Xbox Live Games with Gold vs. Playstation Plus Instant Game Collection - a one-sided battle

GameZone writes, "The core difference between PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold is in the definition of “free” games. PlayStation Plus offers games for free as long as you download them when they’re being offered and you then maintain a membership. Stop paying and you lose access to the games, but you can always starting paying again later to get your games back. With Games with Gold, as long as you have a Gold account when the game is available and you download it in that timeframe, you keep the game forever, whether your account lapses or not."

[MariaHelFutura]

Playstation Plus: It Only Does Everything.... Better.

[Cmk0121]

playstation plus perks are better the service as in functionality is far worse than xbox live. thus ps3 great for offline gaming and MS solid for online and offline

[HammadTheBeast]

Actually, functionality is pretty much the same, and to be honest, more PS3 games have dedicated servers online than 360 games.

[AceBlazer13]

There it goes again that false claim Xbox owners came up with to give reason to paying for for gold.

[nukeitall]

Does anyone else see a problem with this?

I mean, if people start spending more and more time playing old games, then there will be less people buying new games and the cycle of downward spiral start.

I hope this isn't the norm next generation!

[HammadTheBeast]

Wut?

It's just an added feature, I doubt the industry will collapse if people start playing older games...

[kayoss]

Try telling that to Naughty Dog and their really really popular game The Last of Us. Oh yeah the Call of duty franchise wants a word with you too.

[KillrateOmega]

....What?

[Anon1974]

Just....wow.

[fsfsxii]

wtf??!

[Hicken]

Really?

Did that just happen?

Now, more free games is a bad thing for the industry.

Man, there are some seriously delusional fanboys on this site, but nukeitall just went into greenpowerz territory with that comment.

[MrBeatdown]

Indeed.

We all know Netflix has been the death of the movie and television industries.

[T2]

Oh look its the new king troll nukeitall yet still has bubbles weird ....
You keep logging onto gold for the cricket symphony while I cant wait till my gold expires ...

[M-M]

Welcome to the mind of nukeitall.

[moparful99]

Nuke seriously dude your comments get worse by the day.. How on earth does your comment make any sense to you? Free games encourages people to play more games exposing more fans to different genres, games, and studios...

[nukeitall]

You compete for peoples time and money. The money is minimal, and the time sink is massive, so yes this isn'¨t good for the industry.

Since I strted using Netflix, I haven't bought a single movie or rented one. Heck I don't go to the theaters anymore either.

Say what you want, but it is just like the tablet/smartphone thing, it eats its way into the industry.

Is PS+ good value? It is a heck of a deal!

Is it good for consumers? What isn't good for the industry eventually becomes bad for consumers.

That latter part is the real deal. Nobody watches a single movie for hundreds of hours, but you do play a game many times hundreds of hours (well some do, I don't due to time constraints).

[PS3PWNSALL]

I didn't have AC2 until MS made it available on XBL for free. Now I own it and can keep it forever, XBL subscription or not.

[moparful99]

How many times are you planning on going back and playing it once you beat it? Exactly after a while it will just take up space on your hard drive.. Plus has a constant stream of new games so there's never a shortage of games to play... I don't know how many games I've deleted that I got from plus.. I just can't play that many games.. Besides as long as I have my sub I can redownload any game at any time.. Period.

[dale_denton]

Colzer01 -- SERVED

[Couldntfindasn]

It's unfair to compare the two. Xbox Live offers a better online gaming experience. Better servers along with key features such as cross game party chat. That's what you get with Live. This is just a little/poorly done add on. And to add to your comment. Ps plus doesn't do everything lol with ps plus you are just paying for these games, which is a great deal and I think it's a great program, but when it comes down to each service, live will give the best online gaming experience.

[BillytheBarbarian]

So people like psPlus where you don't get to keep the games...just rent. It's just digital gamefly...where most games you can rent are either old or aren't doing so hot on sales charts.

If the Last of Us shows up on psplus within 3 months or so I'll be impressed.

Xbox deals are actually decent. I got Nba2k13 for 20$ on demand mid season so the hype train wasn't over. Borderlands 2 was only ten. I get to keep them when gold is gone too.

[moparful99]

Gamefly Cost over $100 a year and you can't receive another game until you send the current ones back.. PS+ doesn't restrict how many games you can have at a time, you keep them as long as you have your sub, you get a slew of other features like cloud saving, automatic updates, and deep discounts on NEW releases.. Your comparison is invalid..

[BallsEye]

Now that is just wrong. Sorry mate but if you really believe PS plus is a better online experience than XBL then you are just a sorry arse fanboy. I do like PS plus deals but online service is nowhere near as good as XBL.

[Tee7soo]

dude no offense, but you are annoying.

[iamnsuperman]

I think the game with gold idea is to get people to renew their subscriptions for the next year. Then they are slightly more compelled to by the One as their next console if you are on the fense (which I assume a lot of people will be). It is relatively uncostly move for them so why not and it could generate some good PR (for people who do not go here for news and opinions)

The PSN+ thing will be an issue in the first year of the PS4. I would assume/hope Sony has this planned out though. They could offer indie games for free or somehow bring some PS3 games to the PS4 through an emulation of some kind

"There’s a catch, though: emulation. The PlayStation 3 doesn’t read PlayStation 2 discs (at least not anymore), but it can play PS2 games via the PlayStation Store in an emulated environment. Yoshida concedes that this is possible for PlayStation 4 supporting legacy PlayStation consoles as well. Indeed, the Gaikai presentation during PlayStation 4’s reveal touched on this “everything, everywhere” mentality. But for now, downloaded PS3 games won’t work “unless, somehow, some games work on emulation. And the easiest thing, technically, would be to make PSone games work on PS4 with emulation. But we’re not talking about our emulation plans as yet" from http://uk.ign.com/articles/...

I assume they will/need to discuss this issue at TGS or Gamescom because this is a big unanswered question for me. The could easily stick two fingers up at us and we have to wait a year or so before we really benefit from PSN+

[MariaHelFutura]

I'm not sure how getting a trimmed down version of a game at launch (Driveclub) and Outlast after will be an "issue". For the first while it'll be indie games. Them giving Driveclub shows their dedication to the service.

[moparful99]

Sony knows that most of the people that are getting PS4's in the first 6 months will be the core audience. Most of whom probably have a ps3. Once the Gaikai service launches(I predict it will be included with the plus sub) and they figure out how to get the entire playstation catalog streaming through gaikai then plus will appeal to the non core or those coming over from xbox..

[Smoovekid]

You get more games with PS+ and even if you go a year without PS+ when you resub you have all your games back.

You also only need 1 PS+ account for PS4,PS3 and the Vita.

[Jazz4108]

You guys do realize you wont be able to play online without paying for these services on either console next gen.

[gtarhro7]

Sooo it'll be the same as Xbox Live, except more free games!

[joeorc]

@Jazz4108

that's not completely true @ all, Unlike the xbox platform, you can still play Multi-Player online games for free, on the playestation 4 as long as they are free to play or even MMO's. Microsoft's platform for any multi-player online gaming still needs Gold, so its not exactly the same thing for both platforms.

[PSN_ZeroOnyx]

And PSN only requires one plus membership on the system for all accounts to play online.

Xbox live however requires each individual account on the system to have it's own gold membership. I know people who share an account BC they won't pay twice on one system.

[DrRobotnik]

Ps4 = Free new games.

Xbox1 = Free old games.

[trafalger]

plus has free old games and some fairly new games. when plus started the games were not that great, its gotten much better over time and on the vita there are some really good games for free.

the problem with xbox gold is most things need gold even netflix. im glad sony is putting pressure on m$ to give more value out of gold.

[Cmk0121]

ill be interested to see if sony steps up the stability of the service. they dont have a home run first party title that is online king. they didn thave basic feautres like party chat and the ps store was slow i think thats why they started the free game program and why it was free to play online. already with next gen coming they are making you pay to play online like MS was so hated for and they are giving a portion of a new game away not a full fledged new title in full. so itll be interesting if the service gets better with money needing to go into it if they will still give away top tier titles. MS treats it like biz, i dont see how sony makes money giving away over 1000 worth of games and not charging for online but thats just me, i dont fault sony for that its great for consumers and kudos to them just from money side dont see how they pull it off

[HammadTheBeast]

Wtf are you saying, you're just rambling on now....

[MoonConquistador]

@Hamad, way to go adding to the debate, why not refute what Cmk is saying rather than tell him he's rambling. Apart from COD, what games on PS3 get the same numbers as Halo or Gears online. His point about the slow store and just the general sleekness of the GUI are also both valid.

But I'd still rather a company who put the effort into the quality of their games first and deal with the menus later than the other way around, so step aside MS

[XabiDaChosenOne]

"they dont have a home run first party title that is online king."
So Gran Turismo and Uncharted don't exist anymore? Secondly their isn't just one or two relevant exclusive titles on the PS3 that monopolize online gameplay. There is multiple QUALITY options whether it in the racing or TPS/FPS shooting genre. It's the same reason why Sony does not have a mascot as opposed to the other console manufactures. There isn't just one genre/art style that defines the console/fanbase interest. Consider yourself educated.

[Wikkid666]

LOL! you don't even know what you're talking about. Xbox One isn't even part of this discussion.

You do know this is only on Xbox 360, right?

[TheRealHeisenberg]

Gave up Xbox Live over 5 years ago. PS+ all day every day for me, even if the games are not truly "free". I subscribed to PS+ because I saw the value in it for me, not because of the Sony loyalist gushing over it. If Xbox Live ever offers equal value to me as far as the content goes then maybe I will subscribe to it again.

@ Cmk0121
Xbox Live Gold = better service. PS+ = better overall value.

[cleft5]

I canceled my Xbox Live subscription this month. Thankfully I don't have any mp games for the 360 so it's not a big deal for me. I love my ps+ subscription, so many good free games it's insane.

[LogicStomper]

Even though I lean more towards the Xbox side,your comment is one of those 'one in a thousand' comments which are unbiased and hold no grudge towards any side.

You certainly deserve a bubble.

[voodoogts]

PS server are so bad. Majority of the time I'm trying to DL a game it so slow. Same goes for connecting to a multiplayer server. My FIOS is not taking advantage. :(

[kayoss]

That what happen when you try to connect with dial up and AOL.

[devwan]

That's a shame, here I get the games and patches really quickly, it takes longer for some to install than download.

[Persistantthug]

You need to ditch the WiFi connection, and go wired-hardline.

[AceBlazer13]

Go bitch to your ISP

[thrust]

Bit unfair really, ps+ been running for years.

the xbox live free games have only just started.

[cleft5]

True but where is it written that a service has to be bad before it gets good? What I am saying is that Microsoft knew what they where competing against and they could have just dropped some money and gave out some great games right away and then slowed it down a bit.

No one would be complaining if they gave out Halo 4 first. In fact, that would have revived the Halo 4 mp community and it's not like Halo 4 is a new game. Microsoft could have came out of the gate swinging, instead they gave us Fable 3, some Tower defense game, and Assassin's Creed 2. If you make a blunder like that you deserve to be called on it.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

I could not agree more. Although I see nothing wrong with giving away some older games too, MS could definitely have sweetened the pot so to speak with some newer offerings. Hopefully they will.

[Wikkid666]

Games with Gold ends in November it's a limited time promo.

[kayoss]

From what i heard, the Gold offering most likely wont be extended past 2013. But i might be wrong.
Microsoft didnt become a billion dollar company by giving out free stuff. Before Gold, i have not heard microsoft ever given anything out for free.

[devwan]

You forget the 20 points on your birthday! /o\

[STARRHUNTER29]

lol

[xReDeMpTiOnx]

There is no comparison to be made its obvious what is better.

[Supermax]

Microsoft will compete with the ps plus as far as free games go next gen wich will mean even more great deals threw ps plus.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

I believe this to be true. Contrary to some clown's blog here on N4G saying otherwise, competition is a good thing.

[kayoss]

I have a feeling for Next GEN free games will be coming from Gaikai.

[MasterCornholio]

And those FTP games on the PS4 like Planet Side 2 and DC Universe.

[Death]

I subscribe to both. I recently renewed Plus for the Vita I picked up. It trully is apples to oranges. Live enhances all games with it's seamless integration. Crossgame chat and party chat are great for playing with your friends without having to hear the "whiny 12 year olds". The recently added free games are something long overdue.

PS+ in it's current form is a nice value since subscribers are rewarded with discounted content and free games while they subscribe. The online experience as far as multiplayer goes isn't as refined as Live. It does what it needs to do and not much more.

Value is subjective. To me, paying $60 a year to make the entire experience more enjoyable is worth it. Live is making all games a little better by making it so easy to play with friends and voice quality has always been consistant. There is very little down time with the way Live is set up.

PS+ is a great value too, but for different reasons. Nothing says value like free stuff. For $50 a year there is no reason any Playstation owner shouldn't subscribe. I'm not impressed with the new policy though. Online multiplayer not being available without PS+? It's already an excellent value, why take away multiplayer for non-subscribers? It's great that Netflix isn't behind a paywall, but no one is paying $500 for a PS4 for Netflix. It really is a backwards approach to increasing subscriptions.

It almost seems like Sony focuses more on solo play while Microsoft focuses more on the social aspect of gaming and multiplayer. Halo, Forza, Gears, all great with a friend. Metal Gear, Uncharted, Last of Us, all great games, all designed for single player.

[devwan]

Oh I think Sony will be concentrating on the social aspects.. they didn't put a share button on their pad just for S&G. ps4 is going to be all about the multiplayer and social aspects of gaming and Sony will be rewarded with millions more ps+ subscriptions for their efforts.

[hardcorehippiez]

the last of us is a cracking multiplayer game, in fact probably one of the best i have played so i dont know where you are coming from saying its single player centric cos thats just pure bullshit. same with uncharted from 2 onwards while they're not a good as tlou they are still good multiplayer games. live might be more integrated and seemless experience but your making it sound like it doesnt work which again is pure lies. the value ps plus gives you is way beyond what live offers, its no contest really so its the better option. for ps4 putting the online multiplayer behind a paywall is a dick move though sony . that stupid move along could lose you custom. luckily it wont affect me tho as im a ps plus subscriber because i see the value in it as it is now .

[coopman300]

Maybe so but only because you will have to get ps+ to be able to play online at all.

[reaperofsouls]

In all fairness both PS4 and MS are guilty of steeling each others good ideas

[ianblake]

LOL Assassins Creed 2 ... P+ FTW

[Rai]

When did MS start giving out free games? I know they have future plans for that.

[ziggurcat]

right before E3. they're giving people two games per month until the launch of the xbone.

so far, though, the offerings haven't been good.

[KillrateOmega]

PS+ offers more bang for your buck, but LIVE is the more stable service.

There. Short and sweet.

[YodaCracker]

Exactly. It's more than just looking at feature lists of what each service offers. It's the intuitive user interface on Xbox LIVE that makes it so superior to PSN.

[InTheZoneAC]

live is more stable?

how so?

the only feature I can name that some may like is cross game chat, but if I'm playing any non casual game I don't want to be talking to someone or hear someone talking nonstop to me in the middle of the game...

[MysticStrummer]

"LIVE is the more stable service."

False. There have been several independent comparisons that showed they are the same stability wise.

[KillrateOmega]

Oh, didn't know. My bad.

Just so I can see them, do you have the link to said comparisons?

[Animal Mutha 76]

I was quite happy with my Assassins Creed 2. Not as good as the PS+ games but they are different propositions.

Games with Gold is just a few freebies before the new system launches, not sure why they are bothering as its not a show stopper for anyone who has Gold already and not enough of an enticement to join in my opinion. Nice to have as a bonus for free.

PS+ is a bit like a mini Netflix for games except you don't have unlimited choice. You pay a fee for a subscription based free access to selected titles of Sony's choosing. Good content but you lose the access if you stop paying so in effect those who are calling it an extended rental are technically correct in my mind.

My Assassins Creed 2 is old but I guess at least I can play the single player part offline in years to come when I boot up the 360 for a retro session.

So in that respect, in reference to the article I think comparing the two is not quite right.

[qu1ckset]

I'm a longtime xbox360 gamer up until late last year where I have been playing PC, anyways, I have PS4 preordered, I really hope PSN+ adds party chat for PS4, that was one of XBL greatest features imo!

[iceman06]

No worries...already done!

[Funantic1]

Nobody knows what free games we'll get on the next gen. Once the X1 comes out I'm getting rid of my 360.

[coopman300]

Well since psn service is crap all your getting is free games, which is stupid as a business model for sony, probably why the ps is 8 bil in the hole.

[InTheZoneAC]

so you pay for xbox live gold and you think you get more out of it than ps+?

psn>xbox live and I have TRIED to give the 360 a chance, TWICE and both times it just didn't do anything for me.

[coopman300]

All i see is sony trying to bribe people to pay for their crappy online service. Its just a sorry attempt to get some capital to support psn.

[iceman06]

PSN service is free access to the internet portion of games. There is nothing unstable or unreliable about it. The biggest difference is that it is just not an integrated experience. Everything is separate. As for the "stupid business model", it's so stupid that Sony have increased their subscribers (based on this model) by a large percentage (estimates are 35%) since it's release. Playstation is NOT 8 billion in the hole, but Sony as a company is. PS+ is an incentive based subscription service that provides benefits for as long as you subscribe. (think Sam's club). XBL is a paid service to access features of a console that are placed behind a paywall. Different roads to the same end...generation of revenue.

[PSN_ZeroOnyx]

You are ill informed, do research rather than spread misinformation.

You say the Playstation brand is in the hole which is a lie. Sony as a whole is struggling BC of the electronics department which includes TV, PC, laptops, cameras, phones, sound systems and many other products. However, the entertainment department thrives and thus includes music, movies, and playstation. In fact, the playstation brand is the number one money maker for Sony.

Now that you've been educated either research or don't speak.

[Bluemaster77]

You guys do realize that sony is charging for online play next generation right ?? So any critiques of MS from this angle is moot.

[Hicken]

Considering Sony will still be offering free games along with the multiplayer, and Microsoft's offering will be ending in a finite amount of time, the critique is still valid: Plus STILL gives you more value than Live.

Not to mention that services like Netflix aren't behind the Plus paywall as they are on Live. Or the fact that free to play games will likewise be unfettered by having to pay for them.

Care to try again?

[SnotyTheRocket]

So, i'll be able to play Planetside 2 with no PS+ account? Didn't know that. Thats awesome.

[Bluemaster77]

Oh you mean that they will be charging for what is already an inferior network infrastructure. You avid fans are pitiful, never able to objectively critique anything.

[Hicken]

I'm sorry. Which part of either of your comments was objective?

[walkincarpet]

I do appreciate the free games on PS+ and that they pushed MS to do something similar, but I would MUCH rather have the robust xbox live features over the free games on PS+ any day. That's one of the reasons why I play multiplayer exclusively on xbox. The controller is the other reason. Xbox already rules in online gaming and controller and now add cloud and dedicated Kinect 2 to mix - there is no comparison. PS4 will continue to have great single player exclusives.

[InTheZoneAC]

1. name me two features xbox live has over psn. cross game chat is not a top choice for me as I don't like to talk/hear people talking to me in the middle of non casual games, something xbox owners probably don't know about since all the "good" games are on ps.

2. I have always preferred the dualshock controller. It was my fav when ps1 came out, same with ps2 and ps3. I don't like the bulkiness, the separate rechargeable battery

3. I don't like move or kinect...again if you like casual games then good for you, but it's not for me.

[walkincarpet]

looks like you definitely should get PS4 then...
nothing wrong with that. I owned PS2 and PS3 and to me going from xbox dash board / xbox live to the PS dashboard / PSN is like going from PS3 to PS. In other words, Xbox has a 2 generation gap over PS in these areas and looks like PS4 will sorta catch up to Xbox360, but X1 is pushing the innovation levels ahead of 360. This is one of the major strengths of MS. Sonys strength seems to be single player exlusives and grahics. Also the Xbox controller is the best one ever made, but the PS controller is decent as well especially for RPGs and the like. If sony fits your hands and gameplay better then personally it is the better controller.

[PSN_ZeroOnyx]

I wish we could play PS4 vs X1 BC me and my DS4 would would crush you in every online game, my guess is that's exactly why M$ refuses to allow that feature whereas Sony is ok with it.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

When it comes to the games offer...I really feel PS+ is as it stands the better option. Sure you need to maintain PS+ but the reality is ....most consumers that start up with XBLG or PSN+ will maintain it now that both require the subscription for online multiplayer.

I am of the opinion that the current Xbox Gold offer will most certainly be changing for Xbox One... I mean the reality is, it has to. Xbox One and PS4 both dont offer backwards compatibility so the value proposition of getting older games for free isn't a reality early in the life cycle of both consoles. PS4 looks like it will be offering up some indie games and cut versions of games like Drive Club as part of PSN+ for the short term. I think its already being forshadowed by MS to do something similar with the likes of Killer Instinct being offered as a cut "free" to play version for the Xbox Day One edition...and am guessing will also be available to any Xbox One Gold subscriber.

The real question is what will MS do with Xbox Live Gold for Xbox One... we really haven't heard too much about how that service will transform on Xbox One and while we haven't heard much more about PS4...they did atleast discuss the PSN+ early days and a small part of the plan.

[OmegaShen]

Plus is because its not needed to use netflix, hulu and all. Let's not forget who started this first, MS is copying Sony after seeing how well it does.

Plus is alittle more cheaper to, yeah you can't play the free games if Plus ends. So what, you are getting more then paying for one game.

I only pay for Gold when I plan to play online, other then that its pointless to pay that much. Plus lets not forget that you aren't just getting PS3 games for free, you are getting PSP and PS Vita and soon I bet something with PS4.

So the value you get from Plus is far more then Gold.

[H0RSE]

As far as getting "free" games goes, I have gamefly, so I don't really care... The chances of either service offering me a game that I would actually consider purchasing, are slim to none, since games I want to buy, I already bought, meaning games I didn't buy are games I don't want to.

90% of all the games I've played, are rented from gamefly. After that, it would just becomes a pointless matter of me bragging about getting a free game, just for the sake of bragging. "look! I got this game from PS+/XBL that I had no interest in ever owning, and it's newer and better than your pointless games I would never want to own! PS+/XBL owns!"

[mr.selfdestruct]

X-Com is a game i would have never bought on my own. Being it was free thru PS+ i downloaded it and loved it soo much i even bought the DLC for it. SO because of PS+ the dev made a sale they never would have before. That doesn't even count the try before you buy program. full game downloads free for 1 hour so for the games I'm on the fence about i can make sure i dont buy a dud game. That in itself has saved me more than I pay for the service. It is simply impossible to dispute PS+ is a greater service then Live.

[H0RSE]

I bought xcom for PC. It was a game I was anticipating. I rented it for xbox to try it on console and found it virtually unplayable due to the cumbersome, clunky ui and controls compared to that of the PC version.

Unlike you, I know what I like and know what I don't, so the scenario where a game is offered that I may have never considered playing becomes available for download and winds up being awesome, is also not likely. Ex - I recently downloaded AC2 from games for gold. I have yet to play it and probably won't. I have never played an AC game, and even now when I have a full, free version of one, I'm not even interested. Maybe I will dabble with it one day, but based on gameplay and watching friends play, I know I won't enjoy it.

Like I said, games I consider worth buying, I already own. I've never been "on the fence" over purchasing a game or not - I either buy it or I don't. For someone like yourself, these services may prove useful, but not for me. Gamefly fulfills my needs. To each their own

[iceman06]

The thing about PS+ is that it is giving you games that you might own and also games that you probably wouldn't try (like some indies for those that don't play them). I have found myself having a lot of fun with some games that I normally wouldn't have spent my money on. Or, getting games that I wanted but was waiting for a price drop to get.

[maan47]

beyond!!!!!

[McScroggz]

No reasonable person would say XBL Games with Gold is better than PlayStation Plus. Anyone who disagrees is either a fanboy or, quite frankly, an idiot.

[cell989]

lol no contest PS+ > Live

[Harpers_Ferry]

I'd say the core differences between PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold are quality and quantity, and currently, PlayStation Plus absolutely trumps Games with Gold on both.

This is obviously MS testing the waters for the future, while attempting to gain back a little lost ground due to their recent PR issues. How things end up down the road is anyone's guess, but as of today, Games with Gold isn't even in the same league as PlayStation Plus.

[vigilante_man]

Can someone here please tell me if there has ever been a better quality line up of games for such a great price as PS Plus has been offering of late.

I remember how bad it started in its first year. It has come a long way since then. I even bought a PS Vita because of the great games I have access to for the same subscription.

I cannot make a comment of what MS is trying to do as I don't use that service but I think paying a yearly subscription just to play online or to even access netflix/lovefilm is wrong.

I hope MS can do what Sony have. The value for money is something I did not expect.

[IMightBeRetarded]

Was I the only one who laughed at these two even being compared?

[Shadonic]

I only own a 360 and after up to 10 years of live with me getting the most crappiest of thanks for paying them for the online service being less than a dollar for my birthday and 2 games that at this time are about 3 bucks its pretty clear which service is better.

PS+ wins they give you much more for your money where as XBOX live is just pay to play online and take whatever the hell we give you and be happy about it.

[ATWILL]

Wow, how quickly they forget. So 1st you complain that you don't own your games with MS but now with PS+ it's ok? 2nd, if PS+ was such a quality product, why make it mandatory for MP now? That was the best part of PSN. Sony should not force PS+ on us and give the choice like they do now. I know it's popular to sign off on anything Sony is doing but this is bullshit. Every single person that bitched about Xbox Live should get slapped. Sony is doing the same thing and trying to cover it up with, some free games that aren't that big a deal. Let me pick the games and we might have something then. If PS+ is a greater service, multiplayer should still be free as the membership should pay for their expenses.

[GABRIEL1030]

Are you serious?

C'mon, before you write please try the service !

I was an Xbox's user, but I tired to pay 60 bucks for nothing, in other hand PS PLUS is an amazing service because has a huge library for 50 USD: Machinarium, Malicious, Labyrinth Legends, The Cave, Saints Row: The Third, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Sleeping Dogs, Vanquish, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend,Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, wipEout 2148,God Eater Burst, Battlefield 3, Demon's Souls, Metal Slug XX, Jet Set Radio....is insane the amazing games for a few bucks.......the next month Free for PS Vita Need for Speed and for PS3 DmC. :D

Plus is mandatory for PS4 because Sony wants to all the people will test this amazing and epic service and then the customer will be for life with PSN +. For example the first Plus game for PS4 is Drive Club and my actual subscription will work with PS4.

Great job Sony.

[GABRIEL1030]

PS plus is amazing, maybe Steam is another great example of how I can enjoy great games with few bucks.

PS Plus is the best service ever made for video games, this month for free Battlefiled 3, Uncharted 3, Xcom, Deus Ex and more of 50 games for PS3 and Vita, a lot of discounts, free trials.

PS Plus is Epic!

:D

[vork77]

PS+ wins

[Ben12]

oh you silly sony fanboys. And you thought Microsoft was screwing you. well don't buy to many games because when you cant afford internet or ps plus you wont have any games to play digital that is. oh maybe all you have to do is cry, and start bashing sony now. wah wah wah. Looks good on all you xbox bashers.

[jlm9]

MS would do well to release a relatively new game in August. 3 suggestions I would make would be Dishonored, Tomb Raider or Aliens:CM.

Why Aliens: CM? It would be a perfect game for future DLC purchases. Nobody in their right mind would buy the game if they'd read any reviews but they will download it and play for free. Even if only a small percentage actually end up liking the game enough to buy DLC that is still more sales then right now.

That being said I would make Aliens:CM the Aug 16th one and have a big name good game to start the month

[Megatron316]

THIS IS WHAT IVE GOT FORM PS+ SO FAR!!
Dead Space2, Darksiders, Crysis2, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs, Demons Souls, ICO HD Collection, The Cave, Deus Ex Human Rev, F1 Race Stars, Kingdoms of Amalur, Gravity Rush, Wipeout 2048, Uncharted Golden Abyss, Saints Row 3, Battlefield 3, Coconut Dodge , Velocity Ultra, Outland, Virtua Fighter 5, Just Cause 2, Red Dead Redemption, Starhawk, Resident Evil 5, Bioshock 2, Warhammer Space Marine, Vanquish, Quantum Conundrum, Motorstorm Apocalypse, Catherine, Okami, Xcom Enemy Unknown, Streets of Rage, Double Dragon Neon,Unit 13, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, Mutant Blobs Attack, Puddle, Virtues Last Reward, Sine Mora , Limbo

NOW SHUT UP ABOUT RENTING, Once im done with a game im done!! and you think i'll ever cancel this subscription??? GTFO

[Ozmoses]

You can't compare them... PS+ is 100% better than what Live offers

[Juvam]

I always pay for my games. starting from my old days in SNES to xbox360 , ps3 and PC, if you are looking for free games go for ipad.

[theFLeXy]

"PlayStation Plus offers games for free as long as you download them when they’re being offered and you then maintain a membership. Stop paying and you lose access to the games, but you can always starting paying again later to get your games back. With Games with Gold, as long as you have a Gold account when the game is available and you download it in that timeframe, you keep the game forever, whether your account lapses or not"

"That’s a distinct difference in approach, as Sony is offering more of a subscription service while Microsoft is just giving subscribers free games they get to keep forever."

lol person that wrote this article is a complete idiot. is an xbox live gold membership not a SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE!???? was absolutely dumbfounded by the writers stupidity when i read this.

[Harmonizer]

If you buy the games on the PS store while you are a PS Plus member the service is identical to steam, except for the fact you gotta pay for it. There's not a deadline to return games or expiration date. You can download them forever as long as you "bought" it on the store while it was available there. Basicly all you gotta do is check the PS store once a month for 3-6 new games and extra...free!

[SynestheticRoar]

Yes LIVE gives you free old games. The real sucky stuff. People always forget to mention. I get free avatars add ons, free DLC, dynamic themes that I keep forever even if my membership runs out. Also cheap DLC and game prices. LIVE in comparison can not compete. I know the difference because I own all three consoles, and a killer PC. Run that fan boy stuff somewhere else. Good day to all.

[Stevino123]

Really? So do we! And Free Mini Games, and AAA titles along with Free Avatars and Now we will be getting Exclusive Content from Ubisoft and Bungie. Did I mention we get Dynamic Themes? Almost an Unlimited Amount. Who cares about DLC? I can wait a month, can you? If it matters so much, We will get DLC from Watch Dogs, Destiny, The Division, AC IV, Elder Scrolls Online, etc. not everything is about COD and BF4.

[Stevino123]

@UnholyOne or they can join your party. What's the difference between cross-game (party chat) and game, heck, I don't wanna talk with someone I'm not playing a game with, If I play battlefield, I'll invite them to my squad, If I want to play with someone on Call of Duty, I'll invite them to my party, I don't care if someone hears me raging if I'm one off of a Nuclear, that is why a mute button is added to games. PS Plus is way better, Free Games, auto updates, Online Storage in the cloud. Xbox Live is for playing online games. Yeah, Playstation Plus is going to be needed for Online Play but the extra stuff and IGC will make it the better service unless Microsoft tries to copy it and the community beats them up with their new feature, which is hilarious.

[kingPoS]

If you have a PS3, Vita, PS4 and PS plus you get to enjoy what you pay for.

It's as simple as.

[BiteTh3bulleT]

Console wars..... dumb

[Flames76]

PS plus is nothing more than a rental service.Xbox live once you download the game its yours to keep.So yea thanks but no thanks sony

[_FantasmA_]

I'll take year long rentals over 6 year old discount bin games that every guy has hit.

[JohnCartenper]

I paid 12£ for my yearly PSN+ subscription.
Discounted redeemable codes.

Otherwise not worth it.

[TuCk3rO]

Sony gives me new games I've never played, play em get the trophies, delete them unless i really like it. Move on to next free game, get discounts on majority of other store items. Very happy with PS Plus+

[R17]

PS Plus does offer a great service in terms of rewards, and Sony has definitely come leaps and bounds from the early years with the PSN trust me! I was there since launch day, and those were some mean years. That aside unfortunately whether you're a fanboy or not on either side, the fact remains that Sony is giving you a "pay to rent" model and labeling it as "FREE". I'm sorry but the definition of FREE means absolutely free, not paying each month to keep it "unlocked".