A scam?

You know Xbox live is a service with people behind the scenes that need to get payed in order for it to run. It also mean 24/7 custumer service and hopefully more features becoming available quicker etc. Reminds me of the MMO I am playing city of heroes where I would gladly pay more in order to get more content since I really enjoy the game. yes it would be nice if it was free but paying brings about a service that must be made justifiable as they say adding more value to make it worth the money etc. PSN may be free which is great but it is still lacking in terms of being able to easily get together with a bunch of friends or family to play online regardless of what games they are playing. With all the great co-op games coming out (seems just about every 360 game coming out has co-op) I don't plan on cancelling my xbox live subscription any time soon. I am also looking forward to netflix and the ability to get together with my friends over live and watch videos together that we often have to wait for until we can all get together especially for those that live far.

You prove you have used both services by indirectly saying it in your posts while being objective. You don't just tell people. If you make statements as highly debatable as the one you just made then at least support it with an answer to why. That's my major gripe the "I have both" statement. People then don't support an answer as to why because they think their opinion solidifies when they only seem objective.

 If its his opinion you have no right to claim as though it is wrong in any way.

To be honest, I feel like a fool every year I have to renew my membership. Other services have proved that they can operate without charging a fee. If the cost was standard for every single one then I wouldn't complain; since that isn't so, it makes me wonder how they think they will be able to compete in a few years.

I can't see how having a realistic business model is a scam.  Considering the millions of Xbox live users, I'm sure the cost of hosting thousands of servers, etc. isn't cheap.

Blizzard charges $15/month to play a single game... you must think Blizzard equivalent to the exploits of Black Beard if you believe Live's $3.85/month to be a scam.

As I said, the fact that Sony runs it for free just means they're willing to lose money on it.

For example, some airlines charge for checked-in luggage, some don't. Does that mean the ones who charge are scamming you?

in short....is costs money to run these services.  why shouldn't you pay for them?

which said, i'm still surprised that sony isn't charging for these types of services.  HOME didn't program itself, servers aren't free nor is their maintance.  considering they are "focusing on profitability" charging for PSN seems like a great way to help out.

No sir, that is how you treat facts. Opinions can always be debated. Are you recommending that I treat it as a fact... just leave.

You obviously weren't focusing on the bold text.

I think after the movie and game downloads, Sony will at least break even. The free service is more or less used as a selling point which can indirectly result in more money.

Yes and I'm not going to ride on those airlines because the fee is something that has only recently been introduced as a way to offset the losses on the high oil prices. Their decision is costing them customers. The difference in the situations and the reason why I still pay Microsoft 50$ a year is the fact that they have games that I want to play, that the competition doesn't offer. But I'm betting that in the next generation, Microsoft's strategy is going to come around and bite them in the ass... if Sony keeps theirs free.