Why Xbox Live Dominates Console Multiplayer Now And Possibly Next Gen

For all the negatives that have been thrown around about Microsoft lately, one huge aspect of console gaming – and really, gaming in general – that the silicon giant has kept a vice-like grip around is the online multiplayer experience.

[Thepharaoh]

Xbox live may be a little bit of a cheat at some times,It has however at times been more stable and reliable than psn multilayer.the ads however are incredibly annoying.There should be a silver plan next gen where if you have silver yo get to game online yet you'll get ads then if you have gold you don't that way you can still game for free and Microsoft makes money so its a reasonable trade. there should also be some sort of monthly free QUALITY game not strategy crap games

[Cam977]

It's a ripoff. PS+ is so much better as we get cloud saves, auto downloads, exclusive bonuses and of course, the dozens of games.

MS integrate ads into their tech, that's ridiculous.

[Thepharaoh]

Didn't say anything about overall service just referring to those times when uncharted 3 crashed on me and i had t o restart the ps3. may have simply been wireless or something of that nature yet i have never had more game crashes than the ones on psn.
Yes the ads are ridiculous however that sort of silver membership would allow people t o game online for free and considering Microsoft i doubt they'll do anything better

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

You're paying to rent games. No matter what you say... you are paying to rent games.

[DragonKnight]

@miDnIghtEr20C_SfF: And you're paying for ads and Facebook. PS+ is like Costco, Xbox Live is... well Xbox Live.

[Rusty515]

@miDnIghtEr: Well yeah. You have to pay to rent games in real life too bro... And $60 for PS Plus is great deal. You get free games every week. It starts to pay for itself in less than a month, for example, it has saints row 3, uncharted 3, and battlefield 3 for free at the moment. That's already $60 or more bucks right there. And that's only for this month. And by the time a year comes and your subscription is over, you'll be done with the game. It's an amazing deal. Do the math.

[nukeitall]

This is an article talking about multiplayer, and there is no contest MS has the most built out features and network.

Now with cloud, smart matchmaking and social features, I would be extremely surprised if Sony matched it let alone surpass it.

Sony's strength is hardware as evident by PS4 small and efficient design with no powerbrick.

However, MS strength is software and online infrastructure as evident by all the features and revamps of Xbox 360 dashboard to Azure cloud hosting.

Did you know for instance that to patch games on Xbox 360, you don't even need to restart the game. The console just downloads the game, signs you in and out, then your playing.

Most of the time the download is so fast that the game is patched by the time I get to the start screen i.e. the update didn't take any time than normally starting a game!

[jimbobwahey]

I find it funny that the article says Xbox Live dominates console multiplayer, yet PS3 has way more people playing games online.

Kinda hard to dominate when your userbase is smaller than the competition :D

[guitarded77]

I see this article has succeeded in fanning the flames of the never ending "mine is bigger then yours" fire. I've had both services crap out on me from time to time. The argument that Live is better for MP is BS at this point. In the early days of the PS3 you could make that argument, but now they both provide a mostly reliable service.

[Gasian]

Totally off topic who thinks time Warner cable is shit?

[JokesOnYou]

"In the time since its launch, the Xbox 360 has set the internet ablaze with some really great genre-defining multiplayer experiences, sending every single one of Microsoft’s competitors scrambling to find parity in any way possible."

-Yeah, gaming like all things today is an ever growing social experience that now goes beyond the walls of your home. I've said many times before that I literally believe that the strength of 360's online service is what literally sold the xbox 360 over the last few years, its rock solid, its easy to use, the updates to the dashboard and it has a robust community that's always gaming. Sony's caught up somewhat but Live is still easily the best, for every step sony takes(cross game chat) micro seems even more driven to continue outclass their competition (Azure 300K network is a beast 2nd to only Amazon) using their strength with Windows software/networking by adding the potential for dedicated servers and headlining cloud computation for gaming.

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

@dragonknight... i'm not paying for ads or facebook. I'm paying to play MP games on Xbox Live. Always have, always will.

Every single thing that has been added on to Xbox Live Gold pay wall is extra cherries on top. I'm not paying for Netflix. I'm paying for MP online gaming. Remember when Sony fanboys all screamed and yelled how Xbots are paying to play online. Well they're right. We do pay to play online. Just like Sony boys will be paying to play online for the PS4.

But everything else that came to Live Gold is extra goodness added on. I pay for MP online games. All the rest is extras that I get for "free".

[nick309]

You can use cloud saves on 360 too. Ps plus point is its free games.

[4me2]

@JokesOnYou

"...(Azure 300K network is a beast 2nd to only Amazon)..."

Are you implying (based also on yours previous posts) that Azure was created by MS especially for XBOX?

[badboy776]

there are only 25million Xbox Live Gold members. PSn has over a 100million. And games like Blackops and Battlefield3 sell the same on each console.

[DragonKnight]

@miDnIghtEr20C_SfF: If you pay for Live, and you have ads, then you're paying for ads. If you pay for Live, and you can't use Netflix without paying for Live, then you're paying twice for Netflix. You can sit there and split hairs by saying "I don't use ____" but that doesn't mean you're not paying for those "features" that everyone else gets for free. In the end "renting" nearly unlimited games (which is a laughable "problem" to have with PS+) for $50 a year > paying $60 a year for ads.

Sony even does charging for online play better than Microsoft. Asynchronous online play, multiplayer features in single player games, and free to play multiplayer games will not be locked behind the PS+ pay wall. Guess what you can't say about Live?

[omi25p]

Xbox live has cloud saves, Auto downloads and Exclusives bonuses and dozens of games as well.. Whats you're point?

Xbox Live also is more reliable, has a better interface and a 8 player cross game party chat.

Im in the UK and the ONLY "ADs" i have ever seen are for things like Netflix, Love film and ZUNE. All applications i actually use and AD's that i also get on the PS3.

Xbox Live is better than PSN. I honestly cannot understand why this is even up for discussion.

[4me2]

Getting disagrees for asking a question on previous post!

[SirKilla]

regardless... this dude can write and articulate very well.
good article.

I dont see why gamers get so upset over friendly competition. We need more consoles and more competition to keep the playing field level... and the prices down.

[justastranger10]

Xbox live is just so blazingly fast its unbelievable. PSN is so slow.

[MikeMyers]

It's interesting seeing those who have never said anything good about the Xbox in general and have no intentions of getting an Xbox One but rather a PS4 instead talk more about the Xbox than the Playstation. Anyone care to explain why that is?

The fact of the matter is Xbox Live is far more stable. From how much quicker updates and things are to download, to downtime compared to how often the Playstation Network is down for so called maintenance. Even the store is super slow in comparison. The argument was always that it was free, therefore in many minds better. Not anymore for the PS4. Where Sony does do better is being more lenient with keyboard and mouse support, dedicated servers and being more flexible with some mod support. However Microsoft has invested billions of dollars into their cloud service and games will now have dedicated servers. The matchmaking was always better on Xbox Live as well and that will be even better moving forward. Having so many servers around the world means less latency, quicker matchmaking and being able to handle millions of people. We've all witnessed launch games on the PS3 often times struggle. That is because those servers were handled by 3rd party publishers and when a game like Call of Duty was more popular than expected it came to a halt until they provided more servers. This is where Xbox Live shines, Microsoft handles everything on their end.

We will also see huge improvements with handling those pesky people online who blare their music, use racial slurs, and just not allowing others to enjoy themselves since they don't know how to duct their behavior online. The cloud technology will also provide benefits such as better A.I. opponents by learning your own behaviors in games like Forza 5.

[Nes_Daze]

Live isn't that great imo, I've been kicked out of party chats way too often, and frequent disconnects, same happens to my friends...funny how supposedly though Live is more reliable lol.

[DA_SHREDDER]

There's nothing wrong with Sony's servers. The best online matches I've ever been on were Sony's. Warhawk, Killzone, and many other games have like zero lag. I bet you would know that if you actually played ps exclusives. Even TDM in MAG had virtually zero lag.

Oh and whoever spits out the rumour, "uh, ya, ps3 download times are horrible". I live out in the middle of nowhere and I can download at least one MBps, not mega bits, mega bytes. Sometimes the darn speedometer shows my ps3's can download faster than I can count. And thats with like 8 things hooked up wirelessly. BTW, I don't even have the fastest internet. I actually pay for the lowest cost cause I can't even tell the difference with 28 megabits to 6mbps.

Anyone want me to prove it? hit me up and i can prove it.

[Gaming_Guru]

That's true on PSN developers hold their own servers, so if a game has lag it's generally has to do with the developer's implementation or network.

It's similar to how computer games are developed if you think about it, but you never hear anyone say PC has poor networks because it's well known developers create the online portions not Microsoft besides their own developers.

[UnHoly_One]

Have you ever downloaded anything from Xbox LIVE?

If you think PSN is fast, then you obviously haven't.

My downloads complete on XBL in about 1/4 or 1/5 the time it takes to download the same amount of data from PSN.

So you can "prove" to me how fast your PSN downloads are, and when you are done, hook up a 360 and prepare to be embarrassed. lol

[Nathaniel_Drake]

Don't forget resistance 2 and 61 team player match ran flawlessly

[mwjw696]

What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

PS: You would not know what fast internet is if it hit you in the face. 50mbps on xbox live would blow your little mind.

[DA_SHREDDER]

"Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it."

said the genius in the room, Now dumber for listening to me in a comment section? lmao!

BTW, I have owned a 360, like 5 of them, both downloaded games at the same speed, except the ps3 has to install. You know what I do when that happens? I go make a sandwich. I don't lose any sleep over my ps3 downloads, and since the ps3 is beating the 360 in sales worldwide, the majority probably feels the same way :)

[P_Bomb]

@Unholy One
My 360 downloads a GB the same speed as PSN. No faster. Blame your ISP.

@Mystogan
Yet the 256 player shooters like MAG, 8 player co-ops like R2, and MMOAGs like DCUO, Dust514 and soon Planetside2 remain PSN feats. What good are 300,000 servers if there's nothing new to play on them and no UGC scene to speak of? Horsepower doesn't help a car on bricks.

[theEx1Le]

You have 1 MB/S download speed, damn thats slow. To be honest, i haven't tested it enough to know for sure but PSN has always used most of my bandwidth were as Xbox live usually caps at about 60mbps. Well for me anyway.

[Gaming_Guru]

The main reason why i don't praise XBOX Live as much because they block you from content from the main disk if you don't buy DLC. This happens a lot with the XBOX 369 exclusives, yet it's suppose to be a robust system handling dynamic profiles. The PSN before PS4 does not do this, so i hope the PS4 follows.

[Mystogan]

"The main reason why i don't praise XBOX Live as much because they block you from content from the main disk if you don't buy DLC."

No they don't.

And Xbox Live will always dominate PSN.

300.000 servers, nuff said.

[Gaming_Guru]

Pop in any halo, gears of war, or fable game on the XBOX 360 and it will say DLC **** is needed to play this mode. You most likely don't notice because you buy the DLC so it never blocks you from using contain on the main disk.

[omi25p]

This does happen, But it also happens on PSN, Uncharted 2 for example did it if you didnt have maps.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

MS new feature Smartmatch in X1 is simply genius. You don't have to wait in lobbies anymore. You can be watching a Movie, stream Netflix, Hulu, Music, TV, playing a different game anything while the system finds and sets up a game for you.

No more lobbies with annoying screaming kids or anything the system sets up matchmaking games for you and I'm sure its with your party of friends as well. I thought that was an interesting feature

PSN on PS4 is just made with a gamer in mind they have cross game chat, beacon like statuses, Facebook and twitter integration and that Share Button. Its updated, looks much quicker Sony put things fans have been wanting in the system.

Its simple, updated and rivals current 360's Live service.

Back to this. Current Live is great always has beem. MS wasn't the first to do console online MP, but they were the first to make it super popular and elevate it to mainstream status to where it is today.

Next gen Live: Smartmatch, Skype integration/ cross game chat, cloud powered, DVR gaming. http://www.gamespot.com/new...

[Gaming_Guru]

At: Omi25p

There is no playstation game that removes features due to DLC.

[nosferatuzodd]

damage control in full swing a lot of Xbox fanboys cant believe that Microsoft can do no wrong so now there in full defensive mode try to sway ppl to Xbox if ppl want to buy ps4 stop crying about how good Xbox live is
you don't of to ask that this guy never even bin on psn all hes going on is hear say and rumors

[GodGinrai]

I dont care for the adds. Not like they get in the way of anything I do on live. They dont even make a sound unless you click on them and they are just a few little boxes here and there that are barely even notice them.

I will say as somebody that has experience with both, that live FUNCTIONS better. Its more stable , more robust. And I only expect MS to improve on that with everything they are doing with X1. There are things that PSN cannot do ( cross game chat springs to mind) that I take for granted on live.

I pay for PSN because it offers free games and better choices in terms of what games they put in sales. MS tend to give you a lot of stuff you dont really want or already have, which really pisses me off.

[P_Bomb]

PSN CAN do cross game chat, the Vita already does it and its confirmed for PS4 as well. The PS3 is old hardware. That's the issue. Just like the 360's DVD9 is dated and requires disc swapping compared to Bluray.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

Stop with the Ad excuse! When you log on live, the ad is in the lower right corner. Also, Companies do sponsor like Chase bank this week with the XBL Specials. You even get free stuff like clothes and props for your avatar. You rarely notice them now. You only see them when you roll to select them. SMDH....

[assdan]

It's a meg ripoff. We get no ads for free this gen. And text gen we will just get way better value. Have fun with your personalized kinnect ads.

[pixelsword]

",It has however at times been more stable and reliable than psn multilayer"

At times?

For something you paid for?

That's rich.

[wordthrower]

Xbox One is oriented around advertising from the ground up, expect to see adds become more prevalent, not less. End the commercial early by saying "McDonalds!"

http://sticktwiddlers.com/2...

[MYSTERIO360]

I guess ill have to wait and see things can change.

[Cmk0121]

Sony offers free games because the quality of the online service in terms of PLAYING GAMES is way inferior than on Xbox live. downloads take 10 times as long on PSN, free games are tied to having playstation plus. BUt its about playing games and having infrastructure set up for that, MS has that hands down better, its why sony throws in the perks of free games, the service for gaming just isnt up to snub in comparison. many people are forgetting this simple fact moving forward, JUST NOW get cross game chat on ps4???

[DragonKnight]

Oh yes, because Live's P2P servers are perfect and superior. /s

[UnHoly_One]

Of course not, but their matchmaking is WAY better, so in a roundabout way your sarcastic comment is actually correct.

We get better connections because the service is better. Period.

I've owned both consoles since launch, I've play a lot on both, and Xbox LIVE is a superior service. There is a reason why millions of people have been willing to pay for it for 10 years. Because it's amazing.

[DragonKnight]

"There is a reason why millions of people have been willing to pay for it for 10 years. Because it's amazing."

Or because for the last 10 years, if you wanted to play multiplayer games on Live, you had no choice but to pay for Live. I know, hard to believe, but think about it.

[nukeitall]

@DragonKnight:

Yet there was this option called PSN which was free and people still didn't switch.

When you can't even get a simple feature like cross game chat or party chat after the competitor showed it years ahead.

I think those two things speak volume about the state of PSN.

[P_Bomb]

@nukeitall
Says who? My XBL Gold expires first week of August. If you wanna pay for my renewal go ahead, because I won't be.

[DragonKnight]

@nukeitall: Given that PSN has twice as many ACTIVE members as Live, I'd say it's very possible they did switch.

And given that cross game/party chat isn't a network feature but a hardware feature, the only thing stopping PS3 from having it isn't an inferior network service but not enough RAM. Try again.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

@ DragonKnight

You can make as many "active" accounts on PSN as you like. I currently have 3. Also, Sony combines online accounts from their mobile accounts and console accounts.

Your argument is shallow and lacks any kind of background understanding and knowledge.

[MikeMyers]

@DragonKnight,
"Given that PSN has twice as many ACTIVE members as Live, I'd say it's very possible they did switch."

Please provide REAL stats. Not Sony amalgamating PSN accounts that cover PS3 and Vita all while people are able to create multiple accounts on the same system. You have no idea how many people are active because neither company proves raw data to analyze.

[DragonKnight]

@Lvl_Up_Gamer: Oh yes, I'm sure Microsoft don't combine their free Live accounts at all. Seriously, you Xbox fanboys are something else.

[Welcome2Die]

LOL there is literally like 8 accounts on my friends Xbox and only one has XBL Gold. What you really think M$ doesnt bunch them all up together?

PSN>XBL

[xHeavYx]

You keep telling yourself that, one day you may end up believing it. People make such a big deal of cross game chat, not sure what's so enjoyable of listening to 12 year old COD players talk about your mother. You also get a ton of ads on LIVE.
I don't know where you came up with the "downloads take 10 times as long on PSN", I never had a problem with the download speeds

[Cmk0121]

i like to be honest with myself ill keep that up. Its classic sony fan syndrome, any pro another console offers isn't a pro its a con. no real sense of debating opinions.

[vinniects]

what does cross game chat have to do with annoying kids on call of duty. If anything cross game chat helps solve that problem. I have a ps3 and a 360 and the 360 does update and download a lot faster. You may not have a problem with download speeds because you are only use to playing on ps3.

[UnHoly_One]

And you wouldn't have a problem with the download speeds because you have nothing to compare them to.

Take it from the people that actually use both consoles. If you download the same thing from both services using the same internet connection, you'll be lucky to be at 25% on your PSN download when your XBL download finishes.

I'm not exaggerating, it's the truth. Search the net a little bit, you'll read it everywhere.

[LoveOfTheGame]

You do realize that cross game chat is what lets you not hear those 12 yr old COD players? Which, is why cross game chat is so good, thanks for pointing that out.

Oh, and the reason you never had a problem with the download speeds is because you only got one console, so you never noticed.

[dethpuck]

Party chat is why you don't hear them

[PSN_ZeroOnyx]

By your own logic xbox live must be pretty crappy considering M$ is giving away 2 free games a month on X1, actually it's probably BC of the inferior hardware. And PS3 download times are not as horrible as xbox bro's keep screaming they are, in fact only xbox bro's make these claims BC they can't find real arguments to dog the PS3. They just cry BC they don't have the last of us. And go ahead and call TLoU crap BC that's what it's cried by jealous bro's.

[GoodnessGreatness]

"There is a reason why millions of people have been willing to pay for it for 10 years. Because it's amazing." Oh gosh that's hilarious. Thank goodness I'm not one of those people who wasted their money with ads and lackluster games.

[from the beach]

Mostly because of the cloud, it seems likely Live will be best for online gaming next gen.

[xHeavYx]

Get your head out of the clouds, back down on the ground (GNR) there are a million articles that explain how the cloud is nothing revolutionary, just another excuse for MS' inferior console

[from the beach]

It's pretty obvious that having 300,000 servers will improve online play.. are these articles also explaining that water isn't wet?

You might want to get your head under an umbrella!

[Cmk0121]

Yet sony offers cloud services, all smoke and mirrors right?

[Animal Mutha 76]

For the 77 odd pence (about a dollar??) it costs me a week I think its a great service with quick updates, servers and downloads. The cross game chat and network features have always been solid and you get substantial dashboard and feature updates every year.

The odd advert tile doesn't bother me as I never select them.

I probably spend more on toilet roll each week than XBL.

Now if It had dedicated servers as standard for all major releases, cheaper than retail digital dls and better offers for gold members then it would probably be just about perfect (next gen???).

I'm not sure it will dominate the next gen as the competition will equal most of its feature set but MS will still have the superior server resources via Azure. PSN has come a long long way in part due to the strength of XBL.

Edit: Disagrees... ok then. Tell me which part you didn't agree with. 40+ million people think its good enough to pay for.

Perspective - 77p a week!!!

[Hicken]

1: You don't pay for it by the week.

2: 40+ million includes Silver, which is free.

3: The ads shouldn't be there if you're paying. Period.

4: Azure isn't something specifically for XBL.

[No_Limit]

300,000 servers, 700 million was just also spent on a new server location in Iowa, all games will be on dedicated server, that in itself makes Live the best and will continue to lead the way into the future. It is just a multiplayer heaven and with such prominant games like Battlefield 4, Titanfall, Destiny, and Halo 5 all set to be on Live dedicated server, man, I can't wait!!! I can care less about paying for a weaker and less secure online service and getting rental games that the PSN offer.

[JackOfAllBlades]

All of these Microsoft fanboys are soo bad. "da power of da cloud!! " lol

[Stryfeno2]

Patience...Patience.

[HacSawJimThugin]

@No_Limit Well said sir, the truth hurts and it shows. Sony has nowhere near the technical prowess to pull off what MS has already accomplished. MS is willing to take risk and those risk are well appreciated...PSN is so inferior when compared to Live its almost laughable.

When was the last time Sony pushed the envelope in terms of innovation within the game industry. They copied the achievement system from MS, the Move from Nintendo, etc. MS tried to innovate the industry futher but haters stop that for the time being (I see you Family Sharing). Sony choose to wait and see like they always do and play it safe...I mean outside of the games what makes the PS4 next gen? Essentially is just a PS3 will an updated chipset. The X1 is truly a next gen machine. It features are represent next gen gaming.

Ok naysayers show me dem disagrees...lol dat perspective.

[Killzoner99]

Uhhhh, is this article for real? Sorry but I trust Sony a lot more when it comes to personal information and online gaming . Microsoft are the ones spying on you with Kinect. How is that superior?

[Animal Mutha 76]

Source/evidence for that accusation?

Oh and who had their network hacked resulting in customer details being stolen and over a month of downtime? You talk about trust - yours might be misplaced.

[WeAreLegion]

Customer details were stolen?

Source/evidence for that accusation? I want ACTUAL evidence. Nobody's information was stolen.

[deepio]

Please just stop with this Kinect is going to spy on everyone BS. I can't believe people ACTUALLY believe that. Jeeezzuss!!

As for "I trust ony a lot more when it comes to personal information", that is strange considering who got their network hacked.

[No_Limit]

"Sorry but I trust Sony a lot more when it comes to personal information and online gaming"

Are you serious? it took 24 days for Sony to get the PSN up and running after the hacking incident in 2011, and millions of credit cards were stolen. And don't get me started with the rootkit incident for their music CDs.

[WeAreLegion]

Credit cards were not stolen. None of them. That info was not leaked. Why does everyone think that?

[n4rc]

Are you for real?

Last time I checked.. Microsoft hasn't lost millions of its clients cc numbers and personal info.

You spew paranoid assumptions about ms while blindly ignoring the lawsuit Sony already lost for losing personal data.

[oscarcat59]

Think twice did not sony have their customers accounts broken into not long ago? The gave two free games that I for one did not even play? Blind faith is silly on both consoles.

[Maddens Raiders]

XBOXLIVE has never dominated my console multiplayer experience, nor will it going forward. I simply cannot rationalise paying a sub to play mp online nor to use my Netfilix, for which I already pay a sub.

[UnHoly_One]

And yet you will probably pay to play online when you get your PS4, won't you?

[The_Troll_Whisperer]

The free to play games that are on PSN for the PS4 will NOT require a subscription to play the online multiplayer fraction. Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc. is also NOT behind the paywall. So, if you play PS2 or Warframe, you don't need PS+. Just sayin'.

I have spoken

[vinniects]

then don't buy a ps4 you have to pay play online on the ps4.

[Belking]

Yea, last gen people couldn't rationalise paying to play for multi-player but now it's ok because you can still do netflix without paying....lol My have the tables turned. It shows how gamers can be totally hypocrites. Sony knows they made a mistake by allowing it for free and they saw how much money ms was making and they wanted a piece of it. Plan and simple. As far as xbox live dominating the online area, yes that will continue. No doubt about that and sony knows it.

[GodGinrai]

SO I guess you wont be playing online on ANY console then,maddens raiders.

[Maddens Raiders]

What are some of you all talking about? I can fire up my PS3 right now and play GT5, KZ's, or WarHawk until my eyes bleed. I can surf the net and jump on my N'flix (already paying for) for free.

PSN on PS3 will remain free, so I'm not sure where you are going with this. You even get automatic updates for free on PS3. The PS3 is quite possibly the most perfect console ever built next to the mighty PS2. This is my opinion.

As far as the PS4 goes, at least Plus provides an EQUAL value for the money & it's a *fair deal. Considering all of the free games and discounts on offer, you'll end up making your money back and many of the games are stellar.

Live is really only a pay wall, even to services you already paid for like netflix or free stuff like you tube or IE, as I alluded to before. Live makes you feel like you're being ripped off.

I know some of you will disagree because of your allegiance to MS, but just think about what I'm saying. MS is really not being *fair to you at all.

[Animal Mutha 76]

I thought the replies were quite clear.

The suggestion was that based on your strong moral stance on not paying to play mp that you would not therefore be investing in any of the next gen consoles because to do so and play online would require you to be a hypocrite.

So are you going to buy a next gen console and play online or remain a PS3/PC player?

[Maddens Raiders]

mutha76 - please read my original response again.

It has nothing to do with morals but with what's fair. My opinion is that XBOXLIVE is not fair. My original response begins with the letters, "XBOXLIVE" which is the main object of my response.

I am not paying for something which requires payment for me to use mundane things such as internet browsing, etc.. nor pre-paid subs for a service like N'Flix. I thought that was quite clear in my second response.

This is my take, but I know you will (have already) disagree and that's fine. I simply will not give in to it, and still believe it's wholly unfair and unbalanced in the give/take dept.

[gamer2013]

PSN for the PS3 will not be free once the PS4 is released. But, if you have a link to prove otherwise go ahead!

The PS3 is a failure compared to the PS2. It has far less install base and far less exclusives. It's a joke to even compare the two in such a way.

[ND3G]

I think a lot of 360 owners currently planning on making the switch to the PS4 are in for a bit of a rude awakening. MS’s decision to offer inexpensive dedicated servers to Xbox One developers are going to turn the current gap in service quality into a Grand Canyon size divide.

[WeAreLegion]

So far, I haven't heard of one PS4 game running on anything but dedicated servers. Just letting you know.

[kewlkat007]

No other console matches XBL pound for pound..

The features, servers, the architecture is just much more fluid and works well together, from chatting to matching..etc. It's only going to get better next-gen. Sony has made strides and Nintendo, well is Nintendo.

Microsoft's strength has been XBL and I doubt they will let others catch up by being stagnant in that area. Sony's strengths has been the hardware and it shows, although less aggressive with the PS4's architecture when it comes to radical differences.

I remember some stating out of "PRINCIPLE" they would never pay for online multiplayer because they are already paying for Internet. Now they throw all principles out the window and try to justify Sony's policy for pay to play.

"I get free games"...riiiiight

[Animal Mutha 76]

Agree. MS do console software very well as demonstrated by the quality of the xbox OS.

The whole system just worked well from the off whilst I feel that Sony have improved massively but through small additions over time, their OS and infrastructure system was never as well designed and implemented at launch. PS4 will no doubt be a massive improvement and it will be interesting to see how they look to beat XBL.

As for the free games offered by PS+ I think a better trade description would be:

'Subscription dependent free access to selected titles'

[PurplePeople007]

No thanks, 360 GTA IV multiplayer has a lot MORE game modders than PS3 GTA IV multiplayer, plus it makes no sense to pay for xbox live and play with MORE game modders.

it will most likely be the same with 360 GTA V multiplayer.

[Animal Mutha 76]

A heck of an assumption.

By modders do you mean those with hacked xbox 360's using an altered save game??

I've never seen this tbh so not sure - do tell.

[ZBlacktt]

Sony exclusive, anything from MS?

http://farm5.staticflickr.c...

It's obvious what the MS camp is trying to do now that things are so bad for the console. Grasping at anything they can and it simply does not work.

A hour of exclusive game play from Watch_Dogs

Exclusive content from Destiny

[Kayant]

Next-gen for multi player I agree due to dedicated servers which is going to be huge for multiplayer :) but current-gen in terms of multi player matches hmmm I don't know since both use P2P for most games then again I haven't used PSN yet. Both services have had then problems in the past more so for PSN.

On record if I remember the reason cross game chat wasn't added on PS3 was because of the ram limitation which is believable as both the PS Vita and Xbox 360 have 512Mb of ram and have cross game chat.

I look forward to getting a PS4 in future and maybe a PS3 I have missed so many games :( and testing it out now that am out of my shooter-centric mode and Microsoft has decided to continue their B.S on xbox one with live and let's not forgot the B.S they tried to pull.

[_FantasmA_]

Xbots think Sony is holding back cross game chat. LOL if it was possible Sony would have done this years ago. And then these xbots try to justify the live fee with cross chat? LOL.

[badboy776]

I disagree

[zeksta]

I honestly felt the necessity to log back into my old account and post a reply to this after reading so many blindsided delusional fanboy responses, honestly how can you people that fork out a constantly yearly fee even try to justify your purchase, you must be completely blind to even consider XBL Gold a service that actually deserves your well earnt money, I mean consider what your paying for in sheer terms of savings and quality, with playstation plus you get to enjoy free games constantly with a $50 yearly fee, now I hear a whole lot of you people saying "Oh but you're renting those games yearly" well have you ever stopped to consider you're doing the exact same damn thing for XBL Gold? You're "renting" cross game chat" you're "renting" online multiplayer, hell you're "renting" just the use of your damn xbox 360 for online use when you can purchase yourself a PS3 and never have to worry about an online fee if you want to or continue using XBL Gold and trying to justify it for its apparent "quality" which personally I see is no more then just an excuse for everyone here to keep on paying. In the end it's your money, not mine I'm throwing away.

[gamer2013]

Excuse me, if XBL was such a rip off then why do millions continue to pay for it? Why don't they all just stop paying and use PSN for all of their multi-player needs? I know why, but there's no point breaking it down for a fanboy who has a head full of rocks such as yourself, because you just hate the Xbox brand - period! There is no reasoning with someone like you.

The fact that you haven't posted here in a while but suddenly felt the need to, just because there are people that prefer a different service then you, says a lot.

Bitching about the cost of XBL when Sony just announced that they will be charging for PSN with the release of the PS4 is just stupid.

Get out and get some fresh air!

[_FantasmA_]

"Why do millions continue to pay for it?"

Because they have to. Its like saying look at water and food, they are selling more and more every year! Well of course they sell, without them we die. You wont die with XBL, but you can't really play games without it so you need it. If it was optional, only the hardcore xbots who love M$ taking their money would buy it.

[razor76]

Your name say's it all LMFAO!!!! "DROPS THE KEYBOARD AND WALKS AWAY" That was to easy 8:)

[xXtremeHDGamerXx]

I see Xbox live as two things a pay to play your own game and a $60.00 a year phone bill.

[_FantasmA_]

Awesome avatar!

[WeAreLegion]

No, it doesn't. No, it won't.

It's on par with PSN. In fact, the Vita has every feature XBL has...and that's just a portable. AND it can take screenshots in-game.

[DialgaMarine]

Not sure what you mean by "dominates", as it's been confirmed for years now that PSN has a much larger online player base than XBL. XBL might be slightly more profitable because it's BS fee, but PSN is widely more popular in the gaming world. Plus, seeing as Vita can do everything that XBL can and then some, all while still remaining free, quality is out of the question here too.

[mwjw696]

If you mean it counts every single account, remake account, your wifes account, your sons account, your brothers account, your sisters account, your friends account, and that random troll account you made. Then yea PS has A LOT of "player base".

I don't think your looking at facts here, only what you want to see.

[DialgaMarine]

Actually no. In terms of account numbers, PSN has had more since pretty much 2008. I'm talking the number of unique systems that have registered with PSN, a figure that is very easy to track through system IDs. Sony has pretty much proven this as a fact for years now. But I guess when Sony releases a figure, it's a lie, but when M$ does it's automatically truth. I mean, M$ DIDN'T say that 360 was the best selling console of this generation, just a couple months ago. 3rd place anyone?

[Mikeyy]

Xbox fanboys are sweating with despiration. They are stuck in 2007.

Live gold is down to only 25 million sub's.

PS3s BO2 regularly surpasses lives player count. Fact. And the matchmaking is no different. Stop lying to people

[DialgaMarine]

Ever since 360 fanboys have come to release that there a very few facts they can distort nowadays to make a point, they've fallen into complete insecurity and have resorted to only being able to make up lies. They're no different than the garbage company they support.

[Donnywho]

I made a killing off of the spend 50 get 10 back deal on PSN. I swear to God they sent me a personalized PSN message in broken english telling me how close I came to being the top spender for the duration of the deal. I made a killing I tell you.

[PurpHerbison]

Why do you guys feel so inclined to comment on an article that is just a variation of the same old same old? At what point do you realize how redundant your comments have become?

[LiinoMajire]

XBL did dominate at first- for years, nobody can deny that! You're an idiot if you do but, Next-gen? XBL has no chance to dominate, it does everything wrong in comparison to Sony's new hardware and services. ( Just my opinion, don't freak out )

PS4 is going to be hands-down my lead console but, I am excited to get a XBO only for 2 reasons..

1. Forza ( have always liked this series, can't stand GT series on PS )
2. Titanfall ( Everyone saying this is only timed, I don't know if i can believe that or not, not going to take any chances on waiting, lol)

KI, Project spark and Dead Rising don't interest me. Although, I'm sure they will get plenty of love from the others users that do hold such titles dearly.

[_FantasmA_]

The only thing it dominates is your wallet. All that Trueskill Matchmaking or whatever they call it is BS. I have never noticed evenly matched games. I played Black Ops 1 on both consoles when it came out and I actually did better on PS3 (the DualShock 3 definitely helps out and is much better for shooters than the 360 pad).

The only thing that Live does better that PSN is racist, douchebag Americans who don't even play games, they just play COD and will teabag/rage when they get owned. If you want that, hand over your money now!

[strickers]

These pro Xbox articles are getting a bit desperate . New Gen means all bets are off on next Gen networks. Previous performance is not always an indicator of future . Ask ps3

[Supermax]

I've had my personal information compromised threw psn that's never happened to me on Xbox live.

[slampunk]

Xbox live is a more stable network with better infrastructure backing it....

That said PS+ is great value with games though....

[SuperSteve]

I agree, but I wish the "free games" they give you weren't titles I've already played or owned before...

[flunkers]

I've had a ps3 and a 360 for around 4 years now. To be honest I have never really played an online game on the PS due to the frustration and.clunkiness when compared to live.

The whole interface on the 360 is way ahead even now. Its simple and intuitive where the PS is just full of overlong menus to find what you want. The update on the 360 is press ones button and your done. On the PS you have to jump through hoops to get any update done.

If the 360 had bluray, the PS would have gone long ago......

[airgangstarr]

i never played online until xbox 360 so when i finally bought a ps3 it was a huge shock an to be quite honest it was horendous compared to xbox live .. if sony can make the psn on ps4 comparable to xbox live then they have a chance but if its more of the same old then how can they justify charging you besides free games.. an for people who say why use cross game chat or party chats its part of the experience u get online jump in party an ur friends join an u bs no matter what game ur on its ur friends an teammates that make gaming fun to me playin online alone doesnt compare

[NeoTribe]

Ps4 has cross game chat, so Microsoft wont have any upper hand. Ps plus gets tons of free games and discounts. Theres no comparison. Pl plus gives you more bang for your buck. Microsoft live is just a paywall between you and your online games. Live is also flooded with adds while ps is not. Even ps free has no adds lol.

[Grimhammer00]

Lol xbots
Keep trying...passion for something is better than nothing.

[NeoTribe]

Ps plus is better hands down. You get so many free games to play, you wont have time to get to them all. 50 bucks a year to play close to 2000 dollars worth of games a year. That's not even counting the sick discounts you get on purchasable games and dlc. Theres nothing live has that's better, other than tons of adds everywhere. Microsoft always does adds better than sony ;).

[slampunk]

I agree that PS+ is good value but you're a fool if you think that the PSN network infrastructure / reliability is anywhere near that of Live....

[NeoTribe]

Sorry but i speak from experience with both consoles, and i have no problems playing online games on ps,. Online games run just as good as live does. Theres liderally no noticable difference between online lag or latency so im not sure what else your harping on about. Only thing live has on ps+ is cross game chat, which will not be a problem with the next gen consoles. As it stands right now, plus is a much better bang for your buck. Like i said, plus gives gamers tons of games every month, i honestly dont understand how sony can give so much away and still come out making a profit. Xbox live on the other hand is virtually just a paywall between you and your online experience, and tons of adds. They once and a blue moon give you guys a cheap arcade game and a quarter for your birthday lol. Live has no obvious advantages, but im sure your gonna continue to tell me it runs better even though its bs, atleast to the naked eye.

[HacSawJimThugin]

Has Sony even bothered to change the PS3 interface/dashboard...just asking cause we 360ians get updates on the reg.

[SITH]

The only thing I ever saw that PSN had going for it, was free online gameplay. That ends next gen.

[Jakens]

Glad that Sony is charging for MP. lol.

[Arty84]

Balls in sonys hands they now are gonna get more cash hopefully its all used to actually make psn a completely stable and secured network

[gamer2013]

@ razor76

You have nothing to say so you resort to personal attacks. How mature.