News after nasty news continues to stream out from Sony's camp and the press, but today they bring out the fire extinguishers with some description to their online service.
What can we expect?
- Free 'open ended' network model. Matchmaking services are available for those developers that wish to utilize them. Or, they're "open" to create their own concepts.
- Friends List. Like the Xbox 360 Live networking you will be able to communicate using a managed [Sony] friends list. How this ties to xFire and that partnership...not clear.
- PS3 Achievements? Not mentioned by Sony, although mentioned in the past. Somehow they managed to not talk about this at all.
- Downloadable Games/Demos. Like XBL, you will be able to download games and demo's off their free network service. That doesn't mean full game downloads are free, howerver. A few games should be available around the "launch window" (not defined as launch day).
- Real $$ system. No Sony "points" or fake money based on real money. The master profile on the Sony service has a "wallet" system. Your wallet has some amount of actual money that you've deposited. You can then use your wallet to divvy out an "allowance" to your child profiles (for real child gamers). You can automatically setup allowances to deposit in the child profile wallets for use at the PlayStatoin store. All listed in local currencies.
There are still plenty of questions that need answers. For instance, with an open network model this means developers can utilize the infrastructure Sony has put in place for friends lists, game match making and other features that arrive for launch. But, do they have to use them?
It is common for a developer to believe they have the best way to do something. If each developer believes "my way is best" customers could be mired in confusion without a fluid/understood method to network gaming.
Resistance: Fall Of Man is said to be a full 40-player single map experience with clan support, friends lists, chatting and all the goodies. However, are these features utilized by the game going to be the standard service features implemented by Sony or did the developer get creative and wild with their own implementations?
How does xFire incorporate in this? Will we have a Sony friends list and an xFire friends list? Do we need to have unique names for both or will it adopt the names registered to Sony's service? Will some developers use xFire while others use Sony and yet another simply implements their own solution because of the development "freedom" allowed by the Sony service?
Source: gamasutra.com
Thanks to SGRETH for finding the link, and for TANK for cleaning up some details
