Hulu Launches Paid Service; Support for PS3 and Xbox 360 Forthcoming
The primary draw here is likely the ability to access Hulu content on devices such as the iPhone (3GS, iPhone4), iPad, iPod Touch (3rd Generation), and Samsung Internet TV's and Blu-Ray Players. Future support is promised for Internet-enabled Sony and Vizio TV's and Blu-Ray players, as well as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. For the consoles, PS3 support is coming in July, while Xbox 360 owners will have to wait until "early 2011" and it will require an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
Full seasons of television shows will be available during their current runs. On the web, using the boring-old, free, ad-supported service only a small subset of current episodes are available due to licensing reasons and they are largely delayed. The monthly fee destroys this barrier opening up all of the content for your enjoyment. If you don't have cable or satellite, this is probably a great way to check out some television shows.
After a quick glance, it appears that some of what is available on Hulu Plus is available on the Hulu website when it comes to shows not currently airing. For shows that still live on, Hulu Plus will net subscribers full collections in most cases. What Hulu Plus does not have, however, are any of the feature films available on the website.
While the service is currently only open via invite, interested parties can request an invite. Like Hulu, this is only available in the United States.
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mancide
replyAnyone hearing why the XBOX support is being delayed? Wasn't there dashboard screens of the Hulu app on internal builds already? Did Sony pay up for some timed exclusivity?
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I think it is because the PSN platform is just more open and modular, not as a closed system as the environment for the 360. It probably takes less effort to implement on Sony's online architecture.
I hope Sony is smart enough to make it part of the PSN Plus package.-
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well maybe not...but I'm sure there is at least more flexibility, hence why Gabe Newell is now supporting PS3 because of its allowance of third parties to implement online features in their own way...right?
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The deal between Valve and Sony came completely out of the blue. I don't know what Valve has that Sony wants, bu I promise you that it is not the usual way of things between Sony and a developer/publisher.
Sony is a Japanese company and it loves rules, regulations, and bureaucracy. I once tried to get approval for a time-limited trial version of a game to "save up" trophies that you would have earned with the full version, and offer to award you the trophies if you bought the game at the end of the trial session immediately after the trophies would have been earned. The amount of red tape involved would blow your mind. And ultimately it was still rejected.
Sony doesn't give a shit about what's best for the gamer OR the developer.
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