Q
Shared on Wed, 08/30/2006 - 10:48I just listened to the podcast and, while I enjoyed it, I have to disagree with one of the points. ZeroOne called in with a question about Sony's online service and how it may affect Live. The answers had thought behind them but I think the single most important issue was missed. Sony's service is going to be free. Unfortunately the question right before this was about the Wii's free service and how it may affect Live so I think Doodi and the gang were a bit tired of talking about it but it is a completely different discussion.
Wii is not directly competing with M$, even in the online arena. Nintendo is going to go off in their own direction and do their own thing, and that's why their online service isn't going to have a tangible impact on Live. Sony, on the other hand, is going head to head with M$ and they have the initial advantage of being free. Yes, Live is established. Yes, Live has a large user base. Yes, Live is a good service. But what if Sony can deliver a similar online experience with no price tag? It will be a huge win.
You have to remember that the 360 and the PS3 are going to have a lot of crossover games. If I can go out and buy, say, COD3 or Burnout 5 for the PS3 and take it online for free and have the same experience as I would have on Live there is going to be a huge impact. Then I have to ask myself why I'm paying for Live and instead buy the PS3 version. Initially the effect will not be major because there won't be as many PS3's on the market but it is going to cause a ripple effect. The more PS3's that are sold, the more people are going to realize they don't have to pay for Live to get online and play.
I know there are a lot of 'ifs', but right now everything is speculation and I would hate to underestimate Sony. I think one of the disadvantages for M$ is that they have provided a free blueprint to success in the online arena. Sure Sony is going to copy them, but it doesn't matter because they are going to copy a successful model. They have all of M$'s mistakes to learn from and that is going to help them get into the race faster. They are also going to grow their online community at a phenomenal rate because every PS3 that is sold can be considered part of the community (if the owner has broadband).
All Sony has to do is prove that they can deliver a good online service for free and M$ is going to be in a bad position. Even thought the Wii won't be in direct competition it will still make M$ look bad in light of the other two consoles both bein free. M$ will have the only console out there that is charging for their online service and will have to do something big to differentaite themselves. Either that or they will have to make Live a free service. That's the biggest effect Sony's online service will have on Live, making M$ justify continuing to charge for something that their competitors are giving away for free.
Wii is not directly competing with M$, even in the online arena. Nintendo is going to go off in their own direction and do their own thing, and that's why their online service isn't going to have a tangible impact on Live. Sony, on the other hand, is going head to head with M$ and they have the initial advantage of being free. Yes, Live is established. Yes, Live has a large user base. Yes, Live is a good service. But what if Sony can deliver a similar online experience with no price tag? It will be a huge win.
You have to remember that the 360 and the PS3 are going to have a lot of crossover games. If I can go out and buy, say, COD3 or Burnout 5 for the PS3 and take it online for free and have the same experience as I would have on Live there is going to be a huge impact. Then I have to ask myself why I'm paying for Live and instead buy the PS3 version. Initially the effect will not be major because there won't be as many PS3's on the market but it is going to cause a ripple effect. The more PS3's that are sold, the more people are going to realize they don't have to pay for Live to get online and play.
I know there are a lot of 'ifs', but right now everything is speculation and I would hate to underestimate Sony. I think one of the disadvantages for M$ is that they have provided a free blueprint to success in the online arena. Sure Sony is going to copy them, but it doesn't matter because they are going to copy a successful model. They have all of M$'s mistakes to learn from and that is going to help them get into the race faster. They are also going to grow their online community at a phenomenal rate because every PS3 that is sold can be considered part of the community (if the owner has broadband).
All Sony has to do is prove that they can deliver a good online service for free and M$ is going to be in a bad position. Even thought the Wii won't be in direct competition it will still make M$ look bad in light of the other two consoles both bein free. M$ will have the only console out there that is charging for their online service and will have to do something big to differentaite themselves. Either that or they will have to make Live a free service. That's the biggest effect Sony's online service will have on Live, making M$ justify continuing to charge for something that their competitors are giving away for free.
Comments
Submitted by Big0ne on Wed, 08/30/2006 - 12:41
Submitted by Dawnfades on Wed, 08/30/2006 - 12:46
Submitted by Q on Wed, 08/30/2006 - 13:55
Submitted by Dawnfades on Thu, 08/31/2006 - 08:45