Top 5 Changes Needed on the PlayStation Network

Loot Ninja writes:

"We’re all multi-console gamers here at Loot Ninja with most of our gaming time spent online. The two big players, Microsoft and Sony, have both evolved their online status steadily from their respective launches, but both have some things that could change to enhance the experience for gamers. In this installment, we’ll be covering the Top 5 changes needed on the PlayStation Network to make it a better system for everyone."

[DufferO8]

2 and 4 deffo

[Red_Orange_Juice]

xgame chat
party system (#1 for me)
one button message reading

[MinskyM]

The list of improvements to PSN are minuscule compared to what XBL needs to come up to Sony online service:

* Free online play - no more inane fees just to be allowed to play online games

* Standard dedicated servers - paying 60 dollars a year for laggy P2P based online games is an absolute joke. Gamers shouldn't have to worry whether the idiot hosting their game is downloading porn or mp3 torrents causing lag and connection problems

* Just copy Sony's Trophy system. Microsoft did a poor job of copying Sony/Insomniac's Skill Points from the Spyro the Dragon games. The completely pointless gamerscore needs to go and be replace by a copy of Sony's Platinum,Gold,Silver,and Bronze system.

* Get rid of the creepy Nintendo Mii avatar ripoff and find some way to come up with a copy of Home. Last I heard there were some 15-20 million people regularly logging into Home spending huge amounts of money on virtual items.

* Get rid of the inane hostility to mods and free content from developers.

[darthv72]

I dont mind queuing up items for download but to then actually initiate the download and then on top, you have to install it after its downloaded.

It should flow like this, you pick item and it begins to download. As it is downloading you queue up other items to follow. While the download is occurring, it is also installing that item. Basically a streamed installation of what you are downloading.

I would also like to be able to jump back and forth from the store without being told/asked to acknowledge yes or no. I should be able to come and go as i please.

For that, the store would basically need to BECOME the xmb or more part of it than it is now.

edit @minsky. Some of those are good. I do have to say that even PSN has some P2P games and XBL does have some dedicated servers. The nod on the ded does go to sony though.

I would like to be able to do other stuff with my home boy than just walk around in home. At least MS is slowly adding in avatar support to games. I went to the trouble of pimping out my guy. I want him to be seen all over the place not just in home.

Have him be a driver in GT5 or maybe play table tennis in sports champ.

Free online...wish but not likely. If anything they need to have shared gold access. I think they have a family plan but I am not sure about that. I should be able to let other people play on my 360 without using my profile. If a gold profile resides on the system and there are some silvers, they should be able to play online using a gold member check before hand. It really wouldnt be that hard to do but it is MS.

[kneon]

I don't care about most of those. I want online game saves so I can log in to any PS3 and pick up where I left off. I'd even be willing to pay so they can put it in PSN+ if they want.

[-Alpha]

@Minsky

What does this have to do with XBL? Every time I've seen a PSN suggestion list I've seen so many people here get defensive over it, especially when someone dare suggests an XBL-related feature. MS's territory is software, they have a real nice system, there are basic things Sony doesn't have that would GREATLY improve PSN. In fact, if you've ever used XBL you'd know that there are a great many small things that make XBL so much more polished, and they are real simple things that Sony can add. Sony isn't perfect, they can learn, and they can learn from guys like MS and Valve, yet people get so bent out of shape when they hear the slightest criticism. Instead of derailing the topic, why not offer some constructive, on topic criticism?

There is nothing wrong with the achievement system, the trophy system is a great concept, but it's no better when devs just lazily copy and paste from platforms.

It's 2 bad Sony couldn't get devs to make exclusive trophies. They've just ended up as bad copies of Achievements.

I always imagined Trophies to be like this:

Every trophy has the potential to be earned as a gold, silver, or bronze. The unlocks are dynamic and they are given based on completion of skill requirements. So, for example, completing a level on easy= bronze, but completing it on hard without dying= gold. And people who get that bronze trophy can replay a level to convert it into a gold. That way, REAL good players would have more gold than bronze trophies, and the best players would have only Gold trophies, instead of a bunch of bronze trophies, less gold trophies, and a platinum which requires a whole bunch of other bronze trophies.

Yet all we get is a similar system to Achievements, with the achievements divided up into 4 trophies.

The achievement system is much better integrated when you consider that unlike PSN Trophies it has had support since the beginning. Trophy support feels incomplete without the earlier games support, the achievement point system isn't that different, all it is is you see a big chunky number. Some people prefer that. I don't see why MS ought to just copy the trophy system when it's no different in actual execution.

How can u say XBL copies from Spyro? That's like saying Sony stole the trophy system from TimeSplitters' challenge mode. This is just a weak way of knocking down Achievements.

Sony has a LOT of things to improve on, don't switch the topic to XBL when it has little to do with this. People on here act as if the PSN has nothing to learn and then act as if PSN better when somebody suggests a feature that XBL has as if Sony is somehow better than them. Why the hostility? So many people agree with your critique of XBL, but then disagree with any critique of PSN. PSN is far from perfect and there are many things it can use.

The fact that "If u want to chat, use a phone" can be used as an excuse as to why Cross Chat doesn't matter proves how insanely hostile people are to criticism.

X chat is a much more convenient system than sending a message, this is common sense, and people shrug it off as if PSN is above that feature. Yet it's the most demanded from PS3 fans themselves. Many people have conversations on PSN either through messaging or text rooms. Isn't it logical that Cross Chat is the better option that not only saves time, but improves efficiency and keeps your gameplay experience seamless?

I do agree with this article and find that it's something a majority of PS3 users would benefit from

[MeatPopsicle]

"You've earned a Skill Point"

"You've unlocked an achievement"

Yep, Microsoft TOTALLY didn't ripoff Sony's Skill Points...

LOL...

What is unbelievable about Microsoft's ripoff of Sony's Skill Point is they either didn't grasp it or were such non-gamers they saw it as nothing more than something to use to get people to buy junk games to up the attach rate.

Skill Points were a wonderful way of extending the value of the game by providing the player with an incentive to keep playing the game and being rewarded with unlocking content for their effort.

Microsoft's copy completely missed that point and instead turned it into the completely idiotic 'gamer score' that means absolutely nothing. It basically is just an epenis that gets Xbox owners to buy junk games to build up their silly little number.

It isn't surprising why everyone wants Microsoft to copy Sony's Trophy system since they are the ones who came up with the concept in the first place. At a glance you can immediately tell what type of gamers a person is by what types of Trophies they have. Plats lets you know you have a serious gamers on your hands. Only Bronze and you've got a casual nibbler who plays lightly. A very fine grained and efficient way to look at another gamer and get to know about their gaming style.

[-Alpha]

Saying MS ripped off achievements off of Spyro is a nice way to show off how much you are willing to bend the facts to favor Sony.

By your logic, does this make Trophies a rip off of Achievements or Timesplitter challenges? Or are you going to continue fooling yourself into thinking that the idea was created all on its own by Sony?

Love your spin. Sony didn't make Spyro btw, Insomniac did, so you are wrong either way ;)

You try to knockdown achievements for the dumbest reason. Unlocking in-game challenges has been in many games, you miss the point of what MS did by universalizing it and making it prolific, and Sony consequently copying that feature for PSN. But of course, you'd rather continue to go out of your way to discredit Sony by acting as if their system is better when it simply uses the Achievements from XBL games. Not to mention that trophies aren't fully supported in the PS3 library and that they are poorly integrated (lack of auto-sync, hidden behind profile cards until recently).

Instead you'd rather bash XBL when the topic is about PSN, nice way of trolling, I guess you'd rather act as if Sony's PSN is perfect instead of growing a backbone and being able to maturely discuss its faults.

[kneon]

Wasn't there a R&C game that had achievements? Maybe Insomniac is to blame/praise for all this after all.

[Christopher]

Don't care at all about x-game chat. Heck, in online games I tend to go w/voice chat muted just so I don't have to hear someone's conversation with their friend in real life or hear kids curse and complain.

Also don't care about multiple account sign ins. Haven't had any complaints when I play with others that they can't log in to their account to play. I guess that's because myself and the people I play with don't care about stats or trophies, just about having fun playing a game.

#3 is a design concept that's better as it is right now. Currently, if someone goes in and sets a few items to download, they can still find and select something to download immediately without being automatically forced into a queue behind a few hundred MBs of software downloads. Giving people the option to download now or add it to the queue is better the way it is now rather than forcing the decision on the user.

#4 is the first one I agree with completely. Europe doesn't do a bad job, but NA just sucks, IMHO. They don't share trophy data openly even so that services like Raptr can track what you play and your trophies. Doesn't make any sense to me why Sony is very closed off to creating a community based around gaming.

#5 Again, absolutely. I hate seeing the syncing of trophies every time I start up Fallout New Vegas. I hate how long it takes to view one's trophy profile if you haven't looked at it for a long time. I hate that it's designed solely from the perspective of the user having an SD resolution TV rather than taking advantage of those of us with HD resolution TVs.

Edit: I'll add another thing Sony should fix, and that's buying seasons of a TV show rather than just individual episodes. Both iTunes and Amazon offer the option to buy complete seasons for a bundle price, but PSN requires you buy individual episodes. It's a pain when you have to go through and select each one individually and it's a pain that there's no incentive to buya whole season at all. Same thing with comics as well.

[blumatt]

...is a unified party system, but that probably won't come until the PS4 when it'll be made mandatory. Cross game chat will probably be implemented into every game also for PS4. I'm not getting my hopes up for either feature until the PS4 drops, which should be a couple years away.
------------------
Edit: I completely agree with you, man. I'm not hoping for Cross Game Chat. I just figure that with the number of people asking for it, eventually Sony will give in and the PS4 would be the perfect time to do it and make it work with EVERY game. A party system is something I DO hope comes out before the PS4 drops (but is still made standard with EVERY game on the PS4 also).

[Dramscus]

I hope not.
Cross game party chat breaks games that rely on strategy and teamwork.
I couldn't imagine playing mag and not talking to the other people playing mag.

Besides whats the point in having a group of people playing different games talking in the same "chatroom" go hang out, find some friends, talk on the phone, or get a life, anything at all.

[8-bit]

You really fail to see any use to xgame chat. It could be used for people who are in the same game and in different matches. For example, if you and some friends are in a Killzone clan and are spread out looking for a clan war. You can still talk to each other and discuss rules, player count and so on. Once you have everything in order then you set up the match and every one joins in. That is just one instance where xgame chat beats sending messages. I am sure there are many more reasons that a feature like that can be used.

[Dramscus]

No I can see limited use for it but I can see it breaking the in place chat system that many games use.

In the instance of killzone it would be fine for people in death matches but anybody in a two team based match should be in a group chat with the team in the match they are playing in. Not talking to other people arranging a different match.
It would work well for single player games, but would be a pain for people not using it in multiplayer.

[creatchee]

You guys fail to see party chat's usefulness because you look at it from a multiplayer gaming standpoint only. I may be playing Guitar Hero, and one friend is in COD and another in Assassin's Creed and another in Geometry Wars and so on. We're chatting and playing our own games - having a good time.. Then Tommy or Ricky says: "hey, let's play Halo." So he starts a game, we click our guide buttons, select him, hit Join Game, we get prompted to insert the Halo disc, we put it in, and then we're there. Then when were done, we can all go together to play poker, or UNO, or watch a Netflix movie.

It's a great system and I wish that there was something similar for my PS3.

[deadreckoning666]

They missed multitasking. Its been four years and I still can't log on to the PS Store or Internet Browser while in game. Also, I still can't download demos while in-game. Don't understand why Sony hasn't done anything about it. There have been thousands of comments on Playstation.com forums about this.

"Cross game party chat breaks games that rely on strategy and teamwork.
I couldn't imagine playing mag and not talking to the other people playing mag."

Thats irrelavent. Its the PLAYER'S choice(not yours) if he wants to talk to another person or not. If you don't like people who use X-game chat while playing team based games..then simply don't play with them. Just because you don't like X-game chat, doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else.

Edit: 4 disagrees. WOW...the people here aren't even real PS3 fans. There just children that need something to defend all day long because they don't have lives. If you people were REAL PS3 fans, you'd be thinking of ways to improve PSN rather than pretend its PERFECT.

@MeatPopsicle- Wait lol..hold on, let me get this straight. Your saying that ANYONE who wants X-game chat for PSN is a Xbox fanboy? Bro..people like you aren't even worth it. Whats wrong with wanting to see improvements to PSN? If it were up to people like YOU...Sony would never have any firmware updates because according to the fanboys on N4G...PSN is FLAWLESS. Wow..just wow.

@DragonKnight- So I'm trolling because I want to see PSN improve? LMAO. And tax the OS? The PS3 is the MOST powerful console this gen and your saying that logging into the PS Store while in game is too much to ask? If anyone here is trolling..its you.

[DragonKnight]

Why in the hell would you WANT to tax the OS like that while IN a game? Stop trolling.

[Seijoru]

it depends on the game, most single-player only games allow for simultaneous download.

[KiRBY3000]

you can download demos while in-game. but if you are playing online, the download pauses to avoid lag issues.

[Philaroni]

Well powerful yes, but both systems have limited RAM. On the PS3 side its divided between the system and graphics. I think that might be the reason some of this stuff has not happened yet. Its all about optimization in the end, that and it depends on what they use to code it, not sure if the PS3's OS is C++ based, I know the Xbox OS is. If that is the case then there is always more ways to get things running faster. If it is C# or for some reason Java then not so much.

[moneygun2]

seem to like to say wow alot dead, I will be honest, I didn't agree with you until you were able to display your mastery of the English language and provide that kind of online emotionless emphasis. WOW man you have made me a believer, wow.

[MeatPopsicle]

"Cross Game Chat "

LOL - Xbox fanboys are still desperately trying to hype this silly little feature to try to justify their crappy 60 dollar a year laggy P2P online service.

"Multiple account sign-in capabilities on a system-wide level"

Meh.

"Automatic installs for downloads and revamped Download Queue"

Meh.

"More integration of all services including the web"

Meh.

"Trophies should automatically sync and be more streamlined"

Meh.

Don't waste anyone times trying to hype your console's online service until it can get the two most basic things right:

1. Free online play for everyone

2. Standard dedicated servers for all online games for lagfree gaming

[Capdastaro]

Stop getting all defensive, child....

[Dnied]

wow

cross game chat isn't something "xbox fanboys" are desperately trying to hype, its a very popular feature on xbox yes, but I would say more half of all psn users are looking for this and it may not even be from xbox, but coming from PC where you have vent, teamspeak, skype etc.

Creating a party in the background with some local friends while everyone is playing different games and what not is an excellent feature if you're in any way social.

It's even better to have this feature if you're all in the same game together and want to carry your own conversations with just your close friends. If you want to play a single player game and don't want to be interrupted, dont join a private chat.

ot: I agree with all the points made in this article but I do realize some of them aren't realistic at the moment but atleast Sony knows what the public wants for ps4

[MeatPopsicle]

"but I would say more half of all psn users are looking for this "

LOL...no.

[Dnied]

um, yea? lol

It's been labeled the most requested feature for years now, and Sony has received enough pressure from people to make statements regarding whether or not they were trying, or not trying to add it so I'd say its pretty popular

and besides the point here, because neither of us actually know.. how is cross game chat useless? I can see it being useless if you don't have any friends on your console but I'm pretty sure we all do

My whole point is that it isn't "xbox fanboys" who want this feature I don't know why you felt the need to even bring xbox into this :\

[-Alpha]

@MEat

All you have to do is look at PS3's own forums to see how requested it is.

You run through the list and childishly write "meh" for all the features as if it's a good argument?

It's insane how many PSN users arrogantly act as if PSN can't learn from XBL, but XBL somehow has to learn everything from PSN.

Before trophies PS3 users acted as if it didn't matter, and now that they have their own achievement system they are so proud of it.

[MinskyM]

"and now that they have their own achievement system they are so proud of it."

LOL!

Did you actually just try to give credit to Microsoft for their ripoff of Sony and Insomniac's Skill Point system?

http://www.darkspyro.net/ye...

Now that is hilarious. Reminds me of Xbox fans calling other games copies of their Kill.switch clone Gears of War.

[Dnied]

Min chill dude MS didn't rip it off even if it was used as inspiration they definately did expand upon it and make it a pretty solid system for perfectionists.. for every game not just 1, and all integrated into 1 system.

I don't see how you can't appreciate SOME of the things MS has brought to gaming... Trophies were made because they saw the potential in the achievement system and how it tailored to some types of gamers, and add replay value to their own games.. there is no doubt about that...

I do prefer trophies and the psn "levels" though.. Sony did a good job of taking it even farther and improving upon it ... minus the manual syncing lol :D

[Paralex]

U mad bro?

[Philaroni]

I don't think any of that is going to happen, Sony has had more then enough time to do it, overall its a very simple thing to do. They just seem to have no drive to do it and it does not help that many PS3 owners always say PSN is perfect and brag how it is free. There is a long list of things they could do but simple things like moving the battery Icon took them forever to do. Only decent thing we ever got was the In game XMB ( Which is very impractical to have the hole thing in there.) and trophy's, since then we not got one update that was for games, it has all been media updates like 3D, Photo Galleries and what not.

[DragonKnight]

So when's your console coming out with all of these simple to include features? How much is it going to cost? How are you going to get around patents and game implementations that don't cause the game to suffer? When can we buy your console?

Never?

Oh, so you're judging the PS3 like you know what you're talking about when you don't? Oh ok, maybe you'd want to say that next time. /s

[Philaroni]

It is an issue Sony has as a company, they never have had till now to really need to do this kind of thing. There is a major difference between judging and giving constructive feedback, I don't expect anyone to agree with me on this being most gamers don't understand such things very well. Sony does well in R&D and Design but this is the first time where they needed to more or less build software as well, I don't expect it to happen over night. Its just a place they need to improve on is all.

[cliffbo]

mmmmmmm... i wonder why things that PSN and PS+ has got that LIVE hasn't never figures in these comparisons?

[plb]

I'm pretty sure it would never happen but I think Netflix integration in the PS Home theater would be pretty awesome

[Paralex]

I agree with most things. Most of these things don't have to do with PSN, but rather the PS3's XMB OS itself. Cross game chat isn't required, but would be nice to easily invite a group of friends into a game.

[Philaroni]

There is alot of things they need to do but like I was saying above, I don't think Sony has the resources to do something like that on there own. Every game out there for the most part is coded in Visual Studio, and MS more or less runs C# and C++ they also built things like XNA which is another environment you can use to make games. Its what we build our games on in class, that and Unity and Blender. It looks like Sony is working with Google on things, popular thing to do is to partner with a company that is strong where you are weak. So things with the XMB and just over all OS and software side of the PS3 could benefit in the long run assuming that is what part of their partnership entails.

[Paralex]

I'd like to see a new OS, but with the same XMB GUI so the average user wouldn't notice much of a difference. Maybe an OS that will make things more efficient when it comes to downloading updates/DLC, maintaining friends and messages, etc. Maybe a partnership with Google would be a good idea to implement a new OS.

[Philaroni]

To be honest it would make more sense for them to more or less like on FW 4.0 have a new OS that has been built from the ground out. More then trying to optimize and streamline the current one. MS more or less did that with NXE. I'd rather Sony did that then just keep giving out FW updates that fix things a little at a time.

[Paralex]

It would be great, but in reality it would just cause a conflict with the existing titles, unfortunately :(. Damn you technology.

[dead_eye]

As long as I can play online I don't care about the rest.

[msbabie20034]

but you telling me as a gamer that in my other post down there that you WOULDN'T USE those features on psn? BS you wouldn't, and i'm willing to bet that all psn users outside of this sony fanboy site would agree with me.

one look at sony's forums confirms this to me. even if they added a fee, i bet people would pay for a better psn experience like the one i described below. if sony did those things for free then that is all great too.

unlike most in this world though, i don't expect things for NOTHING. who knows they could use revenue from ps+ to implement these things. we will see, or they will def be coming to ps4 i am sure anyways.

[msbabie20034]

psn needs to transform into a more "connected community"

thats the main reason why i still use live. psn is fine for free but it doesn't have that connected feeling to it that live has. period.

cross game invites- psn needs desparately. let me hit my ps button go to my list hit triangle and bam invite sent-

voice messaging- man i really wish psn had this. texting sucks really, and the added convince of sending a 20 second or whatever voice message would be great.

the other chat options that live has that psn don't really aren't as big of a deal to me. if sony we're to include these 2 things i listed here above, and even if they charged a sub fee, i'd pay, and leave live alone for good. my acct with live runs out in dec, and if it wasn't for long time live friends and my g/f i'd let it go now.

not really wanting to pay anymore for things i don't use on live and especially with the live rate hike now in effect. if sony started charging for the features i want up there in my post, things that ALL gamers WOULD USE, then i'd be fine with it is all im saying. screw facebook, twitter, espn and all that on live. NEVER USED THEM ANYWAYS.

peace.

[bananlol]

Starting with mw2 psn actually have cross game invites. Well i guess its all new games registered after s specific date but soon all new games will require it.

Voice messaging would be great, sucks using a on screen keyboard, or a keyboard of any kind.

[Pillville]

How about everything here:
http://share.blog.us.playst...

However, NONE of these will happen with PS3.

PS4 will probably be a robust online social game machine, but the PS3 is too old now for Sony to invest in making major changes to the OS.

[TheBalloMan]

why are xbox fanboys trolling on a psn article about ps3 owners trolling on the article???
hypocrite much?

[divideby0]

x game chat.. the rest are nits

I am a charter day one paying Gold Live member (who here can say that also ??)

and I want FREE online gaming for Live.. to me thats the biggest disappointment when comparing the 2 services.. all the rest are just creature features and frills...

having to pay to play online, like I have for what 6 or 7 years now is the worst issue for Live

DAs.. I know you rather continue to pay to play online....LMAO

[Orionsangel]

The ability to join a friends game without having to ask for an invite.

Being able to see my friends location in a game.

Party voice chat while playing a game.

Yeah all common XBL features.

[Kanadajin]

Yes they are common XBL features. But you are paying for those features. Maybe Sony would charge to have those things as well?

Just a thought.

[bananlol]

You can see where people are in game in games made after a certain date.

[Achemki]

True. Most new games have it and have had it for some time. Newest example is 007 Bloodstone. The ticker updates even as gameplay changes, like if a firefight starts.

[kingslayer1000]

all features that arent needed

[Bounkass]

1 + 5 + PS button instant message reading. Sorted.

[bananlol]

That is so annoying, they should sort that out.

[IHateYouFanboys]

i honestly cant believe that lots of sony fanboys think that Spyro was the first game in HISTORY to feature challenges to complete hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ha.

maybe if the first games youd ever played were on the PS1/PS2, but if youd ever played video games before then youd know just how idiotic youre making yourself look.

i agree with the list, and would also add a more streamlined in-game XMB to the list. i dont want to have to bring up a big slow full-screen XMB to check a message - i want a small, lightweight, FAST abbreviated menu. just displaying the regular XMB over the top of the screen is stupid.

[Achemki]

I agree with #5 BUT they didn't have to overembelish it. It does NOT take up to a couple minutes to load your friends' trophies, lol. Not even people with 2000+ trophies. Why lie? Just stick to the facts, or pop some ritalin.