Microsoft explains why we have to pay for Xbox Live

good article about what MS should consider doing. http://editorials.teamxbox.com/xbox/1967/AN-INCONVENIENT-TRUTH/p1crck

I totally agree, and that comming from the questionable Team Xbox is quite impressive.

Those aren't explanations, those are just poorly concieved excuses. I would be infuriated right now, if it wasn't for the fact that I pay maybe 10 dollars a year. Why? The trick is to find those old xbox live starter kits (for xbox 1), most places are clearing them out, and they work great on 360.

Having to pay at all, still pisses me off. But since its not costing me much, I don't mind as much. What they really need to do is fix all the lag issues. I get better connections on pc games, and it costs me nothing.

[QUOTE="gotrice415510"]what pisses me off is that we didnt really get an explanation for why we have to pay the yearly fee, even though i am pretty much okay with the cost, and all he said was why it was a good dealskrat_01

They cant properly justify the cost. Not when everyone else does the same for free.

Its defitnaly quite the joke.

The explanation isnt even a proper one. All the 'great things' about XBL are free. Gold only allows you play online....

good article about what MS should consider doing. http://editorials.teamxbox.com/xbox/1967/AN-INCONVENIENT-TRUTH/p1crck

The points system needs to change. It's really, I mean really a rip-off. Not only are things are overpriced, but stuff that's free that developers actually WANT to release for free, is tagged with a price. And not only that, but the points system is just inherently unfair and ineffective (for the consumer, that is). On far too many occasions have I been only 10 or 20 or so points away from buying what I wanted, and forced to shell out money for the 400 points minimum just to do so. And then rinse and repeat.

One really huge issue, though:

Xbox 360 games cost more than PC games and we have to pay an extra fee to play online, yet not only do PC owners pay less for the game and play multi for free, but they get the developer maps for free and all sorts of other free downloadables (mods, maps, etc) from the community. And yet, even with all that, Microsoft is still forcing us to pay for things developers want to give away. Just look at C&C 3 as a prime example of this. And all those Gears of War maps, Epic wanted to release for free and were actually upset with Microsoft for a while because they didn't let them. Solid job on all fronts. The $50/yr I don't mind at all, since that amounts to $4/m, which is the price of a cup of coffee from Starbucks. Just isn't a big deal, really. But making us pay for sh*t that really should be free, and ESPECIALLY if the developers themselves want it free, that simply needs to stop.

it doesn't really get on my nerves, it's ok...for now.

I just want to point out that PC gaming isn't free for everyone. Someone has to pay for those servers you guys are playing on, whether it's the developer of the game or, most of the time, the players themselves. As a member of a clan that runs our own BF2 servers I chip in on the bill every month. Dedicated servers are not cheap, Live's monthly cost is barely a blip in comparison to the price of our servers. And all this talk about wanting dedicated servers. I don't think they would work out as well as they do for PC gaming. For one thing, Live is a private network, Joe Shmoe can't rent their own server so all the servers would be provided by MS or the game devs. Yeah great, but how many do you think they can put up and admin at one time? Enough to satisfy all the gamers that are on Live at any one time? Hardly. It's just not financially or logistically possible for a single company, nor is it financially feasible for a lot of the game devs. But let's say MS did get rid of P2P networking and threw up some dedicated servers. You'd end up with a lot of pissed off people at any one time because they can't play online because all the servers are full. Unless MS opens up the Live network to the public (never going to happen) P2P networking is the only way to provide for the sheer number of people online at one time. There's a lot more to it than some of you guys appear to realize.Bane_v2

Many people just don't know these things.

It amazes me that people complain about $50.00 for a whole year. Do you complain about the $50.00 a month you pay for your cell phone also?Deihmos

$50/year is so low it's almost irrelevant. If you bought a $400 360 that sells $60 games and you're taking issue with paying $50 for a whole year of online play, you probably made a mistake in getting the system in the first place.

The Microsoft Points system, however, is a complete sham and I'm confident that nobody can logically argue against that.

I got over paying $50 a year for it like three years ago.. It's really not that much and it's totally worth it.

I don't have a fast enough connection available where I live. I do take my consoles to work with me from time to time and I've played a little on the PSN but I have no intention of paying for online play. It should be free IMO. Microsoft has enough money to offer us free online play, I think we pay enough with console cost, extra accesories, $60 games, and downloadable content. I understand Microsoft is in it for the scrilla but I think it should be free.

If I were an executive at Microsoft and I was asked why people have to pay for Xbox live, I would give the greatest answer ever...

"Because"

Xbox Live is 50 bucks but you get so much stuff for free.

Playstation Network is free but you have to pay for so much stuff.

Something i can live with.Immortal_Evil

Likewise.

I'm satisfied with the service. I get annoyed when live is down though, and we don't get the time back...

If your honestly gonna complain about paying $4.16 a month, you might as well quit life. less than 5 bucks a month gets you online play, demos, videos, a diamond card with benefits, a better online system than the ps3, constant updates on games, and more. You guys are complaining about nothing! Think of xbox live back on the original xbox way back in 2003/04, then you come to me and complain about 360's online service. The orignal xbox live had NOTHING but online play and you still payed the same price.icedfacekilla57

I forgot that diamond card. I have used it for many discounts and I think everyone should put it to use. it has many nice discounts...

woop de doo... less than one shift of work to pay for it...deltaboarder18

good point but still, what are we actully paing for.....just the online play and thats it

[QUOTE="ditcohomies"]My personal opinion: paying is a good thing for the simple reason of keeping some of the lifeless ******s that love to ruin the online experience for everybody else. Pretty annoying when you're having a good game and somebody quits or runs their mouth and doesn't care because it's free. Sure some paying customers do it anyway, but at least with a fee it reduces it somewhat. c0mplex

i guess you don't play Gears, huh?

have to agree with you there although i find blizzard's pricing a little too much, for example they could have done what Battlefield 2042 did or Quake wars and make it so that ti's free but there's in game advertising

[QUOTE="deltaboarder18"]woop de doo... less than one shift of work to pay for it...kevster29

good point but still, what are we actully paing for.....just the online play and thats it

Well, since there is no other "experience" like it, they can charge a premium.

Fans and analysts have long debated on the topic of why consumers must pay for Microsoft's online service Xbox Live while Sony's PlayStation Network users get their access for free. This time, we're getting some official explanations.

As Gamepro points out, in a recent podcast of Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog team, they gave a reason as to why their subscribers need to shell out US$ 50 a year to get on Xbox Live. Representing the company were Chris Paladino of the Xbox Live Community Team and PR Manager Michael Wolf.

Wolf says he pays US$ 100 a month for cable TV, but says "frankly, I spend more time playing online than I do watching TV nowadays, it feels like. So, you're getting a lot of value for $ 50 a year, in my opinion."

He also explains that with the sheer number of options that Live carries and the satisfaction that players get from their system, the value is well justified. With the online play that involves cross-platform competition, Wolf says Live wins outright.

For his part, Paladino says "there are bandwidth costs, there are things that go above and beyond. I think it goes back to this unified system."

"We have to have voice communication, text communication, now we're doing cross-platform. There's Marketplace, there are demos, and all these things don't just mystically hover around that you can pull them out of the ether," he concludes.

My thoughts personally?

Weak excuses.

Silver account gives you the 'unified system' features, and all Gold gives is online play. No dedicated servers, nice lag (here in OZ), and glitching. Wonderful. And we PAY.

GRAH.

Gets on my nerves. Guess its because of my PC gaming tendancies. Online gaming should be FREE not subscription based. MMOs are an execption as the devs continue matinence, mods + admins and the HUGE amount of dedicated servers hosted.

skrat_01

i agree highly on what you said

good article about what MS should consider doing. http://editorials.teamxbox.com/xbox/1967/AN-INCONVENIENT-TRUTH/p1crck

In my opinion.....No let me rephrase that...Its a FACT that ALL online play should be free. With what MS makes off downloads and in game advertising, they don't need to charge us for online play. DL content and advertising alone will turn them a profit and pay for server maintenance. Anyone who believes other wise is ignorant.

PCs have had great online service for years with out charging. While Im an avid 360 player and fan, I can say that while $50.00 a year is cheap...its still stupid. We should not be paying to play online. This is why I hope Sony gets there online up to snuff with LIVE. If they can give an equal if not better service for free then MS will be forced to make gold free....then do what they did with the 360 elite. Add more super unnecessary things to it, and call it xbox LIVE platinum and charge $60.00 a year because THAT IS WHAT MS IS ABOUT: MONEY

Can you see it a couple of years from now: Gold will be free but Xbox LIVE platinum will have supeduper features that will again make us pay.....The cycle wont be broken unless consumers break it. Even I can agree that while paying is the stupidest thing in the world, we will all do it, until someone else can best LIVE and make it free. With all the mistakes that MS has been making (Hardware failures, charging for online, not including a bigger disc format etc.) Sony shopuld be capitalizing on it...but they are to stupid to apparently lol.