Xbox Live, PSN, and the Digital Future

        Video games are huge in today’s society and they are not going away anytime soon. There is a modern day renaissance of gaming underway and tons of titles coming out every year.  The traditional method of game release is changing with the rise of new technology and digital downloads.  Video game powerhouses Microsoft and Sony both have their online networks to distribute games and other content.  They are both very similar to each other while remaining different, with exclusive software and services.  It pretty much comes down to gamer’s console of choice.

Microsoft has their Xbox Live service for their Xbox 360 game console, which started out on their original Xbox in 2002.  Nowadays it is only on Xbox 360 and Windows Phones with an annual subscription fee of $59.99, which includes online gaming as well as all their other services.  Users make an avatar to go along with their Xbox Live ID that tracks their game progress and stats through achievements.  In addition to match making online gaming, users get access to the Xbox Live Arcade store and Zune Marketplace.  Here users can purchase exclusive Xbox Live Arcade games, Indie games, game add-on content, Games on demand, HD movies, and TV shows.  You can also stream last.fm, Hulu, ESPN, and Netflix. Xbox Live has their own Twitter and Facebook interfaces for social media.  You can do all this online while connecting with friends and other users through friend lists.  Now users can even take the experience mobile if they have a Windows mobile phone.  Their account and avatar carry over as if they were playing at home on their Xbox 360.  The $59.99 a year goes to dedicated servers to ensure games run smoothly and the network is always on.  Find more information on Xbox Live at their website, http://www.xbox.com:80/en-US/live.

Sony has their PlayStation Network (PSN), which supports their PlayStation 3 console as well as their handheld PlayStation Portable (PSP).  PSN is completely free to play online games, make an avatar, and create a PSN ID to have their game progress and stats tracked through trophies.  Unlike Microsoft they do no charge a fee but they do have a PlayStation Plus package for $49.99 a year.  This fee is for premium users who want the most of their PlayStation 3.  In addition to free games and content every month, the system auto updates so players never need to sit through another update screen again.  In addition to match making online gaming, users get access to the PlayStation store where users can purchase exclusive PSN games, game add-on content, HD movies, and TV shows.  You can also stream Hulu, Netflix, and access the Qriocity music service.  Users do all this online while connecting with friends and other users through friend lists and unique simulation experience called PlayStation Home.  In Home, players bring their avatars to life and interact with each other in different game worlds and locations.  Home members can chat, dance, watch movies, play games, or just hang out in a 3D world on their PlayStation.  Now users can even take the PSN experience mobile if they have a PSP, which can access all these great features.  PSP owners can also download motion comics and connect and stream all their content from their PlayStation 3 system at home by remote.  Sony’s network offers a lot for being free but it was recently hacked and was down for about a month.  While this is an inconvenience for a lot of people and made Sony lose face with its users, perhaps they will look to service fees like Microsoft has for dedicated protected servers so this does not happen again.  Check out http://us.playstation.com/psn/, for more information on PlayStation Network.

With these great online networks both on consoles hooked up to your TV and in your pocket with games and other content on demand it is only going to further digital downloads.  Traditional disc media is not going away anytime soon but with indie developers making more and more games exclusive to Xbox Live and PSN it looks to be going in that direction.  Most Triple-A disc based games are available for direct download and all add-on content for these games is digital download only.  Look for these networks to grow over the years to come each with new products and services.  The good news is with each one being so competitive with the other, it is only a matter of time before each network has the others features.  It is all personal preference and most hardcore gamers today are subscribing as members to both.

Distributors' Social Networks

Social Networks are popping up all over the Internet and are the latest trend.  They help us connect to each other through our shared interests and passions.  In the last year, a lot of companies have noticed this trend and created pages related to their businesses.  Nowadays, it seems that every business has a “follow us” on Twitter or Facebook somewhere in their marketing.  A few companies have taken this idea a step farther and created their own propriety social networks to help them promote and distribute content.

One such company is the current technology innovation king, Apple.  Last year, Apple released their special social network, Ping, that is built right into their iTunes program.  Apple requires iTunes for its customers to manage their music and other digital content.  Having their own social network for music built right into their store offers a unique way for people to connect and share their music.  It is basically Facebook meets Twitter meets iTunes, all for free.  It was a great move for Apple because as soon as they made Ping live they had a potential user base of 160 million users in 23 different countries.  With customers already familiar with how to use iTunes, and who may have never used Facebook or Twitter, it is a great way to bring a new audience to the social media scene.  Users can make a profile and see what their friends and favorite artists are listening to and downloading.  Ping also has partnered with Live Nation to provide concert listings for the artists as well.  Ping is becoming the one premiere site for social networking about music.

Another company is AMC theaters.  AMC recently launched their AMC Stubs program, which is a reward and social networking site for AMC moviegoers.  It costs $12 a year to join and offers rewards galore.  For every $100 dollars you spend, you get $10 back as well as free concession upgrades.  Once a member, you get your own online ticket stub collection of all the movies you have seen.  This way you can always have the memories of going to the movies and sharing what you liked and saw with friends.  The service also waives all online fees for buying tickets so you can buy a ticket and go straight to the theater with no extra charges or hassle.  This is not a game changer by any means, but a nice step by a traditional movie theater company into the realm of social networking.  It will be interesting to see what AMC does with this in future and whether other movie companies will look to jump on board with similar sites.

These distributor social networks are a great way for these companies to maintain business while keeping up with social media trends.  With the amount of time people are spending on social networking sites, Apple and AMC have found a way to incorporate that into their business.  They have begun to further blur the line between social media and online stores.  For more on Apple’s Ping and AMC Stubs check out their official websites, http://www.apple.com/itunes/ping/ and https://www.amcstubs.com/.