There's a great in-depth article over at Next Generation which presents a cynical view on the importance of the role of online services in the future of the console race. The central argument is that there has been undue emphasis on networked services, as the current crop of consumers who use them/care is "a subset of a subset". From the article:
Does it matter if the Xbox Live has a more robust, fully featured service? Not necessarily. Most console consumers are not even in a position to evaluate online services as they currently appeal to a subset of a subset.
Imagine Average Joe consumer standing in a Best Buy or GameStop this holiday season and asking a sales clerk about the differences between the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation. Consumer: "wow, the Xbox 360 sure has a lot more games." Clerk: "well the 360 has more games now, but the PS3 is newer and more powerful." Consumer: "do these systems go online?" Clerk: "yes, they both go online, but the PS3 is free, you have to pay extra with the Xbox 360."
The issue of which online service is actually better is not even likely to come up in this scenario. In the consumer's mind it is included for free with PS3 versus you must pay extra with the Xbox 360. That could even explain why a PlayStation 3 would cost more, Sony was nice enough to throw in the online service for free.
The war will be fought on many battlegrounds, including innovation, brand awareness and software. Exploiting online capabilities, while technically a current reality, is still a business-minded innovator's pipe dream. Until those products become relevant to Joe or Jane Average User, their applied usefulness will be undervalued, under-rated and under-realised.
