The lack of online support on Nintendo's and Sony can hurt them on the long term. Lets not forget that companies make money by selling games and content. 6Million online accounts usually means 6 Million people have access to Microsoft online marketplace and will buy arcade games, movies, map packs, etc. These sources of revenues would be impossible without online support. Developers are taking notes when it comes to this, they know that all consoles offer the ability to sell their games are retails stores, but being able to sell content on games already created is great. Take COD3 for example, they release a Map pack for the 360 and not for the PS3 nor the wii. Do you think developers hate the idea of making more money or do you think gamers benefit by not having access to these maps on the wii or the PS3?
I'm not too worry about the PS3 since I know Sony will try to adapt to the market and their hardware is more than capable, but the wii I can't say the same, it seems that the only online content one will be able to buy on the wii is virtual console games (with no online support or any updates).
"I think in the long run it might actually give the PS3 the advantage. As they continue to improve the PSN, I think people will start to really question what they're paying for on Live when it's free on PS3." I agree with you on this statement but I am a little concern about reality. PSN network is free and therefore and everything is left up to the developers to invest their own resources and money to support it. This is why some developers are not supporting it as much as they are supporting xbox live. Many may argue that this model works for the PC; but consoles are not PC. Example, on the PC anyone can make game server to play Battlefield so EA though having their own servers do not have to subsideze all the cost. Companies can rent servers, users can host their own server at their own cost, none of this can be done with consoles (PS3), which means all the expenses involve on hosting a game for the PS3 has to be covered by the company. Now, for high profile games like Metal Gear or Resistance this will not be a problem since these companies can cover the cost and make lots of money by selling the games. But as shown last week by konami's actions of taking down Metal Gear's servers, their support will be limited as long as they are making money of retail games. This is why xbox live charges a fee. Notice that xbox live only charges a fee to play online which is were the money is needed for the most part to maintain the servers and the service without depending on the developers will or pockets, this is why original xbox games are still live. You can flame xbox live all you want for charging, but the premium model lends for a stable, more supported and long lasting service that nor nintendo or Sony will be able to match for free.

this article is nearly identical if not identical to the article posted sometime in the last week or so entitled "yahoo slams psn network".

is nothing short of ignorance, and multiplayer is the tip of the iceberg.

sony and nintendo need to catch up, or get left in the dust.

If(and this is a BIG if) XBL starts to go down the tubes as far as all the "goodies" you can get on there at least Xbox owners have a leg to stand as far as getting on Mircosoft's @$$ about it since we pay for the services...as far as PS owners go if PSN starts to suck then what can they say?...."damn you Sony our free service sucks" like Sony and all their "big-wigs" are really going to give a sh!t about a free service provided by them to people who have already lined their pockets with their hard earned money for consoles and games.

i get wut bladestar was saying about the servers but madden07 on the xbox and ps3 is the same thing sometimes when u start a gamre it stops right before the kick off(on both consoles) but im sure its the same server for both consoles (EA). Now i got Call of Duty 3 (xbox) and ROFM (ps3) and i still get the same probs on both games some times it takes forever to search for a game then an error message pops up. Now that your sayin that since i pay live they should be better but the only thing i see better is the buddy list and being able to do other things when your DLing besides that Virtual Game play is the same.

Sony is still working out the kinks - it will be great eventually, I'm sure, but if you want great online gaming right now, LIVE is the way to go.

And MS now has the infastructure to make adjustments quickly. There will be a response to PS Home - expect these two to be going back and forth for a long time.

In the end , it will be a matter of preference, as it is with the systmes, with each having their share of strenghts and weaknesses compared to the other.

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.