Having had both for a good while now, I've decided to write up a comparison of my experiences on both PSN and XBL respectively.
Connectivity:
PSN drops connection at a higher frequency than XBL. XBL has better download speeds than PSN.
Options/Organization:
PSN store is a little bit less organized than XBL. I have no trouble finding things on either store front, but XBL seems to have the better organization.
PSN seems to have NO option for reporting players for cheating or modding games, whereas XBL does and is very accessible.
Payments and Rewards:
PSN is free unless you go for PS Plus (which I have). PS Plus is somewhat beneficial but it seems to me that paying extra to get an auto-update feature is a little bit of a rip off. The free games every couple weeks is nice though, PvZ made me happy.
XBL pay is mandatory to play online/download demos (at least on demo release day). While this may be a bar for some people, I actually don't have a problem with it. The higher download speeds, less games dropped mid-session and for the most part smooth gaming (plus no significant downtime in the last year or so) make paying for XBL worth it. Also I've never had my XBL account hacked, nor banned or suspended for any reason. It would be nice though to get a free game or two here and there like PSN as incentive for keeping my account current. But I'm not an entitlist and I realize the money I pay is to keep the service running, secure and fun.
Players:
I've found that douchebags exist on both PSN and XBL, and its pretty equal ratio no matter which console you play on. Whats sad is that there do seem to be more kids on XBL, but they're kids and aren't socially deveolped yet. What is sad to me is that there are just as many douchebags on PSN and yet the average age seems to be more adult... I expect better behavior from grown-ups, even in gaming. Sigh.
So in conclusion, from my experiences, PSN is inferior to XBL. The reason for this is most likely because its FREE, where XBL has the money to maintain their service better. I've never had a major problem with either PSN or XBL though and I use them both, I just wish that I could report some of the douchebags I run into on PSN. And if there is a way to do that, its not readily apparent.
Connectivity:
PSN drops connection at a higher frequency than XBL. XBL has better download speeds than PSN.
Options/Organization:
PSN store is a little bit less organized than XBL. I have no trouble finding things on either store front, but XBL seems to have the better organization.
PSN seems to have NO option for reporting players for cheating or modding games, whereas XBL does and is very accessible.
Payments and Rewards:
PSN is free unless you go for PS Plus (which I have). PS Plus is somewhat beneficial but it seems to me that paying extra to get an auto-update feature is a little bit of a rip off. The free games every couple weeks is nice though, PvZ made me happy.
XBL pay is mandatory to play online/download demos (at least on demo release day). While this may be a bar for some people, I actually don't have a problem with it. The higher download speeds, less games dropped mid-session and for the most part smooth gaming (plus no significant downtime in the last year or so) make paying for XBL worth it. Also I've never had my XBL account hacked, nor banned or suspended for any reason. It would be nice though to get a free game or two here and there like PSN as incentive for keeping my account current. But I'm not an entitlist and I realize the money I pay is to keep the service running, secure and fun.
Players:
I've found that douchebags exist on both PSN and XBL, and its pretty equal ratio no matter which console you play on. Whats sad is that there do seem to be more kids on XBL, but they're kids and aren't socially deveolped yet. What is sad to me is that there are just as many douchebags on PSN and yet the average age seems to be more adult... I expect better behavior from grown-ups, even in gaming. Sigh.
So in conclusion, from my experiences, PSN is inferior to XBL. The reason for this is most likely because its FREE, where XBL has the money to maintain their service better. I've never had a major problem with either PSN or XBL though and I use them both, I just wish that I could report some of the douchebags I run into on PSN. And if there is a way to do that, its not readily apparent.