Saige's Journal: Story Submission: Sony Says No PS3 Online Service

EDIT: This story has been accepted!

Online gaming fans are going to have to look past the PS3 to get their fix - Sony has announced that they are not doing a cental service for PS3 online gaming. Instead, it will be done in the same manner as the PS2, where each company decides what effort to put into it. Considering how weak the online support has been for the PS2, this may not bode well for Sony, especially with more and more rumours that they won't be launching until at least the 2006 holidays.

I have to admit that I'm only partially disappointed about this. The gamer part of me wants the PS3 to be a great console, and online gaming has become very important in what I look for since I started playing on Xbox Live. Knowing that there's not going to be any complete service that lets me track friends between games and such is a let-down.

However, the part of me that is a Microsoft employee and Xbox 360 fan is celebrating, because it means that the Xbox is going to slaughter the PS3 among people looking for online play. The online features of the 360 really have blown me away from the demos I've seen and the information I know.

Dumb move by Sony

[FortKnox]

If you look at PC gaming, you'll see that online play is what makes for replayability... My next console with be X-Box 360, probably... but nintendo revolution does have my interests piqued with the complete new control style...

Just make sure the single player is there.

[rholliday]

Yes, this could have market implications since a lot of people play online, but I have to speak for those of us that do not play online. Single player games, people, please. I have no real interest in playing online. Make games with strong single player content that can be taken online and please everyone. I'm really tired of games that are basically nothing until you start paying someone a subscription fee.

So this news affects my future system purchase none. I'll probably follow my pattern and buy which