It wasn't about cross-platform multiplayer to begin with! You do realize the game Valve put out on the PS3 was a puzzle game with coop? It wasn't focused on multiplayer and the coop was far from competitive. (As 'coop' should have implied but I don't think you know what you're talking about.)

I don't think you even know what Steamworks is either! Well, have fun on Xbox paying to play, and paying for all DLC. PS3 is the superior console, in spite of Sony's shortcomings.

Bah even the co-op was no fun in cross-platform and it's true most PC users shun the PS3 users for their laggy controls.

PS3 is definitely not the superior console. Despite the fact that it has Blu-Ray, it doesn't even have enough RAM to do cross-game chat, an oft requested feature. It came out a year later and does nothing but steal other manufacturers' ideas and copies them awfully.
Being open IS the big problem of the PS3 and PSN and all the different protocols and software make it a big mess and leaves it VERY vulnerable. The recent hacks and 2 month service outage proves it. PS3 is Last Place and for good reason, it's far from being it's predecessor, the PS2.

You called Fred a fanboy, then go ranting about all of the PS3 features and how you think they are "rip-offs" and "vulnerable". Typical fanboyish behaviour..

Yeah, I used to be a PlayStation fanboy, but no more. My gaming is on the PC mostly nowadays. The PS3 and PSN are what give Sony PlayStation a bad reputation. If that makes me a hypocrite, then so be it.
I'm no worse than Gabe Newell who claimed the PS3 was the biggest pile of garbage and suddenly does a 180 out of nowhere because he can get his precious software on there that doesn't add anything.

hats off to you for using PC! I respect PC users tremendously and would join your ranks if I had the cash to do so.
I think Sony's bad reputation comes from their stinginess. They will never give anything away for free or compensate their users. (The welcome back package actually made them money in the long run)

but nothing is more open source than a PC.

the platform is not Open Source, just open.
basically releasing their PSN SDK for PC game devs to use so they can connect their games with PS players.

Developing for Windows and mac to an extent is an easy process for an experienced coder with SDKs for various languages. Java, Python, Flash, All of the C's, etc. all run on it and you can learn to code for them by teaching yourself. A lot of the software on PC is also open-source while none of it is from playstation, with the exception of SDKs for their console and PSN.

So, what i'm trying to say is while the PC is not entirely behind closed doors, there are aspects of it as mentioned above that are open-source and are equivalent to making the Playstation more open-source.

Sony removed features like Linux from the PS3. They are making the platform worse not improving it. They give themselves permission to remove features as they wish in their "Terms of Service". Apparently customers do not own the PS3, they are merely licensed to use it.

...and here I am adding to the stupidity.

Richard and Steve, you are both cherry picking arguments and ignoring HUGE parts of the Sony business plan, with Richard just regurgitating poor arguments that the PC elitists have been throwing around for some time now. It's a big part of what's wrong with the gaming subculture in general and it's what's keeping us from achieving any sort of traction towards modern day respect.

LorianGuy...do you own a business? Do you have the vagues clue what it mean to manage vast amounts of money and to invest it properly? Not one company out there does something because they WUV YOU! Everyone works for the GOD that is the currency. Sony's stingy because costs exist and if they were to listen to you internet analysts they'd go out of business in 2 weeks flat. And somehow I seem to remember a certain news article from a couple of weeks ago in which Sony invested 20 million $ into Indie development, the part of the gaming industry that needs the most help, holds the most risk as well as the most future potential for us. Yeah...stinginess.

PS 3 shortcomings...many.
PS 3 advantages and successes...many.
Stupid, narrow minded gamers that chose one camp...innumerable.

And before someone gets on some high horse...YES, I am a Sony fanboy for objective reasons (good experience with their products over the years, from their walkman line, to their CD-players, consoles and my laptop on which I play games happily). My preference towards them does not make me blind to the many advantages of owning a suite of media devices from various producers (as the need may be). It's what a lot of people should learn, the fact that a certain business model is what YOU consider to be appropriate, it does not make it appropriate for the entire fucking world.

Done.

Gabe Newell is one of the smartest businessmen in the industry. Do You know why? Because he knows it's about software, and not the hardware. That's why you can download steam and use it instantly on a old pc and hopefully soon on Tablets/smartphones.

Even if you can't play the high end games, there's tons of Indie games, and small Dev titles to wet your appetite.

Now I own every console known to man, Commodore 64, Super Famicom ect. I love my xbox, ps3,and gaming pc. The reason I have both platforms is simple, Xbox Arcade games are amazing, PlayStation exclusives are amazing, and it's OS I prefer for media streaming. Sony took out the other OS feature because of known hacking, and they actually took a consensus, on how many used the other OS feature, and that number was small.

Now am I pissed they took it out, yes because a lot of good comes from that feature, people experiment and come up with great things that can enhance the OS. Gabe Newell hated the hardware of the ps3, not because he thinks it sucks, but because it is more complicated to program for, and seeing as they were programming for the Mac, I can see that comment being valid.

If anyone who is not a biased fan boy can do some research, you will find how a lot of Developers hate Microsoft,s embargo's, and closed market. Reason being they have a limit cap on how big your game files can be on the marketplace(2gb's I believe). The creators of the Oddworld:Strangers Wrath HD remake, complained about this hay-nous act, hence the game only being released on PSN and later on steam.

This is what Gabe is talking about, open to other software, and services that support cross platform games. I play my xbox just for Gears, and Street Fighter and that's it. My ps3 see's more action, not just for gaming, but every time there's an update I check out the new feature it brings. Microsoft makes you pay to use it's facebook feature, which=stupid. It's updates are to keep it secure and locked down tight.

I believe Sony win's in the end, they are a hardware Manufacturer, they see enthusiasts getting their products for the features and customization. Microsoft still looks at it from their software perspective, security is what will win in their eyes.

The ps3 still has hay nous shit, with crappy DLC, but that's more with the Dev/Publisher. Plus if you look, for the most part it's cheaper on PSN than XboxLive.

Soon we will see a bigger market on PSN, and I think we will see more steam games on ps3 in the future.

Just be happy with what you have, maybe Xbox will change, who knows.

I thought the point of being the platform holder was so that you could control the distribution and therefore take your cut. As this offsets the cost of developing and marketing the hardware.

If they allow Valve to do this does this and it becomes dominant does this just mean that two parties are now going to take a cut?

So instead of paying 30% expect to pay 20% to Sony and 20% to valve. Great.

@ Richard
"PS3 is definitely not the superior console. Despite the fact that it has Blu-Ray, it doesn't even have enough RAM to do cross-game chat, an oft requested feature. It came out a year later and does nothing but steal other manufacturers' ideas and copies them awfully.
Being open IS the big problem of the PS3 and PSN and all the different protocols and software make it a big mess and leaves it VERY vulnerable. The recent hacks and 2 month service outage proves it. PS3 is Last Place and for good reason, it's far from being it's predecessor, the PS2."

1. Raw power, PS3 wins every time. Xbox 360 might have a faster gpu but the gpu alone does not make a game console but the CPU + GPU and on that note, PS3 CPU can act like a GPU with combined power that surpasses Xbox 360. This is why PS3 is used as a cluster of computing servers to run simulations.

2. PS3 has as much RAM as 360, 512MB RAM. The management of the RAM is what give PS3 less RAM, but i think they are using it as an excuse to not add the cross game voice chat feature which is a nuisance to someone trying to concentrate. Not many people are asking for it and it seems that is the one feature you xbox 360 fanboys bring when ever you what to argue about PS3 vs Xbox 360. Can you browse the internet on PS3 yes, can you play flash videos on PS3 Yes, do you have to pay to play online? No. FYI PS3 does have cross game chat but it is text not voice so try to be specific dumbass. PS3 has a verse support for video codec and has a better UPNP and server support than xbox 360.

3. Steal many other manufacturers ideas. I'd assume by that you mean Wiimote. First take a look at each device and how they are implemented, totally different. Motion control has been around since 1982 from Atari. You cannot accuse a car manufacturer of stealing because they added a wheel to their car. Motion control is a form of interacting with games so one cannot steal it. Sony has been doing motion control since PS2 with Augmented reality exactly like what the kinect is doing today and yet it is not stealing but an evolution of the technology. Move is significantly superior than Wiimote and not an awful copy.

4. PS3 was hacked, Sony shut the service down to fix the vulnerability. "Being open IS the big problem of the PS3 and PSN and all the different protocols and software make it a big mess and leaves it VERY vulnerable" This statement alone just shows how stupid, ignorant, foolish and dumb you are. I'd like to see you try hacking into PSN severs since it is very vulnerable. A kid used a phishing attack to steal points from Xbox Live which is not even more secure than PSN. You are attributing openness to lack of security. Open means Sony is willing to integrate other services such as Steam, Onlive, and even Xbox Live if they are approached and see it s a feasible business opportunity that is what they mean by OPEN dumbass.

5. PS3 is last place. If you are counting sales, you are probably right but also bare in mind that some of those Xbox 360 sales are from those with broken consoles. PS3 does considerable well across all regions but 360 does poorly exept for the US which has a huge chunk of 360 sales compared to the rest of the world.
And so what if it has less sales than the other consoles, does it mean people are going to enjoy it less? No, people will still play the hell out of it and use it for Bluray and streaming movies and playing the vast majority of Sony's first party IPs.

6. You know squat about video games, Sony has been doing it for quiet a while and have been very successful. PS1 was the best of its generation, PS2 was the best of its generation, PS3 is the best in my opinion of this generation sales figures aside.

I'd like you RICHARD to reply to this comment with the list of ideas Sony supposedly stole from other manufacturers and i'd show you who did it first and when it was done.

@lorianguy
"hats off to you for using PC! I respect PC users tremendously and would join your ranks if I had the cash to do so.
I think Sony's bad reputation comes from their stinginess. They will never give anything away for free or compensate their users. (The welcome back package actually made them money in the long run)
but nothing is more open source than a PC."

Hats off to you for using PC, really? did he fight in a war, or discover a scientific break-through, or even something. He is a freaking gamer just like every gamer out there, from the cell phone gamer to the console gamer. Console manufacturers have been the innovators in the gaming industry and a huge chunk of money made from the gaming industry is from console gamers who buy these console games. Look far back to the history of gaming and tell me what PC gaming has really brought to this industry apart from idiots who think they are better because they game on PCs. Playing FPS on PC is incredibly easy compared to using console controllers which also means if you are able to play well on consoles you are pretty much better than the average PC FPS player. Keyboard and Mouse are the most boring forms of video game controllers. You cant lay in bed and play, No rumble, no trigger, no pitch, yaw motion sensing etc.

PSN is free so you either didn't know which i doubt or you are a fool for saying Sony is stingy.
So they can give stuff away for free as long as they dont make money from it. That is the stupidest statement ever to quantify being stingy.
Google has been giving stuff away for free and have been making billions from it for years.

PC is not opensource seeing as PC means personal computer, it is not an operating system. Windows is a closed OS, Mac OSX is a closed OS. The only open operating system is linux and i don't see any games being developed for it by big developers.

@Steve
"Sony removed features like Linux from the PS3. They are making the platform worse not improving it. They give themselves permission to remove features as they wish in their "Terms of Service". Apparently customers do not own the PS3, they are merely licensed to use it"

Sony has the right to remove what ever they feel like from their OS if they like. You don't like it? get a Wii or an Xbox 360. Say, the Xbox 360 UI has sure changed a lot, i know a lot of people who prefer the old one but Microsoft changed it anyway. Apparently Microsoft has the right to change their OS in what ever way they like.

You do not own the OS but you own the PS3 hardware. You do not own Xbox 360 OS but you own the Xbox 360 hardware. You do not own the Wii OS but you own the Wii hardware. You do not own Windows OS but you own the laptop or desktop hardware it runs on. You do not own the Mac OS but you own the iMac or Macbook Laptop the OS runs on. Do you get it now?

It's really funny to see you guys arguing about this but ask yourself the next question, if valve where tp develop a console. Whouldn't ps3 and xbox360 completely go out of buisness. You get a console (cause people like consoles) that plays almost every gam you already own on steam, and you can play with pc. The only games you'll be playing on ps3 or xbox360 are games from EA, but that's my oppinion