PlayStation Network garners 1.3 million users

A Gamespot report reveals the first usage statistics for the PlayStation 3's online network, the astonishingly named PlayStation Network. According to Sony, over 1.3 million users have signed on to the free service, 600,000 of them being based in the United States. All together, users have downloaded 3.7 million pieces of content.

"Users have downloaded 3.7 million pieces of content!"

Thank you. It's not explicitly mentioned how many of said pieces are PSN games, but individual sales data for Blast Factor, fl0w and others may be released at a later stage. Comparing overall statistics to those of Xbox Live shows Microsoft's service in the lead with six million users (an unknown percentage of those paying for a Gold subscription), but it's to be expected given the PS3's comparatively recent launch. With some strong online titles and more free services, the PSN stands every chance of overcoming its growing pains and becoming more competitive. Of course, consumers would stand to benefit most if things stayed neck-and-neck. After all, Xbox Live's no good to us dead.