PS3: Sony sticks with non-unified online service
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Nov 3rd 2005 at 11:40AM }
Suicide. If reports are true, then Sony is entering the next-generation battle without a central online gaming service. What? Why? Who—
According to OPM (via GamesFirst), online gaming on the PlayStation 3 will be left to the discretion of individual publishers—just like on the PS2. While some may argue that this gives publishers greater freedom to design a unique online experience, it also makes it difficult for Sony to control the quality of that experience. And from a gamer's standpoint, it's a real pain in the neck, since each publisher will require its own user account (and possibly fees).
With Microsoft blazing trails, and Nintendo showing promise, it's hard to believe that Sony is so lackluster about
jumpstarting a centralized online service. There's no doubt that online gaming will be an essential component of
next-generation consoles. Both Microsoft and Nintendo appear committed to making that a user-friendly experience. Sony
on the other hand, well, it may have just turned its back on us…
[Thanks, YM]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
don_sf @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
excuse me, but we all know facts speak for themselves.
xbox live was better than play online, i would say this is a fact.
but who sold more consoles?
xbox had roughly 20 million sales
ps2 had over 100 million and rising.
the way you xbox fans are talking, its like ps3 is going to fail if it dont have central online gaming.
as you can see, this is clearly not the case.
carlos rozas @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
its rediculous no online for ps3...ohhhh welllll i cant wait for the system its gonna be awsome guys..hopefully they will keep their word with all the hype i jus hate wen they lie
manguy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
XBOX is half of what PS3 wiil be.
dvdguy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I can't imagine that this'll turn out to be true. Like you said, it would be virtual suicide.
SurfMurph @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I hope this isn't true. I want to play PS3 online with one gamertag and one friends list.
OSUblake @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
<--- Hands a gun to Sony so they can shoot themselves in the foot.
Fuzz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
That PS3 is starting to look alot like a futuristic coffin. Way to bury yourself, Sony.
jimbo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
HAH! ps3 sux0rz!
jc @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
However, like PC online gaming... this will likely mean that the online aspect of PS3 games will be free. To me that is a key selling point.
I also like being able to run my own server for my games.
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
..I knew it since I saw that "ugly fridge", the PS3 is doomed !!!! the most expensive console ever, a non-existant blue ray drive, difficulties to develop for, and now no online service !!!?, well the choice is obvious get a Revloution ( free online service, affordable console, innovative gameplay, exclusive sofwares, and last but not least ZELDA !!! ) I'm not eve concidering the X 360 for me it's a gaming PC disguised in a console , plus it looks like a Dell optiplex !!!! ;)
Grudge @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I think the idea that no central online service is suicide is simply not true. There are a great number of people who haven't been cracked out on XBox live. I am one of them, and I personally prefer separate logins for each of my games. There is a point at which data overload goes too far. There's no need for an online friend in Uzbeckistan to know that I'm playing Indigo Prophecy offline. Sometimes anonymity is priceless.
dice @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
lol ps2 online=ps3 online lol
DigitalFirefly @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
So this affects the 10% of users that play online. No big deal.
Angelo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"If reports are true, then Sony is entering the next-generation battle without a central online gaming service."
That's 'effed up.
I think with all the next genertaion talk, the online gaming service has become the norm and I'm pretty sure MANY (if not all) people are looking forward to it. To drop it, would be suicide like you have said. Everyone is expecting to go online with their systems. We, the majority, are cradling this principle in our arms and if the report is true, Sony will be ripping it away from us.
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Grudge: You can always choose to appear offline.
I understand the desire for dedicated servers and the like, but I don't want that kind of complication. Besides, having a unified service run by one company (in this case, Microsoft) means that any company can take their game online. They have standard online development tools as well as development support from Microsoft. They don't have to go it alone. This goes a long way to helping smaller companies that can't afford their own network infrastructure, like battle.net for example.
Art Guy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
This will put the nail in the PS3 coffin for me if this ends up being true. Although I really can't see Sony being this bullish, it is really starting to look like the 360 is going to clean up this war. EEk. I really want to see a 40/30/30 between the rivals, it's better that nobody "wins" to keep everyone competitive and honest.
benny ben @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
there is about 20 million xboxs and out of that 20 million only about 2million are on xboxlive. Thats not a big number but xboxlive is a very good and decent online service but its very overrated even though it has a small userbase. There is about 90 million ps2s around the world and about 2.5 million people are online with the ps2 and that is virtually nothing. Online gameplay was not big during this gen so i would not blame nintendo for going online. Online gameplay is only big on PC. Even though xboxlive has small numbers it is succesful. Nintendo is doing that wifi connection thing which is good nintendo wifi connection is going to be a free xboxlive like service. Sony is pretty stupid for not making a unified online service because it can expand the ps3 even more. THe battle for online service for gaming is between nintendo and microsoft both companies are the kings and queens of multiplayer gaming. Sony is going to do what they did with the ps2 to push online play. Sony is going to rely on 3rd party developers like EA to push madden online for the ps3 and key 1st party titles like SOCOM. IF it wasnt for EA and socom ps2 crappy online service would have been dead. With that said if anybody has cable or dsl or wifi broadband please buy a nintendo revolution or xbox360. But then again i guess sony will let nintendo and microsoft kill each other over online gameplay. Besides single player games drove the success of the ps2.
mynus @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Wow, it's not that big of a deal. I really can't believe this news prompts a big freak. OH JESUS SAVE US!!!! NO STANDARIZED ONLINE PORTAL?!?!?! WTH AM I GOING TO DO!?!?!?!
PC users have had the best online experiences in gaming for nearly a decade now, hand down. Just because M$ decided to make a centralized tracking system for gaming, doesn't mean it's the ONLY way to do things. In fact, from a technical perspective, it's the worst possible way to do things. It costs developers more money to get space on said system, and also more time developing plug-ins for the API of that system. Microsoft's entire "thing" is assimilation and controlled centralizing, that's just how they are. It doesn't make the Xbox Live service bad neccessarily, but it sure as hell isn't the best way to handle things.
Mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Hmm ... well ... Didn'y Sony just make deals with Quazal and Gamespy for online technology? I'm sure whatever Sony comes up with, it won't be better than Live, but Live has its own ... issues (i.e. not free).
bob23 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
10%... thats this gen. Next gen Nintendo will be online, MS will be online with improved features, but sony wont be.
Twist @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
How stupid can they be? I guess a third party could step in and try to do something like this but too many developers/publishers will opt to do something on their own. Perhaps multiple developers can come together and build an open protocol where users can have a single username and friends list and other such features across all titles but each developer/publisher is still responsible for their own servers and stuff. This is sort of how IRC works.
Hopefully Sony will at least resolve the issue of not having every game use the same network profile.
Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I love Xbox Live. I like the one user name, Orionz Dream, for all games. I like the friends list and the in game game invites. I wish I could have that with SOCOM. Unlike the other people here, I will not use this as a chance to bash a system I havent even played a game on yet, but I will say more of the same when it comes to online. And well, I dont play my PS2 online as much as i do live already.
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
this won't be suicide, but i don't like it because that opens the possibility for having to pay for multiple subscriptions. with xboxlive i know that i'll have one fee, minus any extras i may want to download.
the ps2 has done fine with this so far, although using central station can be an utter waste of time.
Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
CHILL OUT!! Sony will be fine.
Only 1 out of 10 Xbox owners are actually using Xbox Live. The vast majority of Xbox owners don't give a shit about Xbox Live! Statistics don't lie.
Online gaming is highly overrated. I don't know anyone personally who likes it.
There are some computer users who spend most of their life playing MMORPG's but as with Xbox Live, it is a small minority of gamers overall.
So just relax. Sony will be fine.
I Know my Sh*t @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Sony is killing itself by doing this. I have a feeling the ps3 will be a completely different system from what they have shown us. They need to make up their mind an show us what the final system and controller will look like and give us some offical information about what the ps3 is capable of. We keep on fighting about which system is better when we don't even know what the hell the ps3 will support! Next thing you know they will take blue ray out of the picture.
corkman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
People you must remember a few things -
Wi Fi has only recently become very very big and opens up the online world.
Broadband has much higher penetration now than it did 5 years ago.
People initially bought the PS2 as a bedroom DVD player.
The PS3 with its Blu Ray Junk and its inability to play normal DVD's is going to be a flop. I for one am not ready to give up my DVD collection or believe I need to buy all my VD's again in a different format. For Christs SAKE. Sony with their UMD and more recently with their criminal DRM are gone to the dogs. They have no furure. It seems to me that Japanese companies don't fare well when they go up against a very good american company.
Online is t5he future. Web stadiums are being built in Korea that will make megastars and world champions videogame players. Fact.
Last week I bought a PS2 just to play shadow of the colossus. Ive avoided the Xbox because it has too many FPS and not enough variety but it seems to me that if they are offering a truly good Xbox live service then i may just have to pick up a 360.
Its my opinion that Nintendo will wipe the floor in the area of online gaming. Thir simple philiosophy of making it so easy and FREE is going to propel the revolution into every gaming families house etc.
Who doesnt want to play Mario Kart NRv online in a World Championship ? Forget online FPS. The future of online play is in different areas.
corkman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
SONY MAKE ME SICK.
They used to be hip and cool and very with the market but now they have too much power and market share and its gotten way out of hand.
Don't buy Sony products.
Do not support their DRM buy buying artist cd's.
Do not support a next generation console that doesnt offer a proper online experience.
Grudge @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
corkman, broadband penetration in the US is still less than 50% of the households who do have some sort of online connectivity (43% of all online users were broadband as of June 30, 2005, to be exact), and general online penetration - regardless of dial-up or broadband - is still quite low compared to other countries.
One question I do have though, I hadn't heard that PS3 won't play DVD's - where is this information from? I believe I missed it. For the PS3 to be BW compatile, it must have a DVD laser, which all Blu-Ray Players will have when they are initially released as standalones. So, to hear that the PS3 will not support DVD's is surprising? Can you point me in the direction you got that info?
shidoshi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
corkman - What are you talking about? The PS3 is going to play regular DVD movies just fine.
I think this is a dumb, dumb from from Sony, for reasons many have pointed out. Having a central network that can be used is great for smaller companies that don't have the resources to put their games online, but want to.
Even if Sony isn't going to create main servers, they should at the LEAST create the matching interface and structure. One of the great things about Xbox Live is I know where all of my friends are, and can communicate with them and send them invites no matter what game they're in. You aren't going to have that on the PS3.
I Know my Sh*t @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
This is suppost to be a next gen console, not a half ass console(Reminds me of xbox360). Nintendo is the only one that truely next gen.
mdot @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
if you actually back up sony's reasoning on this, you are a fucking blind fanboy. you are honestly going to tell me that the ps2's online system is better than xboxlive? microsoft is already so far ahead of sony on this aspect that its not even funny, and without a counter move for ps3, they're in trouble. xboxlive is growing at a huge rate and with a larger user base for 360, live will continue to grow. theres no denying that. oh, and its a good thing consoles aren't PCs because i don't want to have unique gamertags for every game i play. it's easier with one in my opinion. just some of my thoughts...and i own every system, btw, so don't think im up MS's ass or anything. i just think their online is better.
corkman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Blu Ray is NOT compatible with current DVD's. HD DVD is compatible with current generation DVD's.
Read the news for Christs sake.
Scythe @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
It can play DVD's it's in the specs for it, look at any site. He has no Idea what he's talking about.
shidoshi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I have read the news. Every Blu-Ray drive that comes out, pretty much, is going to have regular DVD support also built in. I've also read Sony's spec list for the PS3, and DVD support is clearly on there.
HD-DVD is not magically compatible with DVD either, you know. Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD use blue lasers, meaning that a second red laser must be included for DVD support for both product lines.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Hahahahahahah! This is great. I don't want to hear any crap about how Nintendo missed the online boat now.
"CHILL OUT!! Sony will be fine.
Only 1 out of 10 Xbox owners are actually using Xbox Live. The vast majority of Xbox owners don't give a shit about Xbox Live! Statistics don't lie."
So Sony fans HAVE been paying attention. Us Ninty fans have been making this point the entire generation. (On the PS2, the percentage online is more like 3%)
"Wow, it's not that big of a deal. I really can't believe this news prompts a big freak. OH JESUS SAVE US!!!! NO STANDARIZED ONLINE PORTAL?!?!?! WTH AM I GOING TO DO!?!?!?!"
The question is: What will developers do? Nintendo incorporated online capability into the GameCube, but almost no game used it (fuck you Blizzard). They did the same with the DS, but only with the announcement of a centralized service have any developers jumped on board.
Look at history, and expect it to repeat itself.
BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Of course the PS3 is going to support DVDs you fool...how the hell are we supposed to play PS2 games on it? Come on kids, think a little bit.
Alright, FINE...no unified log ins...BOO HOO.
Get over it.
shidoshi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
By the way, here's a few links to show that I do know what I'm talking about:
DVD on PS3
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/614/614682p1.html
Blu-Ray supporting DVD playback/burning
http://www.blu-ray.com/faq/#2.4
Big_Ice_D @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
someone remind me again why I need a blu-ray disc player?...are there any Blu-ray movies out there?
Someone else remind me why I need unified online gaming?.....Oh yeah b/c I want to be able to pick up my controller, see who's online, and kick their ass and smack talk in Halo/Madden/PGR/etc.
Seriously...I was thinking of getting 360 & PS3 later...but now.....
Scythe @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Disc Media
CD PlayStation CD-ROM, PlayStation 2 CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD, DualDisc, DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side)
DVD: PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM, PlayStation 3 DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation 3 BD-ROM, BD-Video, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE
Josh @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
RTFF?
http://www.blu-ray.com/faq/#2.4
2.4 Will Blu-ray be backwards compatible with DVD?
Yes, several leading consumer electronics companies (including Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and LG) have already demonstrated products that can read/write CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs using a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical head, so you don't have to worry about your existing DVD collection becoming obsolete. Although it's up to each manufacturer to decide if they want to make their products backwards compatible with DVD, the format is far too popular to not be supported. The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) expects every Blu-ray Disc device to be backward compatible with CDs and DVDs.
cerin @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
looks like sony will be joining sega..
darryl @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I hope this is true. I do not want a lamer tag nor do I want to pay to play online. I'll pass on the micro-payments too.
"Don't buy Sony products.
Do not support their DRM buy buying artist cd's.
Do not support a next generation console that doesnt offer a proper online experience."
What then? Buy Microsoft? You got to be joking...
I like "proper online experience", that's funny. What does that even mean? Online PS3 gaming will be just the same as the rest, minus the lame pay-to-play and "virtual marketplace" where Microsoft will try very hard to sell you garbage at every corner.
One of the major reasons I would never buy a 360 is the whole "live" thing... Stupid. I just want to play the GAME online.
shidoshi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Big_Ice_D - There are supposed to be Blu-Ray movies coming soon. I can't remember if they'll hit before the end of this year or not, but they're coming. And if you have an HDTV, or are wanting to get one, you're going to want one of the two new DVD formats. Regular DVDs don't look bad on an HDTV, but nowhere near as good as Blu-Ray and HD-DVD versions are going to.
corkman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
OHkay. Then I am incorrect about DVD compatability but I do recall reading in the beginning they were not. Sony got chicken shit and decided to introduce backwards compatability only after their market research showed they were a bunch of dumb fucks.
I don't like Kutaragi but neither do I like Gates.
If i was to sit down with any of the big three corporate leaders it would be Iwata because he comes acrosss as a human being. He would be the one most likely to play a game of Pro Evolution or Mario kart or Halo with you.
jackson @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
suicide.
Patrick @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Mark B said:
>> Online gaming is highly overrated. I don't
>> know anyone personally who likes it.
Hi, I'm patrick. I love XBL and will buy the XBox version over the PS2 version if it is XBL enabled. I think most single player games are devoid of story or variation to keep me interested and rely on playing against actual humans for to make up for this. Where would you like to meet so we can meet personally?
Mynus said:
>> PC users have had the best online
>> experiences in gaming for nearly a
>> decade now, hand down.
What is "hands down" about it? I don't see the PC world being any different than what SONY offers: dedicated servers run by publishers (or optionally interested gamers with bandwidth). You make this claim that it is "hands down" but I think it is completely arguable that the PC online experience is stale and boring. What do you think makes it so great that it wins hands down?
I think the XBL experience is leagues above the PC experience. I have a friends list across games, I can leave messages for my friends, etc. XBL is the reason I got an XBox and all other things being equal, I will pick the XBox game over a PS2 version because of the unified experience.
-p-
I'm not saying the PS3 is dead-on-arrival, but this is a serious mark against it in my book.
Tighty Whities @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
For sure anyone that says something like "sony will be fine", or "online isn't a big deal" or quotes broadband penetration is a sony fanboy all day long and they sound just like the Nintendo fanboys did when people bashed the cube for not aggressively supporting online. Same argument different console. The only problem is that the cube came out 5 years ago. Nintendo was right back then that online wasnt going to be huge yet. But to continute to hold that position is dangerous. Everyone says, "hey only 10% of xbox users use live" Well few sony fanboys realize that less than 1% of ps2 users are online. So why are more xbox users online than ps2? Because the way MS is doing it is better. Period. Look at the results. Dont come with this lame "oh, the developers have more freedom" crap, because in the real world it ends up being, "the developers dont take a game online unless the console pushes it". The ps2 and cube showed that games will not be online unless the console really makes it a priority. Thats why PS2 and Cube have a non-existent online presense. Hopefully NIntendo is getting their act together this time around. It looks like they are. Certainly MS is hitting it hard. There is no GOOD reason to forego online this GEN. The market is actually there now.
Grudge @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Some good points, darryl. I don't think people truly realize that MS is using Live! as a way to market, a way to make you spend more, a way to force thingsinto your living room. I certainly understand why people prefer the centralized data setup, but I simply do not like it. It breeds what MS has bred for the last 20 years - complacency and stagnancy. Only with the rise in Linux use and the breadth of free, open-source software available, has MS decided to go gung ho on changes to their software. The next IE would not have come out if not for the rise in anti-MS sentiment. I'm not here to be an MS basher, but sometimes we forget that MS, Sony, and Nintendo are generally not the best people to go to for honesty about what their systems do, or what their businessplan's intent is.
Eric @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
There was an interesting discussion on Slashdot the other day regarding MS and Sony taking different approaches to their next-gen consoles. The thrust of the debate was that Sony finds itself in a very different position than Microsoft, regarding the system being able to interact with other devices (i.e. PCs, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc). Since Sony is also a provider of music/video content (unlike MS), they are much more paranoid about the way the PS3 communicates with other devices (hence the choice of BluRay and its stronger copy protection, one could posit) because they stand to lose money as a content provider. As such, the PS3 will talk nicely to other Sony products, but not so much with others.
In any case, this post kind of stirred similar feelings in me, as if Sony is trying to keep their system "in a bubble" to an extent. Leaving 3rd parties to design their own networks of course means we will see fewer titles with online support, as development costs will be somewhat prohibitive. It follows then that Sony can keep the PS3 off the naughty, naughty internet (where piracy and the like is obviously rampant) as much as possible, and still claim to have an online "strategy". I don't doubt their ability to pull this off, given the amount of money they can throw at developers and marketing. I also feel, however, that if this is true, it's demeaning to their customers and ignorant of the direction of online gaming.
corkman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
bxjosef
you arse bandit. dont you dare call me a FOOL.