I dont see the issue. I work for a living and thats all pocket change. If your a kid then mommy and daddy buy it for you. I see no problem. Maybe you should stop any careless spending. 

All I see as a gamer is Live being the best. PSN isn't "bad", just inferior by comparison. I could even go so far as saying how you play online is a measure of your dedication as a gamer; play the best or not play the best. I guess I see where you stand. 

Live Gold has WEEKLY deals just as much, if not more then what PS Plus provides. Thats another advantage people seem to neglect. The saving opportunities with Live gold are amazing. 

Why do people always assume parents pay for everything kids do in regards to video games.  There are plenty of parents out there (including mine) that actually make their kids get a job so they can afford stuff like this, you know.

And to say that Live Gold provides even better deals than PS Plus provides is an absolute outrage.  I haven't downloaded some of them (since I don't have the game), but PS Plus has already offered free map packs for games (for sure Killzone 2), 4+ free games every single month (PSN game, PS1 classic, several PS minis every month), and also Qore for free.  There are free themes for your PS3, there are free avatars.  You are also getting a whole slew of additional features for your PS3 (cloud saving, automatic updates, etc).

It's always hilarious to see people going on and on and on about XBL vs PSN.

Now, I have both a PS3 and a 360, I like them both but I admit to liking PS3 more. It'd be easy to call me a fanboy but like I said, I have EVERYTHING that's currently available and they all serve their purpose.

That said, there are two huge negatives to the Xbox. #1 is the whole Red Ring of Death stuff. I know newer models have fixed that, but I have an older model which is still prone to that infuriating...thing. in fact, my Xbox may run flawlessly and has for years but it's made a loud humming/grinding sound since LAST February, so I'm naturally hesitant about using that console, fearing it'll break on me at any moment.

The second negative point is the price of Xbox Live. I know 70 bucks (I'm canadian, that's what it costs here after tax) isn't a whole lot, but that's enough to buy a game like Mass Effect 3 or Skyrim. While I could technically afford that, I'd really rather not pay for it, especially when I get equal gaming done on the PC and PS3 free of charge. Yeah, Xbox Live is more streamlined and allows cross game chat, but I'm not paying 70 dollars for that. I don't spend enough time online to justify it when I could spend that money on something else more useful or fun.

Besides, the only games on Xbox that I play online that I can't get on PS3 includes Gears of War 3...yep, that's it.

I'm not saying I don't like the Xbox, I do (love t he controller, and some games work better on it), but the PSN works just fine for what I need it for, and I'd rather spend that money on something else like a game or food. The only con I can think of on the PS3 is that a lot of games require installs, which saddens me greatly since I'm running out of room (I play Rock Band and have like 40 gigs of songs that I really have to start deleting.) Maybe I'll just get an awesome 500 gig hard drive for my PS3. Probably much better.

^lol

Silly Canadian. Only fools pay full price or pay for Live at all for that matter

which is why I opted to just not pay for it.  Screw that. if it comes free with an accessory or something, sure, but I won't pay for it. 

Sorry, I guess my original point was lost. Only an idiot pays full price for Live. You can find it for much cheaper if you look at all. Last time I logged into Live they had a sale of $30 for a year, and the time before that they had the same deal, as well as the time before that(I only log on 4-5 times a year). 

Not at all bias are you Microsoft?

I don't WANT to pay for it.  PSN is free, as is PC and Wii.  PC is even better and PSN is comparable, I'll just buy my games on those systems that require online play. 

I don't quite understand what that means though. Yes if a person has both consoles and they already pay for live. They might as well get the game for xbox as it also has cross game chat or whatever they call that. Otherwise paying 50-60 bucks for peer to peer servers is bizzare. Microsoft has learned a thing or two from apple marketing people.

Anyways cheers gaming everyone. One of the best gaming holiday season has just started. :)

ps3 > 360