I mostly use XBL, and do prefer it. My biggest feeling with Plus is that its just a feeler to get people started on pay for play. Right now, the biggest point in PSN's favour is the online multiplayer. But i'm sure sony has a number, and if it isnt met, they will slide some psn features over to plus, and with the installed base of ps3, they can do it without much backlash. After all, Live Gold is a big money maker, how long do you give away for free what your competitor is making hard cash on, and realistically, when people are deciding what system they want, does paid live versus free psn really play into it?

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