Did you read my post KingME? It seems like you didn't so let me refresh some things for you.
The PSN being free is a fact. The PS3 costing more than the 360 out of the box is also a fact. So there shouldn't be any restrictions imposed on stating either of them. But the kicker is that the reason many people are willing to shell out the extra money to buy the PS3 was because they were looking for a product that would be, for the most part, future proof. Why? Because it has a lower rate of failure, is packaged with an internal HDD, a Blue-Ray drive, bluetooth, HDMI, etc. I'm not calling the PS3 a surefire step above the 360, I'm just saying that it's reasonable to assume that the PS3's lifespan will surpass the 360's, hence a bigger bang for your buck.
As far as I'm concerned, paying $50 for a service every year isn't future proofing anything. All it's doing is paying for a service that is here and now. You might argue that the subscription fees also pay for the updates on Live, but I've never paid to use the PSN, and it's continually being updated.
You also argue that Live trumps the PS3 in the area of quality, feel, and integration. The only area in which I can see your point is with integration and that's only slightly. Sure, Live also offers a wider assortment of content, but I'd argue that it has more to do with quantity than quality. It's also because of this huge quantity that Live has become stifled in the areas of integration and feel. It's cluttered and overcrowded. In a way, the ease with which Live can be navigated has deteriorated since it's launch. But I guess we shouldn't even be discussing this since like you yourself said, "it's a matter of preference".
Sure, the PS3 today isn't the same as the PS3 on day one. It would've been fantastic for Sony to have included these features out of the box, but I can't argue with their progress. It's been slow, but it's also been free. So don't mind me if I'm excited about seeing their promises come to fruition without emptying my pockets via a subscription.
Next time, I suggest that when you reply to someone, you relate your thoughts to that person's specific post.
View