http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/ Engadget Comments for Sony HUB = PlayStation Network Platform, offers some free gaming http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 9:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 9:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 9:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/And people alway give Microsoft a hard time for stealing other folks popular ideas ...]]>Mar 18th 2006 9:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 9:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Jul 16th 2007 3:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 10:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 10:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/:S]]>Mar 18th 2006 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 11:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/:S"

You forgot "Entitlement Management". (Achievements anyone?"]]>Mar 18th 2006 11:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/-Bootes

The reason they make you pay for it is that they require a seperate network/servers etc to run the games that people want to play. When you play games like Counter Strike:Source, it's free because you play on privately owned servers. Not to mention that people still have to pay to have their servers hosted. Hosting a server costs go far beyond $15 a month. People even pay $80 a month to get a dedi box which comes with TeamSpeak and space for a website.]]>Mar 18th 2006 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
Nothing before "Xbox Live Silver" was invented by MS, and even that is just a "free" access, does not enable you to play online for free like this service claims. Geez, the fanboys are too soon to turn around now and say they've been ripped off, it's an online console service, there's only so many things you can do.

All of the companies have been ripping eachother off since the beginning, it leads to positive competition. No one company is any more/less guilty. Not "hey no fair!11 we thort of that!".]]>Mar 18th 2006 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 11:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
Also, I'm assuming larger companies like EA will host PS3 games on the same set of servers as their PC counter parts, unlike Xbox Live which requires the developer to hand over control to MS. So Sony doesn't need to fund and support the most expensive part of online gaming, because let's be honest, gamertags(user log ins), matchmaking, ranking, etc. is not hard to do (most dating websites can do that).

Remember, the concept of free online play is not new (hell even Nintendo doesn't charge for it), only MS employs the concept of paying to play every game online.
]]>Mar 18th 2006 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 11:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
1. Xbox live
2. Superior graphics
3. Halo

It looks like sony will match or surpass Xbox live and at the very least match the 360 in pure power. Halo dosent really matter because it's a overrated piece of garbage.]]>Mar 18th 2006 11:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 12:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 1:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/go here:http://theworldforum.c-f-h.com/Forum/index.php]]>Mar 18th 2006 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 18th 2006 1:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
XBOX LIVE is where online gaming is @. Not to sound like a fanboy but Live on the 360 has really improved even over the xbox1 live service. Being able to chat with people on your friends list while in other games to co-ordinate a match is a great feature.Seems to me that sony pooped this online service out as an afterthought.The free basic service they'll offer no doubt will be there just to drop Sony films/music/tv shows onto that 60GB HDD / PSP. A unified online service may not seem like a big deal to sony fans, but those same fans I'll bet have never used the Live service to see what a great thing it is for gaming. This is something that should have sony fans up in arms. Believe me I want to buy a PS3 for some of their exclusive titles, but if they don't have their online shit straight, this is 1 sale they will lose .Putting the servers in the hands of devs could give Sony a "BLACK EYE" at launch. This could be a bomb. Imagine if the devs. don't get it right , problems w/ servers or whatever. What kind of storm would that lead to right after launch? What about when a new version of a game comes out will the dev. studio still maintain servers for the older version with the same bravado as for the new version? What about those great old school/casual games like are on xbox live? Surely the people behind geometry wars/gauntlet/zuma/marble madness/etc. don't have the same resources as a Valve Studios or EA. It's starting to stink like if Sony had a unified subscription network that they wouldn't be able to justify charging $15 a month for their MMORPGs on top of their yearly service fee. Think about it... $50 a year for their "LIVE" plus monthly fee for Star wars Galaxies or whatever other Sony MMO's are out there. And I'm betting there will be a lot more of those as well. And like someone else said online pc gaming is not free, someone is paying to host that server for Battlefield 2 (or whatever). And not everyone has Teamspeak...let alone the server address it's hosted on or the password or the headset for it! ]]>Mar 18th 2006 2:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
It's not free if you have to pay for a subscription. This sounds no different than xbox live.]]>Mar 18th 2006 11:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 19th 2006 12:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
The PC online experience just doesn't add up to the all in one comprehensive online gaming you get with Live. There is no online experience that can match Live. Everyone has capability of a headset with ease, getting into matches is simple and there is a unified ranking system all under one roof. $50 a year is probably equivalent to $3-$4 extra for each title you purchase to enable Online playability. That is well worth it.

I spent probably 20hrs playing Halo 2 Single Player and CoOp...but countless hours on Live with Halo2. If I'm spending that much time online, I want the best experience possible. It makes it much more fun and hassle free and is well worth $4.11 a month.

Sony may give you some crippled online functionality for free...but don't bet on it being as good as Live.]]>Mar 19th 2006 7:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
1. If it is a free service and does not generate revenue Sony may not be inclined to do much with the service in the way of improvments, or maintaince. And then the online service will go down hill.
2. They may have tons of advertisements and pop ups, and other crappy marketing schemes to help sponsor the service. Advertising agencies are already looking to find ways to get at the online community because they feel that the products and services that they represent are not being seen by gamers because they spend more time online playing games then watching TV where they get to see commercials.

For those who have never used LIVE let me make a comparison. Suppose you did not have a cell phone, so you used pay phones where ever you are. Think about how inconvient that would be. Every place you went you would have to give people a different phone number to get a hold of you. You may not know what that number will be before you get there. People trying to reach you would have to try a long list of numbers.

Honestly if you are willing to drop at least $425 for the PS3 and god only knows how much for each of the games what is $5.00 a month.

#17: Yeah Halo is garbage that is why it is the best selling game in history. In the first 24 hours of sale Halo 2 brought in over $120 million. Go back to playing your turn base RPG or Sudoku or whatever boring games you like to play. Halo & Halo 2 are getting older now and are not the best games out there any more. But they are fun to play and simple to learn. And before you go saying that Sony is going to match or surpass LIVE you better wait and see the hardware and service first then start making judgements.

I am not bashing Sony but I am just waiting until I have the PS3 in my gaming room, and the PNP service is up and running. Sony has made a few promises and exagerated in the past and not exactly came through.

]]>Mar 19th 2006 10:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/PSNP? Pissin' Pee?

are they actually serious?

they could have run that acronym by any 12 year old in america to have figured that out.

HUB wasn't the best in the world... but at least it wasn't pissin' pee.]]>Mar 20th 2006 9:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/Mar 20th 2006 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/
You say you can smell a fanboy? it may be your self, trying to find faults where they don't exist. Sony isn't innocent, niether is Nintendo or Microsoft.

Actually, why isn't anyone here ragging on Nintendo?? they have yet to make any major online gaming plans (no, their download service doesnt count)!!]]>Mar 23rd 2006 1:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/18/sony-hub-playstation-network-platform-offers-some-free-gaming/May 3rd 2006 4:49AM