Sony to launch Xbox Live-killer?
By Evan Blass 
posted January 31st 2006 6:20PM
posted January 31st 2006 6:20PM
Word is spreading like wildfire around the gaming community about a supposed scan from the upcoming March
issue of PlayStation Magazine that seems to indicate Sony is planning to launch a "full-frontal assault" on
Microsoft's Xbox Live service. This new "PlayStation Network" is promised by a Sony insider to meet or exceed
all of Live's capabilities and incorporate both the PS3 and PSP. Since no further details are available, we're gonna
consider this "bigger than Live" talk to be just primping until we actually see some specs and screenshots.
It's not a big surprise that Sony is heading in this direction--a recent online questionnaire signaled as much--the
only surprise here is why it's taken them so long to get their act together (and the current fragmented online options
don't count).[Via Joystiq]
Sony would be stupid not to develop an online service. The PS3, PSP and other hardware with network-capacity could benefit from it (Blu-Ray dvd-players, hdtv's etc.). On the software-side, Sony has a lot to learn from MS though, so it will not be easy.
This is simply PSM and their "sources". I'm sure Sony is cooking up something nice, but this kind of talk isn't particularly useful ("Live-killer" etc.). But I guess you guys need to give yourself an opportunity to talk about Sony breaking promises, eh? Just remember - there's zero quotes from Sony in that article.
Why on earth does this looks like a bunch of teenagers trying to convince themself that their hard earned cash put into the xbox 360 was worth it?
Sony is a master of putting out the good word about the products to keep the anticipation up. might become too much and end up a bit dissadisfied but they've always came up with top notch stuff. The PSP is a brilliant piece of machine, the PS2 was in its time, the PS1 was amazing when it first came. They shrunk both the ps1 and ps2 and now they're very handy and still capeable machines.
Sony know what to do, they know without a decent live system they're going to have trouble getting the last straw on the buyers. I'm not convinced it's going to surpass the new xbox live, but it's going to be great.
So just let time tell, i'll be here waiting to see what's the fuzz about ps3 is all about.
For years, Nintendo had not internet strategy to speak of; now they've gone into that space in a BIG way. Their wifi initiative is IMPRESSIVE. Not as sophisticated as Sony or MS's offerings, true, but so simple that it trumps them on some fronts. It took me three minutes to set up my DS to use the wifi...and then my games ran just fine. It's pretty much a given that whatever Ninty does for the revolution, it will be in the same vein: limited options implemented tightly.
Xbox Live is a different kind of service; part of the Xbox strategy has ALWAYS been to sell online services as much as the actual console itself. With the 360, MS is pushing beyond simple conceptual stuff right into expanding beyond games. With stuff like Live Arcade, you're getting more of a glimpse where MS is going...turning the 360 into an entertainment hub. Is downloading shows in the same way that iTunes does that far off? I don't think so. Xbox Live features the most robust online experience about; a unified interface for dozens of games that requires precious little work to get going. It is the BIG DOG that Sony needs to meet, head on.
Sony's internet strategy traditionally has been "we'll get you there, then it is someone else's job to do something". The haphazard nature of Sony's online implementation might have been a competitor for the Dreamcast's online presence, but against Xbox Live, it was bringing a knife to a gunfight. Implementation from companies like EA are the only thing that make it viable...but having multiple accounts and logins to make an online service work is weak. The effort required, for example, to get your portrait into Tony Hawk Underground was tedious...and would be much worse for someone less tech savvy.
If Sony is going to compete in this arena, they need to bring it large; historically, Sony has failed to do this. Hardware is a strong suit for Sony, but interfaces and integration with other systems have not. Does anyone doubt that Nintendo WiFi will become a subset of Ninty's online strategy? Is Sony going to extend their PSP internet "strategy" to the PS3? If so, that's a black mark against it, IMHO. Sony's fear of customers stealing their intellectual properties has led to poor DRM, hobbled devices and root kits. I find it hard to believe that any online presence that the PS3 offers isn't going to have to bear that cross as well.
Sony will probably hire MS to build and support it for the first two years...
Thats the only way i see them being able to step in the LIVE world and not have major issues..
MS has a ton more time into LIVE.. Now if they could just get Bungie to get rid of all you Dam Hacks/modders that can't play Halo we'd be all set....
Yeah i said it Modders S@CK
The success of the Nintendo DS in Japan shows that Japanese gamers will opt for the cheaper product in lieu of a more expensive, more technologically advanced product, and I think that is why Nintendo is going to win in overall sales in this generation. Put a 200-300 (price not finalized) Nintendo Revolution, which out of the BOX is ready for online play, and put it up against the Xbox 360 which costs 700 dollars out of the box (Once you buy live, a couple of games, and the wi-fi adaptor) to get onto live, and the PS3 which will be a reported 500 dollars PLUS the cost of games which will probably bring the total cost of owning the system to around 800 dollars, and it's very VERY clear what the Japanese are going to buy.
On the issue of Sony building an "Xbox Live Killer" it's all a load of crap. The Xbox live service is built on a server farm that would make any other server farm in the world blush. For sony to even GET THE SERVERS, it would probably bankrupt them and that is forgetting about the cost of Research and Development for the service. The strength of live is in the servers which to this day have NEVER caused me to lag, and the installed user base of Xbox Live fanatics.
I'll be buying a PS3 (I need Metal Gear.. I need it more than I need to breathe) but there is no way I will buy into their hype over this thing. It's more or less an Xbox 360 painted silver with the PS3 logo, and expensive yet useless technology like Blu-Ray and the "Cell" Processor inside. Way to go Sony on shooting yourself in the foot with your awesome R&D costs.
Game Over for Sony. Can you say vaporware = PS3.
Microsoft has delivered on the 360, they put followed thru and pulled off one of the hardest launches in history. While Sony and Nintendo scramble to catch up. (typical Japanese of copy and not create = cars, tv's, pc's etc).
Microsoft has Live up-n-running now. Nothing sweeter than playing PGR3 on-line talking trash & racing with people from all over the world. Not tomorrow or next year but right now! Can Sony or Nintendo?, no.
Oh by the way Sony, where are my Toy Story 2 grafx for my PS2? Where is my online AOL support & web browser? What do I do with the add-on hard drive that you offered no support? I can't even save games to it.
Please just stop now, admit defeat & save face. Start making games for the Xbox 360 and all will be forgiven.
Thank you M$ fanboys, for coming on to this thread to rant about the ambiguities that Sony is well-known for. We're all refreshed and challenged by your points of view.
:/
PSN--PlayStationNetwork. Not that bad. But we all know it's going to flop.
The timing of this is looking more and more like Dreamcast vs XBOX/PS2. XBOX360 = dreamcast. Plus the availablilty of the 360 is just adding to the problem. Why wait to buy what is supposed to be available now instead of waiting for the newer bigger better faster?
"Put a 200-300 (price not finalized) Nintendo Revolution, which out of the BOX is ready for online play, and put it up against the Xbox 360 which costs 700 dollars out of the box (Once you buy live, a couple of games, and the wi-fi adaptor) to get onto live, and the PS3 which will be a reported 500 dollars PLUS the cost of games which will probably bring the total cost of owning the system to around 800 dollars, and it's very VERY clear what the Japanese are going to buy."
I notice you don't include any sort of add ons to your Revolution. Add a couple of games (let's say they're $50, worst case scenario), that's $100. Of course, what good is Smash Bros. without mulitplayer? Add three more controllers, let's say that's $90 ($30 a piece, just an estimate). Let's add $10 worth of Virtual Console games to round it out, and you've got a total of $400-$500 dollars.
Now, your point still stands, it was not my intention to disprove you. However, please don't make your fellow Nintendo fanboys look bad by forgetting the add-ons with the Rev and not with Xbox360 and PS3.
Well, I can only hope for the consumers that Sony started development on this "live" service 5 years ago...they have a bit of catching up to do.
Just because it's been posted more than a few times, Sony (48 billion) isn't even 1/6th the size of Microsoft (298 billion). Microsoft has about 50 billion in cash sitting around and could write a check today to buy all of Sony. Finally, MS shareholders do not give a squirt of piss if the Xbox loses 6 billion dollars over 4 years. I should know, I'm one of them.
As for this forum, I'd be impressed with Sony if they can build a reliable online service that can rival the current Xbox service (not even the 360 service) for Halo 2. Sony will get there (basic Live functionality) eventually but with a lot of bumps in the road just like when Live launched.