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Xbox Live Is Still The Better Service

Xbox Live Is Still The Better Service

The reign of the most dominate online service is finally being challenged!

For months I have been touting the arrival of the PS Now streaming service. To me, this announcement at last year’s CES was Sony effectively kicking the doors wide open and planting their flag as the new must-have gaming platform. However, after its official roll-out, we saw how perception and reality don’t always walk hand n’ hand. The lack luster selection of games and a complete uneven pricing structure has seriously dampened my enthusiasm.

And it’s not just yours truly who’s had a problem with the lofty promises which Sony failed to deliver on. The number one compliant you’ll find among bloggers, game reviews and amateurs alike is the lack of a flat-rate fee (vs. paying for titles piece meal). Fortunately, this displeasure has not fallen on deaf ears. It seems someone at Sony has been listening. Several monthly subscription options were revealed today via the PlayStation.Blog: “…starting January 13th, we’ll launch a subscription service for PlayStation Now that will provide instant and unlimited access to a catalog of more than 100 PS3 games…The subscription service will be available first on PS4 across North America, and will come to other PlayStation Now enabled devices in the future. You’ll be able to choose from two subscription plans: one month for $19.99, or a three-month package for $44.99 (about $15 per month). The subscription provides access to a large and diverse catalog of PS3 games, ranging from action to RPG and everything in-between…There’s strong value with the subscription, as you’re getting access to over a hundred great games and lots of hours of game time. What’s more, we will be adding even more games over time, so you will always have something great to play.” Reads a statement by PlayStation Now’s Director of Marketing Peter Jamshidi.

But is this really enough to dethrone the current king of online?

In a word…no. Actually let’s make that two words and go with HELL NO . Say what you will about the Xbox One as a second-rate console in comparison to its PS4 counterpart, there’s no denying Live is the best platform for internet gaming. Period. Steam can’t touch it and neither can the PSN. It was Microsoft who revolutionized the console dashboard and reinvented what a true online marketplace should look like. Granted the PSN has grown leaps and bounds over its PS3 iteration, it still can’t touch Team Green. Now I’m not suggesting channeling a huge libary of PlayStation content to non-console related Sony hardware isn’t a big deal, but that’s out of context of the Live debate we’re having at the moment (and best saved for another day). Right now I can sign into my Live gamertag (follow me on Twitter if you’d like it add me) and gain access to a sea of titles which could easily keep me busy for the remainder of the New Year. All spread across both the 360 and One. Sure the PSN has some of the same goodies, but Microsoft just does it better on every front. They’ve always held the measuring stick and have consistently set the standard to which all other services have strived to achieve come each new generation.

Xbox Live Is Still The Better Service

Even with its simpler subscription-based rates, the PS Now isn’t enough to give Sony the edge in this particular facet of the war. Microsoft themselves already have similar deals in place, like the EA Access program for example. I know it might look anemic at the moment, but it will only become more fleshed out as things go along.

Couple that with more companies likely to jump onboard the Xbox’s all-exclusive train in the future, I certainly don’t see Live giving up its well earned crown any time soon.

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