14 DAY TRIAL // There are certainly a lot of things you need to take into account when buying a current-generation game console. From what type of games they are most equipped to handle, to what type of multimedia capabilities they posses or, most importantly these days, what online service they feature.
For quite some time, the benchmark for services powered by the Internet on any console has been Microsoft's Xbox Live. Introduced for the original Xbox, it has grown into a behemoth with the Xbox 360. But since 2006, the PlayStation Network, Sony's answer to the Microsoft service, has been slowly but steadily amassing fans and features.
Now, in an interview with IndustryGamers, Sony's Eric Lempel talks about the two services and how, in his view, the PlayStation Network has already surpassed Xbox Live in some cases. He applauds PlayStation Home and the community that powers the two online services, at the same time highlighting the multimedia features of the PS3.
“That would be a much different question two years ago and I'd have a much different answer, but at this stage of the game when I really look at PSN and the entire offering I think we're in great shape. I don't think there's a lot of “catch up” with XBL anymore. In some cases, I think we've got more, and we've got some other things they don't have. In terms of strengths, of course we're still free, and we're giving you a lot for free. It's not just free online gaming, but we've got PlayStation Home, which is a massive community and application that's totally free to use. Our video download service is also a little bit different from theirs in that we sell movies in addition to renting movies, so consumers who want to keep that digital media or pull it off their hard drive and store on an external device, we offer that. I think there's a lot we're doing that in some cases they're not doing, and I don't see a lot of things they're doing that we're not.” he says.
“From my perspective, we have our own strategy and we've always been building our roadmap and saying here's what comes next; I think you've seen PSN has evolved tremendously since we've launched,” he continues. “In 2008 we redid the store and brought the store to PSP, we launched the trophy system, the in-game XMB feature which was much needed, along with other UI enhancements and other smaller features. So we'll continue to do that and I don't see anything now that makes me say, “Oh we must be able to do X,” because I think we're doing a lot really well ourselves.”
Looking at the state of the two services these days, do you agree with Lampel? Is the PSN on equal ground with Xbox Live or does it still need to catch up in a lot of areas? Leave us a comment with your view.