Online gaming is genuinely great, no really it is. When you get used to playing against opponents from around the world while slumped on the sofa it's hard to go back to the seemingly hollow world of offline play. Throw in digital distribution and you can see why Sony and Microsoft, and to a lesser extent, Nintendo place such importance on their online strategy. Their recent squabbling only underlines the point. Xbox Live group marketing manager Aaron Greenberg has dismissed the PlayStation 3's online service as, "yet another knockoff". While Sony themselves have spread false rumours that Nintendo's service will only be free for 6 months.
All this willy-waving is to be expected of course, but maybe some perspective is needed. Yes online gaming is hugely important but for the majority of console gamers it still isn't an issue. Around 40% of Xbox 360 owners don't play online and that's on a console where online is integral - the figures are likely to be far lower for the more mainstream PS3 and Wii. So yes, online console gaming is the future but it will remain a minority pursuit for a few years yet.
