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The Xbox 360 versus PS3 war is one that's seemed to have raged on since the dawn of time and in the end, most of us have come to the conclusion that it boils down to personal preference rather than which is really superior. One feature that can be truly compared however is the online experience that each console has to offer; in one hand we have Xbox Live and in the other, Playstation Network. Each service has distinct similarities to the other, so in this article we'll break down the five core aspects of each of them and hopefully help you come to a conclusion at which service is ultimately better than the other.
1. Memberships
Each of the services both have a free to use membership option and a payable option, which earns you valuable perks in return. For Xbox Live, we have Silver (free) and Gold (paid), but what does each of these options entail? Well, for $50 a year Xbox Live Gold members gain access to a plethora of services including: being able to buy games and movies over the marketplace, apps such as Netflix and Hulu, marketplace deals, party chat and the ability to play multiplayer games online against other gamers around the world. For those of us who either can't fork out the money for Gold or simply don't want to, you can opt to be a Silver member where you'll receive notably little in the terms of perks as you won't be able to party chat with friends, play online or watch Netlfix. So really, all you'll basically be able to do is use the marketplace, or in other words: give Microsoft money.
Next up is the Playstation Network where users have the option of either being a regular PSN member for free, or a PSN+ member for the generic $50 a year price tag. When you strip down the free membership you begin to notice that it's essentially Xbox Live Gold; you can play online FOR FREE and you can watch Netflix/use other apps FOR FREE! If that isn't enough for you however, you can become a PSN+ member for $50 a year and gain a host of amazing perks that blow XBL Gold out of the water. With PSN+ you'll gain early beta access to selected games, you'll get to trial full games for an hour, you'll get free themes and you'll even get full games for free. For instance, this month PSN+ members were able to download InFamous 2, Little Big Planet 2 and many more. Each month the free games that are available to PSN+ members will change, and Sony have promised at least three big titles amongst those included- which we must say is an amazing gesture from Sony to their customers.
Winner: PSN
The Social Experience
In this digital age, the online experience isn't all about what apps and freebies you receive, for most gamers it's mainly about how they can connect with friends. This is something that Microsoft have successful identified to be a vital aspect of their service and with this realization in mind, we've witnessed them transform the Xbox Live dashboard into a social media hub. Over the past couple of years, we've steadily witnessed Microsoft introduce a plethora of social applications; from Twitter to MLB.TV, the dashboard is an ever-evolving hub that offers its users a real living room experience without the necessity of paying for cable services! As you may already know however, to access the majority of these amazing applications, you require Xbox Live Gold. With your XBL Gold subscription you'll also receive the ability to party-chat with up to eight friends over XBL across any games, and this is possibly the most basic, but fundamental aspect of the social experience on Xbox Live, as with it, gamers can truly stay in-tune with their buddies.
Playstation Network on the other hand is notably bare compared to Xbox Live on the terms of the social experience that it offers. Whilst PSN does have vital apps such as Netflix and LoveFilm, that's all it really has (other than your basic local television networks) and whilst this isn't that much of an issue, it does leave PSN in XBL's trail. Things don't get better for PSN's social experience sadly, as not only do you only have access to a small library of applications, but you're also unable to participate in cross game chat with friends and there's no party chat all-together! This is one of PSN's biggest flaws in most gamers eyes, as it leaves us confined to playing ourselves without anyone to talk to and essentially alone on a service with millions of users worldwide using it...It's a shame really.
Winner: XBL
Security
These days hacking has became known to not only gamers, but almost anyone who reads the news. The mainstream media have outlined these people in the past; from the illusive Anonymous Operations, to LulzSec, these groups have firmly booked their place in the 6pm evening news in recent times. Unfortunately these renegade groups have no remorse for us gamers, and we've witnessed hacking on a massive scale being aimed towards our beloved consoles. The PSN has had a target painted on its back since day one, where the hackers initially seized access to countless accounts; where they invaded our private details and even stole our credit card information! Intrusions such as this haven't been a one-time occurrence on the PSN, in fact they've actually almost became pretty frequent for attacks of this scale. With Sony's infrastructure being so brutally breached, their only solution for these problems seems to be to totally shut down PSN temporarily, and as you may of already guessed, the down-time caused global outrage from their customers - which led to a vast amount of them unsubscribing from PSN all-together!
Sony's weakness in security is something that cynical Xbox 360 gamers have notably mocked in the past and used as a claim to their console throne, but is the Xbox 360's security any better? Well, the answer is no. Xbox Live Gamertags have (and still are) hacked on a grand scale, but the only difference seems to be is that Microsoft keeps these intrusions sneakily under the radar. One of the most popular hacking-schemes on XBL is when Gamertags are hacked specifically for FIFA Ultimate Team. Once these accounts have been seized, the thief then commonly buys 10,000MSP with the original owners credit card/PayPal and then sells the account for roughly $25 for others to then use the account and buy Ultimate Team card packs without the worry of the FBI knocking on their door! So how exactly do these people attain our accounts? Well, sometimes it's because our passwords are easily guessed, and other times Microsoft employees actually assist the hackers! Of course, they don't know they're doing so, but via social engineering, the hackers essentially trick Microsoft employees into giving up account details, it's a vicious cycle...
Winner: Nobody
First Party Effort to Developers
Whilst a vast amount of money can rest in blockbuster titles, there's also a considerable deal of cash flow in the arcade markets. Millions of gamers have began to swing towards these arcade titles in recent years, as the allure of eccentric games that offer invaluable fun is simply too tempting for most of us. With the recent influx of gamers towards this market, we've also witnessed an equally large stream of indie developers come over to XBLA and PSN. XBLA arcade is no doubt critically acclaimed, where it hosts popular titles such as Trials HD and Minecraft (exclusively), but this issue is, these titles aren't made nor funded by them. This is something that is off-putting for smaller developers as they know that they require an initial booster fund to make their game and get it onto XBLA and if they don't get a good profitable return from it, they'll go bust, as more often than not Microsoft offer no continuation plan for them. To some, it appears that even if you hold potential, XBLA can be brutally unforgiving if you don't attract the right crowd and make your money.
On the other hand, Sony have been tremendously known for offering great starter and continuation plans to budding developers and with their will to work with these independent developers, we've witnessed a glorious banquet of exclusive titles such as Flow and Flower come to the PSN with emphatic beauty. While it may be argued that the PSN's library is not as vast as XBLA's, it must be noted that Sony focus more on quality first-party content; where they support developers and build great titles from the ground up!
Winner: Sony
Multiplayer
Perhaps the most vital aspect of an online gaming service is the multiplayer experience that it has to offer, in the past we've witnessed consoles such as the Wii fall out of favor because they don't appease the avid gamer crowd who look for a competitive online experience. The PSN offers a great online service, where you can face gamers around the world on a multitude of games, but what does it offer for the elephant in the room: Call of Duty? Well for the past few Call of Duty titles it's gradually fell out of favor, lag and latency issues have been at an all time high and the developers of each CoD title have progressively shunned PSN all-together with delayed updates and content. On the terms of general gaming of any game, the PSN community seems to be more estranged than anything, you can often be in a game where nobody else has a microphone in except from that annoy kid who has dubstep blasting down his microphone! Communicating and working as a team online on PSN is essentially non-existent at times, it seems more like users use PSN multiplayers games for a more casual, private approach.
Xbox Live on the other hand has an absolutely stellar online experience which draws in a more hardcore crowd of gamers, particularly within Call of Duty. There's no doubt that if you're one of the +25 million who buy CoD each year, Xbox Live is the place to be; where you get every DLC package at least a month before PSN users. The games also seem to be supported more on Xbox Live, with updates coming asap to the service first as a priority. Communicating with others on Xbox Live also seems much more present, it's not unusual to join a lobby of gamers who're all participating in a chat and who're often more than welcoming in allowing you to join in - although you may occasionally run into someone who finds it necessary to tell you that they had sexual relations with your mother...Never-the-less, it's a more interactive experience.
Winner: Xbox Live
So with two apiece, who wins? Well that's up-to you, the reader. It all boils down to what you personally prefer; do you enjoy perks for your money and great first-party online titles? Or would you rather have an amazing social experience whilst battling it out on early DLC? Let us know in the comments below!
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