Xbox Live is one rather long time developed project. It does a whole lot more than anybody who doesn't have it or use it, to its fullest, knows about. In a way, the 360 version throws more of the features in your face to become a rather integrated aspect of all 360 gaming and gaming interests. It's your mall, your alternative communication/messaging device, your ability to set up personal communities, your demo source, your game tracking database, your all media controller, your videogame and movie previewer, and all this without even mentioning multiplayer gaming and rankings. Since getting connected with 360, I've even had to make much less trips to the store. Less waiting in lines, or dealing with the more annoying customers. These are things I use without thinking about it, without even going out of my way to use the features. Everything is layed out so conveniently, you just want to use them because you see something you'd like to do.
It may have started off as something less interesting, but these years of development have brought a lot of stuff to the table. It's able to upgrade itself at any time, and it's entrenched itself in a major lead. And like anybody else trying to start up their own cable service, and adding their own lines; they will always be playing catchup to the ones who've already set the infrastructure in place.
Unless, Sony is realy serious about the whole online thing 
