Non free online play is the number one reason, far and away, that I avoid getting a game on the 360 like the plague. I had about 10k in gamerscore back when the PS3 was released and probably have only gotten about 2-3k more in the last 3+ years from Fable 2, Gears 1 and Halo 3, other then that the 360 has more or less sat unused and 99% of the reason is that they charge for online play.

I wait months for a PS3/PC port and go well out of my way to avoid 360 games because, quite simply, I refuse to pay hundreds of dollars for what should be free and IS free on every other gaming platform ever. PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, Mac, Iphone, Ipod Touch, Gamecube ALL free. I already pay 30 bucks to Verizon to provide the internet, why would I pay Microsoft a penny for their service? I mean it would be one thing if they were my ISP too like seganet, then theres at least some value for your money, but as far as I can tell its just extortion with no added value.

For that matter I can watch Netflix free on a number of other gadgets, why is it 7 bucks a month on the 360? It's just such BS where they get you with a low entry point price and then nickel and dime you into the poor house with 150 dollar 120GB hard drives, 100 buck wifi adapters, 7 dollar a month online multiplayer and all the rest of it.

Incidentally you can get Netflix streaming a million non PS3 ways. For the 50 bucks a year it costs you for live you can get an internet extension for a Sony Bravia TV that allows tons of streaming (netflix being one of the choices), you can use Boxee with a number of devices, Roku is only 99 bucks retail ect. Every other device (and they are legion) that provides netflix streaming does so for free, why the hell should it cost 50 bucks to enable you to use YOUR bandwidth to connect with NETFLIX's content (that uses their bandwidth).

MS is just standing next to a road they didn't build collecting a toll, like some kind of highway bandit. I need less monthly charges ripping me off for things that used to be free not more thank you very much. I'd rather spend the 50 bucks on another game.

How would you know? You havent experienced the newer PSN or PS3 interface.

The ps store is integrated, and MILES more organized,HOME beats avatars in everything, HOME is PSNs trump card in my opinion, and darn this stupid computer does not let me post apostraphies for some reason.  As for the friesnd list thing, PARTY system on XBL makes XBL superior period. That is a significant feature, and until PSN offers it, forget it, people will continue to pay for XBL

  A) yes it probably costs a little to maintain the network for both Nintendo and Sony, but they also have a marketplace with many things to buy and they take a cut.  They passively make money off the network because you use their network to buy Wiiware, movies, PSN games ect.  You are still paying them to play online in a way, but only through buying content from them which is quite different then being charged an access fee.

B) You are using your bandwidth to play games and connecting with other users using their bandwidth often with one console or the other acting as the host.  There is 0 cost to microsoft for this to happen.  This is why it is free to play PC games online, even games from defunct companies, because it costs nothing to connect players to other players through services like Gamespy.  Similarly it is free to stream netflix on other devices because the cost is on your end and netflixs end.  All the 360 is doing is acting as a semi computer to link you two together which costs microsoft nothing.  

In short you are paying for something that should cost nothing, that is what makes it stupid.  Microsoft is providing no added value and bearing either no expense or almost no expense and yet charging what really is a lot of money.  I mean 7 dollars a month doesn't sound like a lot but if you'd been using it since the Xbox came out it would have cost almost 500 dollars by now, more then the cost of either console.

  I mean sure WoW and other things cost money, but you are getting content and access to a persistent world (that actually DOES cost something to maintain) in exchange.  There are no other games equal in quality that are free, because it costs something to make a game like wow and maintain it.

 Alternately connecting one player to another or streaming netflix is free and costs nothing on the PC and other platforms with similar or better interfaces.  There are equal or better options that cost nothing, which should be the cost of getting just very basic computer functionality out of the 360.  I mean really, I have no idea why ANYONE would defend the 7 bucks a month charge here, how does paying MORE for LESS benefit any of you?  

dont care

  You can party up in many games or in home to start games.  There are many ways to group up with friends, play games in said group and communicate on PSN.  There certainly isn't a 7 dollar advantage to the 360 party system which is really just a rudimentary chat room with netflix streaming if you're all shelling out the cash for gold and netflix.  

That is a horribly flawed argument. Read that statement again, what you are saying, is like saying You already pay 30 bucks a month to Verizon to provide internet, so why should I have to pay a fee to stream video from a video streaming pay service or porn site. It's also like saying you already pay 30 bucks a month to Verizon so why should you pay anything for website hosting. See, your ISP and Live are two very differant services. XBL does not offer you internet and you cannot use it without paying for an internet service, much like you cant use those pay-per-month video streaming sites without paying for an internet service.

I know right...WTF has XBL gotta do with your ISP?  That's like saying...hey, I pay for internet, so EVERYTHING on the internet should be free...That's like saying...I pay for transportation tax, so every car should be free for me to go take out of a dealership...lol...sometimes I wonder about postings...

Exactly.

Most of my friends and family are playing on 360s, so I play with them on Xbox Live.  However, most of the gamers at my job are playing on PS3s, so that was a big reason I was excited to get one.  I have no trouble on PSN with reading my friends list, seeing who's on, and looking at what they're playing.  I can compare trophies with them just like I can compare achievements with my friends on XBL.  The only thing I can't do is yap with them while I'm playing something different than what they're playing, and I actually don't even mind that.  I don't like people getting on and bugging me when I'm playing a single player game that I'm really into.  I don't want to play Tiger Woods with you just solely for the fact that we both happen to be online at the same time.  And that probably means I don't want to voice chat with you either.  Though cross game chat would really come in handy at times on PSN, and I'm pretty sure that functionality is going to be added soon.  But for the most part, I do not use that feature on Xbox Live either unless we are all in the same game playing the same thing.

(just a side note:  Really, the biggest problem I have connecting with my friends on PSN is that they all seem to talk a big game about how much they play but then they don't play very often.  They say things like, "I'm totally going to be playing Need for Speed Shift all night tonight.  We should totally race!"  and then they never get on or they get on for like 20 minutes and then go to bed.  Lamos.)

I did experienced the last interface prior selling my PS3.

PS Store is not integrated or organized ... come one.... Can you buy/browse/rate games from contextual menu without entering the marketplace ? Can you do it online from PC ? No. XBL you can, it is an inheritance from classical MS-WIndons functionality but it works great for a console.

We can speak about this for hours... but from what I tested (during 6 months) PSN is just trying to copy XBLive. And it is doing more and more ok... but I can't help it.... 3 € a month is still ok to me to have a better system.

ANYTHING OVER WHAT I ALREADY PAY.

I ALREADY WROTE M$ WITH MY CONCERNS AND RIPPED THEM A NEW ONE FOR JUST THINKING ABOUT IT OR NOT GIVING A ANSWER BACK THAT I THOUGHT WAS GOOD.