Although PlayStation 3 is still third in worldwide sales, behind the Xbox 360 by about 5-million units, the PS3 community services now have as many online gamers as Xbox 360 says Sony. Sony posted on their blog saying, “with 14 million active accounts and 273 million pieces of content downloaded, we know that you’re thirsting for this digital entertainment.”
Although US sales of the 360 are killing the PS3, the community membership does give gamers a reason to get online with the PS3. Nobody wants to buy into a console that has very few active online games or an easy way to find friends (*cough* Wii). Having 14-million users helps them bridge the sales gap by building gamer confidence. Social networking is the new term; gamers want to socialize with each other online and with their consoles.
Microsoft recently announced their 14-million subscriber base and continue to update folks when they hit big milestones. The main difference, LIVE is a subscription system — those 14-million gamers are also paying for the service (we’re not sure if silver memberships count in that figure) and this means income for Microsoft while Sony does their service for free.
Although Microsoft is making money on their service, no doubt Sony will bypass their total membership because it has no cost barriers to play. The biggest cost barrier to get on Sony’s network is the PS3 itself and many gamers hold out for price drops which aren’t coming anytime soon (so says Sony). However, building a larger community on a free network allows Sony to siphon gamers to buy downloadable content, games, music, movies and all the goodies that go with these services.
It seems a better idea to triple your audience with a free service knowing a large amount of “hardcore gamers” attach themselves to the easy to buy content on said service. So, is it better to make US $50.00 a year on half the population or give triple that population an opportunity to spend more money on content?
“Thanks to all of you, PS3’s momentum is stronger than ever. There are nearly 17 million PS3 systems around the world, and in the United States, PS3 hardware sales are up nearly 100 percent from where we were at this time last year. Software sales have tripled from a year ago. Yes, we’re proud about everything we’ve accomplished, and we’re even more psyched about where we’re going with our holiday software lineup” (playstation.com)
Eventually gamers may have access to Sony’s Home project, which could raise the community figures and give Xbox 360 something less to brag about. Although, we’re sure Sony would rather be boasting “number one” console again, at least they’ve finally got a win on their side because 14-million users is only the beginning for them.
Plus, it’s hard to argue free.
@Netflix drops Qwikster
Usually such a split is done if one of the divisions is doing bad (financially). If they dropped the plan, it means that the DVD rental was not doing that bad.
So, you announce a split that is not needed, then drop it. In Dilbert’s world, his CEO would get promoted 🙂
@Xbox 720 popping up on LinkedIn resumes
Here comes the DX11 console!
@320GB hard drive announced for Xbox 360
I see little point for that. I didn’t do any management for my games (on the PC) and I still didn’t piled up 250 GB.
@Bethesda: We were “forced” to sue Mojang
… Forced? Really? That’s the best apology they can come up with?
I personally liked how Mojang treated the issue: challenge them to a Quake 3 match.
Not publish in NA? That’s pretty hard now, considering that a lot of NA customers bought the game since in alpha stage. As I said previously, as an indie you can’t have both: IP ownership or money.
Jonah, your voice didn’t sound that bad.
I don’t have much of an opinion on the news this week so I’ll just say this: I miss hearing the voice of Paul whenever he’s not around, he makes the podcast so much better.
Just wanted to say that even without the great audio quality, it was still a great show. Just want to thank you guys for putting out a show every week, it is always entertaining, as well as informative, and I thank you for filling me in on the latest video game news. Now for the hate mail.
Paul, I was filled with joy when I heard you were gone for this recording. For one week I was able to avoid you and your whiny, pretentious attitude. They had said that you were at Disney World, but I assume that was to cover up your real reason for missing this podcast. Why you really missed the podcast must have been because you had grown tired of your miserable, meaningless life so you decided the only thing to do was go out with a bang. You grabbed a pair of stockings, threw them over your head, and guaranteed your mother that you would be home before ten. You drove to the nearest bank and handed the teller a note containing the chicken-scratch writing that kids made fun of you for in grade school. She took one look at it and asked what it said, which brought you back to grade school, and the time when you were giving a report on the Monarch Butterfly, which you referred to as Butterfree. You began to spell out the word “Monarch” on the blackboard, only to be stopped half way through by Molly Germain, the girl you had been “in love” with since Pre-K. She yelled out, “My baby sister writes better than you!” Obviously this insult wouldn’t affect most grown people, but your eight-year-old heart was shattered. Then, you were brought back to present day, where you were in the process of robbing a bank, now even more enraged with the memory in mind. You had told the teller to put the money in the bag, and she complied. You began to walk out, thinking that you were going to live a better life, and use this money to set your mother up with a better house, and maybe even find a wife to settle down with. However, you were unaware that the teller had pushed a silent button and alerted the cops, inconveniently located just a few blocks down. You pushed a young boy off of his bike and began peddling away from the police. After many warnings, they had no other option than to shoot out your training wheels. That’s when you remembered you never got passed the training wheels, and the fear rushed over you. You kept peddling and peddling, until you noticed something. You had finally learned how to ride a bike, and you finally felt free. But as soon as your luck came, it had left. They placed two well-aimed shots in your spinal cord. You tried moving, but to no avail. You were paralyzed. You now are spending four months in jail for two counts of robbery, one for the bank, and the other for the bike. You will remain paralyzed and nobody, not even your mother will take pity on you. You are a disgrace to your nation, and when you die, you will not be remembered as the amazing game-designer you see yourself as, but as a low-life scum that had nothing to offer to this world.
Or I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. Are you happy now Paul?
QOTW – I am only 17, so I do not remember too many controllers, but the current PS3 controller is horrible in my opinion. It’s too small and I feel like I could break it at any time.