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XBox Live: Can Sony slay the Dragon?

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    XBox Live: Can Sony slay the Dragon?

    --Been thinking about this for the best part of two years and finally put something together tonight. What follows is observation, opinion and speculation. Nothing more.--

    The highlight of Microsoft's XBox is probably it's XBox Live service. Somewhat limited in the current generation as a glorified multiplayer & player matching service, but looks to be a much deeper set of services with the advent of the XBox 360.

    For a long time Microsoft's talking point has been the fact that they've built this online infrastructure and Sony didn't. Sony's approach with the PS2 being a piece meal release of the Sony Network Adaptor bolt on, followed by building in ethernet capability into the slim line revision of the PS2 and letting game publishers just get on with it. No subscription service, no portal style front end. Arguably Sony's UI front end seen on the install disc is vastly superior to the terribly ugly acid green XBox Live interface, but in Sony's case it's only part of the setup which slim line PS2 owners probably never see.

    And so Microsoft presses it's advantage into the next generation, or that's what they'd like you to think, but I've been thinking for a few years now that Sony have been playing a long game, and Microsoft could find themselves staring down the barrel of a very powerful gun.

    Back in 2002 Sony founded a "Broadband Network Company" under the direction of Ken Kuratagi, the Playstation godhead. What they've been doing has been kept under wraps, but we're slowly starting to see the fruits of their labours in such things as Sony's Portable TV site where Sony plan to make PSP optimised content such as TV shows and films available as part of a pay download service. This, along with their under performing Connect music service, and the multitude of Sony Online Entertainment games hosted over on The Station gives them great coverage. Movies, music and games. What more would a console gamer need?

    All of this infrastructure is built and run by a division inside Sony called Sony Broadband Services. SBS was founded in 2002 to eliminate duplication of effort by developing a common web services architecture which could be provided to, and interoperate with, online ventures from other divisions inside Sony.

    Effectively Sony have spent the past generation not sitting on their online thumbs as some people have claimed, but putting a modular architecture in place which any online service for the PS3 could draw from, and any business unit inside Sony which provides a service to a customer through this PS3 front end can easily be compensated any time that service is used or a product is bought.

    All the pieces are in place and Sony have alluded to the fact that there are more in the pipeline, the online services gap has been closed, it's now a case of if Sony want the PS3 interface to do more than manage memory cards, and play games & movies.

    I'd guess that they do want to do more, and when they move into this space Microsoft are going to think that the world is ending.
    Last edited by MartyG; 14-09-2005, 06:27. Reason: fixed URL links

    #2
    <a href="http://www.p-tv.jp/">Portable TV</a>


    Portable Tv

    If you press the quote button it shows how its done. Great post though,and i agree with your thinking. Does seem odd how the Playstation online service is something the majority of PS2 owners will never experience,mainly due to the fact it seems so 'ignored' by its owners.
    I myself wouldn't know where to start to get a PS2 online and i consider myself fairly knowledgeable.

    We shall see eh?

    Comment


      #3
      Both services will be very similar. The nature of an online service means you can update it as time goes by, so if either MS or Sony come out with a brilliant new idea, the other can simply update their own service to match it.

      I don't see SBS as any advantage to Sony, it's just content delivery. The ability to download films or music is nothing exciting and knowing Sony it will be in some horrible format that'll only work on their products.

      The only real advantage they have is the PSP if they could utilise it correctly, but if I just think about online gaming on the PS3, I struggle to see how the PSP could be a massive benefit.

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        #4
        Sonys online efforts to date have been pitiful as anyone who has gone online with the PS2 will attest. Even the updated Central Station was a one-legged runner. For Sony to come back with something as polished and useable straight of the bat will be IMHO very unlikely. If they had something as good I'm sure we would be getting some kind of tease or drip feed to establish the name and concept already.

        I've not seen any concrete proof of a rock solid online system for PS3 and as Baroque says it's just conjecture. Microsoft through LIVE have laid a rock solid groundwork to base 360 LIVE on and I can't see a one legged runner having a miraculous turn of speed to catch the leader.

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          #5
          i was gonna start a thread asking just where sony are going with online features the other day (but forgot). this answers a few of my questions and saved me some bother!

          but in which direction are they going in? providing a bit of content and leaving it at that or actually providing a way for you to find other players online and challenge them? this is what i don't understand, not a single word has been mentioned on what i see to be a pretty important feature for a 'next gen' console.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by MACO
            Sonys online efforts to date have been pitiful as anyone who has gone online with the PS2 will attest.
            I totally disagree sony has quite a varied selection of games that work quite well on-line, to list just a few: Fifa, pro evo, Tiger woods 2005, burnout 3, toca 2, timesplitters 3, or maybe even Star wars battlefront, or a bit of area 51.

            The fact of the matter is you should get your facts straight before making sweeping statements, over 4000 people a night all over Europe can be found on socom 2 still! (you have to rember this game came out over a year ago) so i would have to disagree that everyone thinks Sonys service is to use your words "pitiful."

            I play quite a bit of battlefield 2 and Counter Strike Source on the pc and have had a lot of live games over the course of the xbox's life from rallisport two to halo 2 and quite a bit in between but still i go back to my ps2 as when i fancy a quick 30 min blast and a bit of a chat with some of my ps2 buddys i will boot up socom 2 and normally end up playing all night.

            Sonys problem? an underrated Free service that for some reason they don't seem to push.
            Last edited by Lebowski; 14-09-2005, 07:20.

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              #7
              Lebowski, Maco is right - PS2s online offering is xbox's poor cousin when you compare them - free service or not. I think what people are trying to say is that can Sony learn from it's mistakes and Microsoft for the next generation.

              Try not to be so defensive next time

              Comment


                #8
                PS2 doesn't have an infrastructure for it's online services but that doesn't mean it's rubbish. FFXI is perfect for example, getting online couldn't be easier and seeing your friend list etc.. all is spot on. This is because the Sony approach to online allows something like Square-Enix's PlayOnline service to exist, which isn't currently possible with Xbox Live. Each game pretty much stands on it's own, for good or bad.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Lebowski
                  The fact of the matter is you should get your facts straight before making sweeping statements, over 4000 people a night all over Europe can be found on socom 2 still! (you have to rember this game came out over a year ago) so i would have to disagree that everyone thinks Sonys service is to use your words "pitiful."
                  SOCOM is average at best - the reason it's still being played like that is because so far nobody has come up with a viable alternative.

                  Contrast that with the number of Xbox live titles where we see players constantly migrating to the next game to come out - It's because they have that option.

                  I've had a ps2 network adaptor for about 16 months and am giving it away tomorrow - it has never been used because I can't be assed to set it up and there is nothing to play on it.

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                    #10
                    there is nothing to play on it
                    ..or so you believe. Personally I think Hardware is the most fun online game I've ever played (bar FFXI) and you get that for free just by setting up your network account.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by AlonzoUK
                      Lebowski, Maco is right - PS2s online offering is xbox's poor cousin when you compare them - free service or not. I think what people are trying to say is that can Sony learn from it's mistakes and Microsoft for the next generation.

                      Try not to be so defensive next time
                      I would have to say the live set up is pretty much spot on bar a few hosting problems but this isn't what he said though.

                      defensive? i would say more putting my experience with sonys box across to counter maco claim that everyone that go's near the ps2 on-line instantly hates it.

                      in fact i would go so far to say that once im in a game with some friends i quite enjoy my time online actualy

                      Normally this is how threads go, someone puts there point of view across and someone either agrees or disagrees with it, funny business this forum lark eh
                      Last edited by Lebowski; 14-09-2005, 09:09.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Ive played Live and PS2 online and ive gotta say there is no contest Live wins everytime. Its much more organised and i love the way gamertags can be linked to MSN so you can view your friends list through MSN.


                        As far as providing content I dont see Sony having a big advantage there. If Sony do, do that whats to stop MS doing the same. How many record companies/Movie Studios wouldnt come to an arangement when they have MS waving masses of money in front of them.

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                          #13
                          Sony didn't really have to push ahead with online gaming in the current generation. By the time they got serious about looking at this stuff they had already sold a couple of million units and were eating up market share like there was no tomorrow.

                          This time around it's going to be a different fight, they'll be launching after Microsoft and won't have the 18 month jump they had on everyone else, so they'll have to compete on all fronts.

                          Sony were not serious about PS2 online gaming, the Network Adapter as an optional add-on proved that, but what with the PS3 being ethernet ready out of the box I'd imagine they'll be very serious about it this time around, and they've spent five years looking at what ideas work and what ideas don't.

                          If anything Microsoft's investment in XBox Live was probably the cheapest R&D project Sony have ever undertaken. Microsoft built and ran it, Sony got to watch and pick it apart, and all the while it wasn't a threat to PS2 sales.

                          If XBox had seriously started cleaning Sony's clock I'd imagine they'd have scrambled to get an online service ready. It didn't, so they didn't.

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                            #14
                            Sega were the first to come out with online-play on a console, but its Microsoft who were the first to successfully implement it. Although thats not exactly difficult considering Sega Europe are a bunch of useless tossers

                            Sony's online features on the PS2 was nothing more than an after thought IMO. And I believe that the success of Xbox live has got Sony's ass into gear about online play and stuff. Heck even Nintendo, who at first seemend to be lukewarm about online-play, have changed their tune.

                            Will Sony "slay the dragon"? Its possible but we can only wait and see.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Baroque
                              Sony didn't really have to push ahead with online gaming in the current generation. By the time they got serious about looking at this stuff they had already sold a couple of million units and were eating up market share like there was no tomorrow.

                              This time around it's going to be a different fight, they'll be launching after Microsoft and won't have the 18 month jump they had on everyone else, so they'll have to compete on all fronts.

                              Sony were not serious about PS2 online gaming, the Network Adapter as an optional add-on proved that, but what with the PS3 being ethernet ready out of the box I'd imagine they'll be very serious about it this time around, and they've spent five years looking at what ideas work and what ideas don't.

                              If anything Microsoft's investment in XBox Live was probably the cheapest R&D project Sony have ever undertaken. Microsoft built and ran it, Sony got to watch and pick it apart, and all the while it wasn't a threat to PS2 sales.

                              If XBox had seriously started cleaning Sony's clock I'd imagine they'd have scrambled to get an online service ready. It didn't, so they didn't.
                              Shame Sony didn't say at the start.
                              When Sony were 1st showing off the PS2 the online part was going to be like the 2nd coming.
                              I'm still waiting to see the online entertainment world Sony promised with PS2. We all remember the one, where people would not just be able to download games and play online. But enter into a whole new digital world of music and film downloads ect.

                              Still I should expect no less from a company that shows off bullc8p tech demos, and tell's the world users can plug in any USB modem to go online with the PS2 (remember that Phil)

                              Sony might try and copy LIVE, but you can?t copy or buy the experience and knowledge M$ have built up with/through LIVE. I'll expect 360 LIVE to kill PS3 online

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