360 vs PS3 DLC

[Jixzer]

I've read a lot of rantings between X-Box 360 and PS3 users about the buying things online. The biggest complaint I've seen is how Microsoft uses points while PS3 is a credit card purchase.

While both have their perks, the both have their downfalls. I actually like the Microsoft Points system better, and I have my reasons.

First reason is availability. Not everyone that owns and plays an X-Box has a credit card. I'm talking about kids from 8 to 18 (just to be clear, I'm 35 with far too many credit cards). With the PS3, they would have to bug their parents just about every time there was something to download (in most cases). But any kid can take whatever money he has earned and buy a MS point card at any gaming store and can then download whenever he/she feels the need to. And even if he does have to get the money from his parents, he/she has to do it far less often as opposed to the PS3 that has to tell them every time.

Adversely, for the adults, the PS3 version would be easier, but then most adults could also just buy more MS points straight from their console.

I've also heard people complain that they have to spend more money to get points than they actually need to get the download what they want. Right, like your never gonna use those points? It's like prepaid phone minutes...they are yours, and you will use them...I promise.

Regardless, what each person prefers is entirely up to that person, but don't knock the MS point system. It has a lot of really good reasons to exist..and I like it.

Oh, and to go a bit off subject, I think X-Box live should be free. I don't mind paying, but I think Microsoft would make a bundle more money if they just added advertising to the Dashboard. With it's current following, I think it would work better for everybody. They already have in-house ads there, so why not expand.

/Flame on!

[FallenAce]

They already have ads on the service. Live costs because MS runs the servers - even the game servers - and thus have mod control of the environment. That's why cheating is so rare on Live. Did you ever play SOCOM on PS2? Constant cheating. Same with basically any game I played on PS2 online (except FFXI). Sony doesn't control the servers, the company that makes each game runs it's own server. That's why it costs; the subscription version is way better in terms of quality.

There are over 7 million Live subscribers. At least half are Gold, so (3.5X50=) 175 million per year is made by charging. Plus the already-existing ad-space. This service will never be free.

[Jixzer]

This service will never be free.

And honestly, I'm fine with that. Didn't think about the cheating part, good point.

[sonicbrew]

Purchasing on the PSN store is painless for me and I have no isseus with my PS3.

[FallenAce]

I have yet to purchase anything on PSN. In fact, the only online capabilities I have used on my PS3 were Warhawk, which I bought to goof around with the other 'tards on this forum, of whom I've only ever met up with LZ_Reborn.

[Genchi]

Not everyone that owns and plays an X-Box has a credit card. I'm talking about kids from 8 to 18Well for younger kids I think PSN's system works much better. You can make them a sub-account of your own PSN account. Then you can control how much they're allowed to spend per month on PSN purchases as well as password-lock their ability to purchase things at all. You can also set your account to automatically add the correct amount of funds when buying things so that your kids don't have to come to you asking for you to add money to the account.

For older kids/teenagers you can head down to CVS (or any of a bunch of other stores) and buy those American Express/Visa gift cards that are basically just pre-loaded credit cards. There actually ARE Playstation Network Cards, but they only sell them in Asia for the time being. They had originally planned to sell them everywhere, but I guess they must've held off since the PS3 had such a rought start here in NA and in Europe. If things pick up I'm sure they'll introduce them.


I've also heard people complain that they have to spend more money to get points than they actually need to get the download what they want. Right, like your never gonna use those points? It's like prepaid phone minutes...they are yours, and you will use them...I promise.But that's just not true. I've got something like 900 unused points that have gone unused for like 7 months now. Same goes with a lot of my friends. Granted, that's not a lot of money, after conversion, but it's money all the same. Money that Microsoft gets to keep regardless of if you use your points or not. And that's on top of charging for Gold Accounts. (And no, I won't be using the point for Rock Band DLC because I plan on getting the PS3 version).


Live costs because MS runs the servers - even the game servers - and thus have mod control of the environment.That's only partly true. MS controls the lobby/matchmaking servers, but the actual game server are non-existant in most games. They use the gamer's 360 as the server for each individual game, which is another reason that paying for live seems like a ripoff. If Sony, Nintendo and tons of PC companies like Valve can offer similiar/better services for free there's no reason a huge company like Microsoft can't. I suspect that if PSN and other competitors step up and start one-upping xbox live on features while remaining free eventually they'll have to atleast lower the price if not get rid of it completely. But that probably won't happen until the next generation of consoles.

[Rock_Starman]

There's cheating on the PS2 because there's things like Codebreaker,Gameshark and Action Replay. None of that on the 360 or PS3.

I think I like PSN better because I know what I'm actually paying without having to look it up. The downside is they charge tax on each item.

Using GH 3 as an example. 500 MS points here is actually $8 because the cards only come in 1250 and 2800. For some stupid reason they're still charging $1 more here in Canada on PSN so it's $7.25 and with tax it comes out to $8. Though the person who's credit card I borrowed was cool with me only giving them the $7.25. (I pay for everything in cash)

On a side note they better not pull that extra dollar crap with RB because I will NOT pay $3-5 for one song and us Canadians and PS3 owners are already getting screwed.

[FallenAce]

You could cheat plenty without a gameshark/codebreaker. Go check out SOCOM.