If there was 1 wish I have for Xbox Live, and I guess PSN, it would be for spectator mode. If I could have a 2nd wish and use it solely on Xbox Live it would be to create a virtual world such as Sony's PlayStation Home. I will confess I'm a big Xbox and Xbox Live Fanboy, but I have to give it to Sony. They have not only provided a free network for their users but they have created a free virtual world for users to access.
PlayStation Home is exactly as I mentioned, built to look like a virtual world. For anyone who has experienced it, they should know what it is like to walk around in the public spaces like an open atrium at a mall or park. There are various Sony specific activities, live ads, and games. Sony has also gone and worked w/ popular game companies to build small interactive games that add additional content and experience for players outside of their normal disc or direct to download games. I found the entire experience quite impressive with new content most every time I visit.
On the flip side we have Xbox Live. This network is truly king in the realm of what is offered to console players. Xbox avatars are great, but they are limited to just their fashionable looks and a basic activity function if you pair your avatar w/ an accessory item. There are a few games such as Scene-It Box Office Smash and Xbox Arcade Room that offer Avatar compatibiltiy, but that is really a limited venue to utilize the avatar. A few side features are things like party chat and party movie watching where your avatar will sit w/ your group, but they really do not interact with each other, or in any way that you can control.
I think Microsoft could really put a big stake in the ground and nail down their online service/console dominance for good if they were to create their own virtual interactive world for Xbox users (hopefully free of charge). The Avatars, in their current form, are very cartoonish compared to Sony's Playstation home which has people built more like SIMs the game. With this thought in mind though, I'm just wondering if Microsoft wanted to build a virtual world for users to interact with, it would have to mimic the style of the avatars. A few suggestions for this new world would be to have open spaces or buildings we could visit. Each location could be focused on a topic or theme, such as game rooms, movie theaters, sound machines, mini games. Sony has all this already so it would be easy to view/mimic their theater, their EA sports location, the mall (where you can buy avatar items (clothing, furniture, accessories, etc). In world advertising can focus on marketing towards Microsoft products, Xbox products, or even real world items. I think Xbox users would really appreciate this option to further enhance their online experience. Microsoft could build this world for use w/ all users online (silver and gold) and would only allow gold users to unlock or user specific features. This would further push their marketing campaign to have people upgrade to gold status in the pay subscription model for features and other user interactions. There are numerous possibilities to this and I know people will want to visit and play here. I'm sure a business savvy person can create a revenue model on this if needed to help push it along.
For any gamers who know PlayStation home, or have imagined or wanted a virtual world to use their avatar for interacting and playing with, what would be on your wish list to Microsoft and Xbox Live? There are days when I turn on the console and don't want to play any games but wouldn't mind burning some time wandering around a 'public' space.
I agree. People buy clothing and pay MS points for their avatars, but the only place to show that off is in someone else's friends list. Take a lesson from World of Warcraft, where people could earn high end armor and then stand around market areas and social, high pop cities, and show off what they had earned. What is the point of earning new avatar items or buying said items if I can't show them off to my friends.
ReplyDeleteGamers are all about one upping each other and being better, cooler, or more elite than the next one. MS got that with the concept of GamerScore and Leaderboards. Let users also carry that same concept in to the realm of "how my character looks and what he can do".
-Andy
Ha ha, true remark. I had noticed when I first booted up Halo Reach that EVERYONE had the recon helmet. That coveted item was awesome in Halo 3, but I won't even get near it now that everyone else has it. I play the game to unlock items others don't have yet.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, Microsoft recently aquired a company called Vivaty. They have a platform for making virtual world, and speculation is that they are going to use that technology to make an xbox live virtual world environment. (source: http://www.virtualgoodsnews.com/2010/10/microsoft-buys-vivaty-for-new-project-may-be-looking-for-more.html)
ReplyDeletePS3 + Playstation Network + Blu-Ray Player = hours and hours of funn!! and Home is pretty kewl too...I'm not a fan girl believe me. I had a xbox360(for a week) and guess what? that loud ugly cheap looking thing went straight back to walmart! be smart and buy a ps3. its way more advanced and is always being updated :P
ReplyDeletewow, you say "i'm not a fan girl" yet you really are. Anyone that complains about the noise from the 360 is a sony or wii fan and is stretching for any means to bring the 360 down.
ReplyDeleteIf you the noise from your 360 is loud enough to be heard over your speakers then your doing something WRONG. Either your not playing with your volume on or you're sitting there with your head pressed against the damn thing.
You other argument about it being ugly and cheap looking are again not valid reasons for someone to not buy something. If you are spending time looking at the hardware instead of the game then again, you're doing it wrong. Hook the wires up and put the game in the tray and look at the TV.
Valid arguments against the 360 include:
Failure rates of 360's
PS3 exclusive games
PS Home
"All my friends have a PS3 so I got a PS3 to play with them"
Generally though, if you are a true gamer then all you should care about are the games and there are great games on all systems. I have a wii and a 360. I refuse to play a PS3 mainly because i'm cheap and I know that if i play one i'll want one. I also have a disdain for anything sony but i'd be willing to look past that if i wasn't a cheap ass and was willing to spend money on another high end console.
Anyone who argues that one console is better than another or that PC gaming is better than console gaming or vice versa, is NOT a true gamer.