XBL's Greenberg on PS3 online

[Deepak]

Link

GameSpot: What are your impressions of Sony's online initiative? What do you think it offers that Xbox Live doesn't, and vice versa?
Aaron Greenberg: We welcomed the same approach from Sony four years ago. We're proud that we've created a smash hit service that has prevailed over four years by growing to 4 million members during that time. And we're flattered that we've created a service that is breeding yet another knockoff. That said, it's still hard to comment in much depth around their online announcement since there are still a lot of details that haven't been made clear and there are a lot of unanswered questions. Is this a fully connected service with one identity across your entire gameplay experience? Is every game online with voice chat integration? Do they have Achievements and Gamerscore? How are they handling safety, security, hacking, viruses, and parental controls? While competition is always great, we feel confident in our leadership position in online, especially given our four-year and 4-million-member head start.

GS: With Sony's online service being free and apparently offering nearly everything that Xbox Live offers, how will Microsoft justify continuing to charge gamers for online play?
AG: There is so much more for gamers to experience on Xbox Live and so little new news in Sony's online announcements. We will compete with them in the same way we have for the last four years by out-innovating and focusing on community, value, and the content that gamers want. They offered basic free matchmaking on the PS2, and from what we can tell, their online story has not evolved much. Do they offer the ability to build your reputation across the network? Can you accumulate achievements and gamerscore? Do they have voice in every game? What about cross-game invites and communication? Is every game online enabled? Heck, do they have exclusive titles that can compete with Halo 3, Gears of War, Geometry Wars, Next Splinter Cell, Halo Wars, and exclusive episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV that you won't be playing on the PS3?

 

[mrboo]

nd exclusive episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV that you won't be playing on the PS3?

I think someone should tell him PS3 has its own exclusive content aswel

I dont see why everyone is like, OMFG..sony copied XBL!!111!!

People why is the fact that Sony is copying live such a bad thing?

Live is a quality service and the mere point that Sony is trying to surpass it is only a plus for us online console gamers.

 

[-tkf-]

Link

GameSpot: What are your impressions of Sony's online initiative? What do you think it offers that Xbox Live doesn't, and vice versa?
Aaron Greenberg: We welcomed the same approach from Sony four years ago.

Wasn´t it less than 10% of all XBOX owners that actually used Live? Anyway, MS pawed and payed the way for Sony to join up now with a Console that includes a harddrive, which is pretty important for a service like this, right?

While competition is always great, we feel confident in our leadership position in online, especially given our four-year and 4-million-member head start.

4 Million signed up for the Free service?

There is so much more for gamers to experience on Xbox Live and so little new news in Sony's online announcements. We will compete with them in the same way we have for the last four years by out-innovating and focusing on community, value, and the content that gamers want. They offered basic free matchmaking on the PS2, and from what we can tell, their online story has not evolved much.

If he really believes that then Live wans´t anything special, since the current sony offering looks alot like live, except offering PS1+PS2 games for purchase and playing on Both PS3 and the PSP, and in the future (soon?) offering actualy movies as well, ohh and it´s free, that is a hell of alot value.

 

[rabidrabbit]

Heck, do they have exclusive titles that can compete with Halo 3, Gears of War, Geometry Wars, Next Splinter Cell, Halo Wars, and exclusive episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV that you won't be playing on the PS3?

There's no need for harsh language, Mr Greenberg! :smile:
There's no need to get all agitated if you indeed feel you are in a very good position.

Yea, like the PS3 didn't have it's own exclusives, and episodic content for GTA4 that you won't be playing on xb360

 

[msia2k75]

I give this thread a striking 0 out of 5.

 

[Slay]

Let's see if i got it right , the group manager of Xbox 360's live service (a paid service) has trashed Sony's PS3 online service(a free service), i think we have a word for this kind of articles right?

 

[btdvox]

good topic- Interesting he couldnt really rebuttle much. Fact is Sony has a huge advantage here- Sony could do everything the same almost to a T to compare to XBL and just charge it free- and be the winner automatically. And XB would be pretty screwed.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Why are 'company spokesperson talks about rival company's product/service' threads still allowed? They're worthless, with nothing to discuss (other than how the spokesperson is lying/telling the truth depending on allegiances) and no further insight into the rival product. Unless there's more info on their own products, seeing as no intelligent debate can come from these threads, I think they should be classified with 'console x is better than console y' threads and disallowed to keep down pointless PR noise in the forum.

 

[Deepak]

Sorry for starting this imflammatory thread, actually I was in Diwali mood yesterday.:smile:

 

[pipo]

Why are 'company spokesperson talks about rival company's product/service' threads still allowed?

Very good point mate!

 

[Platon]

There is something I still don't know about PS3 online, I must have missed with all the stuff lately. Anyway, is it possible to play online for free, is it confirmed?...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

There is something I still don't know about PS3 online, I must have missed with all the stuff lately. Anyway, is it possible to play online for free, is it confirmed?...

Yes (assuming the game itself doesn't charge)

 

[Tap In]

seriously .... before some of you call this bullchit and anoint Sony's online equal to Live... read this again and please tell me if you can answer them, because they are pretty powerful and important features.

Is this a fully connected service with one identity across your entire gameplay experience? Is every game online with voice chat integration? Do they have Achievements and Gamerscore? How are they handling safety, security, hacking, viruses, and parental controls?....

Do they offer the ability to build your reputation across the network? Can you accumulate achievements and gamerscore? Do they have voice in every game? What about cross-game invites and communication? Is every game online enabled?

 

[deathkiller]

-with one identity across your entire gameplay experience?
Yes
-Is every game online with voice chat integration?
Unknow at the moment, can be added in the future.
-Achievements and Gamerscore?
No, they say that they may implement something per game specific but no Gamerscore
-How are they handling safety, security, hacking, viruses, and parental controls?
They handle it the same way as MS.
-every game online enabled?
Yes

 

[patsu]

TapIn, I don't think people expect Sony's free online service to equal MS's.

For better or worse, Sony went for the open network platform route. While it may not have as many built-in features, it will gain in flexibility (e.g., private server, reaching out to X-fire userbase).

I don't know what is more valuable/useful to the users, but if it's important enough... missing/new features will be added over time (since there are multiple competiting providers in PNP). Since the seeds have been sowed, we just have to watch them grow (or die).

 

[Shifty Geezer]

If PSN provides single login, unified account for buying stuff, notification and communications with friends, and online gaming, that'll probably cover the glut of what most people looking for online care about. And AFAIK those things are provided, the only uncertainty I have being in the cross-game voice/video chat. Oh, and every game having onlne components? I see that as a bad thing! ICO and SOTC and FF and many other titles are single player experiences where online play makes no sense. Forcing developers to shoe-horn in online play just to tick a box is ridiculous.

 

[Tap In]

-
-Is every game online with voice chat integration?
Unknow at the moment, can be added in the future.
doubtful since Sony's system evidently is leaving in game online features up to developers as game specific features so it is doubtful that you can voice chat across games ever without it being part of the Os as Live is.

-How are they handling safety, security, hacking, viruses, and parental controls?
They handle it the same way as MS.
how do you know that?

-every game online enabled?
Yes.
it has already been confirmed that some PS3 games are not online enabled

see notes

 

[Tap In]

...I see that as a bad thing! ICO and SOTC and FF and many other titles are single player experiences where online play makes no sense. Forcing developers to shoe-horn in online play just to tick a box is ridiculous.

disagree... keeping track (by being online enabled) of what your friends or potential friends are playing at all times (or have EVER played, even rented) and how far they have advanced in the gameplay and skill-wise is much more interesting than a box tick IMO, not to mention Co-op.

also, inter game voice chat is critical because it means you can not talk to anyone by voice unless it is enabled in the current game you are in and they also have that game running at the same time.

Can you even leave voice messages across different games? we dont know but most likely not.

this system AFAICT compares very poorly to the current Live 360. I will need it to be better than that to embrace it as a system with which I would want to participate online.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Originally Posted by deathkiller
-
-Is every game online with voice chat integration?
Unknow at the moment, can be added in the future.
doubtful since Sony's system evidently is leaving in game online features up to developers as game specific features so it is doubtful that you can voice chat across games ever without it being part of the Os as Live is.

There's already notification in game of friends sending messages, which is intrinsic to the OS. It's only a ste up to take those notifications and turn them into opening a chat channel.

A lot of people seem to be getting confused over the nature of the Network service. There's a backbone providing connectivity, friends, and 'shopping'. On top of that games can add things like lobby services, clans, ratings, achievements etc.

-How are they handling safety, security, hacking, viruses, and parental controls?
They handle it the same way as MS.
how do you know that?

One dares say common sense. Or do you think Sony have released a network platform without any protection for safety, security, hacking and viruses?

It seems to me you haven't read up the recent Network thread detailing features like Master and Secondary accounts, which gives an idea of one aspect to security that's provided.

-every game online enabled?
Yes.
it has already been confirmed that some PS3 games are not online enabled

Why is this important? Why do you want FFXIII to be online enabled? What do want from Blue Dragon and Trusty Bell?

 

[trinibwoy]

Sorry for starting this imflammatory thread, actually I was in Diwali mood yesterday.:smile:

I went to a Diwali party on Thursday. Some dude tried to dance with me