Live is so much better than PSN for me due to the features available and the better consistency I have with games while playing online, connection issues and/or interuptions, deals of the week, quick n easy downloads and updates, etc...

Live is like online for a hardcore gamer while PSN is like online for the casual gamer. PSN has the basics but nothing really makes it stand out. I have all 3 consoles and I pay for Live due to the fact it is the best online gaming community network available.

A lot people pay about $180 for WoW every year. I pay much less to play 360 games online.

Exclusives are crucial part of Live's success (XBLA games included). Exclusives like and Halo and Gears distinguish it from other free services. On top of the exclusives, I also get to play my favorite multiplat games as well.

Personally, I don't use any of the extra features like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, etc. But a lot of people do which is why they market them. However, I do often take advantage of Deal of the Week. The savings I get from that pretty much pays for my fees.

For the record, you don't have to pay full price for Live. If you look around deals happen often. Many times right on your 360 dashboard.

I hardly even play games online and I still would gladly pay for Live over PSN. PSN has failed to impress me. Plenty of Multi-Console owners also choose to play on Live online over PSN. Those that have no option to choose between PSN/Live probably chose an X360 over a PS3 for a reason. I bet you Live was one of the reasons for many of them. So it`s not like you say.

The real bottom line is Halo. Its so damn good that people would pay just to play that. In fact... they do! Live and the 360 would be struggling without it.

The 360 has the biggest online exclusives and that's a huge reason why people pay. On top of that, safe bet it has the biggest online games found on PSN.

*d21lewis has PS3--NEVER plays games on the PSN*

IMO it isn't worth it. Paying for playing games online (thats the only reason anyone pays for gold, or am i wrong?)  that don't even run on dedicated servers but mostly only through p2p just isn't worth it to me.

Plus, the only games i really enjoy online are shooters and those control better on a PC anyway. So i don't see any reason to pay for xbox live.

I enjoy my 360 and Wii when I'm in the mood for non-competitive- or party-play. Lying on my comfy couch in front of my ~80 inch projected image with a controller in my hands, and in the best case scenario with a buddy or my GF,  to me is not an environment for competitive play.

Local co-op is what really lets consoles shine in my opinion. That has always been the reason why i kept consoles besides a gaming PC. Coupled with the fact that I would have to pay for a low-standard (IMO) online service I didn't even think about paying for live after my 30 free days ran out.

There are some really great arcade games though. And although they usually are IMO  too expensive, especially compared to similar games as good steam offers, they are what is really good about xbox live... but i don't need live gold for them

I won't lie to you.  If the online play was free, I probably wouldn't touch a Gold membership.  But we don't have a choice.  But Microsoft has done a good job in my opinion making Gold a very good value--even if its primary function should be free.  Still, I never feel bad renewing my subscription.  I haven't delved into the world of PC gaming (probably never will) so I can't compare.  Sounds like an awesome experience, though.  If I had to rank the online offerings of the different platforms, it would go like this:

• PC:  Hardest of the hardcore, cheapest, most features
• Xbox Live:  Very good, most expensive, very simple to use, best among consoles
• PSN:  Very good, free, lots of good features, gets the job done
• Wii:  Limited experience, very complicated, free, not entirely stable
• PSP:  Limited experience, free, limited amount of users
• DS:  Bare bones online

Here's the analogy:

-Wii's online is just some skanky girl that will let you have sex with her.  You probably won't feel satisfied afterwards and you may even feel a little guilty.  Plus, you'll always wonder if she gave you a disease.

-PS3's online is that sweet girl you always wanted to have sex with.  You can be her friend and eventually she gives you what you want.  You feel pretty good about yourself and you're happy with her.

-360's online is that one really sexy girl that makes you spend your whole paycheck to get with her.  To your surprise, she's REALLY good at having sex.  Yeah, all you wanted was the sex but when you wake up in the morning, you find out that she made you breakfast, mowed the lawn, bought you a new iPod, and gave your dog a bath.  You'd be happy just having more sex but considering that she's only with you for your money, it's not that bad since you're getting more out of the deal than you want.

-And PC is like a pornstar that has sex with you AND buys you nice things.

You cant browse the interwebz on XBL. No porn surfing for you!

You make a very good point.........

(if anyone were to browse my history on my PS3, they'd have a lot of insight into the kind of pervert I am!)