PlayStation Network connects with 14 million

[UPDATE] On the PS3's second birthday, Sony claims its free online service--which includes PSP and console users--now boasts as many user accounts as Xbox Live.

After many high-profile delays, the PlayStation 3 finally launched in North America on November 17, 2006. Two often-turbulent years later, the console celebrated its second birthday to steadily rising sales and a widening software portfolio, despite being outpaced by the Xbox 360 at US retailers in October.

But while the 360's drastic price drop and holiday bundles made it a distant second to the still-white-hot Wii, the PS3 has apparently matched it in one respect. In part of the PS3's birthday celebration message on the official PlayStation Blog, Sony Computer Entertainment America hardware marketing director John Koller announced that the PlayStation Network now has as many users as Xbox Live.

"[The] PlayStation Network has truly hit its stride with unique downloadable games and a video delivery service featuring movies, TV shows, and original programming that you can watch in HD with your PS3," Koller boasted. "And with 14 million active accounts and 273 million pieces of content downloaded, we know that you're thirsting for this digital entertainment." At the Tokyo Game Show last month, Microsoft announced Xbox Live currently had 14 million subscribers.

The executive also mentioned the 17-million-unit worldwide sales milestone the PS3 hit last month, roughly 5 million units behind the 360's lifetime-to-date sales. He made brief mention of the long-in-development PlayStation Home service, and referenced its upcoming open beta would occur in the next 12 months. However, he did not say when the avatar-based virtual world, still ostensibly slated to launch by year's end, would go online.

[UPDATE] Since the publication of this article, Sony has clarified that it considers both PS3 and PSP accounts as part of its PSN user base. "Seeing as PlayStation Portable does include PlayStation Network services (i.e. games store natively on PSP), yes those numbers do include all PlayStation Network registrations," said a rep. The rep also said, to guard against duplication, Sony does not count a registration made on the PSP and then used on the PS3 twice.

883 Comments

  • Toysoldier34

    Posted Dec 9, 2008 8:35 pm GMT

    There may not be as many PS3's out there but the built in wireless and free internet make the PS3 superior.

  • fatalbert57

    Posted Dec 1, 2008 5:45 pm GMT

    Well, it practically IS year's end. Those fortunate, and lucky enough, like me and a few of the ones that applied to get the home beta got extremely lucky, sorry for those who haven't. Anyway big question which online is better?? Really, with the way the economy is and the price of games, do u really wanna have to pay to play online?? Didn't think so. Clearly Sony has perfected their online experience and try to keep everything as user friendly as possible. They listen to their customers and take their thoughts in. Thats how you do business, not release a system early and have problems with "The Red Ring of Death? WTF!?!?! it should be fixed by now..

  • BLuFAlc0n

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 10:50 am GMT

    this is WHY PS3's are better!!

  • FlaminUmpalumpa

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 3:54 am GMT

    I've been chomping at the bit for home to come out for over a year. but i just don't care anymore. Sony is over-hyping and underachieving in every aspect when it comes to Home. I'm just done with the whole thing.

  • UUUMMM184

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:16 pm GMT

    I don't really care what the sales figures are. All I care about is that the customers are benefitting

  • PaulioRed

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 4:34 am GMT

    I don't care about sales... I don't work for sony or microsoft so why should i? All you Microsoft and Sony fanboys should realize that you are consumers... You are not benefiting at all.

  • djsiddiqi

    Posted Nov 24, 2008 1:59 pm GMT

    yo bro i cant w8 still home comes out..
    feel like just want it to come out right now!!!!!!!!ughhh

  • flameducky

    Posted Nov 24, 2008 12:32 pm GMT

    I'm no fanboy, but I'm pretty sure that Xbox 360 is ahead in sales because it was released a year earlier. I think personally PS3 is better. (maybe sense Microsoft could've spent another year perfecting the console, but NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! They wanted to be out there first)

  • gordanfreeman53

    Posted Nov 23, 2008 6:49 pm GMT

    Xbox live vs. playstation network= hard-answer-in-which-ones-better. I'll be back.

  • Outlaw-X13

    Posted Nov 23, 2008 12:06 pm GMT

    Yeah man, looks like I did something good making over 230 accounts on my PS3! I'm gonna go and make some more!

    (its a joke)

    Grats PS3'ers

  • SmashingX

    Posted Nov 23, 2008 2:51 am GMT

    alot of you need a life. yay for PS =/

  • -Intellectual- posted Nov 23, 2008 2:22 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    -Intellectual-

    Posted Nov 23, 2008 2:22 am GMT (hide)

    $ony considers BOTH ps3 and psp accounts as PSN, so basically $ony initially lied. This means roughly about 7 million are connected to PSN from the ps3.
    Gears 2 and NXE are really hurting the ps3, so they have gone into damage control.

  • Loudli

    Posted Nov 22, 2008 10:36 pm GMT

    having both consoles, and loving both of them im glad to see ps3 is rising, an exelent console with a great online experience for free*cough cough*...if only the trophies had been made earlier.

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Nov 22, 2008 9:46 pm GMT

    "Since the publication of this article, Sony has clarified that it considers both PS3 and PSP accounts as part of its PSN user base." -In other words, Sony lied and manipulated the numbers for yet another press release. Awesome.

  • remark666

    Posted Nov 22, 2008 4:22 am GMT

    as much as i dont like the hellbox i might get one since the price dropped, few games i wanna try out, go PS3 though, still my fav console, love the free PSN

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 10:03 pm GMT

    drsnobby wrote:
    what sucks is that you all are not looking at the october numbers of the NPD report.i repeat again,why do the ps3 lag behind the 360 when it comes to consoles and software sold? the numbers sony gave does not add up when you look at the NPD report post MGS


    I won't argue the software sales. However, the PS3 outsold the Xbox360 every month this year until the recent price drops. If it weren't for those price drops, the PS3 may have caught up in terms of hardware sales over the holidays.

    may have being the key words... Microsoft knew they needed an edge to go up against both the PS3 and the Wii this holiday. Pricing the 360 Arcade package at $199, $50 under the Wii and $100 under the low-end PS3, provides incentive for people to save money on new console purchases during these financially difficult times. I feel sorry for all those Arcade purchasers who are going to soon find out that they cannot save very many game saves or much marketplace content now that the NXE is out. Hopefully MS keeps their sale going for the $20, 20 GB HDD's or there's going to be a lot of people calling Shananigans for this SKU.

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 9:44 pm GMT

    soon you will get a xbox 360 free for every PS3 purchase!

  • braveheartofg

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 4:03 pm GMT

    Sony lose £165 a console sold... hoping to make it back on games...
    Shows you the sheer amount of hardware a PS3 contains...
    £460s worth but Sony keep their prices down...

    PeaS3 and Love

  • SkinnyGodfather

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 3:56 pm GMT

    Lmao, I wouldnt pay for any console game/service or VOIP. That is a complete joke. XBox (M$) has to charge a fee in order to comms with others, that is sad, especially that all most all console MP games require broadband now.

  • finaleve

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 2:36 pm GMT

    jennysalala > Fascist? Seriously? You've got a lot on your head to even think that. I know a lot of us americans are pretty much huge jerks, but lumping every american into 1 group is pretty ignorant.

    Ckelly_Tor > You obviously haven't watched TV much. I remember seeing a few commercials every so often for MGS4. Warhawk...no, but then I've never heard of the game as far as I can remember. MGS4 was the biggest PS3 game since...well the PS3 came out. So obviously Sony would probably want to shell out some money to throw some advertisements into it and make it the successful game it is.
    PS the comercials sucked. I hated watching them so much...

    Who cares? They are numbers.

    I also hate that they "claim" they have it when there's that sinking feeling they are just trying to make themselves look good...or start another flame war and enjoy as each console minion fights for the console's enjoyment.

  • Czenkus

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 2:25 pm GMT

    rofl

  • necronaux

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 12:17 pm GMT

    "Sony claims its all-free online service..." Really? PS3 online is ALL free?

  • EverteMax

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 9:23 am GMT

    it's ps3 hardware is better, xbox has Live...so ps3 comes out with PSN...ps3 can install games, now NXE can do it...xbox has gamerscore, now sony makes it mandatory for all games after jan...

    this is like system wars news number 10248952187213....wait...or was it....never mind...point is instead of pointing n saying this is good and that is bad...why don't we all just get what each of us like and play? why care if it's PSN or xbox live?

  • mergedsalem23

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 6:57 am GMT

    everyone i will set the record stright gamespot offer beta keys to killzone 2 and I must say again its better then halo. I going to reserve it to today. 2009 I hope it come out Im so ready for it.

  • mergedsalem23

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 6:50 am GMT

    To xanderzane so ask microsoft why they needed to add install on a broke system "if the tea kettle aint calling it black"

  • Lou_Menace

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 4:46 am GMT

    I love comin' on here and checkin' out people who find it necessary to make a big deal on statistics of members in a video game console just so they can feel better about another console...THEY'RE GAMES YA'LL!

    Go get laid...find a career...do some community service...something productive...cause this particular form of entertainment is not very entertaining it seems for you cats.

    PeaS3 and Love.

  • peetowser

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 3:49 am GMT

    I don't know anyone that has a PS3 = Well you ain't about to know one with a bash-anything-not-conforming-to my-reality like that...

    Who buys a console just to be like people they know??? Oh I know, half the posters in this thread!!!

    PS3 has only two good games = Way to keep your eyelids shut! More people like Halo3/Gears...blah-blee-blah = Good for them! I don't care, again I buy what I like, not what other people do, I don't need to snare people into coming over by buying what they wanna play ROFL!

    PS3 games sold less than X.Y.Z... = Doesn't matter... Heck if someone love Konami's Rock Revolution and bought it, who cares if only twelve other people have it????

    Really is comforming to other people that important to you??? Do you need to go to sleep at night thinking you are the same to millions of others that crucial? If the only place you can use those "bragging rights" is here on GS hoping to make PS3 users inferior, doesn't that prove you are the ones feeling inferior???

    Oh and don't get all Emo on me smur-f, once again we don't care you have to waste an entire day to pay for your Live. Sad that you only make 50$ a day and could have bought a game instead but hey, you can take them to the fountain but you can't make 'em drink.

  • bhayes

    Posted Nov 21, 2008 1:05 am GMT

    Of course the PS3 has better hardware than the 360. For the price you would be hard pressed to find anybody willing to shell out the money for a console that couldn't top one which came out a year beforehand. The reason that the PS3 is being touted as a flop is that the sales still lag behind the 360 despite the fact that Sony has a huge fan base that stems from the PS1 and PS2 consoles but the sales still can't beat the 360 and cannot even compare to the Wii. The other reason is that the graphics of games, which aren't console exclusive, are continuously compared to the 360 which has many hardware disadvantages when compared to the PS3, and the 360 seems to win most of these battles if only by the slightest of margins. It just seems to me that Sony doesn't put as much into the "console war" in the U.S. as Microsoft does (this probably due in part to the major competition from Nintendo in Japan). Honestly I liked the Xbox when it first came out and I love my 360, the reason I don't have a PS3 is that I don't like most of their console exclusive games and prefer the ones that the 360 has to offer. I do have to give props to Sony for putting their blu-ray players in the PS3 because even if you don't like the PS3 you could still get a blu-ray that's just a bit more expensive than other Sony blu-ray players. So if you guys are gonna get all pissed off about which games are better on either of the consoles (i.e. Gears vs. Resistance) and try to compare the two based solely off of that fact alone, just stop because you're acting like children and childish squabbling really pisses me off.

  • 33T_L33T

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 11:34 pm GMT

    American's are fascists? I mean sure they're unbearable at times, but hardly fascists. And this is an American website so they have every right to favour something... (I'm from New Zealand). But seriously...stop downing the Playstation 3...it's hardware is superior to the 360, but in the end it's your choice what console you buy, so don't discriminate someone because they bought a different console...it's a console ffs.

  • jennysalala

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 10:31 pm GMT

    Ckelly_Tor, I thought 360 players were no-lifes? There are more users, and paying for a service means you commit more time into making that paid service worthwhile.

    And to all these American fascists in here that think they're the universe. You're not. The world is the majority, not you. Just because America favors something, doesn't mean the world does. Get that through one ear, and keep it there.

  • george999819 posted Nov 20, 2008 9:29 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    george999819

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 9:29 pm GMT (hide)

    Interesting Facts

    -Gears 2 outsold Resistance 2 worldwide by an 8/1 ratio.
    -Gears 2 has already sold 2/3 as many copies as MGS4 has sold worldwide. MGS4 has been out 5 months, Gears 2 has been out 2 weeks!

  • george999819 posted Nov 20, 2008 9:26 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    george999819

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 9:26 pm GMT (hide)

    The PS3 is absolutely doomed.

  • Phantom_2

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 9:18 pm GMT

    great job sony!!!!!!

  • Ckelly_Tor

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 7:24 pm GMT

    @XanderZane
    "You're the minority who believes that. You may dislike Halo 3 and Gears 2, but more people seem to love those games then Resistance 1, 2 and Killzone 2. The PS3 has great games like LBP Motorstorm 2, Resistance 2, Valkyrie Chronicles, etc.. ,but these titles didn't sell well at all compared to Gears 2, Halo 3, Fable 2 and Forza 2. It's all about quality and quantity and the 360 has it. The Xbox 360 doesn't have lower quality HD. Take you head out of your *** and see the gorgeous graphics in Gears 2, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Fable 2 and Halo 3. You just sound like an anger fanboy, that's all. lol!!"

    Again, your argument makes no sense to me. When I play PS3 I don't play to conform to the majority, i play because I enjoy my PS3 system, and the games it provides.
    Also You claim im the angry fanboy yet your comment starts getting a little insulting there at the end... hmmm... touching a soft spot?
    Lastly I'd like to inform you that XBox games sell more because there are many more XBox users, as well as more money spent in advertising. I don't believe I witnessed one televised commercial about Metal Gear Solid, or Warhawk. I would also like to point out the Xbox users are much more vocal in game choice. Maybe if you spent more time playing the games and not as much time preaching how much you like em, you might realise they get boring fast. And please tell Game companies to stop dumbing down old PS exclusives Like Mercs so that XBoxers can play it too... (R.I.P. Mercs 2)

    I would just like to formally apologize on behalf of 3/4 of PS3 users: I'm sorry we have lives outside of Videogames

  • ctg867

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 5:42 pm GMT

    All these numbers are so stupid. The Live number includes free silver accounts, trials accounts, and 48 hour/ one month cards. If you just count the active, paying, 1 year Gold subscribers, it's probably half that number.

    On the other hand, PSN is free, so people can easily make more then one account, and do so. If you just count active accounts, like people who have signed in in the last month, the number is probably half that as well.

  • XanderZane posted Nov 20, 2008 5:02 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    XanderZane

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 5:02 pm GMT (hide)

    @WKK

    Look. Let's look at it this way.

    PS3- You don't pay, it's free, and it's fun.
    XBOX Live- You pay, it's fun, but you get the same result as the PS3 would get.

    Now, let me give you an example. COD 4. Do PS3 users play it for free online? Yes. What about 360? No.

    Now tell me, what sucks?

    Hmmm..
    *************************************************
    It sucks that only about 65% of the PS3 games play online. Some of the games you have to pay to patch it so that you can play online. It sucks that not every PS3 games has trophies. It sucks that you can't be in one game and request another gamer in another game, to come and join you. It sucks that most people play COD4 online because it's FUN, not because the online is FREE or is paid for. It sucks that you have to wait 10-20mins while 3-4GB of data is stored on the PS3 just so you can play the game somewhat lag and load time free. Nuff said.

  • drsnobby

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 4:04 pm GMT

    what sucks is that you all are not looking at the october numbers of the NPD report.i repeat again,why do the ps3 lag behind the 360 when it comes to consoles and software sold? the numbers sony gave does not add up when you look at the NPD report post MGS

  • WKK

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 2:50 pm GMT

    Look. Let's look at it this way.

    PS3- You don't pay, it's free, and it's fun.
    XBOX Live- You pay, it's fun, but you get the same result as the PS3 would get.

    Now, let me give you an example. COD 4. Do PS3 users play it for free online? Yes. What about 360? No.

    Now tell me, what sucks?

    Hmmm..

  • azadiscool

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 2:43 pm GMT

    yoko81 - its only has that many because its free. There are probably only like 6 million users, but the majority of them have second accounts im guessing so really the number is low
    Why the h3ll would anyone have more than one account. Totally unjustified...

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 2:10 pm GMT

    CharlieFubar wrote:
    you are paying for the matchmaking software that microsoft uses... i forget the names but ps3 uses a simmilar yet inferior version of it. Plus the dashboard updates are "free" but they have to be paid by MS so... i really dont understand your argument... you must be j.... i mean cheap


    The matchmaking system on XBL is called TrueSkill Matchmaking. It's a good system, but it over-hyped. Any fault of matchmaking on PS3 is the developers fault. I haven't had ANY problems with matchmaking on my PS3 games, so I don't think that the TrueSkill Matchmaking is a deal-breaker.

    So what if the dashboard updates are free? So are the PS3 updates. What's your point?

  • XanderZane

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 1:51 pm GMT

    The_Third_Place

    "roughly 5 million units behind the 360's lifetime-to-date sales"
    At PS3 Launch it was 10mil behind. 50% increase and closing
    ******************************************************
    They are only gaining ground in Japan right now. For the past 9 weeks, the PS3 has been outsold worldwide by the XBox 360, so that 5 million will turn into 6 million by the end of the year. The PS3 will probably catch the 360 the end of 2009 or early 2010, but by that time, there will be rumors of a Xbox 720 being released. If they don't catch the 360 before a new XBox is released, it won't matter. ************************************************************
    @Ckelly_Tor: Also, XanderZane you go on about opinion yet you state "XBox 360 has the edge mainly because of the number of quality games you can play on it...That's a fact," I for one dislike Halo 3, and Gears (big fat weirdo with a shotgun and chainsaw killing aliens... yeah superbad. excuse me while i put tape on my glasses). Yet I enjoy quality games not dumbed down by lower HD quality, slower processor, paid for internet, and the general public morons who purchase the XBox. But that's opinion of course, of course the hardware specs aren't fact...
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    You're the minority who believes that. You may dislike Halo 3 and Gears 2, but more people seem to love those games then Resistance 1, 2 and Killzone 2. The PS3 has great games like LBP Motorstorm 2, Resistance 2, Valkyrie Chronicles, etc.. ,but these titles didn't sell well at all compared to Gears 2, Halo 3, Fable 2 and Forza 2. It's all about quality and quantity and the 360 has it. The Xbox 360 doesn't have lower quality HD. Take you head out of your *** and see the gorgeous graphics in Gears 2, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Fable 2 and Halo 3. You just sound like an anger fanboy, that's all. lol!!

  • yoko81

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 1:21 pm GMT

    its only has that many because its free. There are probably only like 6 million users, but the majority of them have second accounts im guessing so really the number is low

  • Beetroot502

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 1:14 pm GMT

    Maybe if Ps3 had more than two appealing games, I would get one. I dont know anyone that has a ps3...and I'm not all about the blu ray. I dont get how they have 14 million online, but there must be something good about it.

  • smur-F

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 1:12 pm GMT

    Take in to consideration the 14 million is worldwide. In terms of the USA Xbox is well dominate and has a lot more online players than the PS3. Oh yea peetowser I actually made 50 bucks yesterday working my part-time job at college. It was really hard work and I sweat blood and tears for 6 hours to get the money and it def isn't worth a years worth of Xbox live. I cry every night in bed thinking how I wasted my 50 dollars for the year when i could've just brought a PS3. I'm probably going to have to live on the streets now because Xbox live is so outrageously expensive. I've been pretending all my life that I was happy paying for live, but you finally brought it out of me i can't take it anymore I've been in deep depression ever since I spent my money on live. Thankyou peetowser for making me realize that just because I payed for online service my life is down the drain.

  • mergedsalem23

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 1:09 pm GMT

    This is so funny because alot of people asume that the ps3 is expensive in reality its not because everything is built unlike 360, microsoft got it where you have a choice to either get a 20gig hard drive cost $100 or get a memory which cant store music and dont hold that much memory for "HD MOVIES"which in opinion is pointless i had bend threw 2 xbox 360 which broke down the premium pack which was $428+core pack328=$756 xbox live for my whole year $50+756=$806 dang microsoft pigs yall greedy my ps3 cost $546 and guess what microsoft yall suck

  • NetFink

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 1:01 pm GMT

    Rarson while PSN is free far as online multiplayer gaming goes on that console. You pick and choose what you 'pay' for on that service too as well... not everything on PSN is free by default. As your post seems to imply like so many others that tout the free vs pay of live. Live offers things on its service for free as well. You have options.. for these on both.

  • fattiemanny

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 12:59 pm GMT

    PS3's online is free!...
    if so DANG!!!!!!!!!!!

  • peetowser

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 12:46 pm GMT

    Sad sad XBox fanboys trolling PS3 news releases... looking for more ways and reasons to hate something they don't care about...

    Go ahead hate difference and reassure yourself in whatever numbers you can find on the net, then ignore whatever doesn't fit into your (very narrow) view of life...

    Pretend to be happy you are paying for Live, whatever. Pretend Live's better "cuz PSN is free, it's obviously inferior"...

    Everytime I look at my friend list I'm glad you haven't contaminated the PSN community... All of my friends used to have XBoxes, I didn't have to preach for most to get a PS3, they just liked playing it when they were over and bought one. You must feel inferior always having to defend your console on PS3 press releases, but we don't care how you feel... Go ahead and love XBox to death, be happy you pay for Live and call the PS3 inferior, go through 7 RMAs and keep your smile, it really has no effect on the amount of fun we are having playing games on the PS3...

    Fun ironic facts : -XBox fans saying they feel loved because MS shells out millions for exclusive DLC ; at the same time paying a subscription to be able to play online...huuuh?? Do you think MS pays that out of their pocket??? It's your cash boys, don't credit MS for that!
    -XBox fanboys always saying the PS3 is too expensive while they blew almost twice on XBox, peripherals & online fees just to feel equal to what they are bashing... Way to go!

    We didn't buy a PS3 so we could be accepted by you guys. Most of us bought one to get away from you

  • rarson

    Posted Nov 20, 2008 11:49 am GMT

    I don't really care much about the cost of the console, because it's a one-time purchase. What I care about are the costs that add up continuously.

    When I've already got Netflix, broadband, a cell phone, and maybe even cable TV (something which I'm not currently paying for), a subscription to Xbox Live is not really something else that I'd rather pay for when I can get similar content from the service that PS3 offers for free. I'm guessing most of you guys must have a lot more money than I do. I can't afford absolutely everything that I want. I don't even own either console for that very reason.

    For those of you that can, enjoy it while it lasts.

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