I will try to make this my last thread about my love affair with my new PS3 Slim.  For anyone who doesn't know, 2 years ago I abandoned my PC gaming habit and switched to the 360.  I was surprised at how much I liked console gaming after being away from it for years, and I immediately jumped on the 360 fanboy wagon.  I have been guilty of bashing the PS3.  Sometimes, admittedly, based on things I had heard rather than seen.  When the price drop and redesign of the PS3 happened, I couldn't resist anymore.  I bought one.  And why am I so impressed by PSN?  Let me count the ways:

1.  Now aside from the games, which are great, I have done a lot of messing around with PSN.  I have come to the realization that there is no longer much of a reason to justify paying $50 a year for Xbox Live.  (Of course, I will still pay it and in fact just renewed for the next year.)  First of all, the fact that there is so much free 1080p HD video on PSN absolutely blows my mind.  I think Xbox Live's stuff is all still in 720 and you will be hard pressed to find much of the free video in HD.  All the Major's Minute and Inside Xbox stuff is free, but not in HD.  In fact, the only time I feel like I'm ever getting free stuff in HD is when a megaton exclusive gets announced and I watch the trailer on Xbox Live. Hell, I'm even using my Netflix account (which I started BECAUSE OF Xbox Live getting the streaming service) more for ordering BluRays than watching them on my 360.

2.  The whole "social" thing.  While the Xbox still has the slight edge as far as actually socializing while playing, I don't think PSN is far behind, especially if they ever sort out the whole voice chat thing.  I have already racked up a list of friends from work, from VGChartz, and from friends who were dying for me to get a PS3.  And I still ignore their messages and statuses just like I do on Xbox Live.  :)  For me, it's really no different.  It just LOOKS different.  And while Xbox 360 is soon going to be boasting Twitter, Facebook, and Last.FM, I have already been checking my Twitter, Facebook, and Gmail regularly on my PS3.  For free.  Sony doesn't push this enough.

3.  Achievements.....er........Trophies.  I didn't think I would like these as much because they are not exactly like Gamerscore, but I DO like them.  They are still a little token of your progress on a game and give you a good idea on how well you're playing it compared to your friends.  Really no different from Achievements, and probably implemented every bit as well, even if it was kind of a copycat move. 

After long Killzone 2 session this morning, I was just having all these thoughts about how much I like PSN, and I couldn't hold it in.  I feel like Xbox Live is somewhat treading water right now and PSN is trying its damnedest to move forward.  I still have been giving time to both consoles, but HOLY CRAP the PS3 is a lot of fun, and I feel like PSN, and Sony in general, are catering to gamers like me more than the other two consoles. 

*bows*
nice article i liked it =).

It was a case of "it sucks cos I don't have it" then? I kid of course :P . Just got my Slim today myself, it's great. Congrats on your PS3 purchase, Now make sure to buy those exclusives

Nice article. I agree with majority of what you just wrote.

Sony doesn't advertise the facebook, twitter, etc... because just as MS and their fanbase used to say back in the days of the "Lesbian' and "Gay" controversy where people would have things in their names and/or profiles, "This is a gaming service, not a social network".

Does Facebook on LIVE give you total Facebook access? Can you use Facebook apps and stuff like YoVille or the Slot Machines?

nice read. being a owner of all 5 systems i have to agree. PSN is fine but its free. and with the new 3.00 update its getting much better IMO

My opinion may change with the 3.0 upgrade, however currently I very much feel like the PSN is an addition to the PS3, while XBOX Live, is integral to the 360 experience. Here are a few things I currently consider lacking on the PSN:

1) I have a USB headset...and I can't send a voice message to my friends... what?
2) No notification that friends are on-line...I was waiting for a buddy on-line, while the whole time he WAS, I just wasn't notified. If I hadn't gone to his list to send him a voice, text, I wouldn't have known.
3) No notification of new mail messages?
4) Cross game chat and party systems are known differences.

That being said, I don't HATE the PSN...hell it's free, how could I hate it? I wouldn't "pay" for it though, so I'm glad I can enjoy what it does have to offer. IMO, it is NOT that similar to Live though, at least not yet.

I don't know about number 1, but the notification issue for friends and messages is fixed in 3.0.  These statuses will always be in the upper-right corner of the xmb.  I agree with your initial statement that the PSN doesn't feel as integrated as Xbox Live.  Still no solution for the party system/chat issues.

@ TRios_Zen )

well, uhm.. usually there are notifications for friends coming online and you receiving new messages

I had cases of not seeing them (either because they didn't show or because I didn't pay enough attention .. I don't know) aswell though.

Fair enough, and I am very new to it, so it's possible I missed them. 

@dbot, that is good to hear, looking forward to upgrading tonight after work!

Otherwise, let me stress though - for free, I think it's an absolute great addition to my PS3!

Edit: I wish they had a system like "mygamercard" though (see sig): I haven't play Uncharted since I picked up Valkyria, Resistance and KZ2, but it won't update...