But before I start negatively highlighting all the reasons PlayStation Plus trumps Xbox Live Gold I should mention that I’m still an active member of Xbox Live Gold and not PlayStation Plus. Now imagine how difficult this would have to be for me, a 90K gamerscore member of Xbox Live Gold, to be envious of a service that provides more benefits without the need to entice the gamer with the promise of online gaming. It sounds foolish to continue to support a service that gives very little but takes so much, providing endless nonsense such as large advertisements and useless applications while giving the gamers so little. To pay for a premium service with lackluster deals that fail to compare to their competitors is maddening. But I’ve invested too much time to abandon it. Now that I’ve conveyed my frustration let's see why PlayStation Plus provides a much better service than Xbox Live Gold. 

Free Content

Now you might be thinking that the free content provided by PlayStation Plus are poorly constructed titles that found no success, but you’re wrong. You get an incredible selection of PS3, PS Vita, PlayStation and other games from the Sony Entertainment Network that include Darksiders, Infamous 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Retro City Rampage. But these are only a few titles offered. In additional each month a selection of games on the Sony Entertainment Network are provided with no charge and are altered each month. You’re required to pay for the service each year or lose access to these free games but you’ll retain all trophy data if you decide to opt-out of the premium service.

When I first looked through my cousin’s PlayStation 3 and PS Vita’s digital library I was shocked at the amount of free titles he was given. The amount of free content he receive using this service added up to more than the $50 fee. I felt ashamed that I got so much less for my $60 a year Xbox Live Gold service in comparison.   

Discounts that Range from 10% to 75% as well as Exclusive Access

Xbox Live Gold members gain accesses to a weekly discount on a specific brand or title known as the Deal of the Week. However PlayStation Plus members are given access to similar deals on specific items but the selection is much larger than the Deal of the Week. While these deals rarely contain worthy content they are limited in only a handful of options.

PlayStation Plus users gain access to a similar discount but these are much larger in both content and discount. Customers are provided with a larger range of choices that are reduced up to 80%. When I first browsed through a PlayStation Plus store I was astonished about the amount and discounts these users received not only for older games but newer titles for the PS3 and PS Vita. In additional members were given access to early access to certain betas such as the God of War: Ascension multiplayer demo. This is a marketing technique to encourage more subscriptions but with such great discounts already given these early and exclusive accesses to certain content is icing on the cake. 

Not Required for Online Gaming

The only value to Xbox Live Gold is access to online gaming. This service has always been a free accommodation to all PlayStation owners and it was feared that it would’ve changed when PlayStation Plus was first announced. Thankfully the people at Sony maintained the free service and allow those you choose or cannot afford to pay for the upgraded service access to all online functions. Take away the online fee from Xbox Live Gold and what will you have left? Content that I can easily get to from my computer or television that are only inches away for free. 

PSN Day 1 Digital 

During the fall of 2012 Sony did something that was previously available to PC gamers, it allowed customers to download 8 upcoming games on the release day that included Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed 3, Metal of Honor: Warfighter, 007: Legends, Resident Evil 6, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Doom 3: BFG Edition and NBA 2K13. While this was offered to all customers PlayStation Plus members were given a 10% discount for purchasing these titles on the first week. I wasn’t shock that consoles were finally given this offer but that Sony did it before Microsoft. Perhaps Sony will provide this system once again, but for now has been abandoned.  

So why do I continue to plunge my hard earn dollars into Xbox Live Gold. The answer is simple, I’ve invested so much time and effort to my gamertag that abandoning it would have me relive the agony that I felt when I decided to quit World of Warcraft and lost my Horde Orc hunter Grayshadow, the Bloodelf mage Yamatoshadow and finally my Alliance Dwarf paladin Grayshadow. Your probably wondering about Sony's credibility after suing Geohot and the more recent hack, but these are in the past. If you’re one of those people who can easily leave there virtual identity then I encourage you to hope onto PlayStation Plus for a better deal. 

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed 
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