PS3 Online: How it works

LookingFor

Sony has been showing off the PS3's online service more properly for the first time to some journalists in London. Eurogamer was there and filed this report on it - goes into a fair bit of detail. Some of it's old, and some of it's new.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=68677

There's been a lot of speculation over what Sony would be doing with the service and how it would compare to others, so I figure this will be of interest. The key points are:

Universal Login

Multiple Accounts per PS3 ('Master' and 'Associate' account types - kind of like Administrator and User on Windows)

Universal Friends List (Video/Audio/Text chat, can plug in standard keyboard for text)

Universal 'Wallet' (used for all transactions, including to third parties, so you only give your payment details once. Everything is priced directly in your local currency, there is not a points system).

Pop-up Notifications (to notify of events on your friends list, like people signing on, or messages sent to you)

The Playstation Store - all downloadable content will be accessible through this, including downloadable games AND downloadable PS2/PS1 and even PSP games! Games can provide a custom interface to this store in-game highlighting their own content there.

Free - the service itself is completely free. Obviously premium downloadable content or MMO subscriptions and the like will cost you, but it's free otherwise, and there aren't two tiers of service like Live Gold/Silver.

The story goes into more detail, but they're the important bits I think..

projectmayhem

sounds great. xbox live-esque system without the burden of cost.

your move, microsoft

shortys94

Yea PS3 sounds better and better to me as days go by, and its looks so good. I just know if I go out and buy a 360 right now that there will be a better console coming.

PS3 hands on with IGN
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/738/738858p1.html

kaisersose77

Well they couldnt do any less, still up to the game makers to provide proper online support which will probably be crap for the first yr or so seeing as some of the games coming out first dont have any online mode.

projectmayhem

kaisersose77 wrote:

Well they couldnt do any less, still up to the game makers to provide proper online support which will probably be crap for the first yr or so seeing as some of the games coming out first dont have any online mode.

i've yet to play a ps2 online game on an unsteady server. i'm more inclined to trust EA then joe's css server on PC tbh. i'm just happy it has a universal login... that was always going to be my main gripe

LookingFor

Kind of related, GameInformer has videos showing off Resistance's online functionality. Pretty awesome - the amount of customisation that's possible for online games is very impressive.

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xKWvK0v3J0

Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHOkyzElbVw

Video 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2GVuQYXoxs

Video 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1O4uZvBmW0

Video 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MAE1vgGP3Y

Video 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkjJpq2dcpw

Small point, but the loading time is pretty excellent too, and it was running off a Blu-ray disk here. When I think of the load times in some online PC shooters (battlefield springs to mind), this compares really well in that regard.

hairball

wonder did he have phil harrison on ignore?

the_syco

LookingFor wrote:

Universal 'Wallet' (used for all transactions, including to third parties, so you only give your payment details once. Everything is priced directly in your local currency, there is not a points system).

Intresting: "you only give your payment details once". Wonder how long before someone hacks the database and steals the info?

Ciaran500

the_syco wrote:

Intresting: "you only give your payment details once". Wonder how long before someone hacks the database and steals the info?

Same time it takes them to hack MS servers and get the details?

LookingFor

the_syco wrote:

Intresting: "you only give your payment details once". Wonder how long before someone hacks the database and steals the info?

What Ciaran said, but asides from that, it got me thinking..I should probably have said "you only give your payment details to one party i.e. Sony". Whether they'll store your CC details or ask for them every time you want to credit your wallet remains to be seen. Many places online now won't store your cc details, for security reasons, preferring to have you re-enter them when required. Of course, there could be an option to have it remember your details or not depending on what the user wants.

thebman

Why can't they store your details on your console? Heavy encryption with only Sony having the decryption method.