PlayStation Plus Vs Xbox Live – 6 Months Into The New Console Generation.

As most are aware, consoles these days are not just gaming on the platform but gaming online. Today we look at the online services that are offered by Microsoft Xbox Live and Sony with PlayStation plus.

[xHeavYx]

PS+ beats Xbox Live, no question about it

[Insomnia_84]

Common sense.
Logic.
Fact.

[tuglu_pati]

PS+ still a better package than Xbox live, no contest.

[georgeenoob]

Xbox Live by a landslide. PSN is constantly going down for "maintenance", while Xbox Live is NEVER down. Live gets constant improvements and updates while PSN has been the same since launch with the same issues ands dull UI.

The all in one navigation, amazing UI (way better), friends and party chat layout, and voice commands make Xbox Live the overall better package, without question.

Everything PSN does now, from achievements to cross game chat, is because of Xbox Live. MS will as always evolve Xbox Live with more updates and improvements while Sony's waiting around seeing what to copy from MS.

With Titanfall, Gears, Halo, and Sunset Overdrive, Xbox is the #1 multiplayer console. Unlike PS4 where only games you'll find are single-player like Infamous and The Order where there's no replay value.

[johndoe11211]

It's a no brainer.

[kayoss]

@georgeenoob
Copying? Just like how Sony copy giving out free games? oh wait....

[Prime157]

Oh Georgenoob, I always look forward to your responses.

[Maknsense]

Come on guys, this is a slaughter. I'm still waiting for Xbone 1st Gold game. If I'm not wrong, then let me know...still waiting..... still waiting....

[Mr_Writer85]

@georgeenoob

Just a few points

- PSN is rarely "down" as you can still play online whilst they are doing maintenance.

- UI is to do with firmware not online service.

- Voice chat, is also on PS4

- Voice commands are again nothing to do with the Live service.

- Again achievements, are nothing to do with Live.

- Warframe, Blacklight, DC Universe online and Final Fantasy 14 are all online only FYI

And if it was the number one service why is PS4 selling more? And I'm pretty sure online gaming is pretty big on PC.

Also you missed the point it's Playstation PLUS vs Live.

- Playstation Plus let's you play 75 games a year over 3 platforms.

- Live gives you 2 games a month on one console.

Only a moron would argue Live is better. Then again when in an argument about services you use arguments like, UI and voice commands it doesn't make you come across as someone who is intelligent.

[Phoenix76]

I'm more amazed that nobody has removed georgeenoob's last bubble yet than I am over this dumb article. PS+ hands down on this topic BTW.

[samchez77]

LMAO @ georgenoob

Just LOL. Last gen maybe. Not now.

[alexkoepp]

Xbox live is still years ahead of PSN. I suppose PSN gives away more games for free, so if you are broke it does have an advantage. But for those of us who make a decent living the advantages of Xbox live are quite apparent. Its funny, on PSN the voice quality isn't even as good as the 360, it sounds like people are talking under water. The X1 sounds almost like you are sitting right next to the person, crystal clear.

[kayoss]

@alexKoep
"The X1 sounds almost like you are sitting right next to the person, crystal clear."

See this makes me question if you even own or used anything Playstation. If you did, you would know this is not true. However, We dont need "quality voice" that sound like the person is next to us because all of us have real friends that actually sits next to us. Its also funny that you compared PSN to xbox 360. PSN is a service and Xbox 360 is a console.

"I suppose PSN gives away more games for free, so if you are broke it does have an advantage. But for those of us who make a decent living the advantages of Xbox live are quite apparent"

Wow... I didnt know signing up for a membership to a video game service determine your wealth status in the real world. I guess those adolescent kids who all own Xbox 360 and Xbox one are super rich kids with six figure salaries that lives at home with their parents is a choice right? If you did make a decent living you probably could afford a better headphones that make it seems like the person is actually sitting next to you (if you were that desperate to pretend that you have friends).
Comments like this is when I know you are just talking out of your arse.

[Boody-Bandit]

Wow the silly arguments or lack there that some are making to make it sound like XBL is better.
Value wise it's not even debatable.

@George
Man am I bottom dwelling or what? Normally I read what you write and just laugh at the level of sheer drivel and move on to the next response or article. People like you act as if MS invented what they implemented in XBL over the years. They didn't invent any of it.

All of it was already being done in PC gaming (friends list, voice communication, party, being able to communicate with friends playing different games than you, etc).

Reward systems like achievements have been done in several games over the years and well before XBL. MS just made them universal for all games but again that has nothing to do with XBL itself so that in general is why I say silly and drivel (ignorance).

@alex
You say XBL is years ahead of PSN but all you come up with is online voice quality? Personally I never have a problem hearing people online while playing on my PS4. In Killzone:SF I was partied up with 5 other friends and it was crystal clear.

The most important aspect of online services is latency and voice communication. I have played both BF4 and COD:GHOST on both consoles online and as far as online performance goes you can't tell them apart.

So after that what matters most? Value.
And that is when this debate becomes, again, silly. MS need to step up their game significantly with what they offer their consumer for purchasing XBL because right now PS+ is killing it.

Also let us not forget that the only reason you need PS+ is to game online. All of the PS4 applications work without being a PS+ member. With MS hardware all you can do is play single player games. None of their apps or services work without XBL.

These articles are as pointless as which console is more powerful. Sony is simply killing it across the board with power, price, PS+, Vita integration and soon Morpheus.

MS needs to have the best E3 they ever had just to compete and I'm being honest, non bias and impartial. I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm a gamer and not a fanboy or troll. I just call it like I see it, brutally honest.

[slivery]

@georgeenoob

"Xbox Live is NEVER down."

What a total crock of shit that is. Do you even actually have Xbox Live? Or you are just one of those extremely stupid people who talk products up without ever having used them?

You aren't even a real Xbox fan if you have never experienced an outage on Live, for christ sakes I have and I am not fan of Microsoft but I was on the 360 heavily back in the day.

Live has been down plenty of times and once it was even down for 2 weeks, where were you then huh? You obviously weren't using Live then, so can it, will ya?

It has had trouble recently for god sakes and many a time before that.. It isn't some god like perfect service you idiotic Xbox fans try to make it seem like.

Anyone can use google and see this for themselves also but I actually used live until 2012, so I would actually know personally and am not some biased twat who has to lie to himself everyday just to justify that my console is better.. Every online service has problems every now and then, server infrastructures are not at that level yet to where they are completely fail safe.

Not even with all the servers Microsoft has now, will make them impervious to server issues.

You can even look at past forum posts in Xbox's own official forum and it will tell you that... You also fail to realize when services go down people usually write articles about it.

http://forums.xbox.com/xbox...

http://www.engadget.com/200...

http://www.engadget.com/201...

http://venturebeat.com/2013...

Yea, never been down my ass.

[DarthZoolu]

The author made it seem like he was talking about on the new systems. PS4 doesn't have a lot of free games.

[Phoenix76]

I beg to differ there mate. I have Mercenary Kings, Zen Pinball, Warframe, Dead Nation, Blacklight, DC Universe, Contrast, Don't Starve, Outlast, War Thunder and Resogun already installed on my system. That's 12 free games so far and counting. To say that the PS4 doesn't have a lot of free games is just wrong.

[zerog]

Compared to the x1 its got a ton, I've downloaded 5 and theres still more with more coming.

[Why o why]

To be fair I think he means in comparison to the ps3 and thats true. There isnt enough out yet on the ps4 to get the same level of games for free yet. They will come though, I know that.

[Tetsujin]

I may get dinged for this; I don't play enough online to care which is better as far as multiplayer goes (I still play single player or local co-op 90% of the time).

As far as other things (deals, community, etc) I still vote PSN.

[Lawboy2]

I have both...and im getting rid of ps+...if you only have a ps4 or you only have a xbox one....I can understand why you would try to value one over the other...but for me theres no question about which I would rather PAY TO PLAY ONLINE for...

[Bennibop]

The services are identical online! Admittedly Live was better all through PS3 & 360 gen but that is no longer the case.

[Lawboy2]

All u have to do is compare what u are playing online to see what has a better value...and as of right now I'm just not playing enough games online on my ps4...why pay for a service I'm not using

[Joey_Leone]

Xbox Live was better back in the launch days of the 360, but it's trash now compared to PS+. Now that i think about it, Xbox live is a scamming service. No offense, xbox gamers are always censoring my comments for some odd reason.

[samchez77]

I agree Bennihop. Live on 360 was much better. But that's what you paid for. PSN was free remember.

No the tables have defo turned. adbox One

[Omar91]

fair enough to each their own

[gigoran]

It's so funny you say that because the PS4 is the only console (between xbone and ps4) that actually has a selection of online games that DON'T require a purchase of online membership to play online. What else... oh yeah, the also have apps and streaming material that you again... don't need an online account for! And the xbone? Oh, you do need to purchase LIVE to use those features? Well hey if you like being bent over a barrel by all means go for it. I'll enjoy ps+ and all of it's more superior features.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

I like how u fail to mention that those "free to play" games are old ports of PC games that don't require xbl to play

[SniperControl]

@blx

Amazing how you forgot to mention that not everybody has a PC for gaming.

[Lawboy2]

U clearly just proved my point....I had a ps3 xbox 360 last gen...I did the same thing...for multiplats online id play on my ps3 watch Netflix or other streaming services on my ps3 and play games like gears or halo on my xbox 360...I would only pay for xbox live during the times I was playing those games....this gen I have a ps4 and xbox one....I will only pay for one online service for multiplats and online exclusives...I still can get rid of xbox live when I'm not playing online games and be able to watch netflix and play f2p games and buy all my single player games on my ps4...it's win win...if there were more online games for ps4 I would keep the service but sadly as of right now there are not...if a multiplayer exclusive ps4 title comes out I will repurchase but until then...I'll save that money for another game

@ bitbydeath

U must haven't seen my comment history...I have ps4 and a vita and an xbox one...had a ps3 last gen and a xbox 360...I have no reason to lie

Psn Da_L4w-B0y_Q_2

It's sad u have to prove things to ppl

[LogicStomper]

@Gigoran

"s so funny you say that because the PS4 is the only console (between xbone and ps4) that actually has a selection of online games that DON'T require a purchase of online membership to play online."

Okay, that's true.

" oh yeah, the also have apps and streaming material that you again... don't need an online account for!"

Okay, so that's also true. But hey, look at what the title is again...

"PlayStation Plus Vs Xbox Live"

In case you just missed it:

"PlayStation Plus Vs Xbox Live"
"PlayStation Plus Vs Xbox Live"

So sure, some things don't require Playstation Plus to use, but how does this support the argument that Playstation Plus is better? It doesn't. Clear-cut example of a red-herring fallacy. Sure you can try twist the argument into something else, but it doesn't fool me.

Example of how your argument is a failure:

For argument's sake, let's assume I have neither XBLG or PS+ and I'm thinking of getting one of them. You're attempting to say that PS+ is better because it has features that doesn't require PS+? Well why the heck would that matter to me if I get PS+? If I get the subscription, I'll have it anyway so how does it make PS+ better than XBLG?

Just to drive the point in, you argument in standard form:

P1: PS4 has games that can be played online without PS+

P2: XB1 does not have games that can be played for free online"

P3: PS4 has apps and streaming services that does not require PS+ to use.

P4: [XB1 does not have apps and streaming services that does not require XBLG to use.

Therefore,

Conclusion: PS+ is better than XBLG.

See the clear failure there? None of your premises even suggested PS+ is better than XBLG. A red-herring fallacy is a red-herring fallacy.

Logic sometimes...

[Mr_Writer85]

@Logicstomper

Yet you also forget that Plus isn't JUST about online play.

It has and will be for a long time been a game subscription service.

PS4 owners get 1 game a month

X1 owners get none.

That's just counting one part of the service, you add the PS3 and Vita selection vs the X1 and 360 selection and it's so much in Pluses favour it's not even funny.

And last time I checked having more games to play was a good thing.

Maybe you should stop and look at your own logic befoe questioning others.

[BitbyDeath]

Given your comment history I find it hard to believe you actually own anything Playstation related. What is your Playstation tag?

[AceBlazer13]

I sorta understand what your saying but at the same time it doesn't really make sense. I say that because the 2 systems share the same multiplats for mp most of the time so it just comes down to the exclusives really.

PS4 exclusives requiring plus are Killzone that's about it.

Xbox exclusives requiring gold are Forza, K.I,Titanfall,PvZ and Ryse.

I understand exactly what you mean but i don't agree with you. Unless you bought your PS4 strictly to play exclusives online and nothing else i don't see how it's inferior to xblg especially with free games.

[BitbyDeath]

Well it makes sense for you to get rid of it, your account shows you have barely even played a game on your PS4. Only two trophies on inFamous means you must have barely played 10 mins of it. And your other games have even less trophies. (Aside from Vita)

No PS3 games on the list either.

[Kayant]

Well written article with balanced facts.

[Neonridr]

Hard to compare PS+ for PS4 vs Xbox Live for Xbox One when Xbox One isn't included in the whole "Games with Gold" Program yet. Once it does, then we can see how they compare to each other.

PS+ has been great for my PS4, but it will be much better once we are getting AAA main release titles and not just indies. It wouldn't be so bad if the indies were all new, but a lot of the titles are just ports of titles that released either on PC or in the case of Dead Nation, the PS4.

[Bennibop]

agreed but they are not going to give us AAA well they are still selling at retail. I am betting Knack or Killzone will be the first and will be announced at E3.

[SniperControl]

Driveclub?

[Neonridr]

and by PS4 for Dead Nation I meant PS3, lol.

[LightDiego]

Xbox Live is better, the community is wonderful.

[mickaelmc]

Comparing the maturity level of players on both systems, I usually always had to mute everyone when playing an Xbox game online. They're either annoying kids or obnoxious adults.
The online community for both the PS3 and PS4 seem more intellectual and friendly. At least that's been my experience 90% of the time.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

Just lol at that. My son and I only game on PS3 for now and we get called names all the time by this so called "intellectual and friendly" community on PSN and mostly by adults. We have received numerous private messages filled with insults following matches on BF and CoD. Now I can't say it was this way 90% of the time because I honestly stopped counting but it was not a huge difference between that and our experience on Xbox Live prior to us leaving that service. So based on my experience I find it completely laughable when people try to praise the PSN community over the Xbox Live community. Not to say you are praising one over the other really as you are simply conveying your experiences on each as am I. Neither are perfect. I'll be sticking with PSN because of its value to me.

[memots]

Sarcasm is a great skill. U are very good at it

[Bennibop]

Not by the examples of it you see on N4G!

I am X1 user and I personally believe the community is crap - just a load of screaming American kids.

[Destiny1080]

x1 is lacking right know but is getting better each and every day

[_FantasmA_]

LOL this isn't a competition. Sony devours its opponent each and every month. M$ shouldnt even try to compete in this.

[MelvinTheGreat]

Lol, you sony fanboys are delusional. I'll take better servers, better security, and better reliability vs free games. You're right it isnt a competition. But 90% of people on here think that everything sony does is gods gift to humanity.

[Gamer666]

lol. What a dumb comparison...

Purely from a financial point of view...

Nothing to do with all the features of the two networks...

Nothing to do with the reliability / uptime of the two networks...

Nothing to do with comparing firmware updates related to the networks...

Nothing to do with comparing the reward systems of the two networks...

These comparisons are like loaded guns. Not at all objective.

[Hicken]

By all means, pick up where the author left off. Expand upon the points you think should have been compared, and let's see how things turn out.

Oh, and none of that using hyperbole and fanboy fueled "evidence" from last gen. Keep it related to right now, and all related features currently available.

[Kingoftherodeo]

as far as ps+ applies to ps4 and xbox live to xboxone. ps+ wins only for free games. thats it you could make the paywall argument but that argument is now invalid that you have to pay to play online. xboxlive does go down but its rare and its back up in less thant a few hours. while psn goes more often then live it doesn't affect all costumers but the ones that do cant really get on for that day. I've seen xbox trow a movie, few anime episodes. and game of thrones of season 4 premiere for free on the dash. we don't know how phil is gonna take this game with gold program all we know is that is coming. so the win goes to psn for now

[oakshin]

u can play online when psn gos "down" just cant log onto the store so psn doesnt go "down" really but umm...i think the reputation system IF DONE CORRECTLY is a good idea

[quenomamen]

XBOX LIVE, THE CHOICE OF ALL PRE PUBESCENT, SHIT TALKING, RACIAL SLUR USING, ENERGY DRINK CHUGGING KIDS THE WORLD OVER !

[matt139]

Nope, those kids have now moved on to ps4 so have fun ha!

[samchez77]

wow. After logging in to comment for first time in like, years, it is apparent the community has spoken.

Xbox is dead.

Long live the King.

[MelvinTheGreat]

I didnt know n4g was the entire gaming community....

[TheRealHeisenberg]

It isn't.

[Hicken]

I didn't know he said the entire gaming community.

Man, some people will twist anything, and in the must stupid ways.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Well i play online or use online services on PSN just about every night for the last five years and only had 3 occasions where i could not go on PSN ! So i guess what i am trying to say is that PSN has been very very good to me ! And i am pretty sure XBOX gamers are happy with XBOX LIVE so i do not see why gamers should be upset! As far as this article goes i have yet to get a PS PLUS account because most of games i want to play on Instant game collection i have already played. SONY gives me free access to online services on my PSthree so why pay? I am going to use that 60 dollars i saved towards my purchase for the PS4 at the end summer!

[WitWolfy]

My 110+ FREE games across 3 different platforms since I joined PS+ says hi!

[DefenderOfDoom2]

sorry people of N4G, about my first bubble, because this article is about 8th gen consoles . Which i do not own 1 yet. MY BAD!@ but i am looking forward to RESOGUN!

[matt139]

The people saying that psn is better have obviously never used xbl. THe only thing better abut it is the free games on psn +.

Xbl hands down dominates over every other area. It is cheaper to buy, the ui is 100 times more clean, much better connection, the service is a lot better etc.

[Bennibop]

Or you haven't used PSN in a while! I own both and X1 (not 360) live service is clunky and missing features.

[MelvinTheGreat]

They will pick anything sony even if they are clearly wrong.

[TitanUp]

we all have our opinions on what we like more, what type of services we would rather see saying that i have a different opinion.

ps4 psn ui is clean, smooth and just all around fun to use.

off topic
i know one of the largest selling features of xbl was cross voice chat now that i have experienced it i dont understand why. i was playing killzone sf another friend was playing knack, it just didnt feel right talking to a friend instead of team mates.

now if both of us were playing single player games that would probably work out better but i dont chat while playing single player games. i want to hear the game the voice overs and explosions.

[FreakyFox]

PS+ vs Live .......

Anyone who has both can clearly see that PS+ destroys live value for money.

And these people saying you get FREE games on PS+, how can they be free if thats what you are paying for in the first place? LOL

But im glad that MS are bad at it, because it shows how good things can be on other platforms.

But make no mistake a great game on Xbox/Xbone is a great game, i aint going blame a game dev for the crap that MS does.

Paying to use a web browser this day and age... REALLY!!! LOL, MS knew fans wanted a browser so what did they do , stick it behind the gold pay wall, i could go on all day about whats behind the PAYWALL!!!

If peoeple keep buying into this business model N4G will be behind that paywall next gen. :D

[PaperMan]

Gaming Content = PN+
Online Gaming and Features = XBL

Neither services are perfect but they're both great. Funny how the article only looks at a few things that are part of the service.

[SoulSercher620]

PS Plus is obviously better. There are NO advantages of Xbox Live whatsoever. And the "stability" argument is one of the dumbest excuses I've ever heard of.

[LoveOfTheGame]

No, arguing about FREE games when you are paying for them. That is the dumbest excuse I have ever heard.

Simple:
PS+ better value
XBL better infrastructure

That's how its always been, and Sony is already taking great strides to catch MS in on that front. We can only hope MS does the same to catch Sony on the games offering.

[Blistrydeath]

Ps+ may have some nice features, but the whole experience feels dated and awkward to me. I prefer Xbox Live.

[SixtyNine]

The author is smart not to write an article about, PSN versus Xbox live, since that wouldn't favor PSN.

However, PS PLUS is arguably the better service than Games with Gold. So long as you maintain your subscription, you'll continue to get your "free" games.

[LoveOfTheGame]

I agree that XBL is a better online service than PSN, but lets be real; PS+ is not arguably better, it is better than GWG.

[Notramagama]

Honestly free stripped down Killer Instinct almost > ps+ ps4 offerings... If drive club was there too, I'd give it to ps+ hands down. Old f2ps and average indies don't excite me personally. Ps+ wins ultimately because 1 game isn't enough for XBL, but I still think I enjoy it more than everything ps+ has offered ps4

[kingPoS]

If all you have are the XBO & PS4, then yes, PS+ is the better value.

If all you have are the 360 & PS3 and you're on a budget, then yes, PS+ is the better value.

If all you have are the Vita & ... eh... if you just have a Vita, then yes PS+ is the better value.

If all have are the PS3 Vita & PS4 then yes, PS+ is the best value.

If all you have are the 360 & XBO, then yes, Xbox Gold Live may the only option worth value.

Gateway MT6706 2008

[slivery]

Lol absolutely amazing people still pick Live over PS+, some people are literally just dumb. If you have an Xbox 360 or Xbox One you have no choice but to seriously still say live is still better is ludicrous.

It isn't even an opinionated matter which is better. One is clearly better than the other and that is a fact, not an opinion.

I guess if you like getting ripped off, Live is perfect for you. It is more expensive than PS+, offers way less than PS+, has free services put behind it unlike PS+, games with gold is only on 360 right now and the free games they give their loyal fans are a slap in the face showing you how cheap and greedy Microsoft really is..

So what advantages are there to having Xbox Live other than saying I have Xbox Live? I can't think of one good reason. If you are going to say because it "never goes down" don't make go there again..

I have used Live for a long time and had since launch until two years ago and you are so full of shit if you say it has never gone down before or has never experienced any problems.

[bornsinner]

dedicated servers & decent quality is enough for it to always be better than psn, i'm not fond of terrible indie games & $1 2006 games for free. and underscores in psn-id is annoying, and the fact that you still can't change your name, i do like ps4's facebook integration but it's not displayed publicly unless you request to.

but yeah dedicated servers & decent chat quality is what psn is missing... and it needs to stop going off for maintenance. can't remember a day when i couldn't play on xbl.

[XSpike]

Stupid guy writing the article, every November PS+ gets either a 25% discount or an extra 3 months free on a years sub. Its the best time to resub