On May 15, 2006, at the PlayStation Business Conference, Sony unveiled their online service for the PlayStation 3, tentatively named “PlayStation Network Platform” with free online play. The full list of features available at launch was announced at their TGS 2006 press conference.

 

Now the PSN is so much more improved and stable than the day it was first released and Sony also managed to add unique features like playstation HOME which is a dream that comes true for a lot of social life simulation fans and also a nice set of downloadable games available on the PSN store.

 

Well, online gaming is where PSN really lacks, and I’m not claiming that PSN is not good enough, but undoubtedly it still needs lots of improvement at that reach, just check out the list below and you will probably find out that implementing one or more feature from this list can really improve your online gaming experience being a PSN gamer.

Lately the Firmware 3.0 went live on the PlayStation Network, and while it provided a lot of general improvements to the PS3 as a console, the latest firmware lacked what PS3 gamers needs the most to improve their online gaming experience.

Cross game chatting
 

One of the most noticed PSN shorts is the lack of the cross game chat feature, Sony PS3 firmware developers is trying their best to invent any any other acceptable communication channels between PSN gamers, but I can assure you that they will never succeed because simply Sony’s alternatives are all text oriented and I think we all agree that text chatting will never replace voice chatting even after they added the chat rooms where a small discussion to agree with your friends on which game you are planning to start playing online can take no less than ten text replies!

Online friends party

Experienced online gamers can really grant the importance of this feature and how much pain in the ass it could preserve!
 

Online gaming will never reach even near “bugs free” level due to the varied factors that any network depends on, and the fact that most of the online games sessions depends on one of the gamers inside the session “Host” who may simply switch off his console, and now WHAT? you will start gathering your friends again.

Now simply with online party available, the PSN can treat all the party as one player, whenever you disconnect while matchmaking you can rejoin your party in no time and start searching for another game without loosing your time gathering your friends.

PSN Cards

With all of the great content available on the PSN Store, PlayStation Network cards make a great gift for family or friends, but it’s unfortunately not available everywhere, PAL region is still waiting and people who believes in “I Don’t Give My Credit Card Online” still have to wait! PSN cards can give a huge push to the PSN Store sales figures specially that there are so many “other world” countries still not listed under the PSN covered countries list!

Online gaming zones

One of the coolest XBL feature, which is also still missing at PSN is the ability to choose your gamer zone, which can easily helps in telling others the kind of player you are, and also it could be counted as another step that ensures you synch up with like-minded players when matchmaking and guarantee a much more enjoyable gaming expreince.

Games & Players Rating

The ability of sharing your own rating for games is still missing on PSN, after all you can never find better rating source for your most anticipated games than gamers them selves and an average rating of more than 10000 users can really make your mind.

On the same level we would be more than happy to if we could submit reviews about other players we played with, and I don’t mean negative ones I mean both negative and positive reviews and later these reviews can help gamers in finding like-minded players when matchmaking, and also it may help the PSN and online games admins in discovering cheaters so quickly and minimize their interference level.

By reaching this point of the article you probably saying to yourself that this guy is just comparing the PSN with XBL, and he meant to mention everything above which are already available on XBL just to let the PS3 fans down, but let me tell you that this is not the truth.

Before you start Criticizes me, I just want to say that the XBL also have it ups and downs, but it just seems like they listen to their players a little bit more, PSN gamers for example were requesting cross game chat for more than two years now and Sony’s PS3 developers are still working on so many other features, despite the fact that some of these features seems much more technically complicated than cross game chat.

Netflix Updates :

Now you can watch movies with your friends no matter where they are and manage your queue from the comfort of your couch.


* Movie Parties – Xbox LIVE Gold members can sit together in a virtual theater with up to seven friends no matter where they are while your Avatars watch a movie, flirt or even throw popcorn at each other.


* Manage Your Queue – Browse the Netflix Instant Watch video catalogue, choose from the most popular movies and genres and add to your queue all from the comfort of your couch – no computer required.


* Enhanced Playback Experience – Enjoy a smooth viewing experience when your internet bandwidth fluctuates.


* Friends Info – Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are doing.


Avatar Marketplace :


Express yourself! Deck your Avatar out with the latest clothing and props from the top brands and game franchises. Please note that only limited content is currently available in the preview.


Clothing :


Download premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games such as “Halo.”


* Props – You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.


* Awardables – The ability to earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games has been added. Please stay tuned for an update on supporting titles.


Games on Demand : Please note that Games on Demand will be available in the preview beginning early August.


Enjoy 24 x 7 access to a growing online library of popular full game titles on Xbox LIVE whenever you want them, in the comfort of your living room.


* Purchase Options – Browse and download a great selection of full Xbox 360 games using Microsoft Points, direct debit, or credit card.


* Game Manuals : Game manuals for Games on Demand titles can be viewed, downloaded or printed on Xbox.com.


* It’s Yours Forever! – As with other Xbox LIVE content, Games on Demand titles are linked to your Xbox LIVE account, so you can delete and re-download anything you have already purchased to the same console or another console.


User Ratings :


User ratings help you find games that other people think are awesome!


* Rate it – You can now rate every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a 5-star system.


* Sort and Find it – Now you can easily find the games that everyone’s been raving about by visiting the Top Rated games in the Browse All category of Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace.


Xbox LIVE Parties :


Everyone loves to Party! Check out the new and improved Xbox LIVE Party features.


* Party Reconnections – If you are accidently disconnected from your party, Xbox LIVE will automatically reconnect you.


* Streamlined Party Invites – Invites are now just one click away! No need to click through multiple screens to get all your friends together.


Video Display Options :


We’ve made it easier for you to see your entertainment in the highest resolution possible on your TV using an HDMI connection.


* Display Discovery – Make sure you can see and hear your entertainment in the highest resolution and sound quality possible with the option to override and select audio and video formats independent of the information your television sends to your Xbox 360 console.


Other Improvements :


We’re always listening to you for feedback, and this Xbox LIVE update will include numerous dashboard updates.


* Gold Member Veterans – Xbox LIVE Gold members get to show it off with a stamp on your Gamer Card that tells people how long you’ve been a Gold member.


* Indie Games – Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.


* Achievement Browser – We’ve revamped the Achievements browser so it’s now easier to read through all the achievements while playing a game. You can now also launch a game directly from the browser.


* Achievements Tracking – A new view inside the profile panel which includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played, and shows of all your completed games.


* Streamlined Navigation – Streamlined navigation, including new entry points in the dashboard for Active Downloads, redeeming codes, recovering Gamertags and more.


* Voice Messages – No more blank voice messages! When recording a voice message, a warning will pop up if no audio is detected.


* Friends List Sorting – It’s now easier to find your friends! Find and sort your friends by activity, Gamertag or online status by pressing the Y button while viewing the friends list in the Guide.


* Memory – Time stamps now appear in the memory area, which particular handy when managing saved games.


Account Management :


We’ve made some changes to make your life easier.


* Subscription Notification – If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.


* Updates for Invalid Windows Live IDs – If the Windows Live ID you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.


* Account recovery – We’ve enhanced the account recovery process to make it faster and more reliable.


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