Details on the PS3 Online Service 156
Eurogamer has details of Sony's online strategy for the PlayStation 3. Finally. The long article goes into the process by which you log into the service, some of the things you can expect to find online, the different aspects of user accounts, and finally some details about the PlayStation Store. From the article: "As to the content that will be available, Sony is still playing its cards close to its chest to some extent - but one thing the giant firm is clear on is that the PlayStation Store will grow to encompass more than just new game content and demos. Alongside the free and paid-for game content, the store will also play host to a wide range of new titles developed specifically for download (the first of which, fl0w, was shown off at TGS - dozens more PlayStation Store exclusive titles are being worked on around the world thanks to an initiative which Sony launched at GDC last year) - and as Ken Kutaragi revealed at TGS last month, it'll also be possible to buy PSone and PS2 classics you missed out on, as well as a selection of PSP games, from the PlayStation Store, and download them directly to your PS3." After all this time, it's nice just to know there is an online strategy.
Re:Will this force XBox Live to become free? (Score:5, Informative)
Thats the big advantage of XBox lives subscription services...if all you want is profiles and shopping, MS already has that for free its called Xbox Live Silver.
Re:Will this force XBox Live to become free? (Score:5, Informative)
Past the initial setup, Xbox Live access has been completely transparent with my 360. I start the console, I'm immediately logged in, any game I insert checks for updates and has multiplayer ready to go when I select the appropriate mentu options. The most I ever have to think about is how many XBL points I have when I'm looking at perhaps downloading something.
Maybe Sony will have similar functionality that allows the third-party online services to utilize Sony's login, but we haven't seen any evidence of that, yet. The bottom line is that if Sony's online complexity varies on a game-by-game basis, then it will continue to suffer in comparison to Xbox Live.
PS- I should note that XBL multiplayer is by no means perfect across all games. Lag is reported as an issue in some games while being a virtual non-factor (except on a connection-by-connection basis) in others, so obviously there is still code that depends on the developer. MS and developers still have some work to do in this area, but as far as convenience and ease of use they seem to have things down pat.
Re:If Only.... (Score:2, Informative)
It seems like PS3 users will be able to chat with the PC community through Xfire. May not seem much compared to your idea, but it's a start.
RTFA (Score:2, Informative)
"Oh - and it's all free, too. The only place you'll be asked to fork over a penny is when you purchase something in the PlayStation Store."
"So, once you add friends, what can you do with them? Obviously enough, you can check their status and see if they're online; you can see if you have any new messages from them, and send them messages. Sending emails through the system uses the same peculiar text messaging style keypad that users of the PSP will be familiar with, which seems a bit painful at first but rapidly becomes a much faster way of entering text than the on-screen keyboards used by other system"
Please take of the fucking blinkers! slashdot?! you ate my balls with the xbox360 fellatio!
it's free (Score:3, Informative)
Playing online is free on Sony's PS3 network, just like it is on PS2. PS3 online gameing: free. Playing on Live costs money.
You are correct that the Xbox 360 doesn't have an HDMI connector, but I believe it's $600 for a PS3 with one.
$500 in US. $430 in Japan. All PS3s have HDMI connectors, not just the expensive one (was announced a month ago).
The article doesn't say the hard drive is upgradeable. Are you making it up? I remember not putting my PS2 online because I had to pay $50 for a special 10/100 network adapter that fit the PS3, when a generic one cost $10. I'm not convinced there will be an easy way to upgrade the hard drive without buying proprietary hardware. This is Sony after all. (BetaMax, MiniDisc, MemoryStick, BluRay) etc. And are you sure opening the box won't void your warranty?
Over half the games on PS2 that played online would support a cheap 10/100 network adapater, in addition to Sony's which was $50 (but fell to $35 very quickly and is included in the Slim PS2).
The hard drive is upgradeable on the PS3 (do a search). You don't have to open the box either, it goes in the end. Sony never said it was upgradable with just any hard drive though, it's quite possible you have to buy Sony's HD (like on PS2) to upgrade it.
The higher-end PS3 has CF and SD memory slots next to the memory stick one. My Sony digital camera has a CF slot! And don't use BluRay as an example of Sony going it alone, HD-DVD has only one company backing it (Toshiba), BluRay has the entire rest of the industry. On the other hand, UMD (as used in PSP) is a great example of Sony going it alone, to their detriment. Dumbos.
Are you claiming that the PS3's peripherals will be dirt cheap? (See comment above about $50 PS2 network adapter.)
PS3 uses a standard HDMI cable. It uses a standard power cable. It uses standard USB cables. The only proprietary cable it uses is the analog video out, and that's the same connector they have used since PS1, so many cheap 3rd party versions are available.
Additional wireless, rechargeable SIXAXIS PS3 controller: $43 (only priced in Japan so far). Charges with a standard USB A->mini B cable.
Additional wireless, rechargeable 360 controller: $62 ($50 controller + $12 rechargeable battery pack, and you still don't get a charging cable).
So, at least so far, the cost of peripherals for the PS3 looks pretty reasonable.
Re:Wikipedia: comedy gold! (Score:3, Informative)