[ericd]

Microsoft and Sony coming out with motion controls doesn't mean that's where they think the future of their market is, they're just trying to tap into part of the Wii's market - to introduce the casual and first time gamers to a console with a rich library of more serious games. It's kind of like a drug dealer offering a sampler of a harder drug for free to get a new customer.

And for the hardcore gamers I know, XBox Live is a redefinition of consoles. Before Live, PCs were the only serious online game in town, now the XBox actually offers a better (less painful) online experience. Sony's online system is a joke in comparison.

(I own none of these systems, but I'm an ex-gamer and know a lot of gamers.)

[TheBranca18]

Well I own a 360 and a PS3. PS3 online is free, 360 is not. The differences aren't big enough for me to think that 35-50 bucks a year is worth it.

And note, most non-MMORPGs games on PC have free online.

[philwelch]

XBox Live might be a huge business coup, though. If you go to the trouble of paying for Xbox Live, you're gonna want to "make the most of it", and that entails doing things that make Microsoft more money (buying more monopoly money from them for downloadable content, buying more games, etc.)

[ericd]

I used to play quite a bit on PCs. Multi is generally free, but the experience is far from seamless in a lot of cases. My impression of Live is that It Just Works. I've heard very varied things about PS3 in comparison, many of them not kind. That's what I was drawing on.