@Black RL - The annual xbox live fee is a nuisance fee.  There is no reason to pay any annual fee to be able to play third party games online in a peer to peer configuration.  If I pay $70 for Modern Warfare 2, why should I have to pay Microsoft $4 a month to play it online?  I can see Activision potentially charging a pay to play model for online, but not MS.  How many Gold accounts do you think MS would sell if they provided free online gaming to Silver accounts?  

@ black rl, they get more money from the go and its software sales. They also lose less money from the PS3 Slim. That will do. Also, stuff like Vidzone gives them revenue through advertising

You basically paying $50 a year just for party chat. PSN and XBL is the same to me. Anyway I don't like chating with someone that is not playing the game I'm playing at the same time. For example why should I talk to someone playing Resistance 2 while I'm playing KZ2. That to me will keep you from focusing on the game you playing.

@dbot, don't get me wrong, I REALLY WISH LIVE was free, but it isn't. And we don't only pay to play. We pay because we have a much better and complete service. PSN is catching up but it's always some steps behind.

I'm just pointing out the fact that when PSN gets real good they will start to charge a fee.

But if LIVE and PSN could both be free, that would be amazing. But then I don't think we would see all the features they are implementing now.

We live in a world of money and profit.

People say live is better, but why? I have had loads of lag on Live, and I thought the reason to pay would be so you don't get lag. You also get free themes on PSN, and no adverts on the XMB

@Munkeh111, the lag isn't caused by LIVE. Some games have worst code and lag, others don't. For example my favorite online game is Gears 2, but sadly it lags many times. On the other hand for example COD4 and HALO3 don't lag.

Free themes are in both services, LIVE and PSN. And a theme doesn't make a service, it's just another feature. I talk about the voice party chat and voice chat in general because that's a real good and important feature.

That said, many things are in both services and some things are exclusive to one or other service. Being the voice chat the only big feature missing in PSN. The thing is that is an important one.

If SONY is able to put all that and continue to be FREE, then MS is in trouble. Their only option being to also be free or to implement a LOAD of new and IMPORTANT features.

But since we leave in a money world, I see more easily SONY charging a fee than MS being free.....

PS3 is a dated console, just shine outside, inside is just as crap as their exclusives uhm Eg: KZ2 ( annoying game IMO)

back to the thread Party Chat Rocks specially when you are stuck at some point in a game like fallout and have a friend who already did that part, or when you play Shadow Complex ( Best summer arcade Ever, sorry PS folks, play FAT Princess ihihih) and both of you help each other beat a obstacle!!!

@migas, I've done that for Fallout and for Oblivion for example!

I bet you did that on your XBOX

Thats the biggest fattest horrible lie ive read all week.