Why does Microsoft charge for online play when PC, Wii, PS3 doesnt?

[QUOTE="xsatyr86"][QUOTE="Pug-Nasty"]

What you said, the part in red, is an assumption.

Pug-Nasty

Your assumption is that people having more than one account is the reason there are more psn users. Your mom created accounts for your two nephews? Those are two individual players, even if they don't play frequently.

[QUOTE="Pug-Nasty"]

[QUOTE="xsatyr86"] That is not an assumption; I have more than one account. Most of my friends have more than one account. People do this bc they don't want friends and family members messing up their stats online. My mom has a ps3 and created an account for both of my nephews, all that adds up when you think about the 50 million users.xsatyr86

Your assumption is that people having more than one account is the reason there are more psn users. Your mom created accounts for your two nephews? Those are two individual players, even if they don't play frequently.

I never acted like many people didn't have numerous account. You acted like an extraordinary amount of people do, which is an assumption, which you said I can't make.

[QUOTE="xsatyr86"][QUOTE="Pug-Nasty"]

Your assumption is that people having more than one account is the reason there are more psn users. Your mom created accounts for your two nephews? Those are two individual players, even if they don't play frequently.

Pug-Nasty

I never acted like many people didn't have numerous account. You acted like an extraordinary amount of people do, which is an assumption, which you said I can't make.

Because MS loves shady practices that give them money.kuraimen

They're a business, they want to make money. If people are willing to pay, why not do it?

Isn't live about $4 / mo? ($50/12). How are you not able to afford $4 per month when you can go out and buy a $50 game? In other words, youre saying you can't afford Live FOR A YEAR yet you can buy games that cost just as much? Err... what?

theking52_TDK

I took a random screenshot from TF2 - A Steam EXCLUSIVE game on the PC.

When you start a match you are sent to a page like this on every server. I have never come across one where the people who run the server haven't added a page such as this for their clan/website/community/etc. Notice the tab at the top that says "Donate"?

And then at random I picked a Battlefield 2 clan off a list, and went to their website. Glitchspot won't let me link, but if you're after proof then check it out.

http://www.internationalsoldieralliance.com/

On the top-right corner of the page is a "Donate" button.

This is something that literally 99% of servers have on the PC because the vast majority are player run. The only time they are not player-run are in games such as MMOs, but MMOs either come with subscription plans, or they do F2P models which net them quite a bit of money.

Multiplayer isn't magically free. Just consider yourself lucky that Sony wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars out of pocket for PSN because they are playing catch up to MS. Heck, the reason PS+ exists is because Sony is trying to make back money they lose off PSN, and I absolutely expect Sony to charge for online play next gen, and have it be a requirement for online play. That is unless they botch their launch again like they did with the PS3, and have to play catch up again.

So yah:

MS makes you pay $40-$60 a year (depending on where you buy from). This is pennies per day, and tens of millions of gamers find it worth it.

PC makes you pay in some cases, and others ask for donations. No server is free though you can free-load as much as you want.

Sony pays hundreds of millions of dollars each year to keep PSN running for everyone to use.

Maybe so they can offer their customers games such as Radiant Silvergun. In fact, by buying that on live instead of saturn I will probably pay for a few years of live with the money saved.

can't afford the $5 per month that the annual subscription comes to? it's not that hard to save $5 a month, buy one less Starbucks drink, drink one less drink at the bar, buy one less concession at the theaters, smoke a few less cigarettes, dig through your sofa for change, if you can't save $5/month then you really shouldn't be playing video games period, my high speed internet is pricey, my car insurance, my health and dental insurance, my utility bills, my rent, the food I buy each month... it all makes my XBL Gold Subscription look like nothinglamprey263

I'm guessing it has to do with wanting to flood internet forums with that exact topic.

Because they can.

I would be much much more inclined to buy 360 games if I knew the online is free. Have everything else but online multiplayer be free and I would be one happy 360 owner.

I havent bought a 360 game in months or even turned on the system in almost as long. M$ is stupid for pretty much having no exclusives other than their core four franchises, none of which I care about. Halo, Gears, Forza... and there was another. Dont get me started on the fail that Kinect is/was and I blame myself yes for getting one. They treated it like another console launch yet a year later, it has been more or less forgotten.

They charge for online because they can and because people pay for it.

Because MS loves shady practices that give them money.kuraimen

When Sony &/or Nintendo does it next gen, then what will you say?

I have never seen a server admin ask for a donation on Steam.

ShadowMoses900

If you mean they didn't come out and ask you over voice chat, then me neither.

However, most of the servers I have entered, which isn't that many, have had a request for donation built into the server logon screen.

Because we pay for it.

You should ask yourself why do we pay it, and not why do they charge for it. The reason for them to charge is very simple: why would they give something for free if they can make massive amounts of money from it?

Because 360 owners are stupid enough to pay for it, i had done the same if i was MS

aroxx_ab

I think its gotten to the point where you just gotta say, you can no longer teach old dogs new tricks.

aka if you think people are stupid enough, you haven't been gaming long, or know much about gaming

Because Microsoft is a greedy company and there's people dumb enough to pay for it?

Because Microsoft sucks. Once gaming becomes more viable on Linux I'll drop em completely.

PSN is here BECAUSE of Xbox Live, if it wasn't for Xbox Live online gaming for consoles would be pretty much what the Wii online is

Because Microsoft is a greedy company and there's people dumb enough to pay for it?

Leekspin

I honestly have no idea.

Some people are willing to pay for it. I'm not one of those people. I'm buying a feature that should come free on my console. I don't consider XBL better than PSN and I don't consider PSN better than XBL. It's all in opinions. Some may even consider it better just because you pay for it. It can be different things. But I guess I don't really blame M$. If I had a bunch of people that were willing to pay for the online even though it's the same as any other service, I would probably do the same too.:P Again, opinions. I think that both PSN and XBL are the same. coolkid93

The bolded statement is wrong, this is what people don't seem to get about xbox live vs psn or pc. Things like voice chat, match making, p2p/dedicated protocals are all part of the live service.

But on PSN they are features that are part of a game that get implemented by dev's. There is a very very big difference in fundementally how the lower layers work, live is part of the OS, almost fully integrated, and psn is minimal and leaves it pretty much open for the dev.

This allows M$ to patch and update live features and improve them for all games that use them without having to update the game itself like psn, this allows dev's tos save memory and cpu cycles on things they need to save room for on the ps3. This allows M$ to have some quality control over what the dev's release on the system, and thats what we really pay for.

Why does Microsoft charge for online play when PC, Wii, PS3 doesnt?

Where do you want them to take the money to secure those timed DLC exclusive who comes out 1 month later on the other platforms ?

I leave this thread for a few hours and it's amassed 125 posts lol.

Because MS loves shady practices that give them money.kuraimen

and why does MS charge? because the wii and ps3 online offerings are total tripe If either company tried to charge for them people would laugh.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"]Because MS loves shady practices that give them money.WilliamRLBaker

and why does MS charge? because the wii and ps3 online offerings are total tripe If either company tried to charge for them people would laugh.

The only thing "shady" would be advertising Live as "free to join" and all that jazz. It's misleading, though not altogether dishonest.

I stopped paying once I saw the first CoD map pack go for 1200.

Well... Because people continue to play for it. If people gave them the middle finger they would be forced to change it to free. Take PC for example. Micro$oft took a look at xbox and its user and said: Well we can clearly scam the **** out of these sheeps lets try it on the PC! The pc users told them to shove something up their behind and micro$oft looked upon the pc community as they all turned their backs on GFWL. But anyway people dont have to pay. But people are willing to pay for it. Best part is... They get advertisements while they pay for it.

Because people pay in droves.

Slashkice

this and Micorosft takes advantage of the fact that mainstream people dont know about steam/PSN and its services and the whole fake your getting a "value" for paying 60 bucks a year when in fact the only thing that Xbox live has over PSN and Steam is crossgame chat. Crossgame chat is one of the worst things to come out to Xbox live, you cant talk to anyone in game anymore everyone is ina party, and when you join a party you get 5 other people talking about different things due to different games being played and you have a big cluster **** of a conversation its annoying, and then you ge the party of people playing fallout, WTF its a singleplayer game. Crossgame chat is overrated.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"]Because MS loves shady practices that give them money.WilliamRLBaker

and why does MS charge? because the wii and ps3 online offerings are total tripe If either company tried to charge for them people would laugh.

Steam.

because they get away with it.

Wait a minute while i take a quick peek into my crystal ball.. Sony will start charging for PSN once the PS4 arrives and shocked PS fan-boys across the Internet will be forced to eat their own words. All of the the features of XBL (big and small) that haters once ignored will all of a sudden matter when compared to PSN's offerings, at this point XBL will gain greater recognition and respect among a larger group of gamers, PSN will actually make huge improvements to the quality of it's service vs XBL, and the "pay to play" model will finally be accepted because people will now understand why MS has always charged for it's service.

I couldn't agree more. The main thing for me was the controller. I even chose

the n64 over ps1 for the controller. Thats how much I hate the design of ps controllers.

By the way I have a user name of putbrooksin over at a H Rockets forum. They should not

have traded him!

oops, I was trying to quote mems. Sorry for double post:oops:

It's totaly put me off from playing my Xbox360 online at all. I don't understand why? I rebought my 360 and PS3 when i moved to the states but tbh i hardly play the 360 because i can't afford the online each month. And don't get me started on the whole microsoft point system for dlc. PS3 however which i never had untill a year ago. Gets so much more use epsecially with the online gaming. It's free, and the way you buy DLC is so much easier than having to use stupid points everyime. Which then takes me to the PC (with the expecption of MMOs) all pc online gaming is free and stable and lag free. So microsoft charging for online play isnt about quality or customer service its about $$$. Why can't Microsoft allow the online to be completely free? yet still keep the dlc and all the extra stuff cost money? i don't buy dlc or use netbook or facebook whatever its called. I don't watch movies, i just play games online everynow and then and i shouldn't have to pay for a few online matches a week.

Even the wii has free online though its limited with it being wi-fi.

My 360 hasn't even been connected to the internet since january when i got it. Having to buy pre paid cards and microsoft points and stuff when i dont need it totaly puts me off. So i've got into a habbit now of buying singleplayer games for 360 and multiplayer games for ps3 because the online is free.

thingta42

I pay for XBL because I have to in order to play online. No pay = no play online = no netflix

I have a feeling the next version of Windows will also force users to pay subscription to play video games online.

MS didn't get where it is by offering customers a choice.

They got where they are by having Windows pre-bundled with every PC and using industry pressure to deny device-drivers to competators. Legally they took on Western civilization and won, and now they're basically the computer mafia.

Because they can, and because they have XBL users by the balls; if they want to play Halo/GeoW online, then they have to pay.

But really...it has a nicer interface and a couple more features. Not quite sure if that warrants the fee M$ charge but that's up the 360 users, not me.

I pay for XBL because I have to in order to play online. No pay = no play online = no netflix

I have a feeling the next version of Windows will also force users to pay subscription to play video games online.

MS didn't get where it is by offering customers a choice.

They got where they are by having Windows pre-bundled with every PC and using industry pressure to deny device-drivers to competators. Legally they took on Western civilization and won, and now they're basically the computer mafia.

LazySloth718

[QUOTE="thingta42"]

I don't care for friends. When all i want is online. Good example. Because i have to pay for the online. The next Soul Calibur game i'm going to be getting on PS3 and not 360 like i did with SC4. All because of not being able to afford the online for the 360. There loss not mine.

DarkLink77

[QUOTE="LustForSoul"]It's 5 dollars a month not 15. People put more money into vending machines for a quick unhealthy snack a month. While you can play for hours on at a time on your Xbox. Most people dislike it because they are actually paying for a service that's free on other comparable consoles. sts106mat

yeah and if you keep up your membership, you can get it at a knock-down price, i just renewed for £25.00 for the second year in a row, thats £0.50 a week, i cannot even get a mars bar for that price. easily worth it to be able to play halo and gears IMO.