View Full Version : PS3 online interface explored (Eurogamer)
Voidler
10-13-2006, 04:46 PM
Thanks goes to Oni jazar @ NeoGAF
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=68677
There's some old stuff and some new stuff in there. Goes in great detail to the online and XMB interface that the PS3 offers. Interesting read.
Notable Quotes:
Quote:
Again, those familiar with Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 won't find this terribly surprising, but it's worth noting that the system does show you friend sign-ins and new messages received in overlays on top of the game you're currently playing - just little notification windows which pop up to tell you about something happening with your friends list. At present, however, there's no system for actually reading or responding to messages while you're still in the game, as the operating system doesn't take resources away from games in order to do that - however, according to Harrison, that functionality may well appear in an OS update, presumably based on whether users actually express a desire for it or not
Quote:
Oh - and it's all free, too. The only place you'll be asked to fork over a penny is when you purchase something in the PlayStation Store - all of the online services, from sign-up right through to voice and video chat, are free, as is normal multiplayer gaming. There's no equivalent of the Xbox Live Gold account, where you're expected to pay extra for a further tier of services - the only things you'll pay money for are paid-for downloadable content, or subscriptions to premium services like massively multiplayer games.
Quote:
We're not going to talk in much depth about PlayStation Store, because what we saw was still undoubtedly being worked on frantically to prepare for the November launch. However, there are a few elements that it's worth talking about - the first of which is the Wallet, which lies at the heart of how you buy things on the Store. Unlike Nintendo and Microsoft's offerings, Sony doesn't hide the price of items behind an arbitrary "points" scheme - instead, everything simply lists a price in your local currency, so European types will see a Euro price, British people will see prices in Pounds Sterling, and so on.
Quote:
Alongside the free and paid-for game content, the store will also play host to a wide range of new titles developed specifically for download (the first of which, fl0w, was shown off at TGS - dozens more PlayStation Store exclusive titles are being worked on around the world thanks to an initiative which Sony launched at GDC last year) - and as Ken Kutaragi revealed at TGS last month, it'll also be possible to buy PSone and PS2 classics you missed out on, as well as a selection of PSP games, from the PlayStation Store, and download them directly to your PS3.
Quote:
Sony has some way to go before proving to people that it can do a comprehensive online gaming service. However, what we've seen is very promising. Account creation and management, buddy lists and various types of chat appear to be working just fine, the interface is simple and elegant, and the PlayStation Store, even at this early stage, looks like being one aspect of the service which will be a genuine improvement over Microsoft's offering, Xbox Live Marketplace - which is well-stocked, but has a terrible user interface that struggles to cope with the amount of content now available, and has only been marginally improved by recent updates.
masteratt
10-13-2006, 04:53 PM
It...It IS as good as everyone thought and some feared!
Basically a free Xbox Live with improved interface!! :hugegrin:
Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Kabbage
10-13-2006, 04:57 PM
"it'll also be possible to buy PSone and PS2 classics you missed out on"
OMG the better put the ZOE's up there!!!!
*Dances like a schoolgirl*
the system does show you friend sign-ins and new messages received in overlays on top of the game you're currently playing - just little notification windows which pop up to tell you about something happening with your friends list.I hope there will be an option to turn this off, because I will find this annoying. Surely it'll be optional though.
Oh - and it's all free, too. The only place you'll be asked to fork over a penny is when you purchase something in the PlayStation Store - all of the online services, from sign-up right through to voice and video chat, are free, as is normal multiplayer gaming.Good to see this confirmed once again. I would never, ever pay to be able to play online.
as Ken Kutaragi revealed at TGS last month, it'll also be possible to buy PSone and PS2 classics you missed out on, as well as a selection of PSP games, from the PlayStation Store, and download them directly to your PS3.This is what I wanted to hear, once again :hugegrin:
Pumpkin Head
10-13-2006, 05:00 PM
very good read, it seems that sony has done a really good job this time around.Really can't wait to get that system in my hands..+rep
Kabbage
10-13-2006, 05:05 PM
Good to see this confirmed once again. I would never, ever pay to be able to play online.\
I paid 20USD for a 3 month live subscription and dont plan on using it until gears comes out. I have zero plans of spending it again... except for maybe Halo 3
Pumpkin Head
10-13-2006, 05:18 PM
This is really great news imagine the possiblities with the sony store, blu-ray movies for download? wow psp was a shocker also...xbox live have some serious competition...
I think the PS online platform should include music and video stores, broadcast live concerts (Sony music bands), stream Sony Pictures movies... I wonder if they'll do something like that in the near future.
Raijin
10-13-2006, 05:22 PM
This is really great news imagine the possiblities with the sony store, blu-ray movies for download? wow psp was a shocker also...xbox live have some serious competition...
Blu-Ray for download? Wow good luck for downloading 50GB of video data. :(
Voidler
10-13-2006, 05:30 PM
I think the PS online platform should include music and video stores, broadcast live concerts (Sony music bands), stream Sony Pictures movies... I wonder if they'll do something like that in the near future.Definately, it'll be phased in. You can count on it. Live bands, great idea btw :aimhappy: I expect it to be a HUGE hit, Itunes for the living room. Hopefully other companies will hop on board with their movies and music too.
Voidler
10-13-2006, 05:32 PM
Blu-Ray for download? Wow good luck for downloading 50GB of video data. :(I'm sure they'll offer it in lower resolutions too. :beer:
You know what would be cool...? Rentals. Rent a game or movie by downloading it, instead of buying it.:buldge: But download speeds will always be a problem with that, considering Blu Ray sizes.
Definately, it'll be phased in. You can count on it. Live bands, great idea btw :aimhappy: I expect it to be a HUGE hit, Itunes for the living room. Hopefully other companies will hop on board with their movies and music too.Online distribution is the future
+
All PS3s in the world will have a built-in, upgradeable HDD
=
Major opportunity to own!
Nameless
10-13-2006, 05:33 PM
Great news! I'm looking forward to using the service and comparing to XBox live... I hope Sony will offer free movie trailers and game demos like XBox live, it would suck to pay for that kind of content... If Sony's service is solid, Microsoft has a real fight on their hands! Peace
Pumpkin Head
10-13-2006, 05:33 PM
Blu-Ray for download? Wow good luck for downloading 50GB of video data. :(LOL i forgot about that,i guess i'm a lil to excited..but also since sony is going to offer upgrades it's still a possiblity..
SevenDesigns
10-13-2006, 05:40 PM
I'm sure they'll offer it in lower resolutions too. :beer:
You know what would be cool...? Rentals. Rent a game or movie by downloading it, instead of buying it.:buldge: But download speeds will always be a problem with that, considering Blu Ray sizes.
If you download it, isn't that just a purchase instead of a rental?
LaLiLuLeLo
10-13-2006, 05:43 PM
Sounds real promising. Can't wait!
Voidler
10-13-2006, 05:47 PM
If you download it, isn't that just a purchase instead of a rental?They'd put a time limit or self deletion mechanism of some sort in the coding, of course. Maybe you could just stream the movies over the network (of course the quality wouldn't be great, but you buy for great quality right?)
Insane Metal
10-13-2006, 05:47 PM
HAHAHAHAhahAHahahah
LOL @ M$ now :lol:
Sorry I couldn´t resist
Lets see if the service has really good quality... then its perfect :hugegrin:
yoshaw
10-13-2006, 05:50 PM
I'd like to have events such as E3'07 and TGS'07 broadcasted LIVE over the PNP platform watching it all happen while sitting in my couch. Trailers getting updated every hour of these events passing and demos being available.
Great collection of quotes Voidler.
Voidler
10-13-2006, 05:58 PM
I'd like to have events such as E3'07 and TGS'07 broadcasted LIVE over the PNP platform watching it all happen while sitting in my couch. Trailers getting updated every hour of these events passing and demos being available.
Great collection of quotes Voidler.E3 '07, huh? :(
wotter
10-13-2006, 05:59 PM
This is great news, it all sounds very promising! And all of it for free.
gnznroses
10-13-2006, 06:44 PM
At present, however, there's no system for actually reading or responding to messages while you're still in the game, as the operating system doesn't take resources away from games in order to do that - however, according to Harrison, that functionality may well appear in an OS update, presumably based on whether users actually express a desire for it or not
huh? no messaging while in-game? or does this mean something else?
wotter
10-13-2006, 06:51 PM
huh? no messaging while in-game? or does this mean something else?
No, I think you are correct. While playing a game, you can't see messages from your friends. You have to quit the game and access it through the XBM. Correct?
Voidler
10-13-2006, 06:57 PM
You can see it, but you have to go to the XMB menu to read and reply, I'm guessing
LaLiLuLeLo
10-13-2006, 07:02 PM
Man I don't want mofos bothering me while I'm slaying demons, terrorists, and demon-terrorists. I'm in the zone, go away!
curryking1
10-13-2006, 07:08 PM
Lol, I'm sure they will be an option to not allow any interruptions during gameplay Lalilulelo. It would definitely ruin the mood for a game if it was in a dramatic or intense scene.
masteratt
10-13-2006, 07:09 PM
I was playing NBA 2k6 with my brother and every second it was "someone came online" "someone sent a message" I put up with it for a while but then I snapped and said "for fuck sake, can't you turn this shit off?!?! It's so fucking disturbing" His answer? "hmm, i think you can....I really should..." lol What a dumb answer.
Anyway, the point: I don't care if it doesn't have in game messaging or stupid thing saying someone came online! Why should I care?! If I was interested in someone being online he would be playing with me!
It should tell you what your buddies are playing though so you can join them.
Kiosko
10-13-2006, 07:55 PM
So Sony has came up with a great online service to combat Live?
Cool.
The only thing you have to pay for is Download(already know but still..)
Cool.
No stupid points system(The Wallet)
Cool.
Game overlap and all that messenging jazz sounds all cool too.
And the Playstation Store being better orginized then the Marketplace..Amazing.
Looks like Sony is catching up real fast.
The only thing you have to pay for is Download(already know but still..)
just to make it clear: this is what some were talking about like Domination, me and others. you will only be asked to pay not for downlads, but priced downloads. you can also freely download patches, expansions, arcade-like games. you will only be asked to pay if the creator of that specific content asks for a price.
for me, this is the natural way online gaming should be. very exciting to finally get some hands-on input on this. this month's events cannot come soon enough. I think they will blow the freaking doors off of everything just before launch. prepare for the PS2 Launch Frenzy 2: The Comback!
Blu-Ray for download? Wow good luck for downloading 50GB of video data.
who said all games will be 50G? and if they are, and you are the kind of person that actually download that much, then chances are, you already have at least a 160G HDD inside your console. ;)
I'd like to have events such as E3'07 and TGS'07 broadcasted LIVE over the PNP platform watching it all happen while sitting in my couch. Trailers getting updated every hour of these events passing and demos being available.
well, X2 has these events on LIVE, so why wouldn't PS3? and being Sony, that means they don't just mimick someone, they leap ahead of them. suddenly, PS3 will make us average joes experience these high profile events like never before. *evil grin*
BillCosby
10-13-2006, 09:13 PM
Blu-Ray for download? Wow good luck for downloading 50GB of video data. :(
Why blu-ray (aside from it being sony's baby) they could provide movies encoded with Divx, and you would still have great quality, and not take up too much space. I have several movies that are under 700Mb a peice, that look great on my tv when played through my computer.
Why blu-ray (aside from it being sony's baby) they could provide movies encoded with Divx, and you would still have great quality, and not take up too much space. I have several movies that are under 700Mb a peice, that look great on my tv when played through my computer.DivX videos with bitrates that allow 2 hours of content to be stored in 700 MB don't look great at all on big standard definition TVs or on any HDTV.
FantasyGhost
10-13-2006, 09:59 PM
Good to see this confirmed once again. I would never, ever pay to be able to play online.
Oh - and it's all free, too. The only place you'll be asked to fork over a penny is when you purchase something in the PlayStation Store - all of the online services, from sign-up right through to voice and video chat, are free, as is normal multiplayer gaming. There's no equivalent of the Xbox Live Gold account, where you're expected to pay extra for a further tier of services - the only things you'll pay money for are paid-for downloadable content, or subscriptions to premium services like massively multiplayer games.
You can see it, but you have to go to the XMB menu to read and reply, I'm guessing
Again, those familiar with Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 won't find this terribly surprising, but it's worth noting that the system does show you friend sign-ins and new messages received in overlays on top of the game you're currently playing - just little notification windows which pop up to tell you about something happening with your friends list. At present, however, there's no system for actually reading or responding to messages while you're still in the game, as the operating system doesn't take resources away from games in order to do that - however, according to Harrison, that functionality may well appear in an OS update, presumably based on whether users actually express a desire for it or not. ;)
MegaCot
10-13-2006, 10:05 PM
You know, paying $1 for demos doesn't seem that bad after all...
People already DO pay for demos (on consoles), whether it's what's included in their magazine subscription or available as a $5.99 demo disc at the store.
Now (IF YOU WANT) you can pay $1 for the particular game demo you want, any time of the day, instead of waiting during the weekday and driving to a store, or waiting till the end of the month for the magazine to come in your mailbox. All on a service that's already FREE to begin with.
People spend $10 to play freaking Doom, you wouldn't pay $1 to play a demo level of Metal Gear Solid 4, knowing that there is NOTHING else you have had, or ever will NEED to pay for?
Hell, you could spend the next 5 years and NEVER download a single demo and STILL get them in the magazines and retail discs.
travmas
10-14-2006, 12:12 AM
who said all games will be 50G? and if they are, and you are the kind of person that actually download that much, then chances are, you already have at least a 160G HDD inside your console. ;)
well, X2 has these events on LIVE, so why wouldn't PS3? and being Sony, that means they don't just mimick someone, they leap ahead of them. suddenly, PS3 will make us average joes experience these high profile events like never before. *evil grin*
what I think voidler was trying to say about watching E3 LIVE is there is no more E3 :(
what I think voidler was trying to say about watching E3 LIVE is there is no more E3
of course there is. :) people are making a big fuss over re-organaizing the event to better surve its purpose. E3 will still happen next year and it will be a major event.
as for watching E3 (as in interviews, special footage, etc.) I really hope they take the next step with PS3's online. I am thinking big, and there isn't anything hard to achieve. I am thinking about having an exclusive PS3 channel that has such video interviews, special features, wacky gamers created content like goofs and what not.
I also want a PS3 exclusive destination site where I can be up to date with the latest PS3 development and news. kind of like a newsletter only made out to look like a website. they should have all their podcasts uploaded there as well. and many other such ideas.
the point is to have an attractive main destination for PS3 gamers. there needs to be another one for your general entertainment like movies, music, etc. they should really take this apportunity as far as they possibly can.
masteratt
10-14-2006, 01:03 AM
Yep and I'll happily pay for that kind of service.
Unfortunately I can't be a heavy-gamer as I once used to be so now I miss a lot of great games etc and if Sony has a servcie to keep me updated with the new upcoming games and small preview, footage of each- I'll happily pay for that.
That service should also cover E3. Maybe an interactive service where you can navigate through boots of your choice (Konami, Capcom etc). Hell, use the tilt to navigate through boots, just for the hell of it ;)
C'mon Sony. You got the stick, run with it!
well, they at least have coverage and footage in their official PS sites. they could at least use those. or maybe we can simply log in to the official sites and surfe their content?
in any case, we need good media content that covers more than gaming.
MasaC
10-14-2006, 03:35 PM
I hope I can buy and download movies for my PSP in MP4-format eventually. That would be sweet.
section
10-14-2006, 03:49 PM
But that would make UMD movies unnecessary, wouldn't it? ;)
Voidler
10-14-2006, 03:53 PM
;)That doesn't mean you can't pull up the XMB menu to go read/reply to your messages. Infact, they showed it off in this Resistance video while the game is loading, Ted Price pen the PSN chat box to talk to his team mates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1O4uZvBmW0
FantasyGhost
10-14-2006, 03:59 PM
That doesn't mean you can't pull up the XMB menu to go read/reply to your messages. Infact, they showed it off in this Resistance video while the game is loading, Ted Price pen the PSN chat box to talk to his team mates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1O4uZvBmW0
That's in the game itself where gamers are online with that same game. But i think Sony has another main online system whenever you click on the online button in the PS3 main menu, you can talk to people without even being in that game.
Voidler
10-14-2006, 04:00 PM
You know, paying $1 for demos doesn't seem that bad after all...
People already DO pay for demos (on consoles), whether it's what's included in their magazine subscription or available as a $5.99 demo disc at the store.
Now (IF YOU WANT) you can pay $1 for the particular game demo you want, any time of the day, instead of waiting during the weekday and driving to a store, or waiting till the end of the month for the magazine to come in your mailbox. All on a service that's already FREE to begin with.
People spend $10 to play freaking Doom, you wouldn't pay $1 to play a demo level of Metal Gear Solid 4, knowing that there is NOTHING else you have had, or ever will NEED to pay for?
Hell, you could spend the next 5 years and NEVER download a single demo and STILL get them in the magazines and retail discs.While the content is probably worth the $1, it contradicts the whole point of having a demo. Demos are there to woo consumers, and give them a taste of the game before spending any money. I guarantee alot more people will be trying free demos, over ones you pay for. We've already seen it boost sales and awareness of games like Dead Rising, aswell.
Voidler
10-14-2006, 04:03 PM
That's in the game itself where gamers are online with that same game. But i think Sony has another main online system whenever you click on the online button in the PS3 main menu, you can talk to people without even being in that game.No, that chat menu had a very different layout, and it had a friends list. That is Sony's overhead system.
MasaC
10-14-2006, 04:20 PM
But that would make UMD movies unnecessary, wouldn't it? ;)
Perhaps not for those not willing to invest in a large memstick. On the other hand, with UMD movie format out of the way there's no reason for Sony to not let MP4-movies on memstick use the whole resolution of the PSP screen (480x272). However, I think digital distribution is the way for the future and not just for movies but music videos and TV-shows aswell.
cliffbo
10-14-2006, 04:39 PM
perhaps they will sell the umd movies via an online shop with extra content and still offer a movie only mp4 option for download at a reduced cost.
:)
a feature that they showed early on and I really liked is the one where you can see what new content is there for the game you are currently playing. you can bring up any offerngs while in the game itself and view everything in the game's theme. that may seem as a little thing, but it is still great and handy.
I also love the Wallet system using cold hard chash figures. I really didn't like the 'points' system or any other figure instead of telling you directly how something costs. I don't want to have my calculator next to my while I am shopping online.
finally, even if movies and music purchases aren't integrated within the network from the get go, I hope they at least allow access through the web browser to those sites. I want to be able to not only surfe through Connect and what not, but also purchase, download and do other things directly to my PS3. that would be great as a temporary solution till they integrate it with the PS Network.
things look to be bright fo rthe netwrok. only a few weeks till we try it for ourselves. :)
Raitei
10-14-2006, 06:39 PM
i like, the whole points thing really annoyed me. I do hope they keep a record of what you've downloaded if you need to switch HDD (though you should only be able to do so once, as people may use this to circulate files without paying)
I hope they don't do what iTunes has done, and charge more in country x than y. It always seems to be britain concidering the pound is the strongest currency
I am sure that kind of info is saved. so when you log in, your status will be evident to you.
that, and I am sure you would remember what you bought and what you didn't, anyway. :)
Lekko
10-14-2006, 07:55 PM
Woah... Okay, correct me if I am wrong, but with the locationfree base station connectivity with the PSP/PS3, that means everything on the PS3 HDD can be accessed remotely via PSP. Now if you can download PSP games from the store and store them on your PS3 HDD, than that would mean you can access them via Locationfree.
So... Say you buy your PSP games through that, you can access your entire PSP game library at any hotspot. I was excited enough to do that for music and movies, keeping my PSP media fresh wherever I go, but games too? That would rock!
yeah, they talked about accessing your PS3 through any PSP, PS3 or any other device they chose to support from any place in the world that you can get online access from. :)
LaLiLuLeLo
10-14-2006, 08:25 PM
Would it be possible (not saying right out of the box, but maybe in the future firmware updates) to access songs off of the PS3 HDD and save them to you psp via wifi/locationfree???
Would it be possible (not saying right out of the box, but maybe in the future firmware updates) to access songs off of the PS3 HDD and save them to you psp via wifi/locationfree???File transfers from and to PSP should be a given, IMO. LocationFree's purpose should just be the ability to stream any kind of content, which of course includes audio and video.
Domination
10-14-2006, 10:00 PM
Woah... Okay, correct me if I am wrong, but with the locationfree base station connectivity with the PSP/PS3, that means everything on the PS3 HDD can be accessed remotely via PSP. Now if you can download PSP games from the store and store them on your PS3 HDD, than that would mean you can access them via Locationfree.
So... Say you buy your PSP games through that, you can access your entire PSP game library at any hotspot. I was excited enough to do that for music and movies, keeping my PSP media fresh wherever I go, but games too? That would rock!
You forgot photos. But yeah, that's basically the idea.
Would it be possible (not saying right out of the box, but maybe in the future firmware updates) to access songs off of the PS3 HDD and save them to you psp via wifi/locationfree???
I thought about this as well, but my feeling is Sony might feel that by doing this, consumers will abuse it like most P2P servers. So no, I don't think this'll be possible in the future. However, pictures and demos might be a different story.
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