5 reasons why Xbox Live is better than PSN

This is my follow-up post to the "5 reasons why PSN is better than Xbox Live" post.  I guess the point of these posts is that each service has its merits, but neither is perfect.  I guess that's the point of competition, isn't it?  I've used both over the past few years (although I must admit I've had less time with my Playstation 3 and therefore PSN) and I enjoy using both for various reasons.  So then, without any further delay let's go ahead and jump into the list!
 

1. Community Integration
   Unlike PSN, all of the features you get with Xbox Live are available in each Xbox Live game.  Basically, Xbox Live's friend system was designed, from the beginning, to work with every game on the Xbox 360 unlike PSN where it's up to each developer to integrate their own system.  What that means is there's a global friends list that I can interact with (including sending/receiving voice and text messages, game invites, picture messages etc.) not only from the Xbox 360 dashboard, but in-game as well.  It doesn't sound like much but it makes playing with friends a lot easier.  Of course, it should be mentioned that these features come at an expense since, unlike PSN, Xbox Live is not free.       

    

2. Amount of Content
   There's no question about it - Xbox Live has an almost overwhelming amount of content.  Whether you're looking for games, video, expansion content, demos or gamerpics you'll have a lot to choose from.  From the beginning Microsoft has been serious about making Xbox Live Arcade a place to find those experiences, whether classic or not, that give you a taste of that "pop in and play" style of gameplay perfect for short sessions.  Since those initial plans though, games have varied to include full-length experiences as well.  Whether you're looking for classics like Rez HD or brand new games like Braid, there's a good chance you'll find something to suit your style.       

   Of course the Xbox Live Marketplace doesn't stop there - you can also purchase or rent movies, check out trailers, and sample music videos from the Video Marketplace.  The amount of content still dwarfs what's available on PSN (videos alone) so, much with Xbox Live Arcade, chances are good that you'll find a movie you like.

3. Features and Peripherals
   Part of the over-arching Xbox Live experience is utilizing features that are sewn into the system.  It's the seemingly simple things like being able to listen to music, either on your Xbox 360's hard drive or streaming over your home network, while playing a game.  I have to tell you the first time you setup Windows Media Center or the Windows Media Extender for the Xbox 360 you won't help but have a huge smile on your face.  Instantly you'll be able to use all of the music on your computer in games - so whether you're killing aliens or flying down a racing track you get that personalized experience that only one's personal music collection can provide.       

   Aside from features that came with the Xbox 360 out of the box, there's also a lot of other cool peripherals that Microsoft provides to expand on the experience.  One big selling point to the PS3 was that it used bluetooth, and so any ordinary bluetooth headset would work for voice communication.  That's cool, but sometimes using such a solution feels like a cheap experience.  The Xbox 360 however, which comes with Microsoft's own headset made specifically for voice communication on Xbox Live just feels right.  Of course there are also a lot of other peripherals that will cost you money - products like the chatpad for text messaging (I understand that Sony is working on their own version, but it looks a little wonky to me) and the wireless headset to free up some clutter.  I use both, and both work great while making interacting with friends that much easier. 

    

4. Software Updates
   All along Microsoft has been great about adding features to the software of their console.  Sony is a bit slower at this, introducing somewhat out-dated functionality that has existed on other consoles for a while.  Meanwhile, Microsoft is dedicated to delivering two feature-packed updates a year (one in the Spring, one in the Fall).   Some of the features they've added in the past updates are the Video Marketplace, MSN messenger integration and even user interface updates.  There's no better way to keep the experience fresh than by changing things up a bit.       

   Microsoft realizes this and that's why, 3 years into the consoles life-cycle, they've decided to completely revamp the way the dashboard looks.  This fall we'll see an update that changes the user interface into one that's a little more modern, and a little less Fisher-Price.  The update will also add new functionality such as Netflix integration and avatars (not to mention live game shows) that will continue to make using the dashboard fun.  The fact that Microsoft is a software company primarily leaves me pretty confident that they can add to their product via incremental software updates without having to worry about pushing out new generations of consoles as often.

    

5. Community
   This is easily the biggest advantage Xbox Live has over PSN.  Live's community is absolutely huge, and Microsoft is dedicated to keeping them interested.  The last dashboard update included streaming video features like "Major's Minute" (Larry Hryb's overview of some of the lastest features the 360 has to offer) and "Community Confidential" (Trixie's rundown of all of the latest events going on in the Xbox Live community).  That's only a couple of examples but it's easy to tell that Microsoft wants to keep their customers happy.       

   The other less glamorous side-effect of having a huge community is that you'll never have to worry about finding someone to game with online.  Most big games have their own dedicated communities (Halo 3, Call of Duty 4) but even older games retain a presence online.  I remember not too long ago I went back and played Project Gotham Racing 4, and was pleased to find that there were still a ton of people playing.