Live Gold was worth most of the time I had it ... (maybe 2,5years overall since launch)

But most of the time I play online on the PS3 because I'm a cheap guy and sometimes I wont touch a console for a (half)year so its not optimal for me.

I don't see XBL worth the money at all. Maybe if you are comparing it to a 360 without it sure, but when PS3 offers online play, in game chat, access to subscription services, and a similar store front at no cost XBL looks bad. It's approaching year seven so ~$450 on top of the price of the console, it's pretty outstanding. Next gen will make XBL look even worse since it will be less likely the Xbox 3 will have key features the other consoles lack. To be honest, Microsoft needs to provide something substantial along with their subscription fee to be relevant. Most are betting on tv services but we won't really know till next year. Do you think they might opt for a free online service to compete with Sony and Nintendo while providing a premium feature service? Or will they continue to all but require a subscription like they aree doing this gen? Personally I think that model can't exist next gen and they will have to make 360's online free once Xbox 3 launches and transfer people's current subscription time over to premium service time. Leverage it as an incentive to buy Xbox 3 and no one loses since their XBL is free now.

EDIT: Around  $400, first 5 years at $60 and last 2 as $50 right?

Compared to Live, Psn is terrible. i wont even discuss that. i cant play more than 1h on psn before got bored.  Next Psn will be like Live with fees so Sony can make it better because it is a joke.

I remember back in the day when I first heard of the Sony PlayStation.  I despised the PlayStation just because it was made by Sony.  Why?  Maybe it was because I was such a Nintendo fanboy back then.  I was looking to buy a new console and scoffed and avoided the original Playstation like a plague while pretty much set on buying an N64 and a Saturn.  That was until Final Fantasy VII was released for the Playstation.  Being an old school Final Fantasy fan, I had to swallow my Nintendo pride to enjoy what made gaming so great, the games.  Since then, I truely became a gamer while the PlayStation namebrand/platform has provided me with more than plenty of gaming offerings ever since.  Coolness.

Well, every culture is susceptible to marketting, but the 360's success had as much to do with the PS3's failure. For the first 2 YEARS the PS3 had a fraction of the games, inferior multiplats, and grossly inferior online capabilities (to go with the higher price tag). by the time the PS3 shored up these issues, the failure rate of the 360 was much lower, and more importantly, in a multiplayer world, the 360 had a larger install base.

And how was the press turnign a blind eye? Talk of RROD was everywhere. Noone wasn't aware of the 360's issues. The problem (for PS3) was that the press did not turn a blind eye to their issues either. Did the 360 have a high chance of failure? Yes. But in the beginning, that high chance of failure came with better graphics, more/better games, and superior online. Most gamers considered it worth the trade-off, and it didn't require bias to feel that way. By the time the PS3 caught up (and in some areas surpassed) the 360, it was too late. If all your friends have a 360, getting a PS3 meant you got to play the new CoD alone.

Both products had huge shortcomings, but in the end, gamers chose a high risk system with a higher fun threshhold.

The numbers are based on the respondents, not on how many were sold.

@arch_college

That is such an outdated viewpoint of psn. The services are practically identical now and have been for over two years. If you get bored is it because you don't have enough PSN friends? Are you playing the wrong games? Are you not utilizing game invites? The main drawback is the cross game chat system, nothing compares to it's ease of use in communicating with friends and creating groups to chat with and not having to play the same game. The rest is a level playing field.

I highly doubt Sony will charge for PSN next gen. They already have an established precedence and Nintendo has the same one. Microsoft won't be so lucky as to have Sony legitimize a pay for online service next gen. The future lies with premium services, like PS Plus which is kind of like a Netflix for games but instead of a large library of titles it is a rotating selection with discount bonuses on purchases. Services like Plus could get a make over next gen or maybe additional services will become available but the core online will be free. Sony will have free cross game chat, they have it free on Vita right now. Microsoft won't be as able to charge for online like they are this gen. Making the basic free will remove competitor edge and appear generous to the consumer.

Paying for XBL doesn't guarentee a better service unless the money is transparent to prove it provides more than a comparable free service. I know profits keep a company going but is Microsoft putting in any more money to Xbox than Sony is putting into PlayStation? Knowing that is the keystone to your position.

One of the graphs missing from this posting, but on the source site, is the graph for the PS3.

The interesting thing it shows is that the PS3 Slim actually has a higher incident of failure than the Xbox 360 S (Slim).  Not by a significant amount, but it is implying that statistically speaking, the Xbox 360 S is better, in term of hardware failure rate, than the PS3 Slim.

Yeah...Microsoft are bastards for selling Windows 8 Upgrades for $40.  Bastard!  Selling Windows 8 upgrades for $50 less than they sold prior OS upgrades!

Yes, Metro apps on Windows 8 may have a cost associated with them, but you would expect that.  You can still install desktop apps like you normally would.  Developers aren't locked into creating Metro apps.  The problem with desktop apps in Windows 8 is the context switch from the Start panel (Metro) to the desktop.

Also, the Xbox 360 outsells the PS3 in the UK too.

XBL is easier to use, faster, party chat, better marketplace, much more variety of games to choose from indies or arcades.

Sony will make Psn a paid service make my words.

I Love what Sony did with Plus, sometimes they give games for free wich is awesome