SCEA's Lempel says Sony isn't playing "catch up" with Xbox Live
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 8th 2009 4:49PM
posted July 8th 2009 4:49PM
Sony's been out there touting its PlayStation Network user numbers for some time now, but it looks like it's now ratcheting up the rhetoric when it comes to the actual user experience as well. Taking the lead on that front is Sony Computer Entertainment America's director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, who recently told Industry Gamers that Sony doesn't think "there's a lot of 'catch up' [with XBL] anymore," adding that, "in some cases, I think we've got more, and we've got some other things they don't have." Of course, he further goes on to point out that PSN is and has always been free, and he cites PlayStation Home as just one thing that distinguishes PSN from Xbox Live, adding that he doesn't "see a lot of things they're doing that we're not.". Your move, Microsoft.
[Via Edge Online]
[Via Edge Online]
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Meh. Having experience with both, I like PSN better. It offers some of the same features as Live, but without being overly intrusive. By that, I mean without making the system rely on it too much. If you have an xbox without live, it's nearly crippled. However, I know people who enjoy their PS3s, and really just get firmware online.The thing is, Live and PSN seem to be trying to do two different things right now. Live is moving towards being a social/lifestyle service that happens to feature games. I like that idea, and am interested (though cautious) to see where this goes. PSN seems to be an online gaming service that happens to offer some other stuff on the side. That's fine with me, because I fall into that category that doesn't NEED all the extra stuff like chat, etc.Although I will agree that putting mics in the box would be great.
Nearly crippled? Don't think so:
http://www.xbox.com/NR/exeres/F925FE0C-E310-491A-82E0-7A604A353BFB.htm
Xbox's philosophy has always been putting the gamers first. The PS3 is trying to do a lot of things and also happens to be a game machine. I think you got it all backwards.
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PAUL
with the xbox sony was the one copying
lets see, xbox live. what did PS2 have? it's online game plan was an after thought after ms did it.
and internal storage, ps3 never would have done that if it wasn't playing catch up with microsoft. they even tried it for the ps2 for FF.
play what you want, but seriously, just STFU already, you're a tool
^mistake.. sorry.
I'm not a cheap person but anybody on here is foolish to say free
wtf engadget you cut of my post
silly sony... how do you look back at someone when they've always been ahead of you?
"That's what she said"
--Michael Scott, Scranton, PA regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc.
The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life.
-Andrew Brown, 14th Chairman of the British Computer Society Young Professionals Group
Thats our silly old Sony! They still think they're leading the game and everything is cool. I'm not sure how long it will take them to stop and think "Oh my god, were mediocre!"
Sony better get a grip, the xbox online experience is without a doubt better. In the past few months we've seen xbox add or announce netflix, twitter, facebook, natal etc... Sony has the wand, woop-te-do. Sony needs to pull it's head out of the sand and stop defending it's lack of multimedia options.
Sony will come out on top. Soon to be fact.
Pecked from an old ass dell that seems to preform better whenever there's a blu-ray disc around.
"PAUL
with the xbox sony was the one copying
lets see, xbox live. what did PS2 have? it's online game plan was an after thought after ms did it." - dj-kenpo
You should get your timeline straight... SOCOM was ruling online on the PS2 for months before XBox Live had even launched. No denying it's turned out better than the Sony implementations, but get your facts right if you're gonna assert something like that.
holy christ get real. i'e personally tpp have had experiences with both of these fantastic consoles. yes they both have their differences but that doesn't make them inequel on a substantial level.. honestly with these minor extras you brag on over microsofts "patents" are what psn ps home and their browser make up for it in my opinion. and yes they should drop the price on the ps3 i wont' argue their. its just that after earing all of your bickering over this sony vs bill gates ain't gonnna work.its not as if as they will take time out of their day to go look at these comments anyways, engadget might but they wont'. and if you have to bicker with me over it send me a message over xbl about this while i play afro samurai dumbasses
That's somewhat true. PS3 has the best exclusives coming out now (especially after E3 09), and some solid PSN titles for sure. If Fat Princess ever comes out, Trine, etc... However only having 16-way cross game text chat and no voice chat is holding PS3 back considerably, and in that sense Sony needs to play catch-up to keep people happy.
Things like this make SCEA look stupider that it really is. Instead of admitting faults and setting deadlines to fix said faults, they'd rather sweep the problems under the rug and pretend like it never existed, then dig it up in the future, fix it and claim it to be a big innovation.
" Instead of admitting faults and setting deadlines to fix said faults, they'd rather sweep the problems under the rug and pretend like it never existed"
Like Microsoft with with RROD?
I would rather live without a ingame audio chat, and have my console break every other month because Microsoft skimped on component costs, testing and design.
There is little to differentiate the 2 systems.
1 costs money (the price of a full price ga,e every year), and has cross game audio chat).
1 is free and has 99% of the others, with the added advantage of dedicated servers for lag-free gaming.
Personally PSN wins hands down. I have both consoles, but stopped paying for XBL last year, I can no longer justify it, and most of my mates have moved to PS3 too (which helps). Added to the fact Xbox has nothing that interests me in the pipeline gamewise, and Microsofts entire E3 focusing on non-gaming stuff, tells me they are done..
PSN online game play is Free, so it wins in my book
free shit's good shit
Both systems are fantastic, it's a matter of personal preference for which system and network you prefer. I would personally get both if i could afford to.
Kiv @ Jul 8th 2009 5:56PM
"I drank what?" ~Socrates
I drank your milkshake. I drank it up!
@dj kenpo
The harddrive wasn't an afterthought either. crack open the back panel on a PS2 fat n there is a slot for a 3.5" HDD. The PS2 was also designed to run Linux, hence the HDD. I suppose it's quite ironic the swap, as now the Xbox came with a HDD as standard n the PS2 with just a slot to add one, and now the PS3 has a HDD be standard n the 360 with the slot to add one.
PSN DOESNT NEED TO CATCH UP, THE XBOX DOES.
As a dual system owner, the Xbox Live experience and the way it is integrated is better than the PSN to me by alot. I have a couple of Xbox fanboyz as friends and if they and I can see them ripping into the PSN for things they are use to and the ease of Xbox Live, and the whole free thing many people I know really dont care about paying 50 a year, plus you can always find deals cheaper than that. That said my xbox is filled with dust right now and I use my PS3 on a daily basis, it is a beast of a Hi Def media machine. I bought a nice TV and the PS3 gives an awesome Hi Def experience that he xbox cant touch (i bought the HD-DVD attachment when it came out :( ). As for the games to me the exclusives that PS3 has blows 360out of the water, best games I have ever played have been on the PS3, not saying the 360 does not have great games, but I never had as much fun then I do playing Uncharted (realllllllly funnnn), MGS4, Killzone2, infamous, and many others. Probably a little bias to since I really not a big online player type of person, rarely do I enjoy online games unless I am kicking somebody's ass in madden.
Sisyphus, you've just made my day!
Thanks for reminding me Eric Lempel! I had completely forgotten that I had that Home garbage choking up my PS3 hard drive.
I will be deleting it as soon as I get home. Thanks for the reminder Eric!
I know I'm a day late to this party, but I got to say something. XBL HAS DEDICATED SERVERS!!!! It is up to the publisher. You should update your fanboy handbook to the 2009 edition. The 2006 edition is really out of date. Just letting you know.