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[Tomasooie]

There doesn't seem to be any protection against this current wave of hacks aside from not having a Gold account.

I don't think having a Gold account is even a prerequisite. And it's not phishing. I'll post the same thing I did in another topic:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...1#comments-bar

The community manager at Activision had his account hacked, as well as others in the industry. Element here on GAF, who used to work for Microsoft, had his account hacked with no idea how it happened.

In fact, a lot of the people have said that they practice safe computer security (complex passwords, never opening untrusted sites/emails). A few have even said that they've never even used their Windows Live ID on anything other than the Xbox itself.

There's definitely something different about this series of hacks. I don't think it's FIFA or EA though. That must just be an endpoint that has spread amongst the account thieves because of how easy it is to just sell the FIFA content for real money on eBay (or other sites).

 

[jett]

Ditto. 360 has some big features like cross-game chat missing from PSN, but for me it's all the little small things that add up. Like the following (just a few examples):

- Game title updates on 360 take like 10 seconds to download and install. Resistance 3's day one patch was a fucking ridiculous 656MB.

- System/firmware updates on 360 are much faster too, and don't require to read a TOS and go through four menus and all that shit. It took less time to update to the NXE (which was a complete overhaul of the dashboard) than it did for one of those minor PSN "stability improvement" firmware updates.

- PSN's notification system is terrible. When someone signs in on 360 I can press Guide button to go right to their profile and invite them, or when I earn an achievement press Guide button to see what it was etc. On PSN that does nothing. You also can't disable sign in/out notifications on PSN, you can't disable them for movies/Netflix, etc.

wat, yes you can

 

[Replicant]

No. Xbox Live has parties and party chat across all games. PSN does not.

I never understand why anyone would want to do this while playing a game. Most of the time I need my concentration on the game while playing so chatting will break off that concentration. Also, what are the likelihood that ALL of your friends are there at the same time when you play games?

 

[CitizenCope]

My issue with PSN isn't so much the feature set, but more the execution. Synchronising trophies for example - awkward and time consuming. In comparison, Xbox Live "just works" in my experience.

I was going to say something along these lines.

 

[Grecco]

I never understand why anyone would want to do this while playing a game. Most of the time I need my concentration on the game while playing so chatting will break off that concentration. Also, what are the likelihood that ALL of your friends are there at the same time when you play games?

You do know that Party Chat doesnt have to be "all your friends". Sometimes my friend is playing one game i wanna play another but we still want to talk.

Do you have irl friends on your friend list?

 

[CadetMahoney]

Is there feature parity? The awnser is no.

pretty much.

 

[Sean]

wat, yes you can

I should clarify, you can disable those notifications but it disables everything. You can't get rid of just the sign in/out notifications without also getting rid of messages and such. There needs to be more flexibility.

 

[Inanna]

I will go PC and Wii U only if it's not free.

Yep, same here. I prefer PSN because its free, no way I'm ever going to pay for P2P MP, hell PSN has more dedicated mp games than Xbox and at the end of the day I go on PS3 to play online, not to chat with friends while playing different games. I have mobile phone for that and I do that when I'm NOT playing games. Some people are into that sort of thing, I just find it annoying.

 

[nel e nel]

That's rather different. Most accounts that get 'hacked' are hacked by tricking the user into revealing his password or guessing his account recovery options. If users avoid phishing scams and use strong passwords/questions they can mostly protect themselves. (Though social-engineering the help-line is not unheard of.)

No PSN user could have protected themselves from the hack. That was entirely Sony's fault.

This is the point I was driving at. Sure, XBL accounts get hacked all the time. Sony's entire system got shut down for about a month. And not just PSN, but several other of their online sites as well.

Not to mention they basically didn't even acknowledge how bad it was for almost a week. I get that there is some 'face saving' going on in Asian cultures, and you don't want to look like you got caught with your pants down, but that was just ridiculous.

 

[nel e nel]

I should clarify, you can disable those notifications but it disables everything. You can't get rid of just the sign in/out notifications without also getting rid of messages and such. There needs to be more flexibility.

Completely agree on this. If they can disable notifications when watching videos/DVDs, then they should have some functionality for disabling login/logoff separate from the whole shebang.

 

[Argyle]

The difference is, games patches download and install in seconds on the 360 so this feature isn't necessary.

Hohoho...well, let's see if you can say this a year from now...hell, give it a week...

 

[Derrick01]

I wish people would stop making these threads once every month or other month. PSN still does not have party chat so the answer is still no.

 

[quickwhips]

I could see Gold going free with massive built in ads.

Oh wait, they already have massive built in ads and you still pay...Maybe integrated video adds everytime you go back to the home menu?

How about you let all that hate out of your heart.

Also if anyone has 4 friends and wants a good deal on Xbox live make a family plan and everyone can pay 25 dollars a year for their account. That is what I'm doing now.

 

[satriales]

I should clarify, you can disable those notifications but it disables everything. You can't get rid of just the sign in/out notifications without also getting rid of messages and such. There needs to be more flexibility.

If you're watching a movie why would you want to be disturbed with messages anyway? I always just sign out completely while I'm watching a film as I don't want anything popping up on the screen.

 

[Carl]

I wish people would stop making these threads once every month or other month. PSN still does not have party chat so the answer is still no.

Yes it does. On Vita.

 

[Synth_floyd]

Yeah they're basically the same at this point. Xbox still costs $40-60 per year (depending on what you pay for it) but it's ~$5 a month which is rather negligible.

At this point I'm waiting for the next Xbox and PS4 to see what features they'll have.

 

[Vandiger]

Vita should fix everything that was wrong with PSN on the PS3 and include things that bring more interaction by then yes equivalent. Right now its still second tier but free.

 

[satriales]

Also if anyone has 4 friends and wants a good deal on Xbox live make a family plan and everyone can pay 25 dollars a year for their account. That is what I'm doing now.

This is the thing I hated most about Live when I had a 360. If you share the console with family then you each have to pay for Live, it's not one account per console. They didn't have the family pack when I had the console so it would have cost £40 x 7 = £280 per year for everyone in my family to have their own account and play online, with the PS3 the cost is £0 per year. The games I had all only allowed one save slot per account, so sharing accounts wasn't a valid option either.

The family pack makes it a bit cheaper but I don't think it should cost any extra. If you've paid for a gold account then anyone should be able to play online on that console.

 

[damn that's nice]

Feature parity between PSN and Live? Not even close. PSN is pretty barebones in comparison, most notably in it's lack of parties and cross-game voice chat and messaging. Live is undoubtedly the more feature packed service, but whether or not those additional features justify the subscription cost is up to you.

until ps3 adds those features in for free i just don't see how anyone can say the price isn't justified

i guess some people don't care about those features but i'd imagine those same people don't care about online gaming

 

[D6AMIA6N]

I seriously can't believe there is any debate. Live is far superior and that is a fact. If you argue it is cost prohibitive, then look for discounts that are always available. If your argument is that the actual multiplayer aspect while playing the game is the same, then try inviting a friend to your game while you're playing another. Everything about Live is better, title updates, UI, variety, security, literally everything. Regardless of if you use all it's features or if they matter to you or not, Live has more features.

Short answer, no we are not at feature parity.

 

[catashtrophe]

Both services are close.

But MS convinced its consumers to pay for online services that everyone else gets for free and you can't beat that. MS are so clever its ridiculous and its consumers not so much.

 

[Projectjustice]

For me PSN is better. Not interested in cross game/invites/party chat.

Cant be interested in something you never had to begin with.

 

[D4Danger]

Yeah they're basically the same at this point. Xbox still costs $40-60 per year (depending on what you pay for it) but it's ~$5 a month which is rather negligible.

At this point I'm waiting for the next Xbox and PS4 to see what features they'll have.

Sony are going to go down the XBL route, there's just too much money on the table to ignore.

Microsoft make billions on subscriptions alone. billions.

 

[Macho Madness]

Both services are close.

But MS convinced its consumers to pay for online services that everyone else gets for free and you can't beat that. MS are so clever its ridiculous and its consumers not so much.

People pay for a superior service, imagine that.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

We're not at feature parity but people can legitimately have a satisfactory experience on both.

 

[TEJ]

Microsofts is superior because downloads on PSN take 2-3 times longer than xbl.

I buy a lot of digital games.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Nope.

not until they get the system wide communications stuff and even then the answer will be not as clear since one system will have it (Vita) while the other still doesn't (PS3).

 

[catashtrophe]

People pay for a superior service, imagine that.

Steam is superior to both but no money left my bank account.

I'm addicted to Dark Souls and can't stop playing it and my experience is same as a 360 Dark Souls gamer but again I paid nothing and can use the online game features which Silver Xbox live users can't do.

I could go on but for me MS are geniuses for making ppl feel comfortable with paying for a free standard

 

[Vincent Alexander]

I never understand why anyone would want to do this while playing a game. Most of the time I need my concentration on the game while playing so chatting will break off that concentration. Also, what are the likelihood that ALL of your friends are there at the same time when you play games?

I use this feature 24/7. I love my friends. I love video games. Give me an easy way to talk to the people I love while doing the shit I love---sold.

 

[damn that's nice]

Steam is superior to both but no money left my bank account.

I'm addicted to Dark Souls and can't stop playing it and my experience is same as a 360 Dark Souls gamer but again I paid nothing and can use the online game features which Silver Xbox live users can't do.

I could go on but for me MS are geniuses for making ppl feel comfortable with paying for a free standard

eh


there's no comparable service on console

thus the price is justifyed if you can get some enjoyment out of it

 

[Figboy79]

I have a serious question: What the frick is a "cross game invite?"

If it's what I think it is, then what's the point of inviting someone to play a game that you aren't playing at the moment? If I want to play something online with my friends, it's pretty easy for me to see what game they're playing, then pop the disc in and play them. I don't need an invite while I'm playing, say, Batman: AC, to play Uncharted 2 or something.

The difference between PSN and XBLA pretty much are down to miniscule extras that are nice to have, but not required to get the enjoyment out of the online. The vital component (joining and playing online games), is pretty equal on both platforms.

Also, I never really had horrible download times with PSN. Maybe it's down to some of you guy's personal networks. Downloading on XBLive is definitely faster, but for me, personally, it was never that much of a difference.

 

[Macho Madness]

Steam is superior to both but no money left my bank account.

I'm addicted to Dark Souls and can't stop playing it and my experience is same as a 360 Dark Souls gamer but again I paid nothing and can use the online game features which Silver Xbox live users can't do.

I could go on but for me MS are geniuses for making ppl feel comfortable with paying for a free standard

Steam isn't PSN. Thanks for trolling though.

 

[Alex]

I haven't owned a 360 in a couple years now I think and my PS3 is still nowhere near as smooth and cohesive and feature rich as 360 was back then. We'll see what happens when PS4 hits, I expect Vita to close the gap but I want to see what kind of design a new console OS from them can be.

 

[D4Danger]

I have a serious question: What the frick is a "cross game invite?"

If it's what I think it is, then what's the point of inviting someone to play a game that you aren't playing at the moment? If I want to play something online with my friends, it's pretty easy for me to see what game they're playing, then pop the disc in and play them. I don't need an invite while I'm playing, say, Batman: AC, to play Uncharted 2 or something

it's like asking someone if they want to play.

also, if you accept an invite it usually skips all the loading screens and jumps right to the lobby of whatever game it is. very handy.

 

[The Faceless Master]

We are comparing networks not hardware. PSN is capable of delivering chat as a service. The Vita has it.

And I Get fantastic speeds in my current location on PSN.... but I am moving cross country.

I sure hope PSN speeds are decent in cali.

you're comparing something that's been available for years to something that's not even out yet? we don't even know just how well it will actually work!

 

[catashtrophe]

Steam isn't PSN. Thanks for trolling though.

Forget steam then.

What about the many games which result in similar experiences on both systems online? What about access to demos, online play, music services, movie services, freebies, bet access etc again for free.

Both services are extremely close but cross chat has been blown into something huge when its not

 

[The Faceless Master]

Also, the Guide button is amazing. You get an achievement, you push the guide button and it takes you directly to the achievement you just earned. A friend signs on? Hit the guide button and it takes you directly to their profile.

oh yeah, that is awesome. get a party chat request, hit guide button! accept. bam, you're in the party!

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Both services are extremely close but cross chat has been blown into something huge when its not

You're confusing the words "huge" and "important". It isn't huge, but t is important.

 

[The Faceless Master]

You're confusing the words "huge" and "important". It isn't huge, but t is important.

yeah, i use cross game chat all the time. probably almost every time i use my 360. it's an xbox staple!

 

[Reagan's BR]

I rarely use anything PSN wise other than using it to play my games online so forgive my ignorance, but does PSN have ESPN now?

 

[Halfmunch]

I have both and PSN decent for being free... but

Xbox has
party chat
cross game chat
demos required for downloadable games
downloadable games that have screenshots (many PSN games don't)
Avatars are kinda cool
Achievements instead of Trophies
Lots of exclusive lately
Headset works well and does not need to be charged
Netflix didn't need a disc...
Downloads are way faster on Xbox
etc.
overall more polish.

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

I dont mind not having a party chat. I have no real life friends that own a PS3 and the friends I have are from NeoGAF. Any chat I need to do is within a multiplayer game when Im playing with Gaffers.

Though, nothing on the 360 compels me to buy one, so I really have no interest in the Live ecosystem at all. I had a windows live account but it got hacked and immediately removed myself from that.

My 2 worthless cents

 

[Vincent Alexander]

yeah, i use cross game chat all the time. probably almost every time i use my 360. it's an xbox staple!

Myself as well. Really, at this point, it's more sad than anything else that Sony still hasn't implemented the feature for PS3.

 

[B1gg_Randall]

I have both and PSN decent for being free... but

Xbox has
party chat
cross game chat
demos required for downloadable games
downloadable games that have screenshots (many PSN games don't)
Avatars are kinda cool
Achievements instead of Trophies
Lots of exclusive lately
Headset works well and does not need to be charged
Netflix didn't need a disc...
Downloads are way faster on Xbox
etc.
overall more polish.

You dont need the disc..You just download the App now

 

[ShikaTheReaper]

My only gripe is theres no sound when you get a message on psn. I could care less about party chat.

 

[Balphon]

No, but the garish and cluttered 360 interface makes me prefer PS3/PSN anyway since I'd never use party chat. The only thing that keeps me resubscribing for XBL Gold is ESPN3, which seems kinda silly now that I'm thinking about it.

 

[MikeE21286]

The most annoying parts of the PS3 online come in terms of things that you don't commonly associate with either Xbox Live or PSN as "features"

• I mean the constant long updates on PS3 are annoying, and they are always much smaller and quicker on 360
  
• The fact that you have to download games and then install the games on the PS3 is a pain in the ass
  
• The fact that trophy sync doesn't happen automatically for the PS3, and only occurs for PSN + members is ridiculous
  
• I'd say the UI of the store on the Xbox (even though it is a clusterfuck) is probably easier to navigate and find content than it is on the PSN Store
  
• Comparing gamer profiles/ trophies on the PS3 takes an unreasonably long amout of time as well.
  

Little annoying things like these make the whole PSN online experience lack vision and expose it for the cobbled-infrastructure that it really is. I would say that Sony downplayed the importance of online coming into this generation. It shows in the overall execution of the online system that, when compared to Xbox Live, seems to feel like it lacks cohesion and consistency.

 

[catashtrophe]

I have both and PSN decent for being free... but

Xbox has
party chat
cross game chat
demos required for downloadable games
downloadable games that have screenshots (many PSN games don't)
Avatars are kinda cool
Achievements instead of Trophies
Lots of exclusive lately
Headset works well and does not need to be charged
Netflix didn't need a disc...
Downloads are way faster on Xbox
etc.
overall more polish.

Your list is bizzare...including this point

http://m.cnet.com/Article.rbml?nid=20019876&cid=null&bcid=&bid=-1

 

[McLovin]

Why should they have parity, one if free one isn't. Compare it to xbox live silver if you want to be fair.

 

[DR3AM]

well, the 360 also has some of the most popular games on the market. if u want to play halo online, you have to have xbox live. games are a huge part of why xbox live is so big.