Xbox Live vs. Playstation Network…fight!

The title says it all. With online now a mainstay for all three next-gen consoles, this'll be a comparison of the major features on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live, and the PS3's Playstation Network. Starting off with the newcomer, the PS3:

PlayStation Network

• Price: Free.
• Online play: Observed to be smooth - 20 vs. 20 games in Resistance: Fall of Man showed no major slowdown. Might slow down due to excessive people online, though - "error 80710D23" incidents aplenty.
• PlayStation Store: Carries downloadable PSOne games for remote play to your PSP.
• Purchase Currency: Your country's currency. Stay aware of the exchange rates.
  
• User Interface: PS3 default browser handles like its PC kin, albeit the hassle of using the SIXAXIS for typing. Getting a USB/Bluetooth keyboard and mouse is highly recommended.

Xbox Live:

• Price: $ 50.00 per year.
• Online Play: Carries favorite features like voice messaging, private chat, customizable personal profile, and unified friends list.
• Xbox Live Marketplace: Carries rentable movies and TV shows for rent, and Xbox Live Arcade titles.
• Purchase Currency: Microsoft points. Good idea, but minimum purchase requirements (400 points, was it?) may give complications.
• User Interface: No browser, but does carry the "gamercard", which carries your online bio-data (name, location, past gaming achievements, etc.)

For now, Xbox Live's the solid favorite thanks to all the cool features it's got onboard. But given that the PS3's browser has only been out for a month, we'll have to wait and see what sort of perks will be popping up by next year.

The title says it all. With online now a mainstay for all three next-gen consoles, this'll be a comparison of the major features on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live, and the PS3's Playstation Network. Starting off with the newcomer, the PS3:

PlayStation Network

• Price: Free.
• Online play: Observed to be smooth - 20 vs. 20 games in Resistance: Fall of Man showed no major slowdown. Might slow down due to excessive people online, though - "error 80710D23" incidents aplenty.
• PlayStation Store: Carries downloadable PSOne games for remote play to your PSP.
• Purchase Currency: Your country's currency. Stay aware of the exchange rates.
  
• User Interface: PS3 default browser handles like its PC kin, albeit the hassle of using the SIXAXIS for typing. Getting a USB/Bluetooth keyboard and mouse is highly recommended.

Xbox Live:

• Price: $ 50.00 per year.
• Online Play: Carries favorite features like voice messaging, private chat, customizable personal profile, and unified friends list.
• Xbox Live Marketplace: Carries rentable movies and TV shows for rent, and Xbox Live Arcade titles.
• Purchase Currency: Microsoft points. Good idea, but minimum purchase requirements (400 points, was it?) may give complications.
• User Interface: No browser, but does carry the "gamercard", which carries your online bio-data (name, location, past gaming achievements, etc.)

For now, Xbox Live's the solid favorite thanks to all the cool features it's got onboard. But given that the PS3's browser has only been out for a month, we'll have to wait and see what sort of perks will be popping up by next year.