Maybe GameDaily just likes to stir up a war with
this kind of flamebait, but we'd like to believe they are providing a pretty objective view at the two network
platforms of Microsoft and Sony. With the latter only having provided details, and Microsoft having established itself
as a veteran of the trade by now, it's pretty obvious that the comparison here is a specs-to-specs look at how Xbox
Live and the PlayStation Network compete against each other.The criteria they judge them on are things like the freebies each provides, "the basics," and gaming features (like lobbies, leader boards, etc.). Microsoft has been in this business of console networks for a while now, so it's no surprise that Sony may provide a few bells and whistles to compete head-on. One of these things is free multiplayer. Only Gold members on Xbox Live get the luxury of swapping insults and frags with each other. However, Sony wants to let everyone get this special opportunity... for free. Online gaming support for everybody, right out of the box, is something that's going to make a big difference when the PS3 hits the scene.
GameDaily gives the advantage to the PSNetwork Platform for this online battle. Of course that's without even using it, so we can bet that we'll see more solid comparisons in November when people can actually get their hands on it. Knowing all of this, Microsoft has the chance to respond to the competition before they even show up. It'll be interesting to see how they react to Sony's platform as time goes on.
