Where would online console gaming be without Microsoft?

I shudder to think about it.

How much of an impact has Microsoft made in this area? Online console gaming has been pushed so far so fast by Microsoft. It's crazy how fast online console gaming itself has shifted from PC to consoles in one short generation. If paying for Xbox Live allows Microsoft to continue to innovate, then I'm all for it. Microsoft has to be commended for the achievement.

It would have evolved without Microsoft.

free?sky_rend

i think what he asking is would it have evolved as quickly.

IMO, maybe not as quickly but yes it would eventually.

It would have evolved without Microsoft.

Yangire

By who? Sony? Nintendo? lol. Before the ps2 launhed, Sony promised all these awesome things you would be able to do online with the PS2. Never happend. It wasn't until this generation where Sony took online console gaming seriously and even that they just copied whatever Microsoft put out.

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

It would have evolved without Microsoft.

bphan

By who? Sony? Nintendo? lol. Before the ps2 launhed, Sony promised all these awesome things you would be able to do online with the PS2. Never happend. It wasn't until this generation where Sony took online console gaming seriously and even that they just copied whatever Microsoft put out.

Someone would have done it, this is common sense.

This is a "what if" scenario. There is no answer, it could be better, it could be worse nobody well ever know (that means you TC).

[QUOTE="bphan"]

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

It would have evolved without Microsoft.

Yangire

By who? Sony? Nintendo? lol. Before the ps2 launhed, Sony promised all these awesome things you would be able to do online with the PS2. Never happend. It wasn't until this generation where Sony took online console gaming seriously and even that they just copied whatever Microsoft put out.

Someone would have done it, this is common sense.

There are only two other console developers. Sony and Nintendo. I don't think neither of them could do what Microsoft did?

This is a "what if" scenario.nobody will ever know .

brennan7777

This is a "what if" scenario. There is no answer, it could be better, it could be worse nobody well ever know (that means you TC).

brennan7777

Could be better? by who?

[QUOTE="brennan7777"]

This is a "what if" scenario. There is no answer, it could be better, it could be worse nobody well ever know (that means you TC).

bphan

Could be better? by who?

[QUOTE="brennan7777"]

This is a "what if" scenario. There is no answer, it could be better, it could be worse nobody well ever know (that means you TC).

bphan

Could be better? by who?

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

[QUOTE="bphan"]

By who? Sony? Nintendo? lol. Before the ps2 launhed, Sony promised all these awesome things you would be able to do online with the PS2. Never happend. It wasn't until this generation where Sony took online console gaming seriously and even that they just copied whatever Microsoft put out.

bphan

Someone would have done it, this is common sense.

There are only two other console developers. Sony and Nintendo. I don't think neither of them could do what Microsoft did?

How would you know? There's no way you can tell what would happen without Microsoft in the industry.

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

_SWAG_

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

_SWAG_

[QUOTE="bphan"]

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

Someone would have done it, this is common sense.

Yangire

There are only two other console developers. Sony and Nintendo. I don't think neither of them could do what Microsoft did?

How would you know? There's no way you can tell what would happen without Microsoft in the industry.

Well for the fact that Nintendo thought online was a fad. They greatest addition to online gaming was friends codes. Yeah that was awesome /sarcasm

And for Sony. Promise the world but under deliver. Let's look at Sony online on ps2 vs Xbox live on Xbox. UHHHH..Yeah.

[QUOTE="_SWAG_"]

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

forza420

[QUOTE="forza420"][QUOTE="_SWAG_"]

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

_SWAG_

Cheeper with less shooters

Online Gaming on Consoles would never exsit if it wasn't for the Geniuses behind...the internet.

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

[QUOTE="bphan"]

There are only two other console developers. Sony and Nintendo. I don't think neither of them could do what Microsoft did?

bphan

How would you know? There's no way you can tell what would happen without Microsoft in the industry.

Well for the fact that Nintendo thought online was a fad. They greatest addition to online gaming was friends codes. Yeah that was awesome /sarcasm

And for Sony. Promise the world but under deliver. Let's look at Sony online on ps2 vs Xbox live on Xbox. UHHHH..Yeah.

So you think they would do the same thing if Microsoft wasn't around?

YOU LOVE MS we get it, stop abusing the new topic button

where would online gaming be without MS? no one knows, probably like it is now but with less hate speeches

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

_SWAG_

Lol, PS3 would still be $599 and you wouldn't be able to send messages or invite friends to your game. Lets face it MS has helped alot, whether you like the 360 or not.

[QUOTE="brennan7777"]

This is a "what if" scenario. There is no answer, it could be better, it could be worse nobody well ever know (that means you TC).

bphan

Could be better? by who?

Microsoft contributed on pushing/improving online gaming on consoles with the 360.

Sony under delivered with the online promises on the ps2. Regular Xbox only had few games worth playing online, which didn't give a warrant to pay for live back then. I was almost tempted with DOAgames and Mechassault.PC online gaming was the only way to go last gen.

YOU LOVE MS we get it, stop abusing the new topic button

Zaibach

[QUOTE="_SWAG_"]

if microsoft wasnt in the console war, consoles would be much better, cheaper with better online imho

RAGINGxPONY

Lol, PS3 would still be $599 and you wouldn't be able to send messages or invite friends to your game. Lets face it MS has helped alot, whether you like the 360 or not.

Yea because PS2 didn't drop in price, implement HDD and on line even though it dominated the market.

Honestly, SW economics is almost to much to tolerate some times.

sony are great thinkers and would have figured it out anyway

_SWAG_

By great thinkers who copy ides from Nintendo and Microsoft and call it original then yes :P

[QUOTE="bphan"]

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

How would you know? There's no way you can tell what would happen without Microsoft in the industry.

Yangire

Well for the fact that Nintendo thought online was a fad. They greatest addition to online gaming was friends codes. Yeah that was awesome /sarcasm

And for Sony. Promise the world but under deliver. Let's look at Sony online on ps2 vs Xbox live on Xbox. UHHHH..Yeah.

So you think they would do the same thing if Microsoft wasn't around?

yep we would still be in the dark ages of online console gaming. Look at the Ps3 today. Every single feature for PS3 was copied from Xbox live. Every. Single. Feature. Even tropies? lol

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

[QUOTE="bphan"]

Well for the fact that Nintendo thought online was a fad. They greatest addition to online gaming was friends codes. Yeah that was awesome /sarcasm

And for Sony. Promise the world but under deliver. Let's look at Sony online on ps2 vs Xbox live on Xbox. UHHHH..Yeah.

bphan

So you think they would do the same thing if Microsoft wasn't around?

yep we would still be in the dark ages of online console gaming. Look at the Ps3 today. Every single feature for PS3 was copied from Xbox live. Every. Single. Feature. Even tropies? lol

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

It would have evolved without Microsoft.

By who? Sony? Nintendo? lol. Before the ps2 launhed, Sony promised all these awesome things you would be able to do online with the PS2. Never happend. It wasn't until this generation where Sony took online console gaming seriously and even that they just copied whatever Microsoft put out.

There is no doubt that another company would have come along eventually to create a strong console online infrastructure, but the question is when? All signs point to not any time soon as both Sony and Ninty have had their head in the clouds until only recently. Most console online innovations can be directly traced back to MS. They would have all happened eventually regardless, but that doesnt mean that MS shouldnt get the credit...

Um MS destroyed online gaming IMO. When we had free online with previous systems it was fun and just needed improvement as time passed, not fees! From what I've been seeing lately is the Lemmings should be the ones called the Cows because MS has been milking the hell out of you guys all gen. The fact is you can't take a greedy money hungery software industry and turn them into a generous gaming industry, it just doesn't happen.

[QUOTE="bphan"]

[QUOTE="Yangire"]

It would have evolved without Microsoft.

Phazevariance

By who? Sony? Nintendo? lol. Before the ps2 launhed, Sony promised all these awesome things you would be able to do online with the PS2. Never happend. It wasn't until this generation where Sony took online console gaming seriously and even that they just copied whatever Microsoft put out.

Trust me, it would have came along just fine without MS. It doesn't take some kind of genius minds unique to MS to realize that console gamers want to play online too, not just on PC.Zoso-8

Well, the DC had great online before the Xbox. But, yes, Microsoft did alot with XBL.

If there was no Xbox Live, and Sega was still gone, I'm sure it'd be in the stoneage on consoles still.

It'd be completely barebones. Devoid of features you take for granted, or don't. We all know PSN still doesn't have features the 360 launched with. You'd get the basic package of playing a game online, and that's it. None of those in depth friends lists, and features like cross game chat, or parties, etc.

PSN is only the way it is because Xbox Live exists

Microsoft has had nothing but a negative impact on gaming. The first of the 3 to start charging $60 for games. The first to start nickel and dimeing gamers for DLC. Microsoft has made it exceptable for developers to shorten a games leingth and use the excuse that it has a online component. To this day I refuse to buy axbox 360. I've been playing video games since the atari. I've seen alot come and go NEO GEO, Turbo Grafix, Sega and so on. Microsoft hasto bethe worste to ever enter the race.

Had Sega survived in the console business, I think they would have been the ones who innovated in the online console gaming business. The Dreamcast was a strong online system for its time, and even the Saturn offered online play and surfing the web with the Netlink.