After 2.4, what is needed for PSN?

TalkPlayStation.com writes "So Xbox Live has been better than Playstation Network in terms of features and still is better but with Firmware Version 2.4 on the way things are about to change.

So when firmware 2.4 is released the Playstation Network will be pretty much neck to neck with Xbox Live. Firmware 2.4 will add in-game XMB and a Trophy system (Sony's answer to XBL achievements) so this firmware will pretty much overtake XBL ever so slightly.

Just think about the $50 a year fee for XBL versus Free for PSN. Not only that but Playstation Network is easily expandable through these firmware updates so they can probably add a lot more feature than XBL.

In terms of connection and online play there is nothing wrong with online play on the PSN, no lag apart from if your playing with someone with a crappy connection."

[Lucas22]

does every xbox 360 game have dedicated servers?

[crazy25000]

.

[Time Lord]

Xbox Live need to be free.

[pwnsause]

XBL strictly uses P2P service with the exemption of that THQ game, forgo t the name of it

PSN uses P2P and Dedicated servers

[Panthers]

Dedicated Servers are so much better. Resistance with no lag or host ending game=amazing .

[NegativeCreepWA]

Developers can have dedicated servers on Live if they use there own servers. Its just cheaper for them not to.

Things PSN needs after 2.4

private chat

game invites for all games

being able to join friends in all games. I haven't touched GT5 since a couple days after it came out because of this.

voice chat in all games. whats the point of playing Hot Shots Golf with friends without it.

I like the potential PSN has. But people need to quit lying to themselves saying its almost on par with Live. Because its nowhere near it.

Last night I had to use my phone to hook up with a friend, so we could play MGO. In the four years I've been on Live I've never had to do that.

[ash_divine]

what makes it "nowhere near" xbox live? the name?
like the article says, after a couple more firmwares they'll pretty much be one and the same( or at least very very close).

[boodybandit]

The features you are saying PSN is lacking will be addressed in 2.40. That is what this article is about and your primary complaints listed about PSN are one in the same. Voice chat, in game invites, cross invites, private chat, etc.

There still doesn't exist a game on XBL that runs as smooth as Warhawk and Resistance online with that many players. Not one game.

So how again are people kidding themselves about PSN being no where near as good as XBL? I have been playing the Battlefield demo on both PSN and XBL and it runs better on PSN. Now I am sure people will argue that is because of the difference in user base online but remember we are not paying Sony but we (XBL account members) are paying MS.

If anything MS should spend some of that cash (10 million users paying $50 per year. do the math) they are getting for Live and add some much needed bandwidth and streamline the in game profile. All XBL is to MS is a cash cow and they don't fix what needs fixing. Instead they just keep adding feature that most gamers don't use. Personally for me it is getting harder and harder to justify the price tag for XBL when PSN will soon be offering nearly the identical, if not possibly even better, experience.

Sorry but I think the only one kidding themselves here is you.

[ThanatosDMC]

Doesnt each PS3 compensate for every other PS3 that are connected in the network?

[znu]

I know what your saying

Xbox Live is different and on a better level right now

But with 2.4 update im hoping sony will fix all of that, in game voice chat, be able to join friends games, private chat with 1 person anytime you want,be able to send your friends voice messages or video messages, etc

but these will all be adressed by sony in time (sigh) but oh well.

Back to cod 4, cod 3, resistance and MGS/MGO in the mean time

[Tomdc]

well be able to awnswer the articles questions once we see what 2.4 is exactly!

[Tarasque]

Well the article say's lag free on PSN. Yeah my arse it is, everything i have played is dreadful laggy on psn, U3, gt5, MGO. And U3 is by far the worst. I have tried dmz'ing or changing nat setting's and everything nothing work's. But my 360,wii,psp,and ds play flawlessly online. It will be a while before i can put PSN in the same breath as Xboxlive.

[Tomdc]

Ive never had any lag playin PS3 online! at least PS3 has some dedicated servers as opposed to 360 games which have none!

[dantesparda]

Must be you router/gateway or your settings or something (maybe your PS3 & router just dont get along). Cuz from what I've seen, they are the same! As a matter of fact, I have seen way more lagging and disconnections on Xbox Live. Something is not right with your settings/combo

[jamesrocks3147]

diffantly it would be more reliable and it would save all those "host ended game" ... "hose quit" "connection unstable" "connection lost" not that this happens often in games like cod4 or anything but it can happen rarely (before xbox 360 fanboys start braggin)...... PS3's interface is ace nothing wrong with it once in game xmb is here. ps3's interface loads everything all at once unlike xbox 360's.. you have to click this then click that to select ur friends list or music and then it loads.... with ps3 you just scroll up down left right on the xmb simple. who agrees? click it.

[cool8]

i agree it is simple.

[rogimusprime]

I just got my ps3 last week. I've had 360 for a year and I don't see HOW MUCH better everyone says XBL is that PSN. In game XMB and sending invites to people in other games is about all I see PSN needs.

I don't see why they need to copy EVERY thing M$ does just to be considered competitive.

IF they copy, then they get shat on for not being innovative. If they don't copy...people start b*thcing.

I think they just need to get better PS Classics. XBL is highly overrated in terms of what they ACTUALLY GIVE YOU with your subscription.

How are you going to charge me for xtra characters and maps when I already shelled out 60 bucks on a game.

Garbage.

[Sez]

i brought a ps3 and too me xbl is still better by a long shot. psn may be free and i give it that. but i still love live more.cross-game invites,everyone has a mic,comunnity,unified friends list,playing a trial version of a game before i buy it,not having to come out a game just to check a message,being able to go into a game like (PDZ,COD,GRAW 1,ect. an still find alot of ppl, and alot more. to me sony still has alot to catch up to live. and the last time i checked sony also charges you for maps and .(motorstorm,warhark)

[THUNDERMARE]

That's the point of this article in the first place, after firmware 2.4 pretty much all the problem is solved. (BTW PSN got demo to try out and communities is pretty much what PSN is offering right now so I'm actually dont get your point on this one.)

Btw, I'm not considering everyone has a mic is a strong point since I barely use it, you know, if you get into a game a found only ranting kids you pretty much want to mute every single one of them, but if I really need to one to play game like War Hawk that require team play, then I'll grab my Jabra500 blue tooth and start paring.

[Bolts]

Cross game invites are WAY overrated.

They're annoying as hell and more often than not I turn everything off so I can play in peace. There is nothing more annoying than getting spam invites for Madden when all you want to do is join a quickie Halo 3 match. I would trade every single Live features to transform all the crappy P2P games into stable dedicated servers like the PC. No more host disconnected issues with CoD 4 and no more game interruptions just because some idiot have to log off because his mom is calling him for dinner.

P2P need to die and go away. This technology is virtually dead on the PC FPS genre so why the hell are the nextgen consoles using it?

[JasonXE]

when ms comes up with a new update that psn doesn't have that is a must have (remember, ms does updates as well)? PSN should just stop copying every feature of xbl and think out of the box or else they'll always be a step behind whatever xbl comes out with and them trying to implement. Just proves that psn isn't on the same level as xbl and never will be as long as they're playing "catch up".

[CrashSharc]

Home? perhaps?

just a thought.

[dukencanesfan]

I have to agree because there really was no question. But I must say that the xbox360, even thought it doesnt scroll, is more organized because it has sections. Also, you make it sound like it takes time to load but unless you have a really bad TV it should load within 1/2 a second.

[GarandShooter]

@ Jason

Have an example of MS's next must have feature?

Have any evidence Sony has nothing else up their sleeve? Maybe, just maybe, they're providing things players have been asking for first, before releasing the unexpected. Crash makes a good point with 'Home'.

A lot of us could care less about non-gaming features the way they're presented on XBL. I don't need a gaming console to watch movies or TV. My opinion may change with the release of Home, if you are in fact able to go to the Virtual Theater with online friends, but maybe not. The coolest thing I could think of doing would be to watch your favorite sports team with a friend who has moved halfway across the country, but neither XBL or PSN have hinted at that capability. But imagine, you and your boy have your camera's hooked up, you can see each other on your TV's, watching the game, throwing back a cold one......

[jamesrocks3147]

resistance has dedicated servers and so will home and games like that its not so bad. the video store is needed next. but above all if in game xmb DOES NOT BRING in game chat across all games then i will be disapointed its just as needed if not more then in game xmb itself.

sony just really needs to push there network and developers. and advertise really well

[will11]

it does NOT include cross-game chat... only text messages...

[cool8]

@will
how do you know?,maybe its a surprise.

[will11]

well, its just a guess cause the PS3 does not have enough RAM.

[cool8]

oh. but sony might pull something off.Who knows maybe I'm right maybe I'm wrong. Only time will tell.

[ThanatosDMC]

Sony's probably make another PS3 cluster just like how they handled Warhawk.

[Mc Fadge]

Don't spread things unless you know it's truth. You just admitted to 'guessing'.

[Ben1054]

are not really needed with the ps3. on lots of PS3 games you can check what servers your friends are in and if you want to join them you press join server which their on,
if the other person wants u to join they can just send a message saying "join my server...." then you go under their name in game and see what server they are in

[PSWe60]

PSN is great, after v2.4 I won't care for anything else really. The TV show/movie download service doesn't do a thing for me.

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

Nothing i'm happy with it!;)
Can't believe xBot Lemmings pay for their xBox Live!!!;-D
It doesn't do anything special???

[gunnerheadboy]

Actually we can watch movies for free! On your PS3 web browser go to watch-movies.net and you can watch movies on your ps3! I just watched leather heads :].

[syanara]

Never heard someone talk of a fanboy as a lemmings before lol

@1.4
The ACTUALY features are in-game XMB and trophy support confimred!

also lots of the things that you hear the ps3 is commoing out with is mostly fanboy speculation but trophies and in-game XMB are CONFIRMED for 2.4

[Lord Vader]

fix the lack of private chat & friend invites please.

Thats on this update right ?

[Infernus]

The in-game XMB (I've personally shortened to igXMB) will allow you to message your friends so you can invite them into a game or just send them a straight forward message. It'll be the messaging stuff that you have on the XMB only you'll be able to get at it in-game with the igXMB. I don't know about private chat in-game, but all the messaging stuff is in.

[LinuxGuru]

Well....besides Home....one thing. Game invites.

I think PS3 users will be fully satisfied once 2.4 and Home are out...we'll finally have a full suite of features in every aspect.

And it'll all be free! What more could we want or demand? We're getting the same services that the competition makes you pay for, plus a lot more, completely free!

I'm grateful, and so you should be!

[Expy]

wtf? they got it mixed up, Live is P2P.

[LevDog]

Besides In game XMB ( Which Ps3 is getting ), PSN is on Par with XBL.. Me personally, I think its better.. I can vid chat with up to 6 friends or clanmates ( Which is just awesome )... The whole invite thing, is over rated in my opinion.. Its not hard to send a messege (in subject area only) saying "Getting on Send Invite".. Bam friend sees it waits and sends an invite.. Simple in my opinion.. P2P XBL style servers Ill pass.. My buddy complains about XBL all the time (he has comcast, fastest internet around here).. I never complain about PSN and my DSL...

Custom music.. Eh could be useful, maybe not for online.. but if you have games like MGS4 where the music is awesome.. Then custom sound tracks are obsolete..

Trophies, Acheivments.. EH whats the big deal.. Who cares? Seriously Im not gonna brag to people that I unlocked something.. NO ONE CARES.. Those things wont get you laid.. Gamerscore should be included to that statment

[ThanatosDMC]

"Those things wont get you laid.." <---- HHHAHAHAHHAHA

Bubbles for you!

[Lucas22]

question about 2.40 by getting trophy/achievement doesn't that mean sony will have to offer a way to change psnid so people don't lose their achievement?

[Rofflecopter]

but if they do, it will most likely be like XBL in terms of paying to change it. personally, i dont really see the need to change IDs anyways. if you want a new one, get it before 2.4 gets here.. :D

[RememberThe357]

There has been a lot of talk about how Sony is financing all these free upgrades to the Network. It is very possible that Sony will start to implement these little charges to try to absorb the coast of the upgrades. Nice post. Bubbles my friend.

[ThanatosDMC]

There's going to be tons of advertisement in Home probably. It's like walking around downtown New York or the streets of Hong Kong. Watch the videos in youtube and the most recent one that hosted that game conference in Home. Didnt they say Sony will allow companies to make their own portals or homepages that people can go in and browse around?

[The Wood]

like what the 360 has and a sixaxis auto shutoff if its inactive. The energy prices in the UK are taking the mick you know

[beast]

That feature is already here for a WHILE.

[mboojigga]

I am not going to get excited until I see what the "actual" features of 2.4 will be. Just a blank statement we have XMB access doesn't tell me what exactly we have access too. So no rush for me really since most my gaming is on the 360 anyway. It will continue to be since I play more on the 360 than the PS3.

[The Wood]

i do mean whilst the ps's still on though. Ten minutes of inactivity should be enough especially if its assigned to a slot other than no1. If it does that already then I really hadn't noticed

[Polluted]

I'm with you on that one. I always shut down the remote when I'm watching a movie on my PS3, but my roommate and girlfriend never remember. Man it pisses me off. It wouldn't be so bad if the charging cable they included with the remotes was more than like 4 feet long. And when I bought my new remote it didn't even come with a cable.

/rant.

[Infernus]

That would be cool. Although I just turn it on and leave it on while it downloads, tut tut to me I know. Actually what would be better is an auto-shutdown after a task has finished:

Like the Pause All/Resume All options, there should be an auto-shutdown On/Off for when all downloads finish. Would save power.

[Pp p]

Sony loves copying everything xbox360 has and psn definitely does have lag

[PoSTedUP]

MS loves bending over

[Joe2911]

psn has lag!!??? Its other companies servers you dumbass and what would you know you xbot. And get your facts right because i never experience lag.

[mboojigga]

You seriously taking this personal? I play Tekken all the time. It lags from time to time.

[Joe2911]

No im not taking it personally, but ppl gotta get their facts straight its not sony who causes lag so it does not have anything to do with ps3. Its the servers that operate ps3 online games which cause lag.

[juuken]

PP_p, you sure do love kissing that ass don't ya?

[Deadman64]

@juuken

What does your comment have to do with anything? He's not kissing any ass...?

And yeah PSN is now neck and neck with xbox live because they COPIED. Don't be a blind fanboy and think they haven't. Excuse me, fangirl.

[juuken]

Deadman, shut up.

Seriously, just shut up right now, because you 360 fanatics always accuse Sony of copying things when you have no evidence to back up those statements! How exactly did PSN copy XBL huh? I'm sure that PSN isn't as confusing, is more organized, and looks better than XBL as a whole. I fail to see how Sony copied because they are two different systems ya jackass!

Call me whatever you want to call me because I could care less.

PS3 FTW.

[Condoleezza Rice]

That is all I want ^

[Wise Rant Monkey]

<wtf? Just go buy PS1 games. I'd rather have more PS3 games.)

[Condoleezza Rice]

But I want the Rare and costly ones to be available on PSN for cheap

[reaferfore20]

Yeah FF7 is so expensive on ebay.

[f789790]

then you can play them on your ps3 or convert them to play on your psp

[csta]

well the ps3 still has HOME after 2.40

[iceatcs]

1. Use your PSN account on the browser to shareable view Trophy system and statics of game-time.
2. Message system on browser, so that you can check your PSN message anywhere other PC's browser.
3. Invite online gaming when in-game XMB.
4. Playstation browser need to improve, or work with Firefox :P
5. Multi-PSN accounts with number of controllers using.
6. and finally, HURRY UP and RELEASE Home ASAP.

[Infernus]

The multi-account thing is in. For games like Warhawk if you have, for example, 4 of you on 1 PS3 playing Warhawk, all 4 of you can login to the same account and the stats will be logged for all players. That was confirmed I do believe.

The messaging while using the browser is already there (If that's what you mean), push the PS button.

In-game invites is definitely in. Though I don't think there'll be an auto-'invite player to this game' option, you get all the normal messaging services in-game with the igXMB. All the stuff you need basically.

Trophy system sounds interesting but I'm honestly not that fussed about it. The Home trophy room does look good though, actually Home look good full stop now.

I'm sticking with my predictions, E3 = 2.40 End of October = Home

[ape007]

when does 2.4 releases

[360 Revolution]

next year

[rodeoo]

prob next month

[Wise Rant Monkey]

<PS4!)

j/k

... i'm gonna loose bubbles for that one
lol

[Infernus]

A few predictions from me:

1) Shall see 2.40 released during (or probably just before) E3.
2) Shall see Home before the end of November
3) Shall hear from Sony about 2.40 by July 1st.

Just my predictions, may be right may be wrong, but in the end who really knows what's going on!?

[tweaker]

A universal clan system for PSN. The clan is a separate part of the friends list with manageable rosters and assignable leaderships. A Socom-like clan system with a clan tag in brackets beside your PSN ID. For example if my clan was N4G it would be:

[N4G] whateverpsnnamehere

Instead of only having Socom have this feature, the clan system should be integrated across PSN so each one of your clan members can rep their clan and clan tag in any game.

Who's with me?

[The Wood]

say if you have many clans. The idea makes sense but the implementation may be a bit tricky

[pumpkinpunker]

xbl already has this. in fact, most of what people are requesting for psn xbl already has. xbl is like a ferrari. psn is like a subaru.

M$ has been refining XBL since the original xbox. you're kidding yourself if you believe that it won't take years for psn to catch up. also, while they play catch up, xbl will still be improving. with Microsoft's innovation and large headstart, I doubt psn will ever fully measure up to XBL

[Infernus]

Apart from the fact that just last week MS announced no more tweaks or added features for XBL in the future.

After 2.40 PSN will be on par and has smoother online gameplay anyway. The Battlefield Demo confirmed that the 360 version has lag issues and the PS3 version is fine, the devs confirmed it.

[pumpkinpunker]

Show me the link to the Microsoft statement that they are no longer improving XBL or adding features altogether. That statement sounds COMPLETELY ludicrious. I bet you just made it up.

As for, PSN measuring up to XBL when the 2.4 update drops: like I said, I've already seen on this thread alone people requesting features for PSN that are already on XBL and are not scheduled for 2.4. So how can 2.4 make PSN X-box Live's equal when there are still numerous features missing? Not to mention that XBL has a ton more downloadable content (movies, demos, and tv shows). Is 2.4 bringing all that also?

So I guess 2.4 is going to make the PS3 poop chocolate ice cream on request and also cure cancer?

[hardcorehippiez]

bubbles for that. maybe if we make enough noise about that it may happen.

[GarandShooter]

@ Pumpkin

What makes you think MS's thought processes run faster than Sony's?

How do you know that Sony doesn't already have that next killer idea that MS hasn't had yet?

And I guarantee if Home is everything they say it is, MS is going to be scurrying like a squirrel gathering nuts to catch up.

And as far as innovative goes, isn't there still talk of Windows being a straight ripoff of Apple's GUI?

And has Ferrari ever beat Subaru at WRC?

Or, it could be as you say. But none of us know, only time will tell. XBL certainly has a lot of content, 90% of which is utter garbage. What is the last GAMING improvement XBL has made? All that other crap is meaningless, and a far better selection can be found through On-Demand service. I bought the 360 and PS3 for gaming. Until that is perfected, that's where I would like to see both companies' efforts being focused.

[OmarJA]

It's pee pee again !

we need home and then we can kiss the3fixme goodbye

[REDZEV]

Yeah Junken, yeah there called achievements and SONY is so ripping of Microsoft with your lame "TROPHYZZZZZZZ" which wouldnt have been that big of a deal if they came with the PS3 out of box. Noooooh!!! you have to get them in a firmware update like almost 2 years later. WEAK!!! The guy at Microsoft who came up with the idea of achievements should get like the noble prize of gaming or something. but hey you fanboys got bluetooth controllers that when the batterys die your totally screwed you either junk them or send to sony to change the battery. Now that is "PURE GENIUS!!!"

[Pp p]

Thats why psn is free because you get crap service .xbox360 live service is first class because you pay for it also home is for girls

[wAtdaFck]

and i'm the queen of england

[Xiru]

You really believe this? Just because you pay for it, it has to be better? But judging by your other posts, there is no reasoning behind your statements, you blindly follow MS. I am guilty of fanboyism as well, but I try to at least make my posts make sense.

[cr33ping_death]

ah first class service like the disaster that prevented me from playing games online from the end of december till mid january? yeah first class service buddy.

[bootsielon]

Fvcktard

[angel604]

you said Sony copies everybody what about Microsoft's motion sensor controller i guess to you that innovative, weren't there articles about xbox having its own version of mii's. Its not only Sony who does loser..and psn games have minimal lag, not as much as 360

but your not even going to respond so everybody can call you dumb, idiot, senseless all they want

[Xiru]

2.4 should do it. PSN will at least be equal to XBL. I think it will be better personally once 2.4 hits and I can't wait. I have had no lag problems in any PS3 game except for Tekken 5 DR. That game must hate me, its still impossible to get matches.

[Mozilla89]

I dont care if they dont add anything after this but as long as they keep it free. They need to add more PS1 games I guess and release home but other than that I dont think I really want anything else! (GASP!)

[SmokeyMcBear]

so wait, ive always wondered what this game invite thing is all about. I do like the access to the friends list that live has, but when sending an invite what does that really mean. So if my friend sends me an invite, do i already have to be playing that particular game, if im not, do i put the game in, and click on the game invite and it automatically drops me into my friends party or something, i just would like to know how it works.

[iceatcs]

Cross game-invite is when you have some friends list show on your game but one of your friend is online but playing different game or watch film etc. Select this friend to invites to play online or co-op etc. Your friend will get the invitation message to accept or not to join automatics on the level/map you are playing.

[SmokeyMcBear]

wait so if im watching a movie, and my friend will send me an invite, and i accept it, it will automatically drop me into his game? Thats actually pretty cool. Do i need to have a game save or something from that particular game, i don't even need it in the disc drive, or do i need to put the disc in?

[hfaze]

You do still have to put the game disc in, but once the game is running (IF the game supports it), you will be taken directly into the game lobby your friend is in.

Not all XBL games support going directly into the lobby... A large percentage do, but games like Ace Combat 6 don't...

It is a REALLY cool feature of XBL that I would love to see in PSN.

Also, the short voice messages on XBL are way more convenient than trying to type something out, even with a keyboard.

PSN will definitely be taking a BIG step forward with in-game friends list, cross-game messaging (hopefully voice), and cross-game invites.

Having to quit a game just to check a message is ridiculous...

[SmokeyMcBear]

so i get an invite, i have to stop what im doing, get the game out, put the disc in, launch the game, than i can accept the invite.. thats stupid

[agentace]

yes you have to put the disc in to play the game

[Says you]

Is released I mean they have nothing left to brag about for?.

[Peow]

In-game web browser. Or in-game videos. Say I want to watch a walkthrough on how to get past a certain part on MGS4. There should be a little PIP type thing of the youtube video I got from the web browser.

Oh, and downloading youtube vids to your hard drive. Of course maybe make it a PS3 only codec, that would be pretty sweet.

[name]

Warhawk has that already @ tweaker, nice avy btw

[Voozi]

More people w/ mics that's what the PSN is severely lacking vs XBL. Everytime I play a game on PSN there's only like 2-3 people w/ mics in the game on average and those people usually dont even talk, where as on XBL everyone has a mic there and talks/communicates.

That's my biggest complaint w/ the PSN atm, especially when playing MGO, how am I supposed to play MGO the way its ment to be played when noone on my team has a mic and we can't properly coordinate & use teamwork, it's all half assed teamwork and just running and gunning

And trust me, it's a really fun expierence actually playing multiplayer games where people talk and stuff and it isnt all dead in room

PS: Some may also say "well then you run into annoying kids/assholes" well thats why there's the mute feature

So idk I really think it was a big mistake on Sonys part to not ship the PS3 w/ a usb mic or something or some cheap bluetooth mic

Least Warhawk retail version came w/ a mic so that game wasnt too bad on the mic support

[Polluted]

More talking would be nice in theory, but whenever I hear people talking in-game they're pretty much just slinging racial slurs, calling each other f*ggot, yelling at the poor Spanish guy who doesn't speak English very well yet and just generally being douchebags. I hear XBL is even worse.

Maybe if they could work in some sort of bubble system like n4g...

[Isaac]

Nothing. Wanted? Here is my wishlist:

Multimedia streaming rental services, including music, videos, movies, images and some games.

Make a lot of PS1 games available.

Full PS2 Backwards compatibility for everyone (and games for download too)

Increase selection of PSN originals.

Increase web browser functionality.

Add emoticons to messaging.

Support for tons of 3rd party PC peripherals.

A better version of Linux (with access to the RSX for programming, taking advantage of all SPEs and RSX)

More Blu-ray player updates

3rd party apps included on firmware

More codec compatibiity

Make the OS footprint smaller

Home (and its improvements; I'm sure it'll need tons of them, especially bugs to be ironed out)

As for hardware:

New controller including built-in microphone

PS3 redesign

250GB HDD out of the box

Disc software:

Accelerate PS3 development of games

New IPs

Revive old IPs with remakes or long wanted sequels (Chrono Trigger, FF7)

More Blu-ray movies and applications

[SmokeyMcBear]

there are hella emoticons for messaging, well not the ones that move, but theres a crap load none the less

[Polluted]

All sweet ideas. I don't see how they can get 100% backwards compatibility without the emotion chip, though.
They should put the old 60 gig units back on the market. Or a 250 gig with all the card readers, 4 usb ports, the emotion chip onboard and any other features they took away with that 40 gig unit.

[Infernus]

Considering a 1TB external HDD now costs around £100, new HDD's for the PS3 are very cheap. I have a 250GB PS3 now, got the drive for about £40 (Bout the same price as a game lol). I think the next PS and Xbox will have either 750GB or 1TB HDD's standard because they'll be so cheap by then. Space won't be much of a problem next gen.

Back to here and now, space isn't a problem with the PS3 anyway, new HDD's are getting cheaper and cheaper. Get on eBay and grab yourself a bargain PS3 HDD upgrade! lol

"New controller with built in microphone"

That jumped out at me lol, good idea. I still find that the PSEye is a brilliant mic oddly enough, it's a directional mic in fact (4 way I believe). Use it in GTA4 and COD4 when I'm in a match with sensible people of course and not the insult-throwing 'I'm better than thou' people.

2.40 is a landmark in the PS3 timeline. Home will be the next big one, then the quickfire improvements to Home will bring the same significance that 2.40 is bringing to us now.

Home will be a constantly improving work-in-progress and although loads are saying "I don't wanna play the Sims" I'm sure when it comes out everyone will be on it. That's what Sony have said, Home will never be a finished product, it'll always be improving and getting better as time goes on. Just like the PS3 firmware updates really.

I can see people criticising Home without really knowing what it's about, it's not the Sims, it's not something Sony just randomly added, it's a 4D XMB and it'll change the PS3 dramatically. For the better of course!

[mikeslemonade]

Hey bots you guys can keep paying because i'm never buying a xbox 360. I hope Microsoft milks out $50 from you every year.

[captainjy]

I will waste my last reply on your ridiculous post- as I said before, if you can't afford less than $50 a year, more like $39 for 13 months, gaming isn't for you. I use every aspect of Live from MP gaming, movies, IM'ing and Media Center and it's worth every penny. Let's face it, you get what you pay for and on the POSN, that's obvious. Free = crickets chirping, lag included.

[Sonics020]

If you get what you pay for then doesn't that mean the PS3 is superior because it is more expensive?

[darthv72]

Good for sony. Finally delivering on what they promised. Took a little while but that only meant more development time to ensure it works as expected.

So now that both camps have a similar outlook for their online system, can we get back to what is most important.....the games!

[DJ]

The next step would be launching multiplayer mode (with any game) in either your XMB or HOME, which is obviously still being worked on for the release of HOME. Leaving open slots for the friends you launch with is pretty sweet, and the fact that it only takes a few seconds to start up is great.

Everyone just slides in their game discs, joins up, and BAM. In the game. I know the video service is being launched soon, but that's just a standard feature, a la Xbox Live.

[RunamukK]

.mkv suport wold make it perfect

[power of Green]

Whatever MSFT comes up with I guess we'll see soon enough lol. Based from rumors MSFT is more than likely going to add great value to Gold member accounts very soon.

What is needed is the PSN service to be on par with XBL in the first place the $50 is like a bridge Toll or State taxes. lol

[PSMonster21]

Everybody look its POG... HE IS THE MAN!!!

[power of Green]

PSN is going to be left in the dust this year even more so if Sony fails to deliver anything they promised for 2008.

You have wild sh*t from Rumors like: Avatars to Netflix and announcments like: community games to Youtube sh8t, plus all the bulk of the standard updates that will be 2 times over lol.

[captainjy]

POG you are dead on. Netflix IS coming to Live and it will be announced next month. Everyone knows it. I for one don't care much about Avatars, but my guess is that Netflix, Halo Wars and Alan Wake will be official at E3. I am going to go so far to say that RE5 will be a timed exclusive for the 360 as mentioned before.

[Britjadg]

think those RE5 rumours have already been debunked but i could be wrong.

as to netflix: With millions of Xbox 360 consoles already sold in the U.S. and a built-in networking solution with the Xbox Live service, Netflix may have found the answer to its distribution woes. Microsoft needs content; Netflix needs a delivery mechanism. the problem is that netflix deals always seem to go sour:

A couple years ago, Netflix appeared to be forging a deal with Tivo to allow Netflix subscribers to watch downloaded movies on their Tivo DVR’s. Those talks collapsed and Tivo moved on to court Amazon to meet their movie content needs. More recently, Netflix made some of their movies available to subscribers through instant download on the Netflix website. Unfortunately, the instant download content can only be viewed through a web browser, which keeps most users away from their TV’s and chained to their much smaller computer screens.

am not saying any deal with 360 WILL go sour, but its a possibility. i'd also hasten to point out that MS hasn't even confirmed they are in talks with netflix. the only person who has confirmed it is Pachter and the guy is more wrong than right.

[Sez]

you guys just think it's in game messages and achievements tha make live better than psn. you forget about. cross-game invites,finding ppl playing old games like GRAW,PDZ,COD 2,3., all players have a mic,play trial version of games before buying it,private chat, more demos, not having to leave a game to check message,vid chat, community, talk to major nelson and trixie,and alot more.the only thing XBL needs is.clan support and vid and chat conference. psn just feels empty and has alot to catch up to. but hey psn is free so you guys get less.

[juuken]

Keep thinking that way.

[DanB91]

OK let me try to sort out that mess of a blurb you just posted

1. Cross game invites- With 2.40 if you want someone to join you, just message them. Simple as that.

2. People having headsets in old games- I play R:FoM once in a while and sometimes I do hear people talk on the mic. But even if no one talked on the mic, that has NOTHING to do with PSN that's just the community not using mics

3. Talk to Major Nelson and Trixie- WTF?

4. Not quitting a game to check messages- Um, it's coming 2.40

5. Private Chat- Point taken. When I played Gears with my friend last summer I would always use this feature. But this is only in game. On the XMB you can chat with up to 6 people, with anyone using a camera. Way better than the 360 which is only 1 on 1.

6. More demos and trials- Point taken. Though on a few occasions I have seen demos on PSN that are not on XBL.

7. PSN feels empty- Do you have a PS3? The community and content an sufficient. I don't understand.

I am really finding it hard to justify paying for XBL. With 2.40 coming the stuff that XBL has that PSN doesn't is starting to dwindle.
XBL less laggy than PSN? I actually find it quite the opposite.

[Sez]

let me sort it for you since you don't get it.
1) cross-game invites= sending someone a invite so once they put the game in they go straight to your room. XBL?yes PSN?no

2)i know headset aren't apart of XBL. but comunicating with people in games is a must. and having people run around not talking to each other because theres no headset just sucks. and i played resistance,warhark,MGO. not many people have headsets.

3)talking to major nelson and trixie and discussing thing to make XBL better. you don't talk with anyone from sony.

4) you wait for in-game messages. while 360 owners had it from the start.

5)psn don't have private chat

6)name one demo that came out for the psn before the 360 one. oh yeah you must be talking about console exclusives.

7)yes i do own a ps3.do you own a 360? hannibal75 is my tag. and yes it does feel empty. no unified friends list. being able you match my stats with players on my lvl.able to look at every game some played.

8)i can still find a full room in games like R6,cod,ect all first year games for the 360. i can barely find a full room in games like RFoM,warhark becuase people are moving on or because not everyone comunicate with each other in game and it become annoying.

9)more game,videos, movies, shows,ect

10)xbl has achievement for every game they released and are coming out. throphie will only work with games coming out or if the dev decide to support it.

with all those thing and more.i'm finded it hard to want to keep the ps3 and not sell it.i don't see psn being better or on par with just in-game messages and throphie. and just because something is free doesn't make it better or on par. yahoo search engine maybe free. doesn't make it better or on par with aol.it's just free thats it. good day

[DanB91]

1) Fine the 360 has cross game invites but I don't see that as such a problem as to just message the guy.

2) Yes less people use headsets on PSN, but most of the people on XBL are just people saying retarded stuff (it's no different on PSN), though on CoD4 and Warhawk there are a lot of people using mics. I only use a mic when I am with a friend. On the topic of headsets, I like how on the PS3 you can use any Bluetooth headset but on the 360 you can only use MS branded headsets which probably cost 2 cents to make and break a lot. I have went through at least 3 of them and all my friends have as well.

3) Sony reps such as Jeff Rubenstein constantly scour the PS blog and even occasionally reply to people. Sony definitely listens to their community. How do you think 2.40 and the DualShock 3 came to be?

4) It does not matter I had to wait for the PS3, this article is about AFTER 2.40.

5) As I said the PS3 does not have in game private chat but it does have superior "on XMB" private chat, which includes 6 participants, with anyone having a camera (which does not have to be sony branded, even the xbox live vision works) and you can show pictures in chat and use voice changer.

6) Dark Sector (waste of a game) and Condemned 2 (a great game, IMO better than the first).

7) Gamertag- DanB91, Got mine Jan 2006.

8) Yes RFOM seems empty, but Warhawk, no way. CoD4 has A LOT of people on there and probably will have a lot for many years.

9) I never denied XBL having more content. I would expect it to have more content, it has been out 1 year longer!

10) Point taken.

[Deadman64]

Yeah PSN has all of those features SOON.

Point being Xbox Live has had all that stuff since day one.

[Mr Fancy Pants]

^ yeah, since day one but paying we are getting all this sh!t for freeeeeeee!!!

that means, more people is going to have the chance to experience their games online! Why? because it's freeeeeeeeee!!!

[Figboy]

that firmware 2.40 does NOT include cross game chat via voice.

i work at Vivendi, and have seen the in game cross media bar, and i was impressed, but for now, at least, cross game chat via voice isn't in.

however, that was about a week ago, and who knows when 2.4 is releasing. Sony could work it out by then.

[Infernus]

I heard that was out and tbh I wasn't expecting it. Sending a quick message with "Wanna game of COD4?" as the title does the job anyway. That'll be possible I suppose.

All I've wanted is a way to reply to messages in-game without having to quit just to reply, then the person goes offline, I send the message and restart the game, then they come back online and reply and I have to quit to reply and restart and etc etc.

All that hassle will be gone!

[thehitman]

will be PERFECT. HOWERVER there is a lot of features Sony can add and Im sure they plan on adding in the future. They need to work on the compatibility with the browser make it easier to upgrade plugins because they are slow on that and just add more things. I know the ps3 is almost limitless when I look at how far Sony took the psp and is still taking it.

[Clinton514]

Keep quiet if you don't own a PS3 rather than making up false issues regarding the console.

[SnakeShady]

please Sony, make a global store. I can't wait 6 months to play puzzle fighter! It's unbelievable.

[KLEPTOMANIAC]

i believe it was a good purchase from day one. all these firmware updates are simply a bonus.

[abczby]

I'm getting sick of all these PS3 fanboys. I have all of the next gen systems (don't believe that I have a PS3 add me I am H_J_C) and the bandwidth on PSN is horrible compared to that of Xbox Live. PSN constantly lags and 9/10 people do not have a god damn microphone. It gets really damn irritating whenever your basically shouting at a god damn $500 wall for hours on end. I don't give a crap about paying $50 a month for Xbox Live, its a thousand times better than PSN, and as far as I'm concerned, Sony should be paying me to use their half-assed PSN. All that firmware update 2.40 is going to do is going to make a crappy version of the almost perfect Xbox Live. Trophies aren't going to be as near as addictive as achievements, because there are no details on them yet. You don't know if you'll see the total number of trophies you have and if you can look at your impossible to navigate friends list and look at your friends trophies, who knows why the hell you would even car unless the amount of trophies unlocked is plastered right next to your friends god damn name just copying another great idea of Microsoft. I'm tired of the video game industry these days, there is absolutely no originality, with Sony and Microsoft both copying the Wii-mote, Nintendo will have to make a new system a few months after they are released. Anymore its basically, "OOOO that looks cool lets put that on our piece of crap system but just give it a different name maybe they won't notice." And now, I get to get flamed by the 50 PS3 fanboys waiting for a comment against the firmware update 2.40. Firmware update 2.40 isn't going to do anything, its not going to make it better or put it on par with Xbox Live, its just going to finally finish making the online service that was started when PS3 was released by copying every good god damn idea of Microsoft insted of coming up with their own ideas. No, Sony and all of those Japs are going to just copy Xbox Live, and put a different name on it.

[Dethspyder]

whats wrong with "Japs" you ignorant no good racist sun of a b*tch

[Britjadg]

@abczby, please repackage ur ps3 and return it to the shop. - you're to ignorant and stupid to own one.

thanks.

[dantesparda]

Bingo! I was thinking the same thing. That racist little bastard, fvck him! What a complete and utter hateful little fvck!

And the fact remains, that you are stil paying $50 more every year (I've already paid $150 so far) for Xbox Live. For stupid little sh!ts/features that really aint worth $50 every year. And where's my dashboard update? Its been a very long time since i got my last one. And now they are trying to rip me off this one!? MS' got nothing, and they are trying to pump up their bullsh!t

[abczby]

OH MY DEAR GOD!!! 2.40 adds game invites!!! JESUS CHRIST REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY! Oh wait, Xbox Live has had that since the original Xbox. Xbox Live has a lot less lag than PSN, because the bandwidth on Xbox Live is better, its actually physically impossible for PSN to be less laggy since it has a worse bandwidth. 2.40 also adds trophies OMFG a sh*tty version of Xbox 360's achievements YES!!! Also you douche bag, PSN does feel very empty. Especially for $500 f*cking dollars. Go on Xbox Live, they have 150 HD movies to download, over 2 million gamerpictures, 1.5 million themes, 340 demos, 300 xbox live arcade games, millions of game videos, and much more! PSN: 75 demos! YES! Half of them PSP demos! EVEN F*CKING BETTER! Almost no videos! SWEET! 20 THEMES! OMFG YES! 150 GAMERPICTURES (Avatars)!!! NO WAY! And NO MOVIES! I MUST BE DREAMING!

This article would be fine if it did not say anything about PSN being "on par" or "equal" or "better" than Xbox Live. If it just said "Firmware 2.40 to fix some of PSN's horrendous problems," that would be alot f*cking better.

[Britjadg]

150HD movies really? AMAZING: now check out http://www.blu-ray.com/ and tell me who wins that argument on available HD content for thier consoles? i'm sorry i thought HD content didn't mater to 360 fans which was "all about the games". or could it be that now that its been made available 360 fans love HD again? fickle fvckers arn't you?

assuming you've now had your 360 since launch, you will have paid close to 100+ dollars for online play. now i actually think thats a bargain, but it brings the total price of 360 up significantly. By 2010 you guys are gonna be paying substantially more for your consoles so stfu.

bottom line is: sony's trying to improve their console, MS is doing what? MS execs are probably sipping pinnacalades in hawaii on ur subscription fees.

[pumpkinpunker]

whoever wrote this article is a total fanboy.
A) the trophy system will not be the same as achievements. M$ has a patent on achievements. I don't know what trophies will be. however, I do know it will have to be different enough for achievements so Sony doesn't get sued. in fact, Sony may get sued anyway if they infiringe on the patent. M$ has already threatened.
B) these "trophies" will only apply to new games. none of your old games before the update will have trophies. xbl achievements are built into the game. devs will not go back and add achievements to games already released and publishers will not press whole new batch of discs to accomodate sony.
c)whoever wrote this article writes: "Not only that but Playstation Network is easily expandable through these firmware updates so they can probably add a lot more feature than XBL." X-box live gets updated all the time! sony just makes a big deal and announces their updates because their service is weak right now. I thought this was the funniets part of the article. does he really believe psn is the only network that gets updates? ROFL, droids!

[juuken]

All I heard from you is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, 'I CAN'T GET A PS3! WOE IS ME!I FORGOT THAT PSN WILL HAVE A REVOLUTIONARY IMPACT FOR ONLINE SERVICES! I CAN'T PLAY AWESOME GAMES LIKE MGS4, OR UNCHARTED, OR EVEN NEW IP'S THAT ARE COMING! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAH'blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and double blah.

Silly bots, do your research first before you talk sh*t.

[pumpkinpunker]

keep deluding yourself that psn doesn't have more lag than XBL. xbl has more bandwith. i've witnessed it first hand at a friend's house. incidently he got suckered into buying a ps3 because he owned a ps2 previously. as soon as he gets the money he's buying an xbox 360.

[juuken]

Wow...and you just keep yapping!
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!1111'blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, AND TRIPLE BLAH!

[captainjy]

WTF is this in the 360 channel? I really don't give 2 flying turds about the POSN. First of all, if you can't afford less than $50 a year, gaming isn't for you. Secondly, Live is the best online service, period. Phony can throw whatever they want on it and it will still suck. OP, please pull your head out, get some sun and learn to post.

[REDZEV]

Hey Junky, can you say BLAH!!!! HAHAHA!!!! you fanboys crack me up

[Egzekutor]

After the new firmware update, I wouldnt need anything else to add for my PS3.. Going in to the menu while playing COD4, starting a new private chat with friends, or sending messages while in game will be just great. That is all im looking for right now.

[DethWish]

Upgrade the damn browser, add support for more video/audio containers and codecs, add battle.net-type match-making.

All of this would be awesome :)

[Infernus]

Definitely need the latest Flash player please Sony :D

You've upgraded it before and you can do it again!

[SpecialSauce]

u XBOTS say this all the time "I WANT A GAME CONSLE TO PLAY GAMES NOT DO ALL THE COOL SHYT THE PS3 CAN DO WAAAAAH WAAAAAH!!!!! now all the sudden u guys care so much for movies PLZZZZ. i already got like 5 video store, Video on demand, netflix, and hundreds of friends that will let me borrow there movies plus you can always go out to the theater. i think i have enough ways of watching movies i dont really care about ur video store OK. and i can watch movies in TRUE BLU RAY HD and u cant. wuzzzz up wid dat XBOTS???

[SolidSnake93]

I really can't think of anything except for bringing back more PS1 games.

[Pornlord]

The list he had was OK, but I don't want my PSN to be like XBL... I like the user interface, we have so much more that we can do with our system that setting up those "blades" or something similar doesn't seem viable. Maybe the author of this article should spend as much time playing with it as I have. Mess around with remote play, get a BD live capable disk and try that out. Browse the internet and set that up like you do with your PC. Link it up to WMP 11 and figure that out. Auto configure all of your setting (Video, Audio, and Network). I GUARANTEE that by the time you get done with it all, you will have an intimate knowledge of where everything is. Plus you can put things in specified group folders. I like the user interface. Feels more like apple than windows, and that's a good thing.

[Dmack79]

HOME.

Please Sony get this out ASAP.

[phony force slayer]

wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait waitwait wait wait wait wait

[agent864]

I disagree with one of the author's points.

Comparing just game content psn has better content by far ... full current gen game downloads -- warhawk & gran turismo, unlimited file size, way more original ip -- echochrome, pain, cac, sshd, etc. Its simply no contest.

[Nodoze]

2.40 is indeed a major step forward, and a clear indicator that Sony is listening to the fanbase. That being said there are a few things I would like to see added to the PS3 after 2.4;

1. FLAC support - Divx was a great first step, but MP3 is crap..flac
2. Google Earth - Run it as an application similar to folding
3. Internet Radio - Port the PSP capability to PS3
4. RSS outside feeds
5. Browser overhaul - flash, speed, do you want to run plugin etc
6. More visualizations
7. A PS1 and PS2 store for download of top titles
8. Tivo Features - I hate my cable box and wouldnt mind making the 3 my main Tivo box.

Granted most of the above are non game related, but in truth the PS3 is more than a game system. I want it to become the center of my media center.

[Peatris]

I dont have an xbox, iv played one a couple times though. I like the communication options in game. I also think that we should be able to make folders/playlists for our videos and games. I have over 100 videos and i would like to arrange them someway, I also like to keep demos, (i cannot stop playing the grid one)and i would like to be able to arrange them too. I think the more customization options they throw in, the better.

[onewinedangel]

according to an insider 2.40 is coming next wednesday

[LiquifiedArt]

hmmmmmm. I'd like to know where your info is coming from. :D

[TwissT]

What's next you may ask? Mozilla FireFox as the Ps3 web browser.

[sonyjunky279]

well duh, movie rentals and tv shows that would make psn perfect

[jamesrocks3147]

if in game xmb has voice over games aswel PERFECT.
but one game has a youtube uploader at 30fps. this would be good on everysingle game most games at least this also puts the file on your hard drive to. imagen recordin on how to do those glitches;) or recording something cool on GTA IV or recording MGS4 on how to get a item or weopon or something this would make PSN rock above XBL aswel as home its pretty much the icing on the cake for PSN and all FREE.

who agrees with me??

[Nitrowolf2]

whats next?
well if they dont update the internet flash then thats one thing they can do.

[Sphinx]

until 2.4 comes out before we all start getting our panties in a bunch.
I have all three consoles, and I like XBL way more than PSN right now. When 2.4 comes out, I will reassess my judgement.

[LiquifiedArt]

1) 5-10s VOICE MESSAGES
2) HOME!

Agree? Bubbles pls. :D

[Dipso]

My biggest gripe with the XMB is the music player, I have 90GB's of music stored on my 250GB hard drive and I simply love the all in one media centre capabilities of the PS3 but the search function (i.e Scrolling up and down) is painfully slow. Why does it allow to store song titles in convenient A-Z folders and yet it cannot do the same for artists??!! An artist list in A-Z folders would really take the sting out of the 2 minutes of scrolling and waiting for icons to load. Other than that I find the machine absolutely flawless. Please fix this Sony..how hard can it be?? Meanwhile the IPOD in MGS4 is reminding me just how intuitive a good music browser can be.

All said, I guess the music function isn't that important to most people.

[Iceman X]

Ok i have no idea where have of you guys have been but game invites have been there since launch my 1st PS3 game was Ridge Racer 7 and i was able to send invites from in the game on launch day, also MANY other games have this feature. Now yes we need in game messaging, it would be nice to check messages without having to leave your game. And last i do very much enjoy playing games on this so called bad service named PSN without lag lol, man i love dedicated servers, and i love BIG games like Resistance 1 40 player and now Resistance 2 60.... i guess you 360 fanboys will enjoy more Gears with more 8 player online lol damm that must be boring only 4 on 4 no choices for anything bigger..... :ast time i play Warhawk or Resistance i had the choice of 4v4 or all the way up to 16v16 or 20v20 and now 30v30 lol.

[tee_bag242]

Bout time!! It better be stable.

[zonetrooper5]

To the people saying that XBL is just P2P is half wrong actually. Both PSN and XBL used P2P and deadicated servers.

[Lord Vader]

PSN should offer alot more demos. I've got both machines, besides the discussion about chat & in game friend invites, PSN's frequency of offering game demos doesn't even compare to xbl at all. Maybe the PS3 library is smaller, but still, the difference is atrocious.

Xbl offers a helluva lot of content thats updated weekly, & yes some costs money, but demos are FREE.

For me, that is something that would help catch up to xbl besides chat & in game invites & entitlements.

[abczby]

Your a f*cking moron. I am talking about movies available through the online service. There are no f*cking movies what-so-ever available on PSN but there are over 300 at all times on Xbox Live and 150 of them are HD.

[thebudgetgamer]

as a ps3 user the thing i like most about live is that its more of a community then with psn you can see it in the games like team deatmatches where they are allway communicating you just dont get that with most playstation gamers

[athlon770]

is direct external drive management. At this point you have to move your external hard drive to your computer to add/delete a dir, or format it. I would like to be able to at least set up a new external drive from scratch from the PS3's XMB without having to dig out my Win98 floppy and set it as FAT32 then format it.

[King Neptune117]

"PSN will slightly overtake XBL. HA HA are you kidding me. Sony is just copying what Xbox already did a few years ago. It angers me that they are trying to steal the idea of achievements from Xbox. "Trophys" as they call them will fail miserably. For xbox gamers, there really is a point to getting them, it makes us want to play more and we can show off to others about it and share our gamerscores. PS3 has never had trophys or achievements before. You cant just throw a firmware update in that lets you get trophys. Its like "well can I get trophys on my other games that came out a while ago?". NO. So pretty much those games seem pointless to you because you cant get trophys on them. Being a 360 gamer, i would NEVER buy a game for the 360 if it didnt have achievements.

[athlon770]

Sorry to bust it to ya bud, but many of the games already released have had updates to them to include the Trophy system. Uncharted released with it, R&C included them, MGS4 has them. I think I read somewhere that Resistance (the original) is one of the few which will not be updated to include a trophy system.

Nice try though.

[Porgyraven]

When is coming out 2.40 Firmware ?? Please tell me ??