PS3 gets cross game chat - Xbox still lacking 'text chat'

GB:

"Recently Sony released the latest firmware in a long series of iterative updates. The firmware added one feature that is really worth talking about - cross game text chat. This feature is so revolutionary gamers across the globe have jumped for glee as the PSN is now more robust than Xbox Live.

Ironically, the one feature Xbox Live does not have PSN gets - cross game 'text' chat rooms (not to be confused with messaging). I've been playing around with the new chat room feature and to be honest it really is neat. Gamers can now keep up to three chat rooms active while playing any game. These chat rooms will continue to run in the background until you decide to shut them down. Each chat room can hold up to 15 friends as well."

[Stryfeno2]

Oh the irony...LMAO.

[PopEmUp]

I LMAO when I read the Title :P

[likedamaster]

...but still no voicechat(let alone party chat) for PS3? Oh yeah, XMB wins over Xbox live, for sure. ROFL

[lloyd_wonder]

The text chat is really a great addition. I've been using it quite frequently when I play my single player games and it is pretty fun to use with a group of friends.

I don't think it's a feature the Live community will appreciate at this point, but it is always nice to have the option to use.

And, yes. Voice chat is coming as it is there for use in-game but grayed out.

[MazzingerZ]

Yeah, the article is a little too much (if it's not being ironic)...it's a nice feature that will be even more appreciated when we finally get in-game private voice chat, this text chat feature is the foundation for that...

it will be nice to have both choices, sometimes you need to keep things simple and fast other time you would need in-game private chat, but for now we only have on of those...people should care less about comparing PSN vs XBL...it's not like this can't be done on XBL

one focused on HW development while the other in SW development, both launched an incomplete product...well SW can be patched unlike HW, though

[cRaZyLeGs 93]

If u want text chat, use windows messenger on 360.

[creatchee]

I hope that this article is trying to be ironic. Saying that text chat > voice chat is a solid fail.

But it's better than nothing, if not a little weird to use a first. I don't mind it - it's just not as good as voice chat.

[Viper7]

well text chat <> voice chat is pretty interesting thing to argument. The voice quality of current day voice chat and the way some ppl cant really speak english clearly enough pretty much makes ppl who dont speak english as their mother tongue to speak only in games where there are others who can speak his language.

Text chat is great as its easier to understand. If you have learned a language such as french or spanish in school try to have a conversation trough voice chat and youll notice it can be pretty hard, expecialy if the one who your talking with mumbles or talks very fast or uses some sort of dialect.
It is a lot easier to understand mothertongue than any learned language.

However it would be neat to have voice chat as the Playstation3's new text chat is almost unusable because of the horible censorship that filters out like 30% of the words?

[GrieverSoul]

A really good comment. Bubbles.

U nailed the best feature in text chat. WORDS! Sometimes people cant speak english with proper accent and it annoying when someone starts saying: ´´Úhm.... what U said?`` and the other way around too ´´O niid ta chot im´´. U dont understand the other person talking. Text allows to mispell but still be 90% understood.

Many people fail to see this as a good feature simply because they are English/American and fail to see its usefullness.

[thats_just_prime]

what an idiotic uneducated fanboy this is. XBL has built in msn messenger and for all of those other uneducated fanboys yes this is a text based chat program. Not only does this work cross game but its cross platfrom you can text from you pc , cell phone, 360 or any thing else. psn still has a loooooooooooong ways to go to be on par with xbl

Viper does bring up a good point however I'd think (I could be wrong) that someone that cant speak english very well would not be to likely to be able to read or write it any better.

[gaffyh]

Text chat is prety cool actually. The character limit for each message means you can continue getting the full message in the pop-up in the top-right corner whilst you're playing a game.

[Jinxstar]

I think his whole point in writing this was to write the opposite of what has been going around. "PSN fans outraged at only getting chat function" and blah blah blah. This guy looks to have written something so contrasting and opposite that it's just showing how dumb blogs can go both ways.

My only question is does the built in MSN chat allow you talk talk to 15 friends at once in the same chat room? I really don't know. I never used it when i had it. I just want to know if it is the same feature exactly or not. Can you stay in a chat room in game as well?

[LoVeRSaMa]

I am really enjoying the Text chat.
I use it like an IRC chat room, which is what its like, I have my clan members idle in there while we play games, and insted of typing a new email everytime i want to tell someone something, I just put it in the chat, saves me a bunch of time!

-Future features for the text chat could include:

*Moderation (the ability to remove people)
*Increased People (15 is great, but 100 is what I need =])
*Increased word limit (need I say anymore?)
*Less sensative word filter (or the ability to turn it off)
*Recent Chat (see people you talked with recently)
*Block (Blocking them disables there chats to you)
*Private messaging (opens another chat to a user)

I am looking for this chat program to work alot more like IRC is what I am trying to say, it has the fondations, Sony imo have alredy done a great job and I cannot wait to see what they bring to the table in the future!

peace.

[Immortal Kaim]

WOW. What an interesting, well written article...

Oh, Gamer.Blorg, makes sense now...

Lame

[Raz]

but it could be better. First thing that has to go is the character limit - I can barely get a complete sentence out before I hit it!

[ultimolu]

I really like it too.

[thats_just_prime]

Jinxstar to answer your question yes msn allow you to have a chat with more then one person(I dont know the number limit). However I not sure if this feature will work with the 360 I've never tried it with voice chat I've never needed it. I normally only texted people that are on the pc or their cell phones.

[Jinxstar]

Thats just prime.

Thanks for the info bud. have a bub on me.

[Ateanboy]

What I would REALLY like to see implemented after this is an option to have a DEFAULT chatroom and a little window on the bottom left corner like in HOME and MMORPGs that show the chatroom progress while your ingame and actually playing the game you can just look down and read what people in that chatroom are writing. Even if you cant respond to it because the control will be reserved for the game... :(

[Montrealien]

Is this serious? I mean, I love my PS3 and this chat room thing is ok and another piece of the complete PSN puzzle, but lets be real here, The party system (with voice chat)is pretty good. And imho pretty damn hard to beat.

The experience you get with friends in a party on live is top quality stuff and way ahead of what PSN is offering us atm in terms of communication functions, anyone that does not see that is blinded by (enthusiasts) eyes.

I remember spending hours in the Amplitude and Frequency chat rooms, it was fun as hell, and that was 7 years ago! For gaming on a console with a few friends, the party system on live with voice chat is better imho. Hopefully sony will get it going but it is a free service and they are doing the best they can to catch up and in the end i am sure it will be a very good complete online package. However atm, in terms of communication, it still not as complete as Live.

[Shepherd 214]

only took them two and half years to put in.

now maybe PS3 people will get to experience something that has been available to 360 since day one, three years ago.

[somethingSQUISHY]

I don't know who gave you a disagree, buddy, but you've stated the truth. Everyone here who is gushing over cross game text chat rooms has probably not used the party voice chat on the 360. I think the only possible inferiority of XBL's party chat to PSN's text chat is if you don't want someone talking over all the important dialogue in your game or something.

[Jinxstar]

@ Something Squishy

I disagree'd but I didn't take any bubs because I said it yesterday. I never used it when I had 360. I never use it while gaming on PC and will never use it on PSN. I think it's the only feature that people use as an excuse to say that XBL is still better then PSN despite innovations like Home and otherwise. I think it's a pretty useless feature. If I am ingame I want to talk to those people not others... Thats my opinion and I think it's not that "ZOMG CROSS GAME PARTY CHAT FTW" at all... I don't think THAT many people really care for it or will ever use it. All I see it as is the only reason people still have to say XBL Beats the p!ss out of PSN and really it's a minor minor thing and not worth 5 $ a month. IMO. He is entitled to his opinion. I disagree. Thats all.

Edit: I dont feel "Blinded" because I am a "Fanboy" I don't think it is the "God send that makes the world go round" as many 360 "enthusiasts" Seem to think. but he is entitled to his opinion and he didn't rant about how "PSN IS TEH SUCKZORZ" or anything. He made a decent argument that I disagree with and thats all.

If I want to talk to my friends or i.e. My brother I'll get on video chat with him and 4 others and talk it up. I don't need that when I am concentrating on Modren Warefare 2. I would rather hear what "Mephisto" has to tell me about an enemies location then my brother arguing/complaining about his wife. In any SP game I would be playing I feel it would be a distraction from the story and gameplay. So I personally could care less if it's ever implemented and i feel 95% of PSN users would feel the same.

Also I have a cell phone... unlimited everything. So once again to me (I also feel most people are in this boat as well) There isn't much reason for it. is it nice to have free features? yes but do I really care? No.

[Cenobia]

That's because they did it for free. We don't pay for PSN like you do for XBL. Sony makes no money adding these features, they just make their consumers happy.

They can take as long as they want a far as I'm concerned. PSN is 100% functional, these are just added bonuses.

Some people just don't like free, I guess.

[Montrealien]

The point that I am trying to make is that Xbox live has better communication features at the moment then PSN. I understand that if you have a cell, a home phone or two cans on a string, you can talk with friends and family. But the features Live offers while gaming on a console online with one headset and a controller is better then what PSN is offering atm and much easier. If you can't admit that, you are blinded by your (enthusiast) eyes.

Now that's not to say PSN won' t get better, I am 110% confident that in time it will, but this minute, PSN is still lacking in the communication department when compared to what you can do with Live, is it because its free? maybe, however it does not matter, it will get better and if it stays free while it slowly get better I am all for it, it's one less thing to pay for.

An article explaining why this new Text chat is better then a well done voice chat is as bad as if some one was trying to explain why standard def is still better then High Def, or why taking a boat to cross that Atlantic is better then taking a plane, or why black and white TV is better then color or a Rolodex is easier then your Iphone. We all know you could argue about it and bring up good points, but at the end of the day one is just more practical.

[Jinxstar]

"The point that I am trying to make is that Xbox live has better communication features at the moment then PSN. I understand that if you have a cell, a home phone or two cans on a string, you can talk with friends and family. But the features Live offers while gaming on a console online with one headset and a controller is better then what PSN is offering atm and much easier. If you can't admit that, you are blinded by your (enthusiast) eyes."

I admit it but like I said above I dont think the one thing (Cross game voice) that it's missing is a big deal in ANY way This is my opinion. It's not worth 5 dollars a month especially when a free service offers MANY features XBL doesn't. I also think it's something that VERY few people will use on ANY kind of regular basis. This is all MY opinion.

"Now that's not to say PSN won' t get better, I am 110% confident that in time it will, but this minute, PSN is still lacking in the communication department when compared to what you can do with Live, is it because its free? maybe, however it does not matter, it will get better and if it stays free while it slowly get better I am all for it, it's one less thing to pay for."

We can agree on this. But saying because you pay it does not matter.... It does matter. if you want to pay for it then great. i don't so it does matter. You pay a premium for something I would never use and don't need. I would get nothing for paying 5 doallrs a month so to me thats one whole game down the drain every year for something i would never use. Saying 1 whole game a year does not matter is wrong.

"An article explaining why this new Text chat is better then a well done voice chat is as bad as if some one was trying to explain why standard def is still better then High Def, or why taking a boat to cross that Atlantic is better then taking a plane, or why black and white TV is better then color or a Rolodex is easier then your Iphone. We all know you could argue about it and bring up good points, but at the end of the day one is just more practical."

I wasn't so much agreeing with the author at all. but it's all apples and oranges. Many people would prefer a free/ cheap rolodex vs a 300$ Iphone with a monthly contract.... Some people may only watch Nick at Night and a classic old school TV may suit them just fine... I'm not in the business of arguing Apples and Oranges but to me it's one more thing i would have to pay for and not use. I didn't use it before. I don't use it now and don't plan on using it anytime in the future... "One is more practical" if you use it. I would not use it. It's like giving someone who gets sea sick by looking at water a boat... I never have and don't think I ever will use it so to ME it's not practical to pay for it... Get it.

Like I said I even gave you bubs because it's a good opinion. I just disagree with it. I wont be agreeing with it and thats that. We can't see eye to eye and thats fine. You pay for something i would not use. I wont pay for something I wont use if I can avoid it. Will I take it if it';s free? Sure I may end up using it one day but really I have had the option before and never used it... I see it as pointless.

@ Below.

Thanks man. =D

[Montrealien]

Jinxstar, agree with me dammit! nooow! lol

I respect you opinion man, bubbles ;P

[TheDude2dot0]

Personally, I'd rather have new creative features instead of copied features from Live.

[JasonXE]

i can sense some type of sarcasm in this article or some attempt for attention.

[Why dis]

Not really true.

[Viper7]

"Viper does bring up a good point however I'd think (I could be wrong) that someone that cant speak english very well would not be to likely to be able to read or write it any better."

Can you speak any other language than english? because I doubt you really gave much tough for this. writing and reading english is far easier than talking, theres very easy logic in this.

When you talk you must form the sentence with as less breaks as bossible. When you write you can think and fix your text they way you want to. Not to mention you can read the chat lines of the person your talking with multiple times and maybe even use translator to check some uncommon words.

For example It probably takes me twice the time to write these comments here in n4g than average person from Uk or Us. Not to mention that the education level in Finland is pretty high, unfortunately rest of the world might not be in as lucky position. Japanese can barely talk english because the way they announce "alphabets" differs greatly from english.

I am not saying that text chat is superrior to voice chat, I am just saying it has its own benefits and is more fitted for international chat rooms.
Voice chat would be very nice as it could be used among rl friends and with other ppl of your of nationality or language area.

I can speak english pretty well considering its not my mother tongue, however its not even close to the level I can write or read english.

[aksmashh]

Xbox Live Still Has More Features Then PSN
Cross Game Invites
Cross Game Chat
& All Other Ones Theyve Had For Almost Three Years!!!!!!!!!

At Least They Make Good Games (Most Important Thing I Suppose)

[SaberEdge]

I'm a pretty big Xbox fan but I have to be honest, I hardly ever use cross-game chat. For one thing it is distracting. When I am playing a game I need to pay attention to what I am doing in the game.

The other thing I hate is that the voice/sound quality is so poor that you often can't even hear what the other person is saying. Lots of "what did you say?!" and "hold on, I can't hear you" pepper your conversations.

I tried to talking to my friend who was playing UNO while I was playing Halo 3 and we could barley hear what the other was saying half the time. We eventually just gave up in frustration.

All in all, until they get it working better cross-game chat just isn't that appealing and really isn't what it is cracked up to be.

Small, quick text messages work the best in most circumstances.

[Shepherd 214]

You really think that Sony is a wholesome, home-grown, family oriented community or something dont you? You think that Sony isnt interested in making money the same as Microsoft is???

Lets take exclusive games for example. People on this bias site bash MS for paying for exclusivity for a game. Whats to stop a developer like Guerrilla Games(exclusive to Sony) from going multiplatform? You really think that Guerrilla Games stay PS3 exclusive simply because they like PS3 better? Of course not. GG stays exclusive because Sony makes sure that the people that work for GG will have fatter paychecks to stay exclusive, thats why. Why would a developer that has a family and kids to take care of, not make a game multiplatform and give up making more money? I know if i made games, id want to make as much money as possible, because, well, its what i do for a living, its my job. So when a company like Konami makes an exclusive PS3 game, its not because they want to, its because the company workers are probably getting really nice bonuses to stay exclusive, rather than go through a contract deal like MS does. But its still the same thing.

Even though PSN is free, Sony makes up for it in other ways. XBL is still the superb gaming service. Do you have to pay for it? yes, but would you rather eat dogs**t for free, or pay for a delicious Subway sandwich?

[The Lazy One]

on MSN messenger on ur 360...

[CommonSense]

this is the most worthless feature i've ever seen and i can think of almost no practical application for it. this is a feature that belongs on Dreamcast back when most ppl had dial up and their internet couldn't handle voice.

who's going to, in the middle of a game, stop what they are doing to type out a text msg in a chat room? that makes absolutely no sense.

@shepherd, you had me til the subway sandwich part. but you make a good point. rare on n4g.

it's usually just a buncha fanboys talking about stuff that know nothing about and giving more credit than what is due to crappy games and features like this one.

[hitthegspot]

Voice chat makes more sense. I can't wait till they add that.

[MURKERR]

its a really cool feature

[uxo22]

Isn't text chat a bit of a distraction when you are in the middle of a game. Perhaps not so much in a MMO or role playing game, but something like call of duty or an action game, it would be annoying and difficult to text chat while playing.

I think once the PS3 get voice chat, no one will bother using text chat. I think Sony added text chat kind of as a pacifier to hold people over til voice chat is ready.

[N4PS3G]

This feature is so revolutionary gamers across the globe have jumped for glee as the PSN is now more robust than Xbox Live.- Article

Text Chatting is revolutionary? :O LOL

Voice Messaging and MSN Messenger must be like the second coming of God then haha

[lloyd_wonder]

Let's overlook the inherent caustic nature of the article...

[MazzingerZ]

...yeah, just like Twitter or SMS...no one use that...but I must agree, that "revolutionary" sense in the post article is a little too much!!...unless is ironic...

[7thNightvolley]

the chat feature is neat but.. revolutionary i dont think so xbl has the party voice chat and msn messenger for chat too so what makes xbl any lesser in that case..? really ironic article.

[socomnick]

Xbox live has had chatting for a long time, the msn messenger integration works fine.

[Rob0g0rilla]

You can't create chat rooms with it. Even if you could it's not the same as the PSN text chat. Once you create one while in-game you press the PS button and it resumes your game and you can easily bring it back up by pressing it again.

I still prefer in-game voice chat over text chat but it's better then absolutely nothing. It's true that the 360 doesn't have it but IMO it doesn't need it because it has party chat.

[Halochampian]

yea... seems as if people like chat rooms rather than parties. hmmm... yea... doesnt make much sense.

[KingKionic]

does the windows messenger count as a chat room? ...probaly not i guess.

[KingKionic]

does it pause the game when you press the ps button? if so its same as msn,but not with that many people in the chatroom.psn has alot .

[Rob0g0rilla]

Depends on the game.

MGS4 & GTAIV automatically pauses when you press the PS button but some games don't like COD4.

[peeps]

i guess the problem with msn on live was it seemed laggy as hell. i guess they fixed it but as soon as it was released i turned it off. was ridiculous when you signed in and the 360 froze while it tried to load your friends

[XxCYONIDExX]

Why would I stop to type a message when I could open a party room and continue to play a game while talking to my friends. It's easier and quicker than texting.

[d0nT wOrrY]

FixMe180 lacks everything "Exclusives, AAA Games, reliable, Text chat, etc..."

[TABSF]

lol text chat kind of defeats the object of in game chat because you have to stop playing to send the message, it is still a big improvement better than sending a new message every time somebody replies

Xbox live has 16 person in game, cross game and cross plaform chat with PC but the cross platform is with only some games

[Dawn_Of_Ashes]

sooner or later microsoft will copy this feature like most of the things they already copied

[wicked]

it's already there via MSN and you can chat to your non gaming friends.

[Ausbo]

sony has been copying features since the 360 launched, including trophies. There is nothing wrong with that, but to say that the 360 copies psn is laughable.

[7thNightvolley]

dude seriously u have to be joking achievements trophies what came first since 2005, voice chat was there, then came msn chat was there then party crossgame invite crossgame voice chat.. its a long list my friend and xbl started it all. so i think its rather sony doing the copying.

[Redempteur]

M$ copies sony just like sony copies m$

it's just obvious ..no one is "pure" in this business ..

[Condemnedman]

LOL like trophy's ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh Fool

[predator]

so PSN gets text chat while the 360 has voice party chat, i wonder which one I would use?!?!?! stupid article

[mgsfan55]

Well honestly when I think about it, I do text with my phone a lot more than I use the actual phone, so maybe I would use this. Still probably not since I rarely even use the cross game party chat much if ever. But they are nice to have as options.

[n4gno]

Text or nothing....because voice chat ingame is just a gimmick for non players.

[Hobadoon]

Yeah, instead of being able to communicate instantly by voice, let me pause the game or go hide in a corner to avoid being shot so I can type up a text to send to a friend...?

Are you people kidding me? That makes zero sense. Yeah it's a cool feature to have for free but don't make it out to be more than it is.

[outlawlife]

i dont understand why you would want text chat when 360s are packaged with headsets, voice chat is the primary mode of communication

text chat seems unneeded and annoying

with all of the voice options i can't say i miss text chat at all

even if you do want this functionality it is kind of there in msn messenger which i never use(surprise)

voice party > text any day

[caffman]

I'll keep chatting thanks

[spunkee311]

I find it absurd that so many people praise this text thing. back when that in-game XMB update came out. People were praising that you can check your messages in the game. Thats very 10 years ago. Xbox has had private chat in such from the beginning. And now they have a party system. I really don't see or will ever use this "chat" feature. Just go on AIM on your computer. It'll be faster and more convenient. Better than pausing my game, checking the message, then writing back on the cumbersome text. I own both systems, and I think Sony fans are just looking for something (or anything) to hold over xbox fans and there really isn't any. If you are praising this text thing, then you should go back in the 90's. Hell even PS2 had it. I can't imagine not having 360's private/party chat. And its flawless and works like a charm.

[Arkrite]

Agreed with a little of wot u said but your final words
"flawless and works like a charm"
unless it just me and my friends who suffer from voices cutting out, not being able to join a party of people who the previous day you've been in with, also being thrown out of the party at random intervals.
I've been on 360 from day 1 and this is the 1st time im hesitant at renewing my live account, im getting a better service (less laggy gaming)IMO with virtually all the same options 360 has and the odd 1 360 doesn't (6 person party video chat, 3x15 person txt chat)and its completely free of charge Thank u Sony
You have to buy party video chat off Microsoft via UNO or Texas hold em

[Redempteur]

don't understand this one thing ...

Every ps3 does not come with a head set .. so it's normal that sony improve the text part of his system first .

Second ...every game with online capabailities ( socom , warhawk , mgso and the list goes on ) handle a lot of people flawlessly ...
it's Very easy to join the party of a friend and voice chat with him ..
You don't need cross chat to speak online on the PSN ...

Text chat is just better when people are playing differents games BECAUSE the text is kept !!! you can read it while playing with the pop-ups or read it after during a break ....

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

Do people on xBox LIVE play games??? Or do the Chat all day??? ;-D

It's nice that New chat thing, but i got my 'GAMES' Console to play 'GAMES' which is what i'm doing!!! ;-P
(Chating to someone who is playing the same game as you, is all you need(ingame)???
The other stuff is a waste of time i think.
So i'm playing KZ2 and i'm talking to someone who is playing say FIFA 09???
WHAT IS THE STUPID POINT OF THAT!!!)

So - xBox LIVE = MSN

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Well since we xbots buy more games and you droids buy more movies, we play more games. With your Droid attach rate being so tiny and our being so big we play more than you. So when we "chat all day" we are chatting while playing all those games we xbots buy.

PS3 = smoke signels and moris code

[PopEmUp]

I'm not so sure About the PS3 been the smoking one, btw did you smell something I guess something is burning in your living room, oh my I guess it your belove xbox 360. Well you better be careful not to leave your 360 on alone for more than 5 minutes, who know what could happen

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

Change your name to -

'ChatBox 360'

;-D ;-D ;-D

[Deadman64]

Sir Ken should change his name to....

SirNeverGettingHis_D_Wet

;-D ;-D ;-D;-D ;-D ;-D

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

...xBots go to Sleep with your Headsets on??? ;-D ;-D ;-D

[xbollox]

yeah, xb!tches talk all the time, it's in the xgenes
the 360 is a chatbox that also plays games, when it works

[infekt]

Yes, we make smoke signals (love your spelling, btw) from the smoke coming out of our RROD xb360s. Such a waste of money that burnt piece of plastic is. Doesn't matter how many mediocre games you have, they are worth dung if I can't play them. Have your voice chat. I'm going to play some real quality games.

[KRUSSIDULL]

If its like MSN's chat rooms I hope it gets to Xbox Live so I can use the messenger pad to chat while playing, I mean I have friends that doesent have MSN. Cheers.

[Xbots play games]

Newsflash..
We've been sending and recieving messages to each other while gaming since day one and you can chat with people on their computers through MSN messenger.

We don't need Firmware year 3 update to get cross game voice chatting

We will NEVER 'jump for glee' to add an unnecesary addition to Xbox live like AOl Chatrooms...Because we are ALREADY talking to each other.

We don't need 3 rooms to talk to people..when we already have party chart and can talk to our friends.

Sorry try again...we'll keep Live over PSN anyday (no matter how many Fan-bloggers and hater tell us that it's somehow 'lacking')

[Naar]

Text chat > Voice party any day
i can wright english but i cant talk english ppl semms to ignore this that there is a huge world out side of USA
+ i dont like to hear a 12 years old child it will be better to read than hear

[7thNightvolley]

dude to get into the chat room it has to be with ur friends right.?... ok wouldnt it be better to actually voice chat with them in a sort of part chat system and still be avoiding the annoying kids... so ur argument is abit flawed.

[Jecht]

What if he's, say, a Chinese person just learning to speak English, but knows how to type it pretty well? And also let's say he has friends from all over the world. Now, if he can barely speak English, and he has friends who CAN'T speak Chinese, what would be the best way for them to communicate? Keeping in mind that they can ALL text English well.

[7thNightvolley]

well if he can type in pretty well then he would at least be able to do some pronunciations right? i get ur point very well but in the middle of a game i think its better of with a voice really in a chat even if the guy (chinese dude) can not say something he would be able to say most things anyway which would in turn help him speak more fluently and i am sure the guy wont mind if they are good friends.

[rpgenius420]

The whole community aspect of Live destroys PSN. I laugh at Sony and their inclusion of cross game texting. It's funny my PS3 is barely getting the ability to text while in game and for 3 years my 360 has let me TALK to any of my Live friends and text my PC ones as well. You couldn't even use the XMB in game until a firmware update, get the f*** outta here with your measly upgrades Sony.

~Peace

GT:lakerfan420
PSN ID: xcowboys4lifex

[Snatcher]

Who the f*ck cares?

You can play games online on both.
You can send messages on both.
You can go in to the market and buy stuff on both.

That is the most important aspect in ONLINE, and both haves it, not to mention PSN is free.

[shikwan]

Who the F*ck cares PSN is free??

You can ride a bus to your destination or ride a bike. Those are cheaper ways to get somewhere than owning your own car.

I'd rather have my own car. Thank you. I'm awfully sorry that having to pay $3 per month is just too much for you. Sucks to be you, I guess. Perhaps you should go back to dial-up and save money since dial-up & broadband can both get you to the same place - ->internet.

[SYSTEMS-at-WAR]

Considering PS3 is FREE it murks anything that 360 offers. When you add up all of the ridiculous costs of the 360 the PS3 wins hands down.

[cmrbe]

its not really doing anything for me.

Great for you folks that enjoy these sort of stuff. I think i missed the boat.

[TheMART]

hahaahhaahah

HAHAHAAHAHAHAH

How funny to try to switch a weakness in an advance... Hahahaha damn Sony retards!

How facked up is it as everyone tries to type with their controllers? Even in home most don't have a keyboard. Its freaking slow and not great online gaming.

XBL on the other hand, cross game chat, partysystem with 8 people to take on a travel through many games loosing no one, cross game invites, CO-OP EXPERIENCES ONLINE IN GAMES THAT SUPPOSE TO HAVE THEM (Gears vs Killzone 2)...

Text chat... My God SLOWNY, the PS3 should have had that 2.5 years ago, at launch that is.

[d0nT wOrrY]

"the PS3 should have had that 2.5 years ago, at launch that is"

same thing with RRoD,E74,E71. 3,5 years now and no fix.

pathetic.

[belal]

have text chat does it?

[Shane Kim]

Haha PSN has always been better then that laggy piece of sh!t P2P xbl.

[Tyre]

What an idiotic story is this in XBoxlive you've got MSN Messenger and you can not only do crossgame chat, but also cross platform and with 600 people if you want...comparing the pathetic PSN textchat with MSN messenger chat is ridiculous and saying XBL lacks it...and it has cross gamechat from the start launch 2005(to wait for 4 years before a crossgamechat is implemented is absurd) people who approved this article are retarded.

[PtRoLLFacE]

lame! article so text chat > voice chat lol why the hell would microsoft want text chat if they put a headset on every 360 so people can talk to each other

[Hiruma Youchi]

MSN , WINDOWS MESSENGER!!!!!!!!

Xbox360 always had text chat via MSN and Windows Messenger which can make you chat with people on PC and Cell phone

You really have to be a Fakkot ass Sony Troll To not Acknoledge this.

[infekt]

Ever heard of Gtalk? Get with times, buddy. MSN is so 80s... bloat-ware is so NOT in. I bet you're running Vista or XP still right? LMAO..

[maverick1191]

look at all the xbums whining yea bu but we have msn and it does the same you cant do it on the console lol yes more people would like voice chat instead but this is still a great feature another leap forward to beating xbl hats off to sony

[sak500]

^^ "hats off to sony"

While you're at it take those pants off as well.

[psthreee]

i like text chat

[destrosio]

come on sony guys. this time you all better shut up and hope - as always - for a better future fw update. for now... back to the past!!

[sak500]

ima sorray i kan't tipe whale plying gaame.. bu bbut tanks sony i vill seel ma xbox360 to bay ps33.

[7thNightvolley]

nice one that cracked me up.

[green]

Considering the fact that my mobile phone contract maximizes voice calls and few amount of texting a month (1000mins voice, 100 text), should make you realize how i feel about texting.And on xbox live it is even more ridiculous to use when to voice chat is the push of a button away from your finger tips.

So thanks but no thanks, i will stick to my voice chat and those comparing the two services claiming that chatting is better that talking, then i am sure you would have preferred moss code to the telephone.

[Lumbo]

What a nice sarcastic take on the text chat, i chuckled a bit ...

[GarandShooter]

Someone who got it. *applauds*

I guess the article needed '\sarcasm' at the end, so everyone would understand.

Bubbles, Lumbo!

[Lumbo]

Its so freaking obvious, i wonder how anyone could fail to see it.

[mastiffchild]

God, storm in a teacup much? x game chat has spoiled Live and when it comes to PSN(which, sadly, it will)it'll wreck that too. I really don't understand why people use it OR even like it so much when it ruins most games that need any teamwork if a few of your team ate chatting cross game to their buddies. People even get confused as to who they're talking to at times which really annoys me.

I guess I might be an old killjoy over this but I really don't see x game chat(text or voice) as important OR appealing as it causes more problems in game than it's worth, imo.

I'll ready myself for the deluge of disagrees but I'm only being straight about my experience of it and that's that it can wreck objective, team based games really quickly. People get confused or they lose concentration and I don't see a better way of implementing it so this doesn't happen so much.

[green]

Voice chat is a necessity when playing 3v3 in Halo Wars.Most of the games i loose in halo Wars is when my team mates are not talking and we can't plan a strategy from the beginning.

[Arkrite]

You and your mates wont always be playing the same game but you may still want to talk.

[Redempteur]

that's why voice chat is usefull !! But not while playing games .. text chat is enough ..

cross game voice chat just prevent people from playing in a game correctly because thy are chatting with friends instead of playing with their friends ... this tiny difference is really important

[I Win]

Long way to got as you think it has considering we have a new feature and its pointless to text on MSN considering nobody goes there at all barely and no one would text on the XBox 360 on the cell phone when there's mostly more people texting other people on cellphones so that features is useless just like texting on MSN on XBox live and plus home outdo XBox live anyway.

[shikwan]

XBL has had x-game voice chat since 2005, x-game text chat since 2002. So in 2002 to 2009, Sony just implemented x-game text chat? Naaaw! 7 years is not a long time. Not at all.

Oh & try not to bring up the BS argument that XBL has been out longer. Sony has had an online service within a few months of XBL going public. Or was not the PS2 able to go online?

[Boink]

the closer and more improvements that sony makes to PSN, the more microsoft is going to work to make their gold subscrption service better.

win/win 4 gamers!

[Re-versed]

if u find voice chat ingame so important and better on 360,start to complain about internet browser ect ect that 360 s donkey hardware lacks!!
by the end of this year a free 2,5 years old service will be superior to a 7 years old paid service!

even now psn is a few features behind live! you cant disagree on that!
text chat is very good cause of the way it works! you can use it EVERYWHERE!! u can talk to everyone not only to the people who are on your friend list! Even if u shut down your console it remains untouched! nt everyone speak english that good,or owns a bluethooth headset... i feel it is expected for 360 fanboys to think that voice chat is superior,cause 360 sells good enough in US... but world =/ America ignorant people! ps3 will get voice chat,it is already confirmed that this feature is in development by a home manager... i wait till that day... i want to see what else ull discover to claim as superiority of Live then ...

[n4gno]

you are right re-versed.

(wow, really usefull sickwan, when i play games, i 'm allways dreaming about receiving messages from phones (lol)...do you know you can do the same thing with a dumb pc.. that kind of useless geek stuff it's not game related, nobody cares about that)

[SuperSharpShooter]

To be honest, i was quite upset in not getting voice chat, but i know its on the way, at first i thought text chat was so so, but to be honest..i think its v.good.

was using it alot last night, and it got me thinking...if you can have 15 people chatting in game? sony mite do the same for voice chat, 15 in voice chat, now that would be amazing, you could add just one friend, or four, or more..

Any views guys?...

[Stinkey]

I don't complain about the firmware updates, I just enjoy the fact that I have a completely different PS3 from when I first bought it. I love this feature. My friends and I always chat so we Use it a lot when playing killzone or just talking. It's a lot of fun

[FPShooter]

I don't understand how people can complain about a service that they didn't spend one cent on. what's there to complain about anyway.

is it because its free?
is it the video chat?
is it the 60 player MP lag free?
or is you get HOME thats also a free service?
maybe its because you can back up movies and free space on your HDD.

I could list features all day long but the bottom line is people are still going to complain, even knowing that they go online every day and don't spend a dime.

[JaPo]

I can only hope this is a sarcastic article.

Or the writer is ten years old and never used an Xbox 360.

Only a very small % of gamers will benefit from this feature. I struggle to see how it would make PSN more 'robust'. Live doesn't have it because they've already cottoned on that it isn't useful.

All this bullshit about 'IT RUINS LIVE CUZ PEOPLE CHEAT'. Must people find an excuse for absolutely every absent benefit? Come on now, it's a great feature which most everyone with a headset... and friends... will enjoy.

I was fairly disappointed that voice chat wasn't included this update. Hopefully this will be rectified in the near future. + If you think about it, sending voice messages would use a similar amount of system resources as in-game soundtracks. Perhaps MS have a patent on that, too. Thanks a lot you chuffing jerks.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Hold on I need to text chat a friend over PSN... click (game on pause)... now find friends (game on pause)... looking... looking... there you are (game on pause)... click name (game on pause)... choose text chat (game on pause)... type (5min later game on pause)... click send (game on pause)... back to game... 5min later get message (game on pause)... click (you know it)... read text (yup)... now to send another one (rinse and repeat)

Now I'm going to chat with a friend on Live... click (game on pause)... find name (game on pause) click and click (now chatting) back to game.

[d0nT wOrrY]

Hold on i need to play games... start searching .. looking .. looking ... looking ... looking .. There you are geow 1&2 (rinse and repeat) .. for 2 years now 5v5 laggy as hell.

buahahaha, keep chatting with your "lovely" cross chat with no games.

[Re-versed]

voice chat enabled when you participate in the same game with other gamers/friends thats the point of doing that,am i wrong?! i dont disagree that outside the action has a point too!

BUT why there is such a big need for u to talk to someoe that plays something else? can anyone of u explain that to me?how good and additionally,whats the point of voice chatting in that particular time?

do u want to want to win your schoolyard battle by telling to your mates that stuff? just try and discover how useful text chat is...

i am posting this right now through ps3 browser,in the same time i listen to great music, and participate in a chatroom that has 8 people who talking about interesting music and entertainment business stuff! yeah i know it cant get worse...\ sarcasm

[lowcarb]

This sounds like nothing more than a typical Sony Patch job. The PS3 is just incomplete and will never be on par with 360. 360 gamers are and should be thankful they get what they pay for.

[Isis06]

Releasing incomplete products is the new "pink"...
Xbox Live wasn't completed in 7.days it just beat PS to it,
now Sony is trying to catch up.

I'm not sure I would use the cross game chat feature, but that's just because I hate phone calls and don't get me started on phone calls while game'n... blasphemy : P

Only game I use my Bluetooth headset in is Warhawk, and the
in game chat features are good even though they have not
always been that way.

On other notes;
I just updated my Pentax K10D, wow it's just not the same.
Even though the updates were minor. 16-55mm F/2.8 = Awesome.

[n4gno]

selfsuggestion/ostrich syndrom.

[SYSTEMS-at-WAR]

There is only one feature that the 360 has and the PS3 doesn't... that's in game voice-chat, other than that the PS3 has far more features in terms of multi-media and it's FREE! Stop giving BS on how much better Live is because it's not.

PS. I own a 360 and the cost of Live is not worth it at all. The only thing the 360 is good for is its main stream exclusives.

[Mutley416]

bout time...grats Sony-

[divideby0]

soon PSN will get voice chat than there will be nothing to listen to from the whinners how PSN even being free is not as good as Live..
this will shut them up for good
I am a day one charter gold Live member and I hate paying for the service, but I like the games I play online with live NOT the silly chit chat features

[skbkoy65]

Xbox live already had this feature for a while now you just had to use the msn service that connects to your email to use it but it held up 2 8 ppl

[Knightofelemia]

Voice chat would be great for the Ps3 hold a private chatroom with your friends it would be Sonys answer to Xboes party chat. The only other thing Sony needs to do is more ingame invites i think i have only seen two games with it and i think it was done by developers.

[jack who]

lol its a new low bu bu bu teh xbox doesnt need text chat when it has voice

[cyrus228]

X-box Live "it's good to pay together"

Phsyche lol

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

PS3 the console for the def.

[jack who]

lmao

[infekt]

360, the console for the retarded.

[anubis12]

good job sony way to join the party after 2 years......no one one xbox text chat because we have had voice chat for a long long time.....never needed text chating its useless

[stennexxx]

Xbox360 still has Chat throughout the entire system. PS3 could up that by doing the same thing but also allowing us to chat with at least three persons. What happened to skype for the
PS3. Wouldn't that allow us to chat no matter what we are doing. On my iPhone i can chat and play at the same time. The PS3 uses some parts of Unix coding so does the iPhone and the xbox360.

[n4gno]

""only took them two and half years to put in. now maybe PS3 people will get to experience something that has been available to 360 since day one, three years ago"""

yeah fanbot, sure, and for free !
but chat is just a detail (the last one xbl had for him), what is important for online is dedicated servers, educated players, etc

**bad news, even after 3 years you'll never have bluray, best next gens games, internet, dvd upscale pro, silence, blutooth, etc etc.

[KingKionic]

xbox 30 and ps3 have different experiences. lol why are people mad that ps3 has this feature? isnt this good news ? but i guess everyones a critic.

[jack who]

texting is soooooo 1999 come join us in 2009

[likedamaster]

LOL

[OhMyGandhi]

xbox live really doesn't need "text chat rooms" because the majority of players have mics.
Which is a good thing when things are nice, conversations productive, or interesting,
and not a good thing when the voice on the line is some angst ridden 8 year old screaming his lungs out about some new pokemon movie.

[cyrus228]

people are complainin cuz ps3 just got this feature? how bout all u fanboys of anykind stfu.

i would hope that atleast for a while live wud be at minimum 10% better than a free service u complainin 5 year idiots

while u paid 150$ since the launch of the system (3 years) we paid FREE for 2 years. now is ingame voice chat worth 150$? and soon 200$? NOPE!!!! fools ya cuda saved up and got a wii or paid half of a ps3 with that u fanboys

i own all 3 consolesand i dont complain unless it gets laggy in halo or fanboys pick out every little thing to complain about.

ya'll act like children grow the f UP already

[djtek184]

Poor Bots, having to rely on chats to make up for lack of exclusives.

[Sanbert]

Halo 3 is still kicking KZ2's butt.

[naiku]

Why da fck PS users are complaining about updates?!??! HUH!!>??!!? U get the updates and our service for FREE!!!! and U guys complain!!! I never heard an xbox gamer to complain!!! They should be the ones that complain, because they pay for the service!!! Guys get some respect and leave sony alone, they are all doing this for free!!! U HAVE NO RIGHTS TO COMPLAIN!!!! I am discusted that I am PS3 owner of such a community! community of a$$sholes

[LONEWOLF231]

I mean seriously WHO would want text chat WHEN you can send Voice Messages.........??????

[yoshifett]

*sigh*

Really, this is what Sony fans have to look forward to? A ridiculously archaic version of something the 360 hsd offered since day one?

[SYSTEMS-at-WAR]

It's a move in the right direction but until there is in-game voice chat/party chat I wouldn't think that 360 will shutter with the news...

Taking into consideration that PSN is free there is nothing to complain about, just wait and more features will come.

[KingKionic]

you guys need to calm down.

[Sunny_D]

Lol! Why does it gave to be the black guy? Hmm?

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

No kidding. This console generation is absolutely ridiculous with the rabid fanboys. I've never seen so much loathing for a certain console.

Here I thought last gen was bad, it holds nothing to this gen. Who says you can't like Gears, Killzone, Fable, and Resistance all at the same time?

[ForROME]

Google should team up with SONY and give them google chat, heres the deal with In Game XMB does make it out, and they have text chat, then what

The real prob is this

SONY doesnt include a mike which makes a broken community, and their features are standard across all games.

[absolutecarnage]

I mean Come on, Sony Fanboys now your just grasping to find anything to say that the psn is better than xboxlive. I just wished that bloggers and posters would actually do some research. Xboxlive does have text chatting it's has for years now plus it has msn which i can talk with people on their cell and computer. You guys don't have have to approve articles like this because it's anti xbox even though you know it's wrong.

P.S Text chatting is so last gen as you guys like to say to us, Voice chat is the future and it will only get better quality as time goes on

[xino]

that's so stupid.

Why have so much friend capcity features? As if you'll play with them all or you'll even remember half of them.

Why have a cross chat!? The xbox's Jump in feature is good enough.

Why in the world would I want a 3 way chat room.

This is just stupid man. REDUCE THE FARKING PRICE!

[na2ru1]

so shad'up

[Jrome]

As dumb as the text chat sounds, when you actually use it, it's great. At first I was like "who's ever going to use this?" but it's actually useful and nice to use. Voice chat would be nice too, but the text works great and its just like talking on msn or something. It's also easier than just sending people msg's so, I love it.

[BobbySaget]

Its one thing to compare graphics and gameplay, but this is stupid.

So on the 360 we can voice chat, or just use windows messenger.
and on the ps3 you can text chat.

Voice chat is the better.. since you will be playing a game and probably dont want to type out a message. But Sony is getting voice chat soon anyways.

I personally think this article is more of a FLAMEBAIT article than the 'Bungie dev saying KZ2 could be run on the 360'.

Am i the only one here who doesnt chat online? Who the F!@k cares? Im kind of busy playing my GAME's when im on Xbox live. If my friends are online they are most likely IN THE GAME WITH ME, and i will just shout out them over my MIC if i need too.

Do you PS3 players REALLY "minimize" your game and start gossiping "OMG susan this round of KZ2 is totally crazy, what are you playing!"

Only feature i want is a Web browser on my 360, which they refuse to give me!

[xino]

what do you need a web browser for when the limited 360 can only connect via ethernet cable:/

You need wireless if you want a browser.

[Avenged Sevenfold]

All I gotta say is that the text chat is AWESOME! It's so easy to use and quickly puts you in it when you hit the PS button. I hate sending messages through Live because it just seems very sluggish. Also the keyboard is in alphabetical order, I prefer the one on the PS3.

[KingKionic]

your right...

[Campy da Camper]

Is all I care about. As soon as it was a feature on XBL, I never listen to another person who was not on my "friends" list and in my private party. It really sucked most of the time, having to listen to everyone else in a game. Stupid little shats making darth vader sounds and screaming racisit and homophobe slurs at no one in paticular. Now, I can just hear my buddies and that little shathead from Jersey who needs to be beytch slapped, well, it's like he doesn't even exist!

PS: Yes, I know you can mute someone but when you jump in a 16 person room, it is a big pain in the ass muting every single person just to be "on the safe side".

[SH3MRON]

...I own both systems and I love my PS3 but Sony needs to up its game if they wanna be competitive with XLive. I whish we had the private party voice chat on my PS3 to play KZ2...

[Pootie Tang]

Who on earth wants to use their console for "text chatting"?????????? Usually your "chatting" while playing a game, so isn't the mic better. I can't seeing using my PS3 or 360 to text with ppl

[pixelsword]

:)

[Dmack79]

The way these pathetic xbots talk about cross-game chat, makes it look like the only somewhat decent feature is chatting on xbl.

I guess thats the only good thing on xbl this year, since the xbox360 has no games this year. lol poor jealous xbots wish they had a PS3.

[KingKionic]

theres games on xbox 360...multiplats and exclusives its all by what you like to play.lets not forget e3 theres always sometime where they can announce some games.

[pshizle]

what a joker~!

[ULTIMATE_REVENGE]

why are people hating on text chat so much anyways, don't people realize that there are many people who have difficulties speaking to others online e.g people who sutter in their speech, this feature saves them from having to talk at all

[pixelsword]

...if it wasn't, then why is text chat so popular on a fudging CELLPHONE?

[devilsoultaker]

xbox360 have party with 8 people chatting + msn

still that's great for PS3 owners

[markbob]

text chat, lol, thats why people have mics

[Neo604]

no wonder it attract pedophile.

[Neo604]

chatting is like calling your friend on the cellphone. texting is like texting on your cellphone. sometime you couldn't think of everything you wanna say. calling every couple minute for chatting to a guy is gay, feel like you guys are a couple. I don't see guy spend hour talking on the phone, only girl do that.
so texting is more comfortable.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

Are they serious? I rather talk to my friends than text any day. Some dumb artilce stating how psn is better than xbox-live always tries to hype a tiny negligable feature. Apparently sony kids love pausing then texting unpause play pause text etc. all day. That gets old fast.

[GarandShooter]

Try reading the article. It's sarcasm.

[Grandreaper9999]

It's not all bad, think about it. The chat room function is now implemented, and it has the ability to include multiple users within the chatroom. What we see now is probably the foundation for other communication options like ingame video (which would be great if it didn't operate sluggishly), and the (hopefully) upcoming ingame voice chat. It's a start, and I'm impressed that they've stuck to their free policy even after all the updates.

Consider the time it took Microsoft to get all their current features implemented into the live service, and then factor in the users that have been paying to play on live since day 1.

It's amall, but still, an added value I'm getting for free.

[EvolutionHHH]

Amazing. lol.

So we rather sit and type to eachother with an half assed keypad on the Ps3 rather than talk.

And we can also get our game on while typing with usb keyboard.....

/sarcasm

[shaz73]

Who friggin cares.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

PS3 sucks? Says who? You? You are a very narrow minded person whose love for only one console will make you lose out on some great gaming experiences. Be a gamer, not a fanboy. All consoles have great exclusive games to offer. (Though I'm not personally into the Wii, even though I own one).

[commodore64]

Sony released a new mobile phone:

It features SMS texting, but NO voice calls (!)

Following this, n4g forums fill up with Sony fans proclaiming how excellent this new phone is compared to other phones that *merely* have both voice calls and sms texting

ok sorry for the sarcasm, but
Can anyone else see the irony?

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

I actually believe the title was trying for that, not too sure though.

And the PS3 may actually be getting cross voice chat, seeing as it's an option when you're playing a game, but greyed out. I'm not sure if it's a big a deal as everyone is making it out to be though. I rarely used the feature on my 360. Maybe two or three times, as I don't see much use talking to people that aren't playing the same game as me unless they're real close friends of mine and I just want to see what's up.

[gamer1000]

JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AS TIME COMES!!!

[celestialninja]

This is really great for future MMO console games. 15 people raids and able to talk about strat at the same time! PRICELESS

[Lord Vader]

T E X T B 3 Y O N D

[SonyRulz]

...fails on MULTIPLE LEVELS. :o

[LegendKillar]

if you go down into the comments on the article you will see the author clearly state he is being sarcastic and is really criticizing sony.

"Oh my.. the sarcasm and irony is not getting through to some.

Re-read the story, and try to see if I am really patting Sony’s back or criticizing them by being sarcastic."

I really can't see why people would prefer this over voice chatting, i think it would be a pain in the ass to have to pause your game so you can send a text chat message. I love the party chat on the 360, and when ps3 finally gets a party chat system i myself will be extremely happy.

[Becko]

another worthless war topic...

[GamerPS360]

do you guys even play any game or just argue on n4g all the time ?

[OhMyGandhi]

lol.
just thinking about the stimulating conversations held in home.
Man, I felt like a blind man in a room full of deaf people.