Online Services Comparison Xbox 360, Wii and PS3
Along with its technical specifications, the popular gaming consoles Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 also comes with its own online service/s. These online services offers downloads to users who have one of these gaming consoles. It offers downloadable contents such as movies, games, upgrades and a lot more. The way these contents are downloaded varies depending on the console with Nintendo Wii, Wii points are used and so is with Microsoft Xbox 360 which makes use of Microsoft points.
In this article we will list online services comparison Xbox 360, Wii and PS3. It is a great help that these online services are available to its consumers since today, everything is online. So if you want to know more about these online services then read on.
Microsoft Xbox 360 online service/s:
Xbox LIVE
Microsoft Xbox Live was created for the soul-purpose of online multiplayer gaming and delivery service of digital media. To date, this is only the online gaming service on consoles that requires a fee for multiplayer gaming online. Through Windows Live Messenger, users of Xbox Live is able to chat with other users while listening to music, playing games and even watching movies. The users can also see their contacts in Windows Live Messenger if they have a Gamertag.
Other features of Xbox Live are:
It also allows the user to access the Xbox Live Marketplace, voice and video chat, display game achievements, create friends list, links up to 4 Xbox for multiplayer gaming, parental controls, newsletters and the ability to track gamer’s achievements.
New features are on the works such as the inclusion of Facebook and Twitter, Zune Marketplace, Music Store, Last.fm for music and radio streaming, movie parties that allows movies and TV shows to be viewed with friends and more news and channels.
Nintendo Wii online service/s:
Nintendo WiFi Connection
This service allows free online gaming with compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. This was made available for players to safely connect to other users free of charge. This service allows 16 players online for Nintendo DS and 32 players for Nintendo Wii. Other features of Nintendo WiFi Connection are downloadable content, tournaments, leaderboards and worldwide matchmaking. There are additional features enabled when two players exchange Friend Codes.
With every game makes use of the Nintendo WiFi Connection there is a unique 12-digit Friend Code that is generated. This is exchanged between two players to be able to maintain a friends list for a certain game. This was created by Nintendo to protect a user’s privacy wherein players only play with individuals whom they know. Friend Codes can be maintained even if the owner sells his/her DS or Wii because the codes can be transferred wirelessly.
There are also games that are marked with Pay and Play which simply means there are additional services or content that comes with a game and must be paid first. This is paid in Nintendo WiFi Connection through the use of Nintendo Points.
WiiConnect24
This Nintendo online service is used to receive different content like messages from Miis, other players, software updates notification, game content and update channel. It can is also able to receive content even if the console is on standby provided that the Standby Connect mode is enabled in WiiConnect24. So when a new message or content is received the Wii Optical Drive will have a neon-blue color glow notifying the owner that he received something.
Wii Shop Channel
This is an online shop where the users are able to download WiiWare and Virtual Console games and new channels. Downloading content may require Wii Points. Wii Points is the currency used to shop in the Wii Shop Channel. It can be obtained by either buying Nintendo Points Cards from retail stores or directly from the Wii Shop Channel using Visa or MasterCard credit.
The Virtual Console allows users to download classic games from old consoles and play it. The games are exact replicas of the original and games are added weekly. On the other hand, WiiWare is where the new games are placed.
Sony Playstation 3 online service/s:
PlayStation Network
This is a digital media delivery and online multiplayer gaming service. The user must create an account before accessing or using the features in this service. There are two kinds of accounts which are Master and Sub account. The Master account allows full access of the settings and other features but the user must be 18 yrs old. On the other hand, the Sub account has several restrictions.
Basic features on this service are instant messaging, video/voice chat, friends list, avatars, matchmaking for instant play, display of game achievements or trophies, internet browser and Google search engine. There are also parental controls and creation of block lists. For entertainment it includes Netflix, PlayStation Store, PlayTV, OPMHD (Europe), Qore (North America), VidZone (Europe and Aus.) and BBC iPlayer (UK).
These are just a summary of the online services comparison Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 and you can see that they have similarities. This will help consumers who are deciding to buy any of this console to consider the services that comes with it. Think about the additional costs that you are going to pay when using these services or before buying the console. Researching and comparing will help you buy wisely and save you from all the troubles that might come after your purchase. But rest assured that these services are safe and of high-quality because they will not be popular if they are useless.