Xbox live Gold and EA Online Pass

The 10 of July my xbox live gold subscription , after 5 years , expires. This year however many of the games I've played (Mass Effect 3, Battlefield 3, Dead Space 2) from the company known as Electonic Arts, or EA, require you to activate an Online pass in order to access the multiplayer features of the game. The cost of this Online pass is already included in what you pay for the game if it is brand new, or you can pay 800 Microsoft Poits in order to buy one.

EA might have the right to include what is basically a paid subscription for access to multiplayer online features and their servers, whether permanent or not, and as a matter of fact many games already do or did so (especially Massive multiplayer online games as World of warcraft on PC or Phantasy star Online on the 360).

Now, Xbox live feaures include: download of demos; video chat; "arcade deals of the week" and others, the most importat of those is the access to online multiplayer.

The only feature I'm interested in is online multiplayer, but the Online Pass for a specific EA game already represents the fee I have to pay in order to access the online features of said game, so why should I pay an Xbox Live Gold subscription ?

On the other hand Xbox Live Gold subscription assures , as clearly advertised on the xbox site of my country, that I can "Join online games in cooperative and multiplayer modes without limits to play with or against players from all over the world". This is isn't true, as in a game as Mass Effect 3 which supports online features, only having the xbox live gold subscription limits me to the sole single player mode, even if on the box of the game it says "online multiplayer 1-4" and "co-op 2-4".

It also says: "Xbox Live System Requirements: In available games, paid subscription required for online multiplayer; some features and downloads require additional storage, hardware, and/or fees.". Which should further assure me that by activating the xbox live paid subscription (known as Xbox Live Gold) I can access , at least, online multiplayer.

Also written in capital letters "EA Online registratin required to access online features. Access to certain online content and bonus content (if any) requires registration with the single use serial code(s) enclosed with new, full retail purchase". The EA online registration is free, and links your gamercard to an EA account. This only, as specified, should grant you the possibility to access online features, and the xbox live gold subcription assures you, as stated, the use of the feature known as online multiplayer. So why should I pay for an Online Pass ? Does it mean that an xbox live gold account doesn't always grant access to online multiplayer ?

For what I'm concerned I should pay the Online Pass for every EA game to access the game's online features OR pay an Xbox live Gold Subscription to access online multiplayer on any game. Paying both equals paying for the same service twice.

What do you think about this ? Isn't it unjustified that xbox 360 players have to pay more, for no apparent reason ?

If I can't find any explanation I'm contacting the xbox live support or the EA support as soon as my subscription expires.

Please could you post this over on the official Xbox forums. I really, really want to know what the Xbox Live fanboys over there make of this as it is a truly brilliant point. I bet you they will beat you down and say neither company is in the worng so just shut up and pay.

Heres a Link to the forum - http://forums.xbox.com/xbox_forums/general_discussion/f/2176.aspx

If you was to also state over there the fact of why are Microsoft allowed to charge for Live but also show you adverts for coors beer and John Lewis through the dashboard you may also find youself bogged down from the most ludicrus replies such as "Just play the games, it dont matter" or my favourite "I like the adverts.."

But please, do post this over there. I'd love to hear what other people make of this. Great point. And I'd like to also hear an answer..

The Online Pass is to detour you trading in your games, and selling it for 800 ms is to detour people from buying used games.

just for the records this year also games from Ubisoft (ex: Assassin's Creed Revelation, Ghost Recon, Driver SF...) use a Ubisoft Pass which is an exact copy of the EA Onoline Pass. This will prevent also from playing online games as the next AC or Splinter Cell.
This year in my opinion they screwed us really bad ,at least they screwed me, since I've purchased 4 games (other than Skyrim, basically all the games I've got) which require a code to enable multiplayer (not to mention battlefield 3, which without the code you have access to less than 30% of the game).

This year basically every Big tile had an online pass.

Why pay for Online twice ? How exactly do we benefits from having an xbox live gold account while playing on servers which are in no way related to Microsoft and for wich we already pay an extra quote in the game ? Or why the xbox live gold subscription doesn't let us play, in fact, multiplayer ?

Next year maybe every game which has multiplayer will have an online pass, will it make sense to pay the xbox live gold subscription then ? This year the situation isn't much different if you tink about it.

We have come to a point were companies try to force multiplayer into a game just so that they can sell us the Online Pass. It's getting ridiculous, and it has to stop.

Did you post this on the official boards?

Did you post this on the official boards?

daniel79

No, feel free to link them here if you want to though.

It's been beaten to death.

With EA pass the consumer is actually paying 3 entities for 1 service : the ISP, Xbox Live and EA.

Yes, it's a ripoff.

No it won't end.

Corporations own America. Corporations own the law.

What you need to understand is that XBL is actually a hidden cost of the Xbox360 console.

Xbox360 does not cost $299

Xbox360 costs $799 (10 years x $60 + $299)

There is no "service" involved in XBL.

Peer to peer networking is not a "service."

A Netflix widget is not a "service."

Use it or not, as you wish.

XBL is essentially an online pass. I would even bet this is what influenced EA into making another online pass. This is exactly why nobody can even legitimately defend Microsofts actions. Its a clear rip off.

So now i must pay my Internet provider, to then pay Microsoft ( XBL ), to then pay the Publisher for their online pass. Ridiculous.

It should have went no farther than paying my Internet Provider. This is exactly why i will not support Microsoft next console if they still charge for online. The very, very simple ability of being able to participate in an online session should be free. PERIOD.

Everything else aside you only pay for an online pass if you buy the game used.

XBL is essentially an online pass. I would even bet this is what influenced EA into making another online pass. This is exactly why nobody can even legitimately defend Microsofts actions. Its a clear rip off.

So now i must pay my Internet provider, to then pay Microsoft ( XBL ), to then pay the Publisher for their online pass. Ridiculous.

It should have went no farther than paying my Internet Provider. This is exactly why i will not support Microsoft next console if they still charge for online. The very, very simple ability of being able to participate in an online session should be free. PERIOD.

brucecambell

Everything else aside you only pay for an online pass if you buy the game used.

xgraderx

The Online pass is always a cost since you buy it when you buy the game and using it diminished the value of your game if you want to resell it. Also , by blocking on disc content, you buy a product which you don't fully own.
The real point is that the Online pass, as the name says, should let you be able to play online , but once your xbox live gold expires, you can no longer access the multiplayer. You basically have to pay for the same service twice in order to benefit from it.

You guys are giving EA too much flak for this. They didn't start the online pass system nor are they the only company to use it. Most of their games have good multiplayer with a solid connection unlike some other companies. Plus their codes don't expire like the ones for THQ games (well old THQ games for now). And if it is just EA that is pissing you off they are going full digital so you won't have to worry about it much longer.

You guys are giving EA too much flak for this. They didn't start the online pass system nor are they the only company to use it. Most of their games have good multiplayer with a solid connection unlike some other companies. Plus their codes don't expire like the ones for THQ games (well old THQ games for now). And if it is just EA that is pissing you off they are going full digital so you won't have to worry about it much longer.

firefox59

They won't go full digital any time soon, half of America alone doesn't have access to high speed internet not to mention other parts of the world, plus there are still those who refuse to buy digital for various reasons. If they went full digital this gen or next they will lose A LOT of money. They might focus more on digital but there is no way they are going digital only in the next 5-7 years.