its more mind boggling that 360 has 28 million consoles and claims only 17 million are online...so where is the other 11 million? playing offline? yes some do, but 11 million? definetly no. out of 11 million, i guarantee about 5 million are consoles that are delivered and not sold yet...but microsoft claiming shipped are sold is definetly not true.

“The PSN numbers (17M and 2.1M) include people who have created accounts on PS3, the Web site and PSP. Note that since the implementation of single sign-on, PSN ID and PlayStation Underground IDs (which were often created at the same time when first making a PSN ID) were automatically merged and rolled over...”

Well that explains it, so 17 million isn't an actual Playstation 3 PSN user base but an overall Playstation.Com + Playstation 3 + Playstation Portable number. To be accurate, they should only count Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable, not Playstation.Com. Otherwise, that would be a very impressive figure for a service so young.

@Comment 1 - Are you stupid? I don't get it with you (and fanboys), they buy a 400-500 dollar system and then they beat everyone over the head by saying PSN is "Free." Did they break the bank when they bought the Playstation 3. *sighs* The irony...

That was way more straight foreword then I expected.

The same could also be said about XBL, I'm a Silver user myself and refuse to pay to play online I'm sure there are millions or others, so this equalises everything. I use PSN pretty much when ever my PS3 is on due to it being free.
People may have an XBL account, but may not pay for the XBL Gold service.
People may have an PSN account, but use it for PS webistes and use their PSN account on other peoples consoles.
Everyone with a PS3 is using at least one PSN account to play online, not everyone with a XBL is playing online due to the limitations of Silver, Microsoft impose upon the public.
Both the 'negatives' and catches of being signed and registered online on both services basically equalises everything.

So this is an easily cancelled arguement.

I don't see why anyone should question this number. Sure some of the accounts will be for people without a PS3 but it's most likely the number is correct. All you need is a PS3 and a broadband connection. Setting up an account is free. Why shouldn't every PS3 gamer have an account?

This is pretty damn pathetic you have to admit. The skeptics were calling it BS at first only because of how easy it is to create multiple accounts on the PSN. Many have a Japanese account, UK account and American Account. Many PSN users, like myself, have 3 or 4 or more PSN accounts just on one console, because we wanted to change our PSN name.

If Sony had done that then I would have though sketchy, but understandable. But going to the point of counting PSN members as those that just register on the website as users is absolutely pathetic. Embarrassing is an understatement.

One can only wonder what Sony would have included in their count if they needed an even higher number than 17 million.

I don't see the big deal.

You can sign up for a Live account without a 360, you can sign up for PSN without a PS3.

sony is bluffing

Microsoft does the same thing by including both Xbox 1 and Xbox 360 owners in their stats. Unified online networks, regardless of hardware platform, were definitely the right way to go.

Xbox 720 and PS4 owners will still log into the same online networks as Xbox 360 and PS3 owners, which makes things a lot easier for both consumers and the companies involved.

Don't lesson to pp he is only 11 he does not know anything.

Believing that that many people are signed onto the Playstation network is funnay

The fact that only 3.1 million people tried out home of "17 million supposed users" is very cute and pretty much proves that the real PSN user estimate is around 6-7 million psn users

believe me, if Microsoft had a handheld device, it would use the same LIVE account as the Xbox 360.

a PSN account is still a PSN account, regardless of if it's on the PS3 or PSP, or even forums (for example, when i log into the Playstation.com forums, i do so using my PSN account).

i think the real point Sony was trying to make, is that for their first foray into the online community/gaming space, they are doing rather well. keeping pace with their very seasoned, knowledgable competition, Microsoft.

wow sony that was really sad.

Confirmed XBL>PSN

Sony is the best system in my opinion, so who cares what anyone on here says?

Play your games.

What can you get from the PSN store just through a PC?

You cant play demos or anything right?

I'm just wondering why anyone would bother to go there if they didnt have a PS3 or PSP.

i dont know if active acounts means acounts who have been activated or are constantly being used. in any case why does everyone assume all ps3 owners have an internet connection? also not everyone are the same as you are and creates 7 different acounts for your self. and you only need to download home once on the machine to get it right? plus the numerous people who has had the closed beta for so long. i own a xbox silver acount and have never ever owned a xbox and probably millions more who go on PC to have some fun with window's game.

not to be mean or anything but, regardless how you got your acount. does it make your pusy hurt or something that xbox or ps have just as many acounts on either side.

Wonder how much they paid for this to be turned up... i wonder how many of their numbers are actual fluff? I have 4 xbox live accounts myself so their numbers are inaccurate as well..

Not to mention Xbox live has no games, and its community is filled with weird people...

Sony has been caught again twisting facts in their desperate attempt to not-look-bad with their free service compared to a superior paid service from it's main rival.

Nothing has changed since '05 same old sh!t. Sony fans are just as gullible as ever.

It's unfortunate that you misunderstand, but Sony never called it the "Playstation 3 Network".....its called the "Playstation Network". That means any user with a Playstation branded device can be a potential user if it has online access. Last time I checked there are some other Sony Playstation products which can access the network (like the PSP). This is one of the advantages of not just being limited to 1 console, but having a family of devices that compliment each other and communicate on the same medium. All they have pointed out is the total number of accounts on their network...nothing more...nothing less.

I am glad there is that many on PSN makes gaming even more fun

Who fckin cares?
Go play a game or something

If you ever had come to the Official Playstation Forums, you would know that there is clearly not millions users on it. The real factor that have a deep impact on those numbers is people that have a US, Euro and Japanese account in the same time. Those one are maybe millions.

So let me get this straight: 17 million, and that's INCLUDING web registers, 41 million PSP users, and multiple accounts? So what's the actual PS3 number, 200,000?

I'm 25 years old and I have two kids one is 2 and the other is 2 weeks old. Plus I'm a gamer4life

add me to ur friends. =)

PSN iD: pnutloco

let's play resistance 2 =) add me.

I think that anyone would be a fool to argue against the notion that Sony has a larger overall customer base for console gaming than Microsoft does. PSP owners are given access to PSN via their handhelds, and there are a heck of a lot more PSP's in people's hands than there are PS3's or 360's right now.

There is no "PSN is better than Live" or other "my service is better than your service" subtext here. Based on the number of Sony users out there the 17 million users is likely very realistic.

why MS is so obsessed with ps3 business, they need hurry about they issues not sonny.does really matter 4 MS how many ps3 user existed,how many xbox users did more than 1 account just 2 get a free month 2 play online

I never considered Sony's numbers to be 17m separate users or even anywhere close to it. I have 2 PSN accounts, one for Euro and one for the US. The only reason for that is because of the differing content in the PS store and I know others will have one for each different territory like Japan and stuff.

Then, like the Sony guy said, parents will have different accounts from their kids or other users for their own trophy list etc.

Nice to see it clarified but I think it's only confirming what those of us with a basic degree of common sense already knew.

i thought thats great that psn now have 17million users after starting the psn in 2006

Nothing is ever as it seems. I'm not sure why this comes to a surprise to some.

Pretty obvious this counts as multiple Ids for ps3,psp and website.
Anyone who thought otherwise is pretty stupid.

Seeing as how the XBL LTD numbers also include original Xbox accounts, this really shouldn't hinder further comparisons.

I said this last year.....

If only I made wagers...

sony counts you as being a member of its online service if youve at least once in your life played a ps game rofl.... this is sad for sony real sad ...

I really think people just want to be able to say "PS3 has no online users, trying to play online takes hours!", when in reality not once have I had trouble playing online with my ps3 no matter what game I played. It's like watching elementary kids get jealous that someone has something they don't so they start trying to put down the person who has something else. Although a lot of times it is very amusing to watch the fight, at some points it gets so ridiculous that you have to step in and defend whatever console it may be. Some good ones are

"Sony has lied to everyone I cant believe fanboys believe them, on the other hand though Microsoft has never told a lie and have stayed true to us since day one, and are just perfect perfect perfect". -360fanboy1112314412

"At least I can play my PS3 for over an hour without worrying about it over heating or RROD on me, I can leave it on and not worry about my house burning down"-ps3fanboy1213121

Then I think this is from super fanboy POG, I believe... "With my new Compaq touchscreen super awesome computerx5, I can tell huge differences between these games, and can confirm for all of you people who obviously will never have a better computer than a COMPAQ that the 360 version of the game is the best version". -POG? or whatever 360fanboy it was.

Sad thing is people who say stuff like that I do believe they have convinced themselves to believe in it. For a while I wondered if they read what they typed out before hitting "Add Comment", but then I realized that this is what they have made themselves believe.

of those reported seventeen million would sign on and play wipeout HD. Sometimes, i swear i hear the tumbleweeds blowing down the line when i log on for a quick tournament! Still, tumbleweeds is preferable to those annoying,whiny,silly song singing,pre- pubescent American kids you get on xbox live playing COD twenty four seven!Or that just me? God help us.

TRASHBOX LIVE (OR DEAD)

Anyone who thinks that the silver live accounts count in the total "registered" online users are complete morons. Since every xbox 360 sold comes with a free silver membership then what is stopping MS from saying that they have 28 million active users?

Only gold accounts count since they are the only ones that actually pay and register their account.

You Sony droids never cease to amaze me.

I love the ps3 After 10 360s died on me I just said fu.

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.