Why is XBLA significantly better than PSN?

[Geo Da Sponge]

1. Private chat which can be used between two people, no matter what they are doing.
2. The Party function, which allows a fairly large number of people to move between games easily and allows them all to chat as if they were in Private chat.
3. Mic capability is required for all games.
4. Netflix.
5. Wider variety of stuff on XBL.

Okay, it's not really worth the cash, but I do enjoy the party and chat features regularly, which apparently PSN doesn't have.

I will say though, I doubt anything that XBL delivers would make it worth the $1199 price for 3 months of Gold [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000B9RI0K/sr=8-2/qid=1234652893/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1234652893&sr=8-2&seller=&colid=&condition=used]

Yeah, for that price you could buy... like... half a playstation 3.

Or all the repairs you'd need for your 360 in a week.

You mean the ones I get for free? Yeah, they can be quite costy.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

You know, I'm not sure.
I've often heard the same argument. Now, for the record, I'm a 360 owner and LIVE subscriber. I greatly enjoy XBL, and it completely suits my needs. But I wouldn't mind hearing some of these 'examples' myself.

EDIT: I'm also not one to trash the PS3. It's not for me, but it's certainly a good console. So I'm interested in the examples out of curiosity, not for fuel for the fan-boy wars.

He sums up my opinion.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

I have a 360, and I play like 1 or 2 arcade games. Braid mostly.

 

[Spudgun Man]

Hmm my flamewar senses are tingling!

 

[RAKais]

I will say though, I doubt anything that XBL delivers would make it worth the $1199 price for 3 months of Gold [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000B9RI0K/sr=8-2/qid=1234652893/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1234652893&sr=8-2&seller=&colid=&condition=used]

Yeah, for that price you could buy... like... half a playstation 3.

Or all the repairs you'd need for your 360 in a week.

Okay, I know this may come as a shock to you Mr. Troll. But xbox 360s do not break down as often as you think. Jesus.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I'd have to say that the main superiority I've experienced is that XBLA works much better on my Xbox than PSN does...

This is one of those comparisons more important to Console Warriors than sane consumers, really. Use the network that's associated with your console of choice, be it PSN or XBLA or Wiinet.

-- Steve

 

[Baby Tea]

Theres a conference chat system on the PsN, but it requires you to be out of the game. It makes sense from a practical standpoint, as hearing five different explosions would make gaming kinda difficult, but its uses are kinda limmited.

The party system is there, though, at least in all Ps3 exclusives.

Seems like it's there, even if a little on the 'not as featured' side.
Indigo, you're a big PS3 guy: Any other features different between the two that you're aware of?

 

[AceDiamond]

I will say though, I doubt anything that XBL delivers would make it worth the $1199 price for 3 months of Gold [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000B9RI0K/sr=8-2/qid=1234652893/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1234652893&sr=8-2&seller=&colid=&condition=used]

Yeah, for that price you could buy... like... half a playstation 3.

Or all the repairs you'd need for your 360 in a week.

You mean the ones I get for free? Yeah, they can be quite costy.

Really? The repairs where you get the console back on the day you need it, as opposed to in 6 months, are free now?

If by 6 months you mean 1 month and by "$1200 for 3 months of Live" you mean "$50 for 13 months of Live", then yes. But of course you don't mean that, you'd rather misrepresent.

Oh and for the record, my 360 has broken down ONCE in the 3 years I've had it, and that was at the start of its lifespan, so I think I've come out pretty well off.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Obviously, free is better than not free, but is $5 a month really such a damn hardship?

 

[Inverse Skies]

I'd have to say that the main superiority I've experienced is that XBLA works much better on my Xbox than PSN does...

This is one of those comparisons more important to Console Warriors than sane consumers, really. Use the network that's associated with your console of choice, be it PSN or XBLA or Wiinet.

-- Steve

This is particulary well said. Really, when you get down to it, both are pretty much the same as each other. Just use the one which corresponds to the console you own/are using at that time (if you own more than one). It's pretty simple really.

 

[Baby Tea]

Obviously, free is better than not free, but is $5 a month really such a damn hardship?

Susan, another reason I wuv you.
People get so uptight about the cost of XBL like it's fiscal leprosy.
You know, my wife got annoyed at the cost of XBL when I bought my 13 month subscription... then I told her the $50 was for 13 months. She was fine with it immediately after.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I would definitely agree that PSN's use of actual dollar amounts for pricing is preferable over the SpaceBucks model on XBL.

 

[Baby Tea]

Not that I'm really aware of - I think the PsN might be the only one that allows the full downloading of current gen titles (stuff like Warhawk, Burnout Paradise, Tom Clancy's Endwar, and a few half titles like Siren: Blood Curse and Quest for Booty), but Live might do that too. The PsN also might be the only one that allows the in game purchasing of DLC (i.e. you don't exit the game while its acquired, downloaded and installed) but again, the same featuree might be on XBL, I'm not sure. I'm also pretty sure that neither service has tried to bring the video download service, Netflix or otherwise, to Europe or Oceania, so far. Apart from price and a few select titles, the distinctions aren't as great as they are in many other areas, cept for the payment issue, but that is really more a per-person distinction than a universally said benefit to one (I think people with access to a credit card would prefer the PsN, as it only charges what you need to pay instead of a points conversion thing, and people without would prefer XBL, as it allows you to buy the points in most stores.

I think some titles have in game purchasing on XBL, though I think that's more of a developer thing.

Also, in reference to the movie issue, I know that XBL doesn't have Netflix available in Canada either (And the movie selection isn't nearly as big as it is in the US). I wonder if the PSN has the same issue in Canada...weird.

Well it seems the differences aren't as huge as either company (Or fan boy base) would like you to believe. Oh well, to each their own!

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Theres a conference chat system on the PsN, but it requires you to be out of the game. It makes sense from a practical standpoint, as hearing five different explosions would make gaming kinda difficult, but its uses are kinda limmited.

The party system is there, though, at least in all Ps3 exclusives.

Seems like it's there, even if a little on the 'not as featured' side.
Indigo, you're a big PS3 guy: Any other features different between the two that you're aware of?

Not that I'm really aware of - I think the PsN might be the only one that allows the full downloading of current gen titles (stuff like Warhawk, Burnout Paradise, Tom Clancy's Endwar, and a few half titles like Siren: Blood Curse and Quest for Booty), but Live might do that too. The PsN also might be the only one that allows the in game purchasing of DLC (i.e. you don't exit the game while its acquired, downloaded and installed) but again, the same featuree might be on XBL, I'm not sure. I'm also pretty sure that neither service has tried to bring the video download service, Netflix or otherwise, to Europe or Oceania, so far. Apart from price and a few select titles, the distinctions aren't as great as they are in many other areas, cept for the payment issue, but that is really more a per-person distinction than a universally said benefit to one (I think people with access to a credit card would prefer the PsN, as it only charges what you need to pay instead of a points conversion thing, and people without would prefer XBL, as it allows you to buy the points in most stores.

XBL had video downloads before Netflix came along, and those ones work fine in Europe at least.

I will say though, I doubt anything that XBL delivers would make it worth the $1199 price for 3 months of Gold [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000B9RI0K/sr=8-2/qid=1234652893/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1234652893&sr=8-2&seller=&colid=&condition=used]

Yeah, for that price you could buy... like... half a playstation 3.

Or all the repairs you'd need for your 360 in a week.

You mean the ones I get for free? Yeah, they can be quite costy.

Really? The repairs where you get the console back on the day you need it, as opposed to in 6 months, are free now?

You get free repairs and your console back in 2-3 weeks. Not six months. It's obviously a bummer, but not nearly as bad as you describe it.

 

[The Wooster]

I will say though, I doubt anything that XBL delivers would make it worth the $1199 price for 3 months of Gold [http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000B9RI0K/sr=8-2/qid=1234652893/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=1234652893&sr=8-2&seller=&colid=&condition=used]

Yeah, for that price you could buy... like... half a playstation 3.

Or all the repairs you'd need for your 360 in a week.

Repairs? More like replacements. Nice one.