Unlike Sony, Microsoft Not Planning To Profit On Avatar Clothing Sales

MTV Multiplayer writes:

"We recently showed you what kind of fashions you can spend about $20 on to make your PlayStation Home avatar look just a little more snazzy. For 49 cents, you too can wear a virtual cowboy hat - or at least your Home avatar can.

So is this the future? A world of cheap avatar fashion purchases?

Sony seems to believe in it. Microsoft, I've learned, does not."

[MURKERR]

...

[Nathan Drake]

And boom goes the dynamite.

[DavidMacDougall]

Yeah there getting enough money from the 50 a year gamer tax to care

[Marceles]

zing!

[morganfell]

It has nothing to do with XBL charges. If they could get money they would. Rather it's like MS trying to charge for Bluray. They don't have that functionality. The same goes here. What functionality do the MS avatars possess?

You are less likely to pay to have a car repainted or give it new seatcovers if the car doesn't run, you can't drive it around the block, hell you can't even get it out of the garage.

[sonarus]

Nobody is going to pay for clothing i know i won't I probably will never change the way my home avatar looks...EVER. The best they can do is what microsoft is doing where specific clothing items can be unlocked via trophies or whatever.

[caladbolg777]

I probably will never purchase any articles of clothing on the HOME store. Actually, I have a hard time imagining a handful of people I know that would. I do like the idea of unlocking special outfits with achievements though. That would actually give me an excuse to waste time accomplishing them.

[TheDude2dot0]

Yeah morganfell's right. The clothes for the avatars in NXE aren't really worth paying for because you really don't use them much.

[xlg]

How much? Just $50 a year? How much people pay to play a MMORPG? Are they complaining? $50 its nothing. I Bet you spend more money in a year for stupid things! But hey your free HOME its boring http://ps3.ign.com/articles...

[Ryo-Hazuki]

wow, whoever wrote this garbage is an idiot. Microsoft already said initially they wont charge for avatar clothing.....key word "initially"

[gaffyh]

Lol, I seriously doubt that MS is not thinking of making money from avatars, when they charge for gamer pics.

And if either company does charge, it should only be for premium clothing (i.e. brand names), atleast then people have a choice of what to wear

[Jrome]

exactly, they've already paid for the clothing

[theEnemy]

They just want to make profit on everything else.

[UltimateIdiot911]

You already can do that. Download Namco Beta demo through the Japanese store. I'm not sure how the unlocks work but so far I've unlocked about 7 items or so through that. You can unlock a total of 16 clothes I believe and arcade system. Also, you can unlock items with those in game arcades.

[yaboi]

is going to start a flame war!!

[ruibing]

So I guess silver members are being subsidized by gold members? I almost didn't notice that the article mentioned the pricing different between the two services until the very last paragraph in parenthesis.

[ezcex]

I know that I read that MS said they are giving the first couple for free, and that they will eventually charge. Someone look it up please to shut these idiotic fanboys up. I know its somewhere on N4G, I don't care enough to go research that is all.

EDIT: NVM I was wrong. It said MS will be updating clothes for the next 6 months. Not sure if they will charge or not yet. Sorry again. My fault.

[Xi]

wrong post.

[Light Yagami]

Sony ripping people off like always.

[ProperFunked]

personally the only reason i did is cuz i dont wanna look like every other single person in Home, individualism. and its just 49.cents, whats the big fvcking deal? and considering im blowning $110 on Ben Sherman shoes i dont have a personal problem with it at all, i just perfer to look good, VR or RL. unless im playing my clowny fat chick for kicks

[Mozilla89]

If you read the article the guy says "We don't see it (avatar clothing) as being a tremendous source of revenue.". I don't think Sony is thinking "Were gonna make millions of clothes in Home!" Its stupid to think so. Basically this guy is a fanboy, neither company is really gonna profit from it.

[pathetic fanboys]

a rush to defend sony, and attack microsoft at every turn and thread on n4g. just look at every comment above me, and then look at their agrees..lol this is one pathetic web-site and community now. why is their even a pretence of impartiality on here now?

90% of the community are in love with sony, nearly all the contributors, and people with approval rites aswell. plus, it's crystal clear what side of the fence the pathetic and most useless admin i've seen on any web-site site.

[Megatron08]

The idoit ps3 fanboy talking about 50 dollars are just that idoits. 1st off you can get it for 30-35 if you watch for sells. 2nd you dont even need a gold membership to dress/play with your avatar you can still do that with a free silver account.

I'm betting sony will be make a lot of money off avatar clothing. Seems stupid to pay for it if you ask me but I think the same thing about themes and game pis on XBL and people buy tons of those.

People having been saying MS needs to do something with there achievements/gamescore for a long time and this is what they came up. People using to buy multiplat games on 360 of the achievements now that sony is starting to come out with achievements too MS will lose that so they need a way to make theirs better. Plus sony been talkin about a reward system for their achievements too but they havent said what it will be yet.

see competition really is good

[paul-p1988]

M$ NOT wanting to make money off of every possible little thing??? Has hell just frozen over? Is Satan on ski's? Is my very existence even reality?? So many questions that need answering now!!

[phosphor112]

I call BS. MS always tries to capitalize off of their things whether they admit it or not.

[SL1M DADDY]

The more I am truly enjoying it and getting to know people is great. I have added several new friends to my list and knowing all of this, I could quite possibly see myself spending a couple dollars for clothing later. A couple bucks is nothing and considering that I already pay for services like Live, I can't see why spending a dollar or two (a Mcdonald Value Meal's worth) on a couple virtual outfits for my "Homie".

[godofthunder10]

The same people that's saying it's not bad that sony will charge for the cloths are the same ones that were saying Microsoft will because they are greedy.Look at morganfell and ProperFunked post.When the aviatas first came out for the 360 they were saying that Microsoft will charge the people for the cloths and they would never pay for them.Now that Sony will charge for the cloths for their avitarts the same ones are now saying they will buy them because it's not bad.It's funny how fanboys always change their minds when it's about the system they have.

I'm also tired of the same people that keep saying microsoft is out to make as much money as they can.They act like sony isn't.The fact is that sony is just like microsoft.The only reason that sony put BR in the ps3 was to try and get it in the homes through the ps3 so they could make BR the next format so they can make money.Sony didn't do any of these things to help the people, they did it to make money just like every company does and that's a fact.ps3 fanboys should just stop acting like sony cares about them.The fact is that sony doesn't give a sh*t about them and microsoft doesn't either.

The same people are the same ones that keep saying that microsoft screwed the people when they gave every one a 3 year warrinty.They act and say things like sony would never do anything like that.The fact is that sony lost a class action lawsuit over the ps2.The ps2 had a defected drive in it.It would read can't read disc when you try to play a game.Sony gave the people a 2 week warrinty from a date they gave.After 2 weeks and your ps2 went out you had to pay sony to fix it or buy a new ps2.I had to buy 5 in less then 3 years.Every one that i knew that had a ps2 had to buy at least 2 and every one i knew had a ps2.In a way i guess they are right when they said sony would never do anything like microsoft did by giveing people a 3 year warrinty for a defected system.Sony only gave a 2 week warrinty for a defected system and that's a fact and all people have to do is look it up.

The fact is that sony does the same thing like microsoft does.The fact is that all big companies deals under the table som times.if they never did they wouldn't be where they are right now and that's a fact.if sony never had made deals under the table they never would be as big as they are and the other companies would have distroyed them.

The ps3 and 360 are both great systems with negative and positive things about them.They both have bad and good games on them.The wii will win this generation.The 360 and ps3 will fight it out for the #2 spot and the loser want be for behind.The fact is that they could all stop fighting who's going to win this generation.The only ones that's not fighting over it is the wii owners and wii is the one that will win.

[phosphor112]

While you do have a point, you must keep in mind Home is more of a virtual world while 360 Avatars are only, well, avatars. People would pay to pimp out their Home characters and strut around in what ever outfit they have (or what ever bigscreen they bought on there and what not) than to pay for an outfit for a character that is virtually non interactive beyond making him/her dizzy/smile/etc.

Also the PS2 defect, yes it did exist, but it was about 5% of the PS2's. I bought a launch PS2, and I had to finally fix it this year. I opened it and adjusted the knob that is available to realign the lens. You really can't do that with the 360 if it were to RROD. Anyway, that's not the point.

Sony really has "cared", of course they want to make money, as does every other company, but Sony has taken many steps to make things convenient for the PS3 user. Sony has put a lot of time and effort into Firmware updates, releasing new features almost every time. The built in BR wasn't just a choice to make it the winning format, but they also realized games will need to be larger, and larger games mean a need for a larger storage medium.

Also keep in mind sony has been going negative with each PS3 sold, so for them to want to gain money isn't something suprising. Just keep in mind that while MS has put a lot of effort into their console, most of their effort went into the RROD and making it go away, while sony has been improving their products hardware AND software (along with helping developers).

[Elven6]

Of course not, isn't Sony charging for furniture and such?

[Megatron08]

phosphor112 yes and there are a ton more ps2 sold then 360. At 5% thats 7.5 million defective ps2.

Home avarats are completely useless and you apartment is even more usless spendin money on a fake apartment that maybe max 20 will ever see. Your avatar can walk around a room with a few people in it 99% of them will never even notice you. Thats if anyone is still even using home in a couple of months.

NXE avatars your friends will see everytime they log on. They are also designed special games that you can play with your avatars. While there are only a few right now they are working on more. So over time NXE avatars will be used more and more while over timehome will fade away.

[bpac123456789]

Microsoft already charges 50 dollars a month they make a profit on there xbox live service. Sony is free and with the years of work that wen't into home they need someway to recoupe the cost. If they have to nickle and dime the consumer than so be it. I For one won't buy a thing to customize my avatar, but some people might.

[house]

unlike ms sony does not charge for internet. so why wouldnt sony wanna make money off of home

[No Way]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Nathan Drake]

Sony doesn't charge for the ability to play Online.

(Waits for someone to come in with "teh silver member special month in effect!")

[DiabloRising]

Sony, unlike Microsoft, does not charge for Theme Packs.

[NaiNaiNai]

microsoft unlike sony doesnt shutdown there servers. yea thats right, when a game on a sony console drops below 1000 players for a extended period of time, they shut down the servers. or just shut them down cause they feel like it. >.> if i recall even forza 1 is still up and running.
-nai-

[SCThor]

Good luck playing alone!

[Ghoul]

Unlike Microsoft, Sony Not Planning To Profit On :

- Wireless Lan
- Recharable Controller
- Online Gaming
- Overpriced harddrives
- Theme Packs
- Demos (gold member crap)
- a broken console
- an obsolete dead media addon.

And probably the MOST important. Sony doesnt bash randomly on microsoft or nintendo like ms is doing it all day.

EDIT ::

@NaiNaiNai
So does microsoft and any other serverhost on this planet. grow up...

[GiantEnemyCrab]

You don't have to have a Gold sub to be able to use and access avatars.

Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for Wireless Lan

That's great, it's also starteing at $199 vs $400 for a PS3. So the price is appropriate for what you are getting. I don't use wireless LAN for my gaming. You can also spot the wireless n00bs with their crap ping times. If you are on wireless LAN don't bother playing with me, if my clan sees your crappy ping times you are booted.

Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for a Recharable Controller

Buy yourself a pair of rechargable batteries for $8 and your done. Unlike the PS3 controllers that once that battery stops holding a charge you are either going to have to buy another one or send it in for service. The battery is not user servicable if you want to keep your warranty.

Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for Online Gaming

Like I said above you don't need to pay for online gaming to use what this article is talking about. When I compare the options of the 2 services I will pay for XBL.

Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't force you to buy overpriced harddrives.

They don't force you to get anything. Prior owners can get a FREE memcard to store their profile or a 20 gig HDD for $20. The Arcade SKU comes with a 512MB for free and now the Jasper revision comes with the memory built into the system. I agree not having an HDD in every console sucks but there are options and you are not forced to do anything. The 1 SKU that doesn't come with an HDD is not aimed at gamers like you or me. It's aimed at someone who wants to throw a game in every once in a while and the Arcade SKU does that just fine.

[Sitdown]

"Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for Wireless Lan
Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for a Recharable Controller
Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for Online Gaming
Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't force you to buy overpriced harddrives
Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for Theme Packs
Sony unlike Microsoft doesn't charge for Demos (gold member crap)
Sony unlike Microsoft gave you a working console
Sony unlike Microsoft gave you a bluray reference player instead of giving you an obsolete dead media addon.

And probably the MOST important. Sony doesnt bash randomly on microsoft or nintendo like ms is doing it all day."

Is Sony given their controllers away for free? From my understanding they are the ones with rechargeable controllers....the 360 controller is not rechargeable.....but you can get rechargeable battery packs or batteries. What happens with the ds3 once it will no longer hold a charge?

Forced to by a harddrive....they must suck at forcing people, cause I have not bought one as of today..and I have had a 360 since launch.

Anyhoo they both have their positives and negatives....it would be nice if everybody was able to enjoy all the consoles....this is my first time being able to own all three major consoles...and its great.

[Ghoul]

abolutly agree, i love em all pc consoles what ever. those stupid "news" on the other hand deserve to be counterd with the same illogical craptalk.

Mostly because im really getting sick about the unpolite manners of ms. They bash the competition whenever possible without reason, are they that feared ? unpolite ? what is it i cant understand it. It's stupid childish and divides the community instead of bringing them together.

[Jrome]

@Sitdown
When the ds3 will no longer hold a charge...you simply unscrew the screws...and replace the battery with another lithium ion battery.

/owned

[gaffyh]

@NaiNaiNai - what kind of sad bastard wants to play a game online when no one is online?

@GiantEnemyCrab - You can replace the battery in the PS3 controller, it's just a lot harder than the 360 controller. On the other hand it doesn't die as quickly (as in amount of times it's charged NOT how long the charge lasts) as the 360 play & charge kit. Also who wants to always have to take the batteries out of the controller and charge them separately?

[Xi]

Microsoft's online functionality actually works.

I hate this "you can't complain if it's free" attitude. If someone throws a rock at you, are you going to complain? even though you didn't have to pay him to throw said rock at you? Just because something is free doesn't make it good.

and ghoul... what do you call qore? is it not sony's goal for people to pay for early demo's and releases codes via that? What about home clothing/furniture, is that not just them packs for your home avatar?

edit for ghoul.
Tell that to the socom fans, and a plethora of other problems that people were facing in games like warhawk, and even the recent home issues.

[Ghoul]

"Also unlike sony.
Microsoft's online functionality actually works.
"

are you high ?

i own both system and psn wasnt down a SINGLE time
while L!VE had downtimes for several DAYS

[Sitdown]

Haha...you owned by answering my question? Wow....you are the MAN. *stands up and begins to clap* Ahhh may your "victory" be sweet, and you rest well at night.

[Xi]

Do you have to pay for those batteries, or does sony ship them to you free of charge?

/owned.

[rockleex]

Because PSN was down for a whole month last Christmas while Xbox Live was working the whole time!!!

/sarcasm

[Megatron08]

Unlike Sony MS doesnt force you to buy overprived dvd players
Ulike sony MS doesnt jack up the pirce of their systems to include trash you dont want like wifi
Ulike sony MS doesnt keep down grading their system and removing features.
Ulike sony MS doesnt doesnt take years to upgrade their online serves
Ulike sony MS doesnt force you to buy a new HDD cause of forced install
Ulike sony MS doesnt force you to buy extra cables to play you games in HD
Ulike sony MS allows you to talk to your friends on XBL no matter what game you are playing.
Ulike sony MS allows talk to 8 friends no matter what game anyone is playing
Ulike sony MS doesnt release system that are defective to make a release (oh and it was proven that sony does in a court of law)
Ulike sony MS doesnt put viruses on there software that uploads to your computer (again proven in a court of law)

[0verdrive]

LOL what kind of wireless router do you have?

ping times on a wireless lan are barely higher than wired connections, in realtime while playing games. honestly, especially now with wireless-n routers, wireless has evolved high enough to be comparable to wired speeds while playing games. just because you have a 10+mb connection doesnt mean you are going to be constantly pinging 3 in a video game. the bottleneck is the servers, not your router. you have have the fastest internet in the world, but the xbl servers are not going to be able to handle those kind of speeds. wireless is just fine, your just making an excuse to hate on wireless. honestly, if you end up buying a 80 foot long ethernet to connect your xbox in your room to the router in your family room, youll probably have similar speed degradation as wireless. no one "needs" wireless, but its a damn nice convenience, and it comes at very little price in terms of speed(in terms of gaming online, at least)

and this whole shibang about the ds3 controllers not being able to hold a charge is ridiculous. the buttons the pad are going to stop working before those batteries give out. seriously. people need to stop trying to beat around the bush and change the subject just to try and win arguments.

[phosphor112]

But it happened to my friend, and he got it replaced for free. They just swapped out the battery on his controller. (its ok, he was still able to play cuz he had other controllers)

[gaffyh]

@Xi - I don't remember seeing the PSN down at an unscheduled time in the whole two years I've had it. They only take it down for server maintenance and when they are ready to do a major update.

[LoVeRSaMa]

"Unlike Sony MS doesnt force you to buy overprived dvd players"

-The Xbox is an Overpriced DVD player...

"Ulike sony MS doesnt jack up the pirce of their systems to include trash you dont want like wifi"

-I need WIFI for my Wireless network (welcome to the 21 century)

"Ulike sony MS doesnt keep down grading their system and removing features."

-Because the Xbox Arcade is full of features?

"Ulike sony MS doesnt doesnt take years to upgrade their online serves"

-PSN has only Exsisted for years, and considering the length of time they have been out compared to Microsoft's Online Service, id say there doing pretty well.

"Ulike sony MS doesnt force you to buy a new HDD cause of forced install"

-Some Xboxs dont come with a HDD, I havent replaced my HDD its fine, and even if I did thats £80 for a 320GB, where as it would be like £100 for an 80GB, something stupid rediculus.

"Ulike sony MS doesnt force you to buy extra cables to play you games in HD"

-£13 and extra charges, please dont let me start, the Xbox is barely HD anyway, whats that most dont even have a HDMI port?

"Ulike sony MS allows you to talk to your friends on XBL no matter what game you are playing."

-I can type to my friends, but talking is getting there, its likely ill have it in a firmware update that will be released soon, you know because the PS3 is updated almost every month with improvments and more cool features :)

"Ulike sony MS allows talk to 8 friends no matter what game anyone is playing"

-Wow I might just go out and sell my PS3 now.

"Ulike sony MS doesnt release system that are defective to make a release (oh and it was proven that sony does in a court of law)"

-Wait wait Wait, your telling me that SONYs systems are defective?
I don't even need to reply to this one, ill just leave this for you to think about.

"Ulike sony MS doesnt put viruses on there software that uploads to your computer (again proven in a court of law)"

-Windows?
I am sorry thats the biggest peice of spyware on my PC tbh, constantly closing programs, trying to make sure I am not doing anything I am not suppused to be, Vista is the biggest virus in History imo, and Id love to see this Sony Virus your speaking of.

---------------------------

At the end of the day, know nothing Kidiots like yourself are going to blab crap all over this news site and it cannot be helped.

Please, Please Continue, I love reading what you guys put it makes me smile =D

How can someone be so wrong?

oh yea -1 Bubble(s) for your Ignorance, and +1 Disagree.

[xwabbit]

ROFLMAO! this has to be the funniness article on N4G.

[Jazz4108]

I own both systems and downloaded home last night for the first time, after trying to get in for over 1 hour i finally did and boy is it lame.

[khsmooth]

Supposed to be used to report what's wrong with the article so the person submitting it can actually fix it, and not to make random comments which should go in the comment section? Yet I forget that this site is much like bizarro world lol

[Foxgod]

Glad they don't charge, no way in hell i would pay for a piece of virtual clothing.

[TrooGamer]

They do charge tho dont they?

[Foxgod]

According to this article MS leaves the decision in the hands of the developers, MS gives an example that clothing items could be earned by unlocking them in game.

That would be neat, you could have your little halo avatar or final fantasy avatar.

[SCThor]

I have:

-Echocrome clothes
-Pacman clothes
-Ice Breaker hat,t-shirt,etc
-An Arcade Machine in my place

etc,etc...and FREE.

[MGOelite]

and unlike microsoft, sony isnt planning to profit off online services. works both ways MTV

[Kleptic]

Greenburg is the definition of douche, although I think this article did a good job of pointing out the obvious XBL fee thing at the bottom...

as far as I knew though, Sony wasn't profiting on things like this either...the profit is for the actual clothes manufacturer, as the entire thing is geared in an advertising sense...

Sony collects checks from their partners who want to offer stuff in Home...the partners collect the revenue from the sales of the clothes...there obviously may be a slight royalty fee or something, but its not somewhere that Sony is looking to profit on...

So once again...Greenburg misses the point of Home...you get free stuff from Sony, just like you get for avatars in XBL...he makes it sound like you have buy everything in Home, which is wrong...there is premium stuff if you want it, but you don't need it...and in fact you will most likely simply get made fun of by others if you do buy it...

mean while...Greenburg sits back and basically paints Sony as the better company...in that they fully admits they are charging you XBL subscribers to pay to play online, when Sony doesn't, and that THAT is easy profit...

Greenburg sucks...he's one of those 'I don't get it, so it can't be good' type of bags that just needs choked...

[AngryTypingGuy]

I think the idea of unlocking avatar items through game achievements is great. It's bragging rights in a way, especially if you can unlock a cool item that your friends can't. I like that idea way more than spending little bits here and there to upgrade your avatar.

[Nicaragua17]

Oh please,Microsh1t charge for XBL,and charge for DLC that game developers want gamers who bought their game to have for free.The BS detector went off instantly.

[I_am_rushin]

Then why the F*ck are they charging for them?!?!?!?

[gambare]

just for those who wants to pay for something special, in any case there is a strong rumor about the trophies being "virtual money" for stuff in home, so many people will wait.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Who are you talking about? If you are referring to MS they are not charging for any clothing. What cloths have you paid for? There are none that cost money.

[SmokingMonkey]

...just on over priced hard drives and wireless network adaptors......and faulty systems.

Is it true this new jasper model is STILL 10% defective?

[SmokingMonkey]

i just copied and pasted the title of the article

[Foxgod]

you made a faulty comment about hardware that is not needed to play on your 360.

Also the comment about the Jasper you just grabbed out of the air.
That is considered a flame debate.

[SCThor]

Yeah, go there

lol!

[SmokingMonkey]

i really don't know if it's 10% defective, does any1?

that is the point of a "?" right?

[IzKyD1331]

foxgod: "like wtf man, this is the gamer zone, your comments are not wanted here, im gonna REPORT YOU!"

quit trying to be a mod and shut up.....

[Foxgod]

indeed, its the gamer zone, not the open zone.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

"Is it true this new jasper model is STILL 10% defective?"

No, that is not true but I'm sure that won't stop you.

[SmokingMonkey]

does keep me from buying a 360

too bad i miss out on great games because of faulty hardware and the fact that i don't like PC gaming, just me and my opinion

[SCThor]

You can use a 360 controller to play 360 "exclusives" on PC...that's what I do. Of course, try to get a good video card, I have this one: GeForce 9600GT. I got it on black friday by $97.

[austere]

Ya I'm not gonna buy virtual clothes or furniture, like most other people above the age of 12. At least MS knows that.

[TrooGamer]

Neither do people who use Home...you know you do have a choice!! Christ fanboys make ya sick

Crap articles like this just proves how much the media fuels the fanboys...pathetic!!

[austere]

I'd reply to your comment if it made any sense...but I'll try anyway

I know I have a choice...and if you read properly you could see that I said I'm not gonna buy them like most people...

try again.

[TrooGamer]

Fair enough..here you point. My mistake...cant be bothered with the sarcy attitude tho.

Anyway apologies! Sttill this article is flamebait...simple really!!

[pp]

Microsoft are not greedy like Sony only Pathetic scums like droids would pay for avatar clothing.

[IzKyD1331]

hypocrisy at it's finest, what company charges 50 bucks a year to go online that the competition offers free?

[Keele]

They charge because Xbox Live is QUALITY while PSN is crap.

JUST LIKE CRAPSTATION 3.

[PopEmUp]

you Don't need to reply to PP he just a 5 years old kid, he probably couldn't understand a word from you, so I advice that you do not need to waste you time on him

[AngryTypingGuy]

If you don't think all 3 companies would like to use their online services to nickel-and-dime us to death, then consider yourself naive.

[dukadork]

the cash cow has already been milked just to get on XBL
at least i don't have to pay if i don't want the cowboy hat, xb!tches

good try

[pswi60]

i paid $2.00 for my Home outfit

i paid over $100 for my avatard, and his clothes still suck

[Timesplitter14]

How much does Xlive costs? I forgot

[IzKyD1331]

50 bucks a year more than it's worth

[IzKyD1331]

MTV multiplayer blog.......what a joke

[PotNoodle]

There will be many people who do buy some of this stuff and it will be those people that fund the development of the PSN and keep them bringing us free services.

They can't keep giving us stuff for free, we know they're not profiting much on the PS3 yet so the money has to come from somewhere.

Give 'em a break, they've made their mistakes and now they're paying for them - lets not kick them while their down and instead help them back up.

[divideby0]

For the price of a Gold Membership you should be getting all sorts of free crap

[DJ]

That you can win for free in Home by playing at the Arcade and whatnot...

[George Sears]

Although I understand that Sony wants to cash some $ because of Home, I find it rather idiotic for people to spend 49 cents on some dumb clothes and 5 bucks for new homes.

Lucky that I was on the private beta and I snatched everything that the stores had for free.

[IzKyD1331]

it's there for people who want to buy them, you still get the exact same experience without purchasing anything, except the people who want a little more can get it

[joevfx]

this is the stupidest article in the world. you dont have to buy anything for your avatar, hence it will cost you nothing.

[D-Throne]

Meh. Companies have different ways to get money out of your pocket.

[40cal]

I only spend my money if I want to. Not because I have to. Coughs!

$HDD/the storage space is needed,$XBL/online gaming,$Battery Pack for controllers/ batteries,$WiFi/if you want or need it.

@SCThor comment 5.3
You are 100% correct sir I have also received tons of free stuff just for going HOME.

[Sez]

i fell on the floor laughing when i went into home and realized that you have to buy cloths,funiture,homes,ect.sony you are too funny.

[LokMessier]

Is their something wrong with wanting to make a little money? Second Life is free yet you have the OPTION to buy those things. Just like Home it's free, but you have the OPTION to buy THOSE things. Not to mention your given free things from the start anyway. Most may want to just use the social aspect, but this isn't about PSN's Home it's on the 360. Though if you really want to get right down to it, you have to pay for Xbox live Gold and Silver gives limited so...Either way the table is balanced.

Free clothes for the avatars since your paying for online [ though I don't know if you can do it on silver don't have an Xbox and won't speak of that experience, but if your paying for Gold you better hope Microsoft better at least make the clothes free.] While Sony is just doing Microtransactions. Home is still free you just have that option to decor the avatar.

I'd also have to say your pretty wrong when you say this:
"realized that you have to buy cloths,funiture,homes,ect.sony you are too funny. "

I never had to buy my clothes, furniture, nor homes. I'm pretty content with what I have. Anyway Since this is the 360 section. I'll stick with it and say, kudos to Microsoft for making it free. Seriously if they didn't people wouldn't buy let-alone use the avatars that much except for the basic things anyway.

[krauley]

"i fell on the floor laughing when i went into home and realized that you have to buy cloths,funiture,homes,ect.sony you are too funny"

you are misleading people with that statement, you are wrong and should correct yourself. you do not "HAVE" to buy anything in home. It is a free program that you dont even have to load up.

on a side note, my step son borrowed money from his mother to buy microsoft points to change his gamertag, is this correct. i gave him my 360 since i didnt use it that much. dont flame me because this is a question, but if its true, it would seem that those lil' microtransactions come from all the companies.

[Sez]

the only ones that are misleading people are the sony fans. yes home is free.(to use the service) but everything else is a charge. no you don't have to buy anything in home. but really whats the point in going into home. to look at a bare room?? no. so really explain to me what the real purpose of home??? to bore the sh!t out of us. because it's doing a bang up job of that.

yes you are right. you don't have to go into home (thank god for that) because at this time. it's clearly a waste of time. there really nothing to do. the arcade games (only 3 game) are dull, there nothing in there to entertain you. so whats left to do for enetertainment. buy cloth,homes,funiture,club house,ect. all these thing can run a petty penny. you may get a couple of items that are free. but lets be real here. those things suck. all the good stuff sony wants you to buy.

so where have i misled anybody. i haven't. i just stated that i found it funny that sony is using this method to make people come out their pocket to pay for PSN. where as MS is charging their customer $50 for 12+1 months of live. again i know home is free casue if anyone had to pay for what home is now. i can bet alot of people would want their money back.

[Sez]

i wouldn't spend a dime for cloths or funiture in home. from playing it the last couple night. i have found home to be boring.

[OSIRUSSS]

Hey What is your PSN ID? Cause, if I see you in Home, Trust me it won't be boring anymore.

[Sez]

look in my bio's i psn id is in there. i bet i won't be bored either kid. so come get it. if you want.

[Cyb3r]

MS may not profit from Avatar clothing but what about themes etc

[likedamaster]

Last time I checked Sony is charging for premium themes @ roughly the same price as Microsoft.

[Mr_Insane]

oh the irony.

[SYSTEMS-at-WAR]

I don't think the author thought this article through... Don't forget that as a gamer you pay a fee for XBL whereas, unlike Microsoft, Sony's online service is FREE! Besides It is all up to the gamer to buy clothing for 50 cents... a bit of a waste in my opinion but meh.

[cyrus228]

wtf they charge u 200$ over the course of 4 years of having live they better not charge for clothes, especially low budget avatars like NXE's.

i mean i wouldnt pay for new clothes in home either let alone even really use it, tho it gave me a good laugh lol.

[Mfire528]

I don't know about you guys but i would rather have the OPTION of paying for things like virtual items (clothes) than to be FORCED to pay just to play online and have demos. I don't care how great you guys say Live is I would rather have an extra game or a couple of blu rays on my shelf a year than a overrated online service.

[ElementX]

At least MS isn't charging for furniture you can't actually sit in.... yeah HOME i'm talking to you.

[DOOMZ]

Oh, YEAH!!!
8/

[WarZombieKing1]

To support your team! I would buy a jersey for my avatar, but nothing else would make me spend any money for it.
Also did everyone forget, you can use your XBL avatars in games, can the PoS3 avitards? Sorry, couldn't resist.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

on 360 than I am of my one in Home.Home is the reason I haven't turned my 360 on since thursday. It's way more fun and my avatar actually gets way more usage, thus making these features much more of a wanted item!

[DaKid]

what have you been doing in home to make you not play your 360 since Thursday? I have been in there and it kept me busy for like a 1/2 day, then it was back to R2 and Gears2.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

He's probably socializing with human beings. That's what Home is for, my friend. Make new friends! Challenge them to private matches! Play Mancala in the FarCry2 space! Meet outside of home and have a video chat! Check out that person's home space and give them pointers on how to situate something. It's pretty intricate if you just use your imagination.

I can't begin to imagine what the actual Home release will be like. I'm excited!

[karlostomy]

MS is honest and upfront about charging for premium xbl

while sony pretends to offer a free service and then charges for the incidentals.

shame, sony, shame.

[0verdrive]

accept you have the option of NOT buying clothes. unlike xbl, where you do not have the option to NOT pay for it, providing you want to play online.

[karlostomy]

I do believe the word you were trying to use was 'except'.

How do you expect people to take you seriously when you can't spell?
It just negates your whole argument!

stay in school.

[OSIRUSSS]

The poster spelled Accept correctly.It is the word usage he muffed up. Just wanted to point that out, now you two can continue your lil flame war.

[0verdrive]

either word makes the sentence semantically correct. i could have been saying "accept [the fact that] you have the option of not buying clothes in home." take it as you will.

so technically, the argument still stands, and i do note that you made absolutely no attempt to refute my argument, other than point out my word usage.

[Oner]

It's amazing how I don't have to pay for Home stuff to access it or enjoy it...

Isn't it funny how certain "gamers" fail to mention that key point along with a few others like how you are able to get FREE clothing & items (arcade machines, furniture etc.) by just playing FREE games within Home

Echochrome
Icebreaker

Pac-Man
Galaga
Xevious
DigDug

Pool
Bowling
Chess
Saucer Pop
Mercenary Madness
Mancala
Carriage Return
Rubber Bob
Evac
Red Bull Air Race Challenge

Now not all of the ones above provide items but that is not to say they can't. Which is why I have them in sections, the first 2 sections are just a few RIGHT NOW that give FREE itmes and there will be more plus the fact that PS Trophies have been said to be used in Home for unlockables or in some way implemented to purchase things.

You don't NEED to pay for anything to use Home or access it unlike another service that charges for ACTUAL multiplayer gaming...

[karlostomy]

If the use of the word 'accept' was intended, the sentence, as it stands, does not make sense.
(fail #1)

And, quite clearly, the intended word was 'except'.
(fail #2)

Jesus you guys are desperate.
Stop trying to spin it.
It's beyond pedantic!

-------------
on topic:
awesome. so what you are saying is Sony gives you this free thing called home, but it's only free if you don't actually use it in the way for which it was designed - which kinda defeats the purpose of releasing it.... but at least they can SAY it's free, right?

Very sneaky, Sony.

And thanks for validating my original post, guys. XD

[Oner]

You can't be serious (though from your past post history it seems you are). All you do is post irrational, biased, misinformed & false information. I just gave you ways of being able to get FREE stuff and you totally ignore it. I see you can't hold a proper conversation because all you do is avoid what FACTS are given and spin anything to be something it is not. Your point is not at all validated since you obviously like to pick and choose or omit key factors to somehow support your very weak "point".

Really, what is so hard or impossible being able to enjoy ALL consoles, show or discuss ALL their strengths & weaknesses?...I guess only real gamers can see & understand that. You can say what you want but your slighted view only hinders your ability to comprehend how wrong you are and how biased you come off as.

[300]

ON TOPIC, of course they wont charge for it. Oh hang-on, yes they do, its called an annual subscription. They take micro payments for loads of over things too. So, they compare this to Home and Sony? Hypocrites much?

----------------

Oner, welcome to the world of Colostomy. If counter arguments are made to his remarks, he either:

1. Repeats himself (as if this will make his point more valid), even if its already been counter argued.

2. Post links to articles that have no relation to the current topic, and are always anti-Sony.

3. Respond with childish insults and name calling.

4. Always ignores the valid points anyone else makes, providing no counter argument to any point they've made.

5. He's a hypocrite, as he will say who ever argues with him is providing spin, FUD, is a troll, has multiple accounts and is stalking him, even though he's guilty of all these things. Everyone can check his post history for verification of this. (I swear he's stalking Ultimolu, aka Juuken), as every comment she makes, there he is saying something nasty to her).

Just check this link to see his inability to provide a proper counter argument and provide spin.

http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-...

And yes Colostomy, your still on ignore. Everyone's comments above told me all I needed, and Oner's comments describe you perfectly.

[0verdrive]

ok, you got me. i accidentally wrote the work "accept" rather than "except". you obviously misinterpreted my playful tone when explaining my typo. i probably was watching tv at the time, or doing something else. we dont all have editors that are combing over out posts so we can send it to the publishers.

the point of the post was that you were ignoring the actual argument and focusing on one typo. how is anyone supposed to take YOU seriously if you just dance around arguments and try to discount them by nitpicking at the semantics? if you had any REAL response to the argument, you would have made it, rather than just trying to discount mine.

but the fact that you are trying to discount my entire argument because of a mere typo is ridiculous. its ironic that you claim that we are "beyond pedantic," yet you are stuck on that one word. seriously talk about ME trying to SPIN my post over a typo? YOU are the one trying divert attention from my whole original argument based on the typo. THAT is spin for you.

and your argument about users not being use to home "as intended" for free is stupid. the point of home is not to run around and buy clothes. the point is to socially network, which you CAN do for free. the ability to buy clothes n such just gives users options to do it, should they feel like it.

you are trying to compare buying clothes on home to paying to play online over xbl. that is stupid. selling clothes isnt sony's "secret" way of charging for home, as you seem to think. if users want to use home without paying for anything, there is no loss in functionality of the application. it is free. however, were you to try and use xbl for free, god knows you will lose most of the functionality of xbl.

the point is, home is free, and you can buy accessories if you want. most people wont. home was not "designed" to try and sell you incidentals, it is just giving you options. you could claim that xbl is ALSO free. you can pay to play online if you want. the difference is MOST xbl users will want to play online, and most psn users could really care less for clothes.

[karlostomy]

Why do i feel like the whole lot of you are nothing but a bunch of live-at-home-Aspergers-inflict ed-crybabies that need to grow the fvck up each and every time your pathetic worldview is challenged and incontrovertibly turned upside down?

XD

------------
and in fact, i did respond to the topic. check back.

But whatever. Sony's home is not fully functional without paying. Same as XBL

I know you don't want to hear it because you are just defending Sony. I have no idea why you would do that. Seems really silly to me.

It's like i just insulted your mother....

and what's even funnier is that all the other monkeys whose wounds are still smarting from the last time are showing up too!
Is kinda funny. But also very very sad.

Enjoy your semi-free home, guys!

but don't forget to get a life and learn to spell!

[300]

Damn Colostomy, I'm doing what you want me to, clicking show on your comment as your still on ignore. Man your thick as sh*t, aged 35, where the hell did you get that. Your practicing your little xbot ways of lets make some sh*t up when you cant find anything to argue about. I'm 26 years old.

I've just logged in and viewed my last comment to see if Oner replied, and I see you have, I couldn't resist looking, but it was worth it.

Points in my post:

3. Respond with childish insults and name calling.

4. Always ignores the valid points anyone else makes, providing no counter argument to any point they've made.

You just proved me correct, hell your reply was completely without any value. You say "thanks for the comedic relief" but your tone is so obviously angry with all the swearing, so your not fooling anyone, LOL. Man your a head case.

[300]

OH COLOSTOMY, That was some quick editing for your original reply, now completely different to make my reply null and void. Doesn't change the fact your original reply did everything I said it did. You really are a head case. Everyones comments clearly did effect you as your anger made your original last post (before editing) full of childish insults, that you had to quickly go back and edit when you got pulled up on it. LOL

[Oner]

Wow you just can't admit you are 100% absolutely wrong huh Karl? I mean how many times does someone have to explain it for you to get it?

Home does not charge for access or the ability to use it. Buying or NOT buying items does not affect ANYTHING.

Period. Done. You cannot refute this, though you tried and failed...funny how you also never even mentioned all the FREE ways to get items that I described. Avoidance, Spin & Name Calling instead of a proper valid discussion is all you seem to know how to do.

[0verdrive]

actually, you did not respond to my comment. this is your exact post, and the post i was referring to when you were spinning:

"I do believe the word you were trying to use was 'except'.

How do you expect people to take you seriously when you can't spell?
It just negates your whole argument!

stay in school."

no where in that post did you attempt to refute any evidence. secondly, duelingdragons at one point pointed out that all you can do to refute evidence is restate your claim over and over, completely ignoring the facts and rebuttals put before you. it baffles me how incredibly true that is. you COMPLETELY ignored any facts that people have put on the table about home being completely and functionally free. do you listen? no you dont. you ignore common sense and continue to spout obvious inaccuracies. i have come to the conclusion that you are an idiot, and deserve absolutely no respect from ANYONE. please, do respond to this and prove me wrong... oh wait, you seem to be out of bubbles. what a shame. /sarcasm

[ForROME]

Well what Xbox wins in, is that it uses its xbox live profits to purchase Exclusive content, in my opinion its the reason it can purchase that.

[Veneno]

XBL is the ONLY online gaming service that charges its customers. Hey people, remember how microsoft tried to charge people to play Games for Windows live? Yeah, they don't charge anymore, yet they continue to charge for xbox live, but pc gamers have never been charged to play online in the past, why start now? Being a regular on both XBL and PSN i can tell you that there is NO major differences between the two performance wise. I stopped paying for XBL because microsoft isn't gonna take my money for something that EVERYONE else does for free.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Performance-wise or feature-wise...they're the same service. After Sony's latest two updates, I'm convinced that the PSN is better in some aspects...especially with dedicated servers.

Has anyone experienced LAG on Resistance 2 yet? I haven't.

[N2NOther]

Feature-wise there is a huge difference. You can't do half the things on PSN that you can do on LIVE. Maybe someday they will, but seeing as how it's a free service, I don't see that happening anything soon.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Tretton has stated VARIOUS times that the actual release of Home will come with thousands of items already available to the player. It's in Beta form right now, people. Obviously, Sony made a mistake giving us this Beta so soon. You people don't deserve it!

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Who's dumb enough to pay for that anyway? I think Sony's capitalizing on the stupidity of fanboys who buy all this stuff just to say it's worth it. I actually HAVE everything you have to buy...and that's because it was free for 24 hours to closed-beta users. My summer home is awesome!

As far as clubs go...that's actually not a bad idea. It keeps spamming down by only allowing committed club owners to make clubs. If you pay money for something, you WILL take care of it. That's just how life works.

[OSIRUSSS]

Those ugly Muppet Miivatards still around? Damn I thought MS would ditch those useless things.

[Scenarist]

Sony gives you an option to buy stuff that really dont matter so even if you dont buy anything your still good. The free PSN service does not change at all if I decide that I dont wanna buy anything from any services or application that are on my playstation 3. Everyone shares the premium in quality on the ps3 regardless.

[tako2000]

If you don't want to spend the money, don't buy anything from HOME. It won't restrict you to sign-in HOME without new cloth or second house.

MS offer free cloth since their users pay to get online. It is only fair to have free staff since payment already made.

[Neo604]

if u want online for Xbox RROD king, u have to get fuk up the a$$ by MS.

[Neo604]

It's free, I haven't spend any money yet in fact I haven't pay for anything from Sony online service. I got two mansion in Home for free.

[JHUX]

I guess cause I'm not a blind fanboy I don't see the big deals about the online differences between PSN and XBOXLIVE. PSN is free and gives me the ability to play online, which is the whole reason I use it. I have never had lag on it, nor have I ever had it down on me when I wanted to play, and the excuse of "noone to play since theres only like 10 people who use PSN" is false to, I've always had full games. I can create a party in all the games I play and play with my friends and talk to them over the mic privately and ingame. I can send invites etc... With Xbox live you know what happens? We play games online, the differences are slim, and I will still say to this day that there is no reason for microsoft to be charing for live, for what they offer, but it's still not that much, considering what some games charge for (WOW, etc).

With Home I have used it some, I like the idea and think it will eventually be good. Being able to meet up before we jump into a game is my main reason for using it, and the trophies in your apartment are a cool idea. I will never buy clothes with my money, or furniture, or a "summer escape house", but it's really just there if you want to stand out I guess. I could care less about my HOME appearance, I'm not out trying to pick up some e-chicks.. lol, plus you can unlock free stuff by playing games, etc. People just blow things way out of proportion in these fanboy wars and it is pretty redic...

[N2NOther]

You just don't get it. Obviously. It's not just the ability to play on Live that they charge for. It's the features such as voice chat, cross Live parties of 8, ease of use and maintaining servers. They charge for the service so it can be the best it can be and are constantly upgrading it. You can't do anything BUT play online on PSN. That may be enough for you, which is great, but saying that there is no difference between the two is based purely on ignorance or blind fanboyism. I pay because I like what I'm paying for. I don't play on my PS3 online because I don't like the lack of features.

Sony charging real money for their avatars fake clothes and furniture is beyond ridiculous and I guarantee will cause Home to fail. Sure, right now you have people on there because it's new, but once they realize that everyone looks the same, save for the poor souls that actually pay for this crap and the ones that cared enough to get it for free, it will lose its appeal. I was psyched for Home and am still interested in some of the planned features so wake me up when they get here.

[sinncross]

Considering that Home, like the PSN, is a free service, I see no reason why Sony cannot charge for some items. Do you think Sony is able to maintain servers for free? Of course not - your purchasing of some items off Home allows them to keep the servers on track. It's a good solution to because I can use Home for free and if i really want to pay a little (its cheap for stuff here in south africa) then maybe I will.

Why complain the costs? Its not like you are being forced to buy anything...

[BeachBar69]

Can i pay someone lets say 50 bucks to throw rocks at people?

Or can i dodge them like matrix bush dodging shoes?

earlier qoute from someone else "i hate this "you can't complain if it's free" attitude. If someone throws a rock at you, are you going to complain? even though you didn't have to pay him to throw said rock at you? Just because something is free doesn't make it good"

Thats not really a free service is it (throwing rocks)? I would said what if someone came to your house and gave you free cable, but its that old hippie painting pictures show and thats all you got, but its free. would you complain.

anyways i bought some 49 cent shoes, lol. Im flossy now biotchs.

ah just thought id chime in with some sarcasm.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

At least Sony's 3D community as a purpose for the avatars too bad I can't say the same for Microsoft's avatars? The best thing about Sony's service you don't have to pay a dime if you don't want to.

[Citizen Cook]

Through endless micro transactions.

Why can't they be upfront about things like M$?
$20 A year, done.

Wait to the droids see their credit card bill!

[tomfoolery]

some more droids over,
line up children.

[MaximusPrime]

sony's better. PSN is free. getting premium clothing is not compulsory.

[ZILLA]

xbox is a joke,i went into HOME last night and there is millions of people in there.there were tons of ppl that were saying this is the new MY SPACE.it is 100 time better than MY SPACE or FACE PAGE.and this is only the beta.m$ will soon be crush from HOME!PLAY B3YOND waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa y B3YOND!!

[cosmos]

At one point microsoft sad said they would be charging for clothes later down the line. I'm sure they will too. C'mon we already get charged from themes to gamer pics. MS even wants approx. $10 just to change your gamertag; the billion dollar company take my money for every little thing. So the answer is yes, as it regards to a post somewhere in the middle of that mess MS WOULD CHARGE us money for virtual clothes, i'm counting on it and my avatar (MS avatar) will stay the same, my tag will stay the same, my theme will stay the same till I stop playing games or my box rrod's on me.

[majorsuave]

Son¥'s Securom, proprietary formats, proprietary connectors and overpriced products pretty much paved the way for overpriced Barbie clothes.
Call that an avatar if you feel better about playing with dolls but it still is a Barbie. And Nintendo's own is free to dress paint in colors.

[jro211]

I know they aren't trying to make this an argument. Let's look at the real facts: You can bash Sony for wanting to charge for clothes in Home and Microsoft's is free but, what about all the BS Microsoft charges along with their Live service. You have to pay for pictures, themes, and other content that is mostly free with Sony. Poor argument when you leave those facts out.

[baum]

That's because they didn't have a plan for NXE to begin with, they simply tried to slap a Home clone as fast as possible to their defective console in order to 1up Sony. Too bad it didn't turn out to be as exciting as Home, it's basically more detailed Mii's and a new interface that doesn't even enhance the experience, just changes it.

[N2NOther]

How does Home enhance the gaming experience? Your games are exactly the same. It doesn't make it easier to access them. NXE actually makes navigating much easier and adds cross Live party support with VOICE CHAT. You're damn right it enhances it.

[gdguide]

So XBL charges you to unlock part of the game that is already there (Online part of the game), has advertising not just in one place (Like Home does) but seemingly everywhere, but great job for MS for offering free clothes? Do some people realize how stupid that sounds?

MS is literally locking a part of the game that PS3 owners get for free with MP. Sony is keeping all of their base services free, and charging in ONE area that no one cares about.

I really can't believe how some of you don't see how badly MS has slanted your views on paying for something that shouldn't be locked away. Imagine if Sony locked part of the single player experience away unless you paid up. I have no problems with Live charging $50 for the advanced messaging, friends list, party system. But let people quickly join a game and play online like us PS3 owners do for free. In other words, feel free to charge for fluff. LOL

[NickIni]

Microsoft not squeezing money out of everything possible?

BS I say.

[rawd]

bahhaha
Cuz MS is all about giving users free content right

[Magic_The_Celt]

LMFAO microsoft are the greediest company on earth

all they want is monopoly

and the 360 specificly, nobody with brains could deny the hardware inside the 360 is CHEAP, im not saying it under performs im saying the actual hardware is the cheapest microsoft could get away with, ALL they care about is profit

People say XBL is better than PSN, PSN offers a lot of things XBL doesnt.

[BUKKAKALYPSE]

BUT SONY is the exact same way! while the guts of a PS3 are not as cheap as the 360, SONY still charges a premium for goods that are not that far above (in terms of quality) the lesser priced competitions goods. MS lies and so does SONY. Both companies are after the currency you work for. The difference betweeen you and I is that I realize this and you still believe (like the rest of the one sided droids) SONY is your pal, your buddy, your friend. SONY does not care for you so stop talking like they do. premium themes anyone?

PSN offers some things that XBL doesn't but XBL offers a hell of a lot more than the PSN can compete with.

[Magic_The_Celt]

Man you do realise sony lose money on every console sold? ofc they try to make profit

jesus they offer something which is, lets face it way under priced

(dude when blu-ray players came out they where at $1000 while the PS3 was at the same time $600 and thats for blu-ray alone)

and offer a free network with things like Home (love it or not you cant deny its a big project) and free MMO's lined up

and please, what exactly can XBL offer? all i can think is better communications with friends but that isnt akin to online gaming

like being able to sent voice messages, and umm.. well thats about it, also better more stable connection most of the time.

[deividpaulo]

great!! but you still need to pay to play online...

uehaueaheu

Microsoft is ridiculous

[Vip3r]

The priced content in Home is to help pay for the service. The idiot who wrote this article has clearly forgotten the PSN is free and XBL has an annual subscription which cost was more than Home seeing that it's optional.

[CoVsTa]

i swear no1 sees what is going on here, just look at the quality and graphics difference between Home and w.e the other thing is on 360 lol, jus says it all really, 360 thing is nothing compared

[tonywood]

After ripping people off with XBOX live charges, the arcade and Elite systems....not charging on clothing (FOR NOW) on this, is the least Msoft can do!

Stop taking credit you greedy jerks! The graphics of Halo 3 didn't show me why it couldn't be on the 1st Xbox...but you forced people into buying that rushed system to get it..didn't you? (In fact, why did that game take so long to come out? As wack as the last 2 Matrix films were...the W. brothers can STILL write a better ending than the garbage Bungie offered!) Funny to see the KINGS of ripp-off's cry about ridiculas charges to it's fanbase.
Here's an idea for Msoft, worry about making a Wii-mote ripp-off (LIKE MY Sony is doing!), being cheap and NOT BRINGING Blu-Ray to your customers, and making 5 more Gears and Halo games.

[sarshelyam]

...so really, is this a win or simply a small and optional added feature to my annual bill? Sony, outright, stated that PSN would be free but Micro Transactions would be present for specific & OPTIONAL add-on content. We're surprised by this story why?

[Ldubbz]

Who ever would actually pay to dress their avatar needs to get kicked. If Sony wants to charge for it, good for them, its not as if u have to buy it.

Is it a gimmick? Well I think Home is one big gimmick. But if youre bored enough to waste time with a bunch of dudes on Home, this might just be for u....

And enough with this Xbox is ripping you off for LIVE crap...LIVE was a pay service long before any PSN existed. Just because Sony comes out with a free but inferior service doesnt mean LIVE is all of a sudden free. Will it be one day? Perhaps, but Im not really trippin on $50 a year (actually I got 13 months for $40 on amazon). Sony couldnt afford to charge for PSN, because it never would have been able to compete.

[na2ru1]

a favourable biased BS article. just one of many

you simply cannot deny it xbox fanboys.

[Jdoki]

Coming from the company that charges for icons I don't care what they say... If MS can charge for it, they will at some point...

[Nicknasty]

Dumb article and worthless. MS charges for everything else so why should it matter when Sony charges for 1 thing every once in awhile. At least there online service is FREE! Thats why i dont go on xboxlive, why on earth should you have to pay for online gaming? Its frikin weak and a waste of money. At least charge for something else and keep the online service free. MS is way too greedy to ever offer that for free. Just look at the way they treat us silver members, make you wait to download a frikin demo where as the paying gold members get first dibs. Thats pretty childish if you ask me, but hey Microsoft is a pretty childish company when you think about it, lol. I will stick with Sony when it comes to the online gaming for the simple fact that its free and there if i ever wanna jump online for a few minutes. I dont play online enough to wanna pay for it and they should give you that option those tight b@stards!

[Awesomeo3000]

oh how nice of ms to finally not charge for something how could we ever repay them

[likedamaster]

I don't think charging for clothing,etc in Home for avatars is a big deal. Home is quite different than the NXE. Heck, I would buy clothes for my avatar on the xbox. I would love to see some unique clothes I can put on my avatar and show off, just let the price be reasonable. Personally, I think it is actually a smart move considering the free service you get with PS3.

PS. Notice how I didn't need to bash either console.

[DevastationEve]

Sony would be stupid not to profit from PSN. If they offer it for free, I guess the money eventually gets to that department as long as they keep PS3 reasonably priced.

x360 may not include Bluray, Bluetooth, built in wi-fi or whatever else have you but it also doesn't require those things TO PLAY GAMES.

The core of the Xbox experience is GAMING. PS3 sells you living room appeal, and gaming takes a backseat to the total overall "home entertainment" experience.

It may have the PlayStation brand, but it's different this time around as Sony wants you to buy Bluray more than they want you to buy games. Proof is evident in the fact that Sony continued to ride the Bluray train from PS3's launch and lost exclusives to many games along the way to please the American market.

Don't try to add things to make an x360 the same as a PS3. They are what they are: $200, $300, and $400.

[No Way]

I guess this goes to show that Sony And Microsoft aren't so different..