This week, both Sony and Microsoft released updates to their consoles adding Facebook (both vendors) and Twitter (X360 only) integration.  Whilst both platforms have different levels of integration, the same problem is common to both vendors – IT’S A PAIN IN THE ASS TO TYPE ON A CONTROLLER!

Yes, yes, yes, both the PS3 and X360 controllers have mini-keyboard add-ons available but that still makes it only slightly more useable than an old school mobile phone. I guess you can also use a USB keyboard if you really want too…
When I was checking out the X360 integration and my inner monologue was moaning about this problem, it suddenly dawned on me that I was thinking about the whole integration thing in the wrong way….

I DON’T actually want to use console based Facebook or Twitter in the same way I do on my computer.
I’m not interested in communicating directly FROM my console TO Facebook or Twitter.  If I’m online on either console, I’m likely to be too busy fragging enemies or searching for treasure than watching for a tweet reply or checking out how long someone’s baby slept for last night.
I just want to let people know what I’m playing, when I’m playing and how they can join in the fun.

My IDEAL Social Network -> Console world looks like this:

1. Cross-platform support (PSN->XBL).
2. Selectively post updates to my friends relating to game status.
3. Identify and consolidate contacts.
4. A new type of friends list for the ‘Outer Circle’ (Friends of friends).  Facebook has had this idea for a while.
5. Ability to ‘prefer’ my different circles of friends in online play.

Let me step back for a moment to give some context to my thoughts.  I own both a X360 and a PS3 and posted a few weeks ago about the dilemma of choosing games between platforms.  I prefer the PS3 technology for the Blu-Ray player and native HDMI output but I prefer the X360 for gaming due to the level of maturity (in a tech sense, not the average user age ) of the Xbox Live (XBL) network vs Playstation Network (PSN).
I currently have 2 (two) contacts on PSN who I have NEVER seen online.  In contrast, I can turn my X360 on at almost any time and will see at least one of my twenty or so friends online playing something.  I don’t mean a ‘friend’ in the Myspace sense of the word either – actual people who I have actually met and am actually friends with.
Now, I know for a fact that at least 4 of my XBL contacts have a PS3.  All for the same reason as me, the Blu-ray player.  I only bought my PS3 because I had some amazon vouchers from work and because it was the only Blu-Ray player that I KNEW would continue to get firmware updates if standards changed over the next year or 2.
The main hook on the console front is that the XBL is simply much more advanced than PSN.  It’s just easier and more fun to play online with Xbox 360..

To get  back on track, let’s look at the new Facebook Integration.
Whilst both platforms now have a native Facebook integration, one is an order of magnitude better than the other.

PS3: Post your purchases to your FB timeline, Post your Trophy acquisition updates to your timeline.
X360: Full FB application on Dashboard, update status, read newsfeeds (split per your actual FB feeds), photos, find XBL users on FB, find FB users on your XBL friends list.

PSN appears to have missed the point completely and just adds a ‘check box’ item to it’s platform.

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

Yes, it’s all well and good posting updates to my timeline bragging about how I just completed *this* level or got *this* trophy or achievement but that doesn’t actually add any value, except for the distain of those who’s newsfeed I’m polluting.
I want to use social networks to expand my gaming experience, not just shout about it.

Using Facebook, XBL can now feasibly work out who I know and who my ‘friends of a friends’ are and use this ‘trusted reputation’ information to have an extended gaming circle.  You could go so far as to start mixing this into a reputation based friends list – “I know this guy very well and he’s very unlikely to have idiot friends on here so let’s add them to a second friends list”.  Kind of like the way LinkedIn shows how many ‘degrees’ you are from someone else.
For example, when playing, Modern Warefare 2 or FIFA 2010 online, I’d much rather play with people who aren’t likely to be racist, sweary, 14 year old douche bags – or at least be given an option to do so. Currently on XBL, you can ‘rate’ people you’ve played against online to prefer or not prefer them in the future.  The trouble with this is that you have to experience playing with these fools before you could block them.
Anyhow, I digress – This kind of online matchup doesn’t exist today but XBL is a ways closer to my utopia than the PS3 version is.

Twitter Integration

Given that Twitter is almost entirely designed as a one-way, one-to-many, communication medium (“What are you doing” versus “What do you want to talk about”) there is pretty little scope for this integration to be useful.
Other than letting my followers know that “Ian is playing this game” and “Ian just got his ass kicked”, how else can it be useful?
No, really.  That’s an actual question for you.
I can’t think of anything other than bragging rights.

Perhaps Playstation got it right this time by avoiding a native integration and leaving it up to the game developers to use Twitter ala Uncharted2 – Twitter is best used for self promotion after all.

So, what’s my point?

Well, integrating with the current or next fad or phenomenon just for the sake of it isn’t enough.  Also, trying to create a NEW one hasn’t worked favourably for Sony either – how is Playstation Home doing?
There is so much potential and power behind the social web and ideas like crowd-sourcing but both console vendor focus just seems to be in the wrong place right now.
For a typically closed door company, whom people berate for not listening to customers (which is B.S by the way) and whom people love to hate, Microsoft are surprisingly open with the X360 and XBL.
Don’t take my word for it, follow @MajorNelson (Director of Programming, Xbox Live) and compare that to the impersonal PSN and Playstation twitter accounts and blogs.  Just another reason why I find XBL warm and friendly and PSN cold and boring.

You can find me on Twitter as @IanMcShane and on PSN and XBL as maccarocks.

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1. X360 or PS3?

Yes, I know this is an oft talked about topic but I don’t mean it in a “Which is better?”, fanboy way.
I own both (as well as a very, very under used Wii) but historically, i’ve invested far more into the X360 than the PS3 both in terms of buying games and actual game time.
I’m trying to decide if I should continue with the almost 100% support of the X360 platform or whether the time has come for me to start moving over to PS3…

Most of my friends also own X360’s so back when I had lots of free time for gaming, I spent time playing online over the fantastic Xbox Live network. (XBL, gamerpoints and marketplace really are the differentiator between the two platforms but I’ll save that commentary for another post..)

There is also the small matter of the ongoing gamerpoint competition.  It seemed ridiculous back when we all started out with X360s a couple of years back but we ended up getting hooked into trying to beat out each others scores.

This meant that when a game is multi-platform (as most are these days), I get the X360 version because of the achievement points.  Sad but true! Contrast the 30 odd games I have for 360 (my total games played count is around 70) with the fact that I have only four games for the PS3 (2 of them downloaded from PSN): Metal Gear Solid, Little Big Planet, Zombie Apocalypse (PSN) and Wipeout (PSN).

However, the last 18 months or so have seen me get an even MORE time intensive job as well as marriage, meaning my game time has slipped dramatically.  I don’t think I’ve played online with anyone I know for nearly a year.  We used to regularly hit Rock Band or Guitar Hero online, FIFA and PES (before it sucked) along with the co-op story mode features of GoW and Halo 3.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been contemplating moving to the PS3 as my sole gaming entertainment provider but I’m not sure I’m ready to take the plunge.  With todays release of FIFA 2010, I’m tempted take the chance and go with PS3.  However that means limiting my online play to strangers and my leaving my 360 owning friends to pull further away on the gamerpoint front..

Do give it a go on the PS3 and just see how often I find my self thinking “I should have stuck with X360″ or should I stick to what I know and keep the PS3 for exclusives only?

Decisions, decisions..

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1. Social Networking Integration != Gaming 2.5

After 3 weeks of searching Teh Internets and visiting game stores every couple of days or so, I finally managed to get hold of a Nintendo Wii. I didn’t want one bad enough to start queing outside of stores early every morning so it was pretty lucky that a friend of mine managed to reserve one for me.
It’s pretty cool, definately a lot of fun and I can see it being a great party game when there are a few more titles out and the accesories are readily available. The system only comes with one set of controllers, the Wii-mote (right-hand side of the pick above) and a controller called the Nunchuck which connects up to the Wii-mote. Incase you’ve been in a hole, these controllers are motion sensitive. I’ve already seen the sharks on Ebay selling the accesories for almost double the price, fuckers.
Anyway, WiiSports is fun -
Tennis is a little annoying as, even if you are playing on your own you still play a doubles game but with you controlling two characters – the one nearest to the ball reacts to your ’swinging’ which can get frustrating if you are teeing up a sweet cross court forehand only for the chap infront to lummox it out..
Baseball is extremely difficult, maybe I just need to give it more time as I either miss the ball completely or knock it out for a foul ball!!
Golf is great, i’m looking forward to the Mario Golf franchise to come over to the Wii.
Boxing is good fun, its more fun watching someone else play it though!
Bowling is probably my favourite of the bunch, it reacts very well and it feels like a pretty good simulation of the real thing, you can spin the ball and everything!

The only other game I picked up is Zelda. Now, people have been moaning that the Wii isn’t as powerfull as the 360 or the PS3 and they’re right, it isn’t. That doesn’t mean games look like crap though, this has great 3D graphics and the usual amazing gameplay. I managed to put in 3 hours of play on my first go with it, without even noticing the time going past. Note to self, put clock above the TV.

I came quite close to buying a Macbook this week, the only thing that held me back was the upcoming MacWorld Expo this week. I didn’t want to sp00ge out over a grand GBP only to find i’d missed out on something cool like built-in GPS or maybe HD-DVD. I have decided to move to the Mac full time at home though. I already have the Mac Mini running as a HD media server and have realised that I don’t really do anything MS centric on my own lappy any more. Any C# is done on my work lappy and besides i’m thinking of canning that again and giving Ruby/Rails another whack.

Talking of Ruby, this free book is great – Mr. Neighborly’s Humble Little Ruby Book – It gives a pretty decent intro to Ruby and also a good explanation of OOP.
There are a bunch of links here as well.

I’m still hooked on the Black Stone Cherry record.

Finally, I caught Wicked The Musical in Londons West End this week. Taglined “The untold story of the Witches of Oz”, it’s a really good show.

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