Description
Microsoft have been very aggressive in marketing their XBox Live service. With Nintendo not yet ready to commit to any online future for their GameCube console and with Sony seeming very confused as to what exactly their service is offering, XBox is as close to having an exclusive feature as it will ever get. The concise and very well controlled nature of the XBox Live service has made it popular with XBox owners and thew features offered, such as voice communication, have been received extremely well by gamers.
It was not surprising then when Microsoft, earlier this week, announced that 350,000 users are now enjoying XBox Live. Even considering that those figures did not clearly state whether European testers were included, they still seemed an impressive total for a service which was, initially, met with doubt and hesitation.
For most of this time when Microsoft have been releasing triumphant press statements about their console success, Sony have kept quiet letting MS and Nintendo battle it out over 2nd place.
All this changed however, with a statement released by Sony, intended to dampen Microsoft enthusiasm on the success of their online gaming venture. The statement claims that no less than 600,000 network adaptors for the PlayStation 2 console have already been sold worldwide. Considering that Sony´s adaptor has only been available in North America and in Japan since late February, that would mean that the majority of these units were sold in the U.S. since August, 2002 when the adaptor was introduced. The Japanese market may account for about 200,000 units since that is the approximate number of people playing Square´s Final Fantasy XI, online. The adaptors were available in Japan before late February but only as a rental from an ISP.
So the U.S. market must account for about 400,000 PS2 network adaptors. This would seem possible if upon its release, thousands of excited PS2 owners rushed to buy them but that would also mean that most of them may have an adaptor but no use for it.
The confusion over what exactly PS2´s online service involves and the hesitancy with which developers have approached the possibility of creating online titles has led to a slow start for Sony´s online attempt. There are signs however, that Sony are changing their approach. Testing in Europe is about to begin, with the service expected to launch sometime in 2003 while recent moves by Sony have attempted to warm developers to PS2´s online potential. The most important of those moves was Sony´s decision to make online game publishers exempt from the Sony license fee.
In any case figures are not the most reliable way to judge a systems success. Considering the installed base that Sony has in the U.S. and Japan the figure of 600,000 adaptors sold is not as impressive. Microsoft have far fewer units sold and therefore their online uptake, or more simply put, their ability to convince XBox owners to go online, is much more efficient than Sony´s.
This however may soon change, since Sony do seem very determined to promote the online capabilities of their console and when they do something, Sony tend to do it well.
www.megagames.com
la ps2 va-t´elle battre la xbox sur le online???
jeux ps2:
All Star Baseball
ATV Offroad Fury 2(tres bon en online : -) )
AutoModellista
Frequency : Amplitude Musical
Madden NFL 2003 Football US
Midnight Club 2
My Street Divers 4
NBA 2K3 Basketball
NBA Live 2003
NCAA Basketball 2K3
NFL Gameday 2003
Tony Hawk´s Pro Skater 4
Tribes: Aerial Assault
socom
Pso
twisted metal black
final fantasy XI
gran tourismo 4
resident evil online
everquest online ( qui a été tres bien noté par IGn et gamespot!!ils le trouvent meme meilleure que PSO....et en plus...ce everquest est completement un nouveau jeu!!pas une réadaptation pc...et comme on le sait everquest est un des jeux les plus jouer au monde en online)
a part everquest les jeux dans cette liste ne demande pas de frais internet....(comme le xbox live)
HALO 2, DOOM 3, Half-Life 2, PSO, Star Wars Galaxie, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Rallisport Challenge 2, PGR 2, Moto GP 2, Return to castle Wolfenstein, Operation Flashpoint, Midtown Madness 3, Ghost Recon, Unreal Championship, MechAssault:la plus part de ces jeux sont deja sur pc ou vont etre sur pc....et comme on le sait les jeux de gun vont bien mieu sur PC!(clavier souris...que la xbox n´a pas...mais que la ps2 a deja...avec ces belle petite prise USb en avant...j´ai jouer a red faction 2 avec clavier souris sur ma ps2...sa va vraiment tres bien....)
désoler pour ca...j´ai une xbox aussi...mais vraiment je trouve que sony va avoir des meilleures jeux pour le moment....(a part halo 2 qui va etre tres fou!!!)
