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XBOX LIVE: FINALLY AN ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS!!!

xboxfocus.com — To me the fifty smackolas a year has been a rip-off for features as inexpensive and basic as what Microsoft has offered. There was no service that Microsoft provided that required $50 from the average consumer in my mind, and they only have charged us because they had enough lackeys (myself included) willing to pay. That was until Monday.

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  • geoff1210, on 07/18/2008, -26/+410Dugg for: "The new Xbox Live has me excited as I can finally pay for the service without feeling annually raped."

    I see what he did there.
    • Boktai1000, on 07/18/2008, -7/+28All these new features are gonna be sweet for 360, gonna take some getting used to for the new dashboard though.
      • dandonia, on 07/19/2008, -1/+15shame i live in uk
      • theaceoffire, on 07/19/2008, -4/+12Yeah, I honestly feel a little disappointed that Netflix won't work for the PS3 yet (if ever).

        Still, congrats 360 owners, got some good updates this year.
      • SSUK, on 07/19/2008, -0/+11dandonia: The fantastic thing is though, because we're geologically positioned outside of America we get charged $80/year for Xbox Live Gold membership. And for that, we get late (sometimes non-existent) downloadable content, a bare-bones video rental service and the promise of BT EVENTUALLY getting around to supplying IPTV through the 360. It's *****.

        I was happy that the word "Europe" was actually used in the Microsoft press conference on numerous occasions at this year's E3, same can't be said for Sony's and Nintendo's conference, Nintendo not once uttering the word. But as paying customers of Xbox and Xbox Live, I think we deserve much better from Microsoft. Especially for the premium we have to pay because we aren't living in America.
      • DroogInPhoenix, on 07/19/2008, -4/+10The only thing I care about is they better put in 16:10 support for 1680x1050 resolution.
      • Nath2k8, on 07/19/2008, -1/+5So is netflix not available in the UK? :(

        I wish MS would cater more to the EU market also.
      • sup34dog, on 07/19/2008, -0/+6@DroogInPhoenix: http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/07/14/some-of- ...

        look at "New Display Support" (at the bottom)
      • v0yeur, on 07/19/2008, -0/+5Canadians get shafted also, and we're right next door.
      • Cloud7654, on 07/19/2008, -3/+3@ theaceoffire

        At least you're getting Home and LittleBigPlanet. Neither of the two consoles are doing bad at all in the upcoming year or so. Looks like it's a good time to be a gamer. :)
    • neFariou5, on 07/19/2008, -13/+5Renting xbox online capabilities always seemed ridiculous to me, PS3 is free and that does me.
      • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -2/+9Me admire many your english ability until happy time.
      • faizal5k, on 07/19/2008, -2/+4The PS3 does you? You're a technophiliac?
      • MarkusDee, on 07/20/2008, -1/+0Hello,

        My name is Markus and I'm a technophiliac.
      • neFariou5, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Hello Mr American. "that does me" is actually acceptable slang in some countries. Obviously not the ones that have children running around trying to correct random people's grammar on the internet, in order to try and look smart.
    • Jeremyz0r, on 07/19/2008, -12/+7Xbox users enjoy paying for P2P connections. You know you're getting owned right?
      • estvir, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2You know that once developers/publishers/etc no longer feel like hosting dedicated servers it's going to suck to play games online? You know that you're only now getting features that were available from the X360's launch many years ago and some even on the original Xbox?
      • Jeremyz0r, on 07/20/2008, -2/+1Did you know the original xbox ripped off the Dreamcast? Go shuv it. Most devs/pubs/etc don't even host them. Shows what you know.
    • Tyrghast, on 07/19/2008, -7/+8The author is a ***** moron. It's 50 bucks a year, which makes it close to the cheapest online service in existence for any device. He could be paying 50+ a month for an iPhone, he should be thankful.
      • twiztidsinz, on 07/19/2008, -2/+10Actually.... its like paying $40/mo for internet service and then $50/year for the ability to send/receive emails.
        XBL is not an ISP... they do not provide the internet for you.
      • FrankTheTank17, on 07/19/2008, -3/+7Yes, and the PS3 and the Wii is free. Which by your logic makes those two the cheapest online service in existence for any device. He should be thankful he could get one of those and play online for free.
      • zjbird, on 07/20/2008, -1/+2$50/year a month to have access to tons of online games that you only need to pay for once. You are paying for servers.
    • Darkmessiahnz, on 07/19/2008, -3/+2$50+ ,for an iphone every month, is a complete rip off. Seriously Apple has turned into one of those big evil corporations who dominate the market.
      • smilebit, on 07/19/2008, -0/+0You pay AT&T $50 a month for cell phone service. Most people would pay for it either way, and if you're too cheap you can get a touch.
      • dpantages, on 07/21/2008, -0/+2@darkmessiahnz
        this article is about xbox live not how apple and at&t are money grubbing whores...there are plenty of articles all over digg for those comments....buried
    • Makave22, on 07/19/2008, -6/+1I though it said " anally rape" ?? o_0 LMAO!!
    • nikorf11, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1this is on an 'xboxfocus' blog, you think it's biased?
    • alach11, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1Dude I pay $3 a month for xbox live. That's about as much as one visit to starbucks. I think I'm willing to make the sacrifice of one latte a month for Microsoft's services.
      • pdxa4, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1what are you getting at starbucks thats only $3??
    • ruforealz, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2Thanks for being the first comment so I don't have to scroll!
    • N01SE, on 07/20/2008, -1/+0The author is clearly unaware of what online means. You are paying $50 annually (which is not a lot) to use the serving resources of a million-dollar, data center which requires highly payed technicians to build and maintain it. Yes, it's not magic. And anyways, 50 ***** dollars a year, wow, I'm pretty sure this guy is either homeless or the cheapest bastard on the planet.
  • erichansa, on 07/18/2008, -95/+8Hi, i like your topics and add you as my friend. Can I be your friend too so that we can share other good stories?
  • UntouchableC, on 07/18/2008, -41/+219Microsoft has provided a supior quality, unified service for the past 6 years and I've had no problems paying for it.

    £240 or $300 I have paid in total for XBox Live in total. They've always provided services the other consoles have yet comprehensively better. Its only since the past 12 months (XMB release more so) have I felt hard done by.

    Either way...this is one of the first articles on digg I've read in a while, that is unique, unbias, unsensationalist (wha?) and more importantly well thought out...even if I don't completely agree with your views.

    If I could I'd digg it twice.
    • TheTaoOfBill, on 07/19/2008, -22/+17Though it has been a quality service the problem is Sony was catching up in quality and charging nothing for it. Xbox live definitely needed a makeover to justify the price.
      • thebza451, on 07/19/2008, -10/+36playstation network is nowhere NEAR XBL.. i have both systems, and i can tell you i was thinking they might be close after the last (botched) update 1.40 and then 1.41, but really it's pretty lackluster. they have a looooong ways to go to catch up to the XBL service.
      • Gutterpunk, on 07/19/2008, -15/+8"Catching up in quality"? XBL has been pretty much the same since launch. Why would Sony need to catch up to anything if it's possible to get it (nearly) right the first time?
      • staticneuron, on 07/19/2008, -19/+12How on earth is the PSN nowhere near it? MP games? no lag. Perfect. I am not sure what you are thinking of but they PSN is already better than the XBL.
      • Rustiga, on 07/19/2008, -5/+15Definitely not, it's still possible to cheat in CoD4 and Vegas 2 on PSN..I know cause I do it.
      • spikes, on 07/19/2008, -0/+8I have a problem paying for a service thats ad ridden yes. Microsoft should remove the stupid ads for all paying gold subscribers. This is the whole point of ad supported "free" here.
      • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -1/+2Perhaps having the option of removing ads is okay, but I like to know what's new on XBL, so the "ads" are welcome here.
      • Melodik, on 07/19/2008, -1/+3This thread is full of stupid and fanboy.
    • hpdarkman525, on 07/19/2008, -15/+37How is a post on the website "xboxfocus.com" about how great Xbox Live is unbiased?
      • urbano35, on 07/19/2008, -5/+20The author of the post actually had issues with the system in the first place. Didn't you hear any of his criticism?
      • Myonosken, on 07/19/2008, -3/+2As amazing as it may seem, bias isn't a requisite on a site.
      • estvir, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1Oh no, the domain says Xbox, they're inherently biased! You people are so shallow and stupid, sometimes.
    • imacbook, on 07/19/2008, -1/+27Haha, I've paid £9.99 every year and I'm prepaid until 2010. I went to Toys R Us when they were selling off their original Live starter kits and it has definitely paid off for me. I've paid a fraction of what you have.
      • Quicksilver4648, on 07/19/2008, -0/+10Truly jealous. I bet you made a killing on eBay (or other places) selling all of the stuff in the packs you didn't need.
      • imacbook, on 07/19/2008, -0/+12The funny thing was I got a message saying I can't add any more time to my account because I have too much :D
      • kawaiirobo, on 07/19/2008, -0/+6I did a similar thing with Wii points at walmart. They were selling off Wii accessory kits after Christmas that retailed for around $25 and had a Wii glove and a points card, for about $6 a piece. The only drawback is I have a pile of Wii gloves since I can't bring myself to throw them away.
    • 007isbond1, on 07/19/2008, -21/+2hmm.. u say this is the first article on digg you've read for a while..

      in your profile.. u commented on quite a few articles just one day before..
      " Comment in News (-2 diggs, 1 reply) - on 07/18/2008 "
      " Comment in News (4 diggs, 3 replies) - on 07/18/2008"

      soo.. im just pointing this out because i dont want innocent diggers to start believing a defiant, lying member's comments..
      • Haax, on 07/19/2008, -0/+13Dolt, he said it's the first *unique, unbias, unsensationalist* article he's read in a while.
      • urbano35, on 07/19/2008, -0/+7Haha you actually went to his profile to prove your point :P.
      • UntouchableC, on 07/19/2008, -2/+2Thumbs up for the effort.....

        Thumbs down for stopping mid-sentence to try and prove me wrong...
      • kawaiirobo, on 07/19/2008, -1/+2Dude, going to his profile to list comments is a whole new level of nerd, you're the kind of person that just perpetuates the stereotypes.
    • Mossmaal, on 07/19/2008, -1/+4create a second account :P
    • WallyAnti, on 07/19/2008, -17/+16"Microsoft has provided a supior quality, unified service for the past 6 years and I've had no problems paying for it."

      You've apparently not come from PC gaming land where this sort of superior quality comes for free as an incentive to get you to buy more games and play them more often. MS even ran their own free PC gaming service which was far superior to XBOX live in a few ways including the ability to setup your own game room instead of hoping to get a good game or fiddling with setting up matches with friends (thinks of the overly complicated GTAIV multiplayer hoops.) Multiplayer matchmaking should be more flexible for the gamer, but far more standardized. That way you don't have to relearn how the multiplayer system works every time you buy a game.

      Thus showing they could have done this for free as well. The exclusion of the mod community is unforgivable as well.

      I haven't used the service yet, but excluding Netflix, I haven't heard anything new and exciting yet.

      Also, why do I have to have a little icon come up every time a friend comes online? That's stupid. Just give me a damn easily accessible buddy list on the X button. It's not like MS didn't have two decades worth of IRC, AoL IM, and the like to get inspiration from.

      • Cheesasaurus, on 07/19/2008, -2/+13You can shut off the option to have the icon come up every time a friend comes online. Although I don't see why you'd cite AIM as an example of how to "do it right", since it also has an icon (and an annoying noise) whenever a friend signs on, signs off, or takes a *****.
      • IronPwnage, on 07/19/2008, -4/+4GTAIV complicated? Probably one of the easiest games to go online with.
      • Galaxylander, on 07/19/2008, -1/+3You know I really absolutely adore run on sentences because run on sentences are great and punctuation is only imaginary we don't need punctuation in the first long sentence because it is stupid and run on sentences are great and we shouldn't try to prevent our run on sentences from being run on sentences.

        Run on sentences run on sentences run on sentences run on sentences.
      • WallyAnti, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1Eat me grammar nazi. We're talking on the internet here, not writing a book. But I bet you speak in paragraph form as well huh?
    • WallyAnti, on 07/19/2008, -15/+12Multiplayer gaming on Live is nothing different from what is being done on PC's so there's not excuse for it not to be free.

      I used to play Jedi Knight on MS Gaming zone for free so I know they can do it. I think most people think that MS is actually hosting their games for them. They are not. All they are doing is providing a chat client with the capability to match people up for games. After that your bandwidth is doing all the real work bc you (or one of your friends) is hosting. But console gamers have never been the crowd that have to "think" about things in order to get them working so it doesn't surprise me that MS can pull this wool over their eyes. And the biggest deal is that the XBOX 360 IS a PC. It's just been crippled so much that it's unrecognizable as one.

      You are paying 50 bucks a year for a chatroom service people.
      • hmunkey, on 07/19/2008, -7/+9You're paying several hundred, if not thousand dollars more for a gaming pc, people.
      • DMDekoth, on 07/19/2008, -1/+4It IS different, in one key way.

        NO DEDICATED SERVERS!

        And that's terrible.
      • Katana314, on 07/19/2008, -4/+7hmunkey: How did you type that message from your Xbox 360?
        Simple. You didn't. You own a PC.
        Pay $200 for a newer graphics card and you are up to par. Done deal, LESS money paid than the 360.
      • modifiedbears, on 07/19/2008, -0/+3Multiplayer gaming on Live is different because of the party system Bungie invented. It has slowly made it's way into other games too. Starting off a match with both teams filled, at the exact same moment, is priceless. Scrolling through a list of servers hoping you get into a match before it's filled or jumping in on a game more than half way done is retarded. It amazes me how slowly the party system has made it's way into other games.

        @DMDekoth
        That's true for the majority of the games, but Battlefield Bad Company does use dedicated servers.
      • Kanten, on 07/20/2008, -1/+2>You're paying several hundred, if not thousand dollars more for a gaming pc, people.

        And you're paying just as much if not more for a 360 and an HDTV for a comparable experience to a PC.

        Nobody has paid "thousands more" unless they sucker themselves into prebuilts.
      • WallyAnti, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1modifiedbears

        I'm not impressed by this party system. I like to have more control over what type of game I want to play. GTA IV is an example of that lack of control. I stopped playing that game online because I couldn't control the type of game I wanted to play. I would setup my game just to get booted as host bc some band of merry douche bags want to play classic deathmatch w/o cars w/ autoaim, on Happiness Island. LAME.

        Just let me set up my own ***** gaming room. Let me control what's going on. If others want the option to turn their brain off and let the console think for them... then sure give them the option. But don't force me to play a game I don't really want to.

        COD4, also could have been waaaay better if you could control the variables for multiplayer action. And that is the biggest problem with Live. No modder community to give us the things the game devs don't have time to implement.

        And hmunky , I NEED a computer, but I definitely don't need a 360. Also you cannot upgrade a 360's video card, you cannot replace the parts when they eventually fail on a piece by piece basis. You can't even open the damn case until the warranty expires. By the time you get done with it you've paid about as much for a good desktop gaming rig... which is what the XBOX is. It's just crammed into a case that's too small to allow proper ventilation.

        I've had my PC for 8 years, I don't expect as much from my 360.
    • phenom2k7, on 07/19/2008, -3/+1If you're that eager register another account my friend. Haven't you seen How to master the Internet?
    • diegogarcia12, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3"£240 or $300". What's that, Antiguan Dollars?

      £240 is $480 ish.
      • westy280, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1bump from a US cit studying abroad in UK; currency conversion is roughly 2:1 dollars:pound and it blows
      • Myonosken, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2Don't forget six years ago the dollar wasn't totally ***** so it was closer to 1.4:1
      • UntouchableC, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1Last time I checked...US 12 Month Gold Account was not $80...

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live#Pricing_and ...

        People! People! People! Please remember to engage your brain before you try to pick apart my post...
    • Tahiri, on 07/19/2008, -10/+5I disagree. last gen I felt Live was superior to PS2s offerings, but not this gen. PSN is vastly superior. It's free for starters. It uses dedicated servers, Live uses peer to peer. Meaning PSN gets superior in-game performance which is why you play online in the first place.
      • Spymodhf, on 07/19/2008, -3/+7You forgot to mention it gets rock band tracks 2 days later and goes down unannounced sporadically.
      • Myonosken, on 07/19/2008, -5/+4I've can't remember ever having had lag in a game that was caused by the server in the past two years...

        Also, have fun when developers decide they want players to move on to their latest game and shut off their servers, see MGS3 on PS2.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/19/2008, -4/+5Fortunately, the PSN also allows for P2P multiplayer, so studios don't have to have any dedicated servers if they choose and multiplayer will still work.

        and it's still free.
      • Kanten, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1>You forgot to mention it gets rock band tracks 2 days later and goes down unannounced sporadically.

        At least my PS3 has never red ringed.
    • UntouchableC, on 07/19/2008, -4/+1Yeah I used to be a Half-Life, TFC, CS 1.5 and Black & White nut (real old I know). The PC experience hasn't always been as straight forward and perfect as your making out.

      Example, I remember begging other members for change to support the clan server.Just because your not paying for the server, it doesn't make it completely free.

      The messaging accounts/programs I had to use while gaming (Trillian, mIRC, Speakeasy) especially the assholes who were not on quakenet.

      I moved to Xbox because I was like 14-15 at the time and mummy couldnt afford to repeatedly upgrade my PC...

      Dont get it confused though, I really miss the mod community, dedicated servers and the professionalism of PC gaming, amongst other things. Paying for new maps always suck, when concjump maps were free. But it really is the unified service that's kept me on XBox Live. My 6 year old friendlist. The invites and ease of switching games. Online Boxing, football, fighting, card games, Gotham TV etc. Matchmaking is always an underestimated feature and an "adequate" (considering) alternative to custom game searches, its just been around for so long people forget about it. Not to mention the amount of months burned with friends doing 4 player split-screen Halo 2.

      It's my bad though, I should have been clearer... in my comment I should've said "Xbox Live's superiority to other consoles". I dont see PC gaming as better or worse than Live, they've both treated me well over the years.....PC online is just just a different approach to online gaming.

    • megamod, on 07/19/2008, -5/+2yeah x-box 360 is indeed "supior"...
    • thatsmyaibo, on 07/19/2008, -3/+5What service do they provide again? I have to pay to host my own games? Voice chat is done free over services like team speak. Messaging? I have yet to see where the cost of Live goes. I am excited about the new dashboard but my Live expired last month and I'm not going to renew. As long as people pay it, they will keep charging you for nothing.

      Sony is catching up with their online capabilities and provides free dedicated servers for online muliplayer.
      • Cloud7654, on 07/19/2008, -2/+2That's the whole point of this article. Yeah, while we were just paying for Multiplayer and a dedicated Friends List up until this update, now it's justified because there's tons new features like streaming from Netflix, Xbox Primetime, and more things that none of the competitors currently offer.
      • thatsmyaibo, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1@cloud

        I read the article. Read my post again. I pay for Netflix...why should I have to pay MS to stream my movies? It's still not worth it but as long as the parents of 13 year olds keep buying it as xmas gifts, it will always be this way. PS3 might not have as good of an online service but they are doing the right thing.
    • senatorpjt, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1"£240 or $300 I have paid in total for XBox Live in total."

      Yeah, and everyone else who bought a 360 because the PS3 was "too expensive".
    • IKORKYI, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1chistmas day '07
  • bblex82, on 07/18/2008, -26/+12Although I like the avatar idea, Im not sure if I like that xbox is basically copying the Wii, and the reason i have an xbox is because it was different than any other system.
    • sadsadrobot, on 07/19/2008, -5/+20Not because of the plethora of games, superb graphics, and online community?
      • theaceoffire, on 07/19/2008, -6/+7Games and graphics, yes... but the online community (At least the Halo one) tends to be... well, not desirable.

        Its hard to enjoy yourself when you hear a constant stream of hate, racism, and homophobia...
      • B1663r, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2You need to change your zone...
      • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1There are plenty of assholes in every zone.
  • santasing, on 07/18/2008, -22/+6But won't we still have to pay the $50 + $120 for the netflix thing.

    $120 / $5 = 24 movies in HD. Maybe more than double that in DVD quality. I myself have Netflix (it has some BBC shows and other movies that I can't get elsewhere), so it is useful for me, but for someone wanting to subscribe to Netflix after this announcement, I think just renting them from a video store might be equally cost effective.
    • matt247, on 07/19/2008, -4/+15Can't you afford $9 a month for unlimited movies and tv shows? You could also be paying less for cable/satellite if you choose less channels and just watch the new tv shows on Netflix.
      • Ipexx, on 07/19/2008, -4/+4 Matt247 I have to agree with you. I just checked out netflix $9 for unlimited hours wow.
    • santasing, on 07/19/2008, -6/+2As i said I have Netflix, the $15 plan. So, I am already paying around $180 / year.

      All I am saying is that, the current Live store offers better option as far as movies you can watch for $120, which even for HD movies should be about 28 movies or so. Netflix streaming quality is really bad.
      • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1XBL has only a handful of mainstream movies that aren't worth watching, in my opinion.

        Netflix is welcome to XBL, especially since my brother is going to shell out the cash for the Netflix while I watch for free (excluding subscription to XBL) in party mode.
  • Wiinii, on 07/18/2008, -28/+16"To me the fifty smackolas a year has been a rip-off for features as inexpensive and basic as what Microsoft has offered."

    Nothing comes close to Live, not even now after years of being the best. I would gladly pay $50 a year to have the same features on the Wii or PS3.

    Buried as inaccurate. I would bury it twice if I could.
    • latova, on 07/18/2008, -10/+20PC has had online gaming for decades, and live doesn't even come close. Plus it all costs nothing.
      • Wiinii, on 07/18/2008, -27/+5You spend way more than $50 a year to play on PC too, in hardware alone. Unless you are playing old games or the same game only.

        Does it really have the features of Xbox 360, hell no. A PC in general can have more, but not in one easy to navigate place that never gets a BSOD. RROD maybe, but...nevermind.

      • latova, on 07/19/2008, -15/+9Lets say you buy another console every 6 years. so thats 300 dollars in xbox live fees, and 400 dollars for a console. 700 dollars minimum altogether, which does not include extra accessories you buy (controllers, batteries, chargepacks) or any arcade games that you buy that you can easily get the equivalent by going on the internet.

        700 dollars is more than enough to allow you to upgrade your computer TWICE during the 6 year period, and you don't even need to upgrade that often. You already have a computer because you're on digg.

        Does it have the features of Xbox 360? Lets see. Voicechat? Check. Playing games? Check. Universal Friends list? Check (steam). But with PC, you can also mod, have far more space for your content, better controls for FPS games, etc.

        So PC is actually cheaper and better quality than a 360. Who would of thought.
      • matt247, on 07/19/2008, -6/+7There are a different variety of games that are on the 360 and some don't ever make it to the PC. So it really depends on what types of game you like to play.
      • HolyChimp, on 07/19/2008, -8/+4@latova: except Steam isn't universal. It only works for steam games. Yeah, most of the time you can get the overlay on non-Steam games (damn you sins of a solar empire) but it won't tell you if our friends are playing non-Steam games. It doesn't give you universal matchmaking across all titles either.

        And 700 dollars is only just going to cover your video card, never mind the new mobo, PSU, memory, OS and so on. And bull ***** at twice, unless the UK is getting shafted more than I expect, but my new PC cost £500, which is around $1000, but the same parts could have been had in the US for about $700-800. And that was skimping on my processor.
      • blahtastic, on 07/19/2008, -5/+4It doesn't ALL cost nothing. Lots of the biggest games run monthly fees far steeper than xbox's ~$4 a month, and that's just for one game.
      • indigit4l, on 07/19/2008, -4/+5The PC is better than a crappy 360, everyone knows. @blahtastic: "The biggest games..." Negative. You can only mean a few games in one particular genre of games, MMORPG. I don't pay monthly for any games and I'm a PC gamer. Counter-strike, The Orange Box, Mass Effect, Crysis, Bioshock... etc. Plus strategy games which console players aren't capable of playing (for one reason or another).
      • theaceoffire, on 07/19/2008, -1/+2@ matt247

        Not trying to be snarky, but umm... what 360 games are not out for PC?

        I figured MS was pushing all their games to both since they pretty much *own* the PC market...
      • ExRe, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3It only costs nothing if the game manufacturer doesn't have to setup a server themselves for it. Otherwise that cost will come from the sale made and if they ever decide to take down the server, no more online for you (unless somebody else is willing to pay to put together a server and everybody cracks their game).
      • HypocriteDigg, on 07/19/2008, -3/+2You're an idiot. PC has had NOTHING like Live. Goddamn fanboy.
      • Celios, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1"it won't tell you if our friends are playing non-Steam games". Why is Steam telling me one of my friends is playing Guild Wars right now? Is it broken? :(
  • dha07030, on 07/19/2008, -3/+138I have seen it said before but it needs repeating. I would pay MORE if only to keep the kids from annoying the ***** out of me.
    • Snakedal337, on 07/19/2008, -0/+32Two tier service? 21+ and 21 Under? Could be a good idea actually. Toss an AO Rating on the Upper tier cards and hope the kiddies parents don't buy it :)
      • theaceoffire, on 07/19/2008, -0/+29"MATURE : Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language."

        And yet we see lots of younger kids playing Halo 3. Why would it be different if we set up two tiers? All of them would just lie and get onto the "over 21" level.

        ******EDIT*****
        I KNOW! We fill the level for 21+ with porn!
        THAT Would stop almost all adults from letting the kids play that tier!
      • unorginalityftw, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1321 Under? Don't leave me with them! *clings to Snake's leg*
      • Blandyman, on 07/19/2008, -6/+3Yes, please. Take me with you! I'm 17 but I sure as ***** don't play like those annoying kids.

        How about a pitch recorder you have to pass to get into the older section? If your voice is deeper than say, Michael Clarke Duncan, you're in.

        But if you're above Chris Tucker, you automatically get banned from Xbox Live.

        Sorry, vaginas. You better start smoking them cigarettes and get that voice a few octaves down.
      • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -2/+2You're the reason my girlfriend hates XBL.
      • perceptron, on 07/19/2008, -0/+6the solution is instead of just going based on age, people should be able to vote on maturity level of each player and if enough people agree that certain 25 years old douche bag acts like 13 years old then that's credible. At the same time if some kid is actually more mature then he should be bumped up and you get to choose whether you want to have maturity filter on/off.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1Yeah, we all know you can't lie about your age on the internet.
      • eyefork2, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2So all the kids would say they are over 21, and all the pedos would say they are under 21. I can't really see this working out, as good of an idea that it is.
    • thebza451, on 07/19/2008, -0/+11amen to that
    • RRJackson, on 07/19/2008, -2/+24There's nothing that pulls me out of having a great time playing CTF than some kid popping me with a sniper rifle and then going on about how I've been "pwned" and how pathetic all the "dickless noobs" in the room are for the next 20 minutes. Dude, I don't do this for a living. I do it to have some fun from time to time. Maybe if I spent 18 hours a day coming up with new ways to use the extended character set to spell my name I might have the same kind of testosterone thing going on...but I don't. When I was your age I had an Atari 2600.
      • Nitescape, on 07/19/2008, -2/+8Never heard of MUTE?
        All games offer it on 360.

      • v0yeur, on 07/19/2008, -7/+2you see, the advantage of having a weaker online experience (PS3), is that you have fewer people and therefore the odds of playing against asshats are greatly decreased.

        It's a Lose-Win situation!

        /cry
      • Boooohjoke, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1I've seen many, many more of these types of kids that are annoying as ***** on the PSN nowadays...why can't I go back to the days of last summer playing Resistance with decent people.
    • SSUK, on 07/19/2008, -1/+10Needs to be a "Is 13 years old and likes hip-hop" option in the "File a complaint for this user" form. There also needs to be an automatic filter to stop all gamertags with the words: "Naruto", "Kawaii" and any name ending in "-zza" or more than two numeric digits to be allowed to communicate with everyone else on Xbox Live.
      • davelendl, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2also, anybody using a "voice filter" that sounds like a robot
        and anyone who has conversations with people in the real world with their mic still on

        12 year old kid: "HANG ON MOM, I'LL BE UP IN 6 MINUTES!!" (with the "robot" filter on so we almost can't tell he hasn't gone through puberty)
        everyone else: "... please destroy your mic"
        12 year old kid: "SHUT UP NOOB, I PWN YOU!"

        mute is my savior
      • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -0/+4The problem with mute is that while I'm fumbling through the menu trying to find the kid, some guy can walk right up behind me and have his way with me.

        And on top of that, if I want to avoid a player AND file a complaint, I have to spend three times as long navigating menus. The whole process needs to be streamlined.
      • RRJackson, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1Yeah, there should be some kind of AI that recognizes words like "pwn" or "noob" and autobans. ;-)
    • IronPwnage, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1There is an option to mute you know. And it's not even that hard, press X on the person you want to mute on Halo 3, and A to mute the person on Cod4. Other games, just view their Gamertag, press right trigger so you go straight to the bottom of the list and press A to mute them.
    • daspacepirate, on 07/19/2008, -0/+6Get off my lawn you damn kids!
    • Signa91, on 07/19/2008, -0/+3yea, $50 a year for babysitting is handy-dandy.
    • Lixie, on 07/19/2008, -0/+9Just play after midnight. It's pretty much adults only and you can laugh at the drunks and stoners.
  • LimeParrot, on 07/19/2008, -7/+219I'm not sure if I agree. Avatars look lame and us Australians don't get Netflix nor the gimmicky 1v100 crap (etc.) We still don't get to download any videos off the marketplace. We have to play with fellow Australians (and New Zealanders) otherwise unacceptable lag. And did I mention the RRP for a year of Xbox Live is $99AUS for us? Yep, double the US, even though, currently, 1US dollar = 0.98AUS dollar.
    [Disclaimer: In terms of pricing, Australia gets federally ***** in every aspect of gaming, and not just in Xbox Live. Games and consoles are also double here.]

    I think Microsoft Australia needs to make up its mind. Either give us the full promised service, or charge us less. I think the situation is, currently, very unfair.
    • rebirf, on 07/19/2008, -56/+8Well it's not Microsofts fault you live in a ***** country.
      • PopASquatt, on 07/19/2008, -3/+26A country that ranks higher than yours on the human development index.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Ind ...
      • Mossmaal, on 07/19/2008, -8/+3Oh yes Australia is such a horrible country *ducks of to go to the beach, while on unlimited government welfare*
      • MakinBacon, on 07/19/2008, -2/+13This from a guy who lives in Arkansas. Banjo-playing inbred swine!
      • Cloud7654, on 07/19/2008, -1/+4Australia is actually a beautiful country. I dunno how the conditions are if you live there, but I took a trip to Australia two years ago and it was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I loved it there.
    • speel, on 07/19/2008, -25/+1Zoolander?
    • LeviTheSmith, on 07/19/2008, -2/+32"[Disclaimer: In terms of pricing, Australia gets federally ***** in every aspect of gaming, and not just in Xbox Live. Games and consoles are also double here.]"
      I have to agree with this. New games here that I want to buy for my PS3 cost around $100/$115(I'm not sure if it is the same for 360/Wii)


      And on top of stupid prices, we don't even get R rated games(Thank you OFLC). The original 60GB PS3 on launch cost $1000. If I wanted to purchase a new DS3 controller it would cost me $99 from EB Games
      (source: http://ebgames.com.au/PS3/product.cfm?ID=11163 )

      We also get ripped off on most other things in the Tech industry.
      Want an iPhone? Have a look at Telstras pricing for it: http://www.telstra.com.au/nextgnetwork/ipricing.ht ...
      WOW! Only $119 for 3GB of downloads!


      Sometimes.. I hate living in Australia :(
      • MarsSentinel, on 07/19/2008, -0/+31That and the deadly spiders/snakes/ants/lizards/diseases. Australia...YAY!
      • LeviTheSmith, on 07/19/2008, -2/+39We ride Kangaroos to school here.
      • vpxx, on 07/19/2008, -0/+8play-asia.com is the solution in your case. everything there should be much cheaper than those prices that you've listed.
      • AchaIemoipas, on 07/19/2008, -0/+12You mean you can't even purchase R rated games???

        That's sick.
      • andysa, on 07/19/2008, -0/+9Or if you don't choose a data pack for your iPhone Telstra will charge you $2 per Mb.

        I worked for Telstra for a bit and saw more than a few poor bastards with $10K bills for the month for using internet through their phone.
      • LeviTheSmith, on 07/19/2008, -0/+6@ vpxx: I am aware of Play-Asia, I've bought many things from there :D I was just commenting on how we get ripped all the time lol

        @ Achalemoipas: If a game gets rated by the OFLC, it won't be sold here. GTA IV for example was rated R by the OFLC so R* had to edit the game for us. Now we have a version of GTA IV that is cut and crap. We can however purchase them from online stores such as http://www.play-asia.com for cheaper
      • Lachlan91, on 07/19/2008, -0/+4@MarsSentinal: Don't forget the drop bears. And the hoop snakes.

        @Thread

        It's basically because we're an island, seperated from everywhere else by vast oceans. We *could* trade some of our uranium for cheaper games...
    • Dundasbro, on 07/19/2008, -0/+33Oh an Australian gaming comment thread! Don't forget how ***** over we get in terms of release dates, months and months after every other ***** continent for no adequate reason.
    • snackalacka, on 07/19/2008, -0/+15Double? I knew it was bad, but that's outrageous. What is the justification for the discrepancy in pricing?
      • LeviTheSmith, on 07/19/2008, -0/+16Because we get shafted on everything.
      • Prathik89, on 07/19/2008, -0/+13supposedly cause we don't have any competitors in aus.
      • LeviTheSmith, on 07/19/2008, -0/+5Probably^^
      • grandinferno, on 07/19/2008, -1/+2Economies of scale people. Sure, we should be getting things cheaper but that the end of the day the Aussie population is 20mill. The US is near (if not more than) 300mill. Infrastructure needs to be setup, etc and that costs money. But yeah... it'd be nice if things were a bit cheaper.
    • badenglishihave, on 07/19/2008, -0/+15Dugg for "federally *****."
    • Inohavehalos, on 07/19/2008, -1/+5You're absolutely right. Avatars ARE lame.
    • eaglered00, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1Isn't everything more expensive in Australia due to the socialist government. I remember I traveled there and it just seem like everything was more expensive more even with the currency change (back then it was $.75 for every US $1) Even so paying double for video games seems like a rip off.
      • LucianSolaris, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1yea, and now Australia is a bunch of disarmed sheep who can never defeat their own government.

        don't let it happen in America!
    • Andrwmorph, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1Yeah but you have Kangaroos and silly voices!
  • TimAllanCard, on 07/19/2008, -25/+0Anyone else think it's strange that it's netflix and not gamefly? There's nothing wrong with netflix but this is a gaming console, wouldn't gamefly just make more sense?
    • Tob3z, on 07/19/2008, -0/+11Wow you're smart. This is video rentals. Not games.
    • calibration, on 07/19/2008, -0/+15What? You want streaming movies from Gamefly? -.-
    • digglet08, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAH
  • magicaltrevor, on 07/19/2008, -13/+97The reasons he gave for the price justification are all available without paying for a Gold membership. The $50/year for P2P gaming is still a ripoff.
    • solesoul, on 07/19/2008, -10/+17Its also seriously the only reason I have yet to get a 360. I just cant justify paying for that in my mind.
    • nunofgs, on 07/19/2008, -5/+23Finally someone is making sense! I paid for an xbox live vision camera and I have to fork over 50€ a year to make video calls with it? utter *****.

      IMHO: videochat and multiplayer should be free. All that netflix and primetime crap should be paid as those are extra features most of the world will not have.
    • WallyAnti, on 07/19/2008, -9/+17Yeah, I don't pay for things that I've grown accustomed to getting for free just because it's bundled with a bunch of ***** that I don't even want for 50 bucks. All I want is online multiplayer games. Since I'm hosting the games half the time all MS is getting that 50 buck for is setting up what is essentially a more shiny chat service.

      What gets me even more is that there are so many MS fanboys out there who are all to happy to get raped and will decry you for complaints of being sore. People are really getting weird these days. I remember when we used to argue for our own interests.

      So the overall trend I've noticed with MS is attempts to get people to pay for things that used to be free by playing on as if they are "extra features".
      • battletrax, on 07/19/2008, -8/+4 I bet you pay the same for cable every month. Except with cable you get commercials every 10 minutes.

        Don't be a cheap sony fanboy. While sony has free online, you seem to forget the console was $599 when it came out. Compared to the $400 360.

        $200 saved = 4 years of xbox live.

        So the overall trend I've noticed with Sony is that they attempt to get people to pay more than the competitor for "extra features".
      • Spliced88, on 07/19/2008, -0/+4Who has mentioned Sony?

        Don't try to rationalize your purchases.
      • Kanten, on 07/20/2008, -0/+3>Don't be a cheap sony fanboy. While sony has free online, you seem to forget the console was $599 when it came out.

        Wow, digging into the closet of tired insults I see.
      • WallyAnti, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2@ battletrax

        Nice straw man you've got there. I've never owned a playstation 1, 2, or 3. I don't buy Sony either. Due to their DRM crap I think they deserve to go out of business. The last console I owned was the N64. I now own a 360, but really since it does ALMOST everything a typical PC does, I don't consider it a console. It just annoys me how right they could have gotten this.

        I am, however, a long time PC gamer. That's why I have a clue as to how Live works. In retrospect I feel as if I should have thrown the money into a new laptop. I hate hate hate controllers. Those thumb-sticks just suck for FPS bc every FPS I've played on Live has some form of autoaim... which is always cheating.
    • BurntToast, on 07/19/2008, -12/+7I don't know... I don't think $3.77 a month is too expensive at all.
    • battletrax, on 07/19/2008, -6/+7Seriously its not that expensive.
    • eyefork2, on 07/19/2008, -4/+6It's not that expensive to play multiplayer on the PC either. Because it's absolutely free.
      • utahnkid, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3You must live with mommy still.

        Some of us actually spent the $1000+ on our gaming capable computers, hundreds for the games, and $50 bucks a month for broadband access.

        So no, it's absolutely opposite of free.
      • eyefork2, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2What does the price of the platform, games, internet, and for the hell of it, food, electricity, all the necessities to live have to do with the price of XBL? So you don't have to pay for games and internet with a 360? We could keep this up forever...at least think out your argument before starting it. You pay $50 a year to play online, I pay nothing to play online. It doesn't get much simpler than that.
  • PurgueFlantar, on 07/19/2008, -15/+9So you have to pay a subscription fee for XBOX? Netflix on XBOX, which sounds awesome, is an extra fee on top? Explain.
    • ajocksch, on 07/19/2008, -0/+7The Netflix on XBox is free, assuming you have a) an Xbox live account, and b) a qualifying Netflix account.
    • HappyScrappy, on 07/19/2008, -3/+6Xbox Netflix doesn't work on Xbox Live Silver accounts. So you need a gold account, which is about $50/year.
      • DMDekoth, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2Two people buried you.. so I'm wondering if HappyScrappy is wrong? Will it work on Silver?
      • HappyScrappy, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2No, it won't work on silver.

        http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/events/e32008/ ...

        'This movie-watching innovation will be available to Xbox LIVE® Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers'
      • Shaflugi, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2Wait, you need to be a Netflix subscriber AND an XBL Gold subscriber? That's much less awesome than I thought.
      • thatsmyaibo, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2Again, MS charging you for nothing. I pay for Netflix and I have to pay to have MS stream it? Thanks but no thanks. Most of the online Netflix rentals are from like 1949 anyways.
  • xZeddx, on 07/19/2008, -11/+6Since broadband is slowly becoming more prevalent, why not add a feature similar to GameFly? Not knocking on Microsoft for integrating Netflix, but a direct-delivery service would appear more logical. Imagine not having to sit in a line on release day for a game you might not get then wasting gas driving from store to store.
    • blahtastic, on 07/19/2008, -2/+10Even the 120 gig hard drive wouldn't hold a lot of games. They're like what, 7ish gigs now? You only get like 110 of that 120 to actually use, so about 15.

      I guess that wouldn't be terrible, but if I needed more space and had to delete something I'd never feel like waiting for 7 gigs to dld to play it again.

      Rather have the physical disc, thanks.
    • ExRe, on 07/19/2008, -1/+15They already do. It's called XBL Arcade. They also have a section for old Xbox titles like Halo.
    • B1663r, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2Yeah, looking at where Microsoft is going with the xbox, digital distribution of games is obviously coming.
  • Zpanzer, on 07/19/2008, -2/+28Just add a netflix like service for us in the EU and I'll be happy >_>
    • , on 07/19/2008, -0/+1Seconded, sadly I don't think it will happen with netflix ...

      "Netflix had preliminary plans to expand to Canada and the UK in 2005, but the expansion appears to have been postponed or cancelled as Netflix concentrates its services on the U.S. market."

      Our chances are with a partnership with either amazon or lovefilm.
    • HolyChimp, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1I don't think anyone offers streaming movies in the UK. Just checked LoveFilm and Blockbuster and neither seems to mention it on their site. Bugger.
  • Comms, on 07/19/2008, -21/+4xbox live is *****.
  • goodnewsevery1, on 07/19/2008, -12/+12Dispatch a MS person to fix that Cap locks key please
  • leo78, on 07/19/2008, -6/+47"I'm now paying a premium for great, premium service: Netflix sharing, Live Parties, Primetime, and Avatars."

    No your paying for Netflix (if you already use it), Live parties (basically multi-chat which it should of already had), and Primetime (quizes)

    Those Avitars will be forced on everyone even Silver users. And as a grown man I don't want to play with virtual dolls.

    So as someone who doesn't get in to multiplayer games it is still worthless.
    • MasterGrief, on 07/19/2008, -1/+4Multi-chat was in the first Xbox Live. I was pretty irritated when I found it had been inexplicably removed from the 360 version.
    • GeckoSlayer, on 07/19/2008, -2/+14I'd pay $50 a year for everyone in the world to notice the difference between "your" and "you're."
      • leo78, on 07/19/2008, -2/+4All apologies for a the mistake.
        I forgot that the grammar police are all over Digg, and are grading it like exams.

        I promise to never do it again.
      • twiztidsinz, on 07/19/2008, -4/+8It's not about people being grammar police...
        It's about people being too stupid or too lazy to bother using things "Your" or "You're" and "Their" or "There" properly. It's not difficult... a second grade concept? and yet so many people seem to struggle with it.

        I understand in casual conversation with your friends you can get away with using something like "so wat u do this weekend?", and while this might be a casual discussion forum (unless you think that the internet is serious business) we aren't your friends, so making those little grammatical errors is often times our first impressions of you. And if you're trying to make a point when you make those mistakes it just shows a lack of intelligence or that you do not care enough to form your arguments properly, implying that you most likely don't care enough to have good information on the topic.
      • leo78, on 07/19/2008, -4/+3twiztidsinz:

        Sorry I don't take my posts on digg as seriously as you seem to.
      • Majink, on 07/20/2008, -2/+1@leo78

        It's not about taking Digg posts seriously, It's about taking the written word (or typed in this case) seriously and taking pride in what you put to paper for others to read. If someone can't capitalize correctly, uses the wrong tenses and the wrong forms of "your" and "you're" in a consistent matter I will be able to quite rightly presume they are either educated to a very low degree or possibly incredibly lazy. As for English being a second language then it is perfectly understandable when someone misrepresents "your" and "you're" but it is not inexcusable.
      • Darksoul, on 07/21/2008, -1/+2I don't know which of you is more of a loser "twiztidsinz" or "majink", you both come off like you are a bunch of douchebags that get off on making people feel like *****. Seriously what the ***** do you care how he spells something or has bad grammar it seemed to me you understood what he was saying and yes it is about being "grammar police" or taking Digg posts seriously especially when the fact is you only attacked him because you didn't like his opinion on what the 360 is doing.

        You two talk about arguments but yet you added nothing to what he said yes he may of miss spelled or used bad grammar as to which I am guilty of right now but if you two seriously think that makes you two better then him then I seriously pitty you. You two showed more of a lack of "intelligence" and you didn't even talk about anything he said. How great you two must be to come online and insult some ones "intelligence" and act superior good job. Now scamper off little trolls and get some friends.
    • FlyinWhee, on 07/19/2008, -1/+3You're free not to go for the avatars and keep using your gamer pics, Mr. Grown man.
      • leo78, on 07/19/2008, -0/+2Really, Where did you see that?

        Every thing I've seen, even on Major Nelson's site has been a main avatar and your gamer pic in the upper right corner.

        I could be wrong, and you have an inside source, but I can only speak on what has been let out.
  • jdaniel284, on 07/19/2008, -5/+187So this guy hated XBox Live and thought the $50 a year was being "raped", Microsoft adds Miis and Netflix support, and now this guy sees the clouds part with beams of sunshine and angelic voices singing hymns and praises? I don't buy it. This guy loved XBox Live before the update and he still loves it.
    • bmdubya, on 07/19/2008, -0/+10I think it is funny that you he is praising Microsoft for including Netflix, but you have to be a Netflix subscriber to use it. And if you look at Netflix's site, $9 a month is the cheapest plan that gets you unlimited streaming movies on your PC. And I'm guessing you will have to have unlimited streaming to use the 360 feature. So you pay $108 a year, double that of Xbox Live, to use the Netflix feature. Of course I'm just saying this is for people who don't have a Netflix account yet, like me.
    • ammundsen, on 07/19/2008, -3/+3This guy doesnt know what he is talking about anyway. $50 a year for XBox Live? Buy a 12month card from newegg. Free shipping, no tax, and you get 1 bonus month so the card really gives you 13 months all for $40.

      And the XBox is so darn loud I dont want to watch a movie on it.
    • utahnkid, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1Second that.

      I smell a paid troll...
  • nimbletimble, on 07/19/2008, -0/+10Unfortunately it appears the Xbox live tumbleweeds are floating by in the UK..
  • slyzxx, on 07/19/2008, -12/+4i can beat that. REDBOX $1 + Mondays are free rentals. Dugg down for the for the boring article, who complains about xbox on an xbox fan website ?
    • Nerfdude, on 07/19/2008, -1/+3Netflix is $6 a MONTH for unlimited streaming movies. and you never have to set foot inside a McDonalds to return them.
      • santasing, on 07/20/2008, -2/+1Nope, the cheapest plan is $10 i.e. $120 per year.
    • jkr801, on 07/19/2008, -0/+41 word....torrent
  • phoque, on 07/19/2008, -0/+12You may charge me money for anything, except for (crappy) online gaming.
  • DaviDaviDaviD, on 07/19/2008, -1/+35It's still $80 over here in the UK. I still feel like I'm being raped.
    • exomni, on 07/19/2008, -11/+3The UK switched to USD? I guess I missed that news.
    • HolyChimp, on 07/19/2008, -3/+8We also earn more on average, so quit whinging. It's a higher cost of living in general.
      That and it's only £34.99 ($70) pretty much everywhere, so that's 1/8 of the price already!
      • Boswelox, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1What that they say about a fool and their money. 'I earn more so please charge me more for the same level of service' Or when the update happens, less service as I can't see the Netflix add-on being available in the UK.

        Maybe you should do a bit more whinging and then people would stop thinking they can shaft you all day and night...
      • HolyChimp, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2It's simple economics. Our cost of living is higher so our wage is higher. Stuff over here is worth more. When we do get shafted we're the first to complain. Hell, we're British, complaining is what we do! When Rock Bands price was announced we said '***** You', but in a comparative manner, Xbox Live is priced on par with the price in the US. Just under the cost of one game per year.

        I realise this comment is a bit hard to read, but I'm sure you can extract the general gist without me rewriting it.
    • kashem, on 07/19/2008, -8/+3it's still 80 bucks in the US, at a 7.99 monthly subs. 69.99 if you go for an annual membership.
    • troopa, on 07/19/2008, -1/+5Rape is not consensual. If you don't like it, stop paying.
    • kevyn, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1have a search around, you can just buy the codes off various US websites for a lot cheaper - http://boxeddeal.com/cart.php?target=category&cate ...
  • calum187, on 07/19/2008, -0/+7The thing is, it's not going to make much difference here in the UK. We're not getting Netflix (or much of the other stuff America gets) so it's difficult to see where there's going to be much of a change. A new interface doesn't really make much difference to me, the one that's already there is fine and I've not heard of this new interface doing anything new - If I'm wrong there, please correct me. £40 is still a bit much, but I suppose people are still willing to pay it.
  • sethorama99, on 07/19/2008, -19/+9Complaining about 50 dollars a YEAR? Most people spend a lot more than that annually on chewing gum. Quit your bitchin'.
    • paradox4190, on 07/19/2008, -0/+3[citation needed]
      • sethorama99, on 07/19/2008, -3/+1It's just a guess. I'm sure most people on Digg spend $50 on weed that barely lasts them a weekend.
  • MarsSentinel, on 07/19/2008, -0/+27Don't get all jiggy about Netflix on XBOX. The streaming movie choices on Netflix are dismal. You aint gonna see Batman but you might see Buttman. It's not THAT great of a deal.
    • libertao, on 07/19/2008, -0/+15http://www.netflix.com/WatchNowTopPicks

      Exactly.

      And doesn't the average digger have a way to connect their computer to their TV anyway?
      • bigdsinferno, on 07/19/2008, -1/+3unfortunately, you can't watch the netflix movies on a mac.
      • krische, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1boot camp or VMWare/Parallels it then. VMWare and Parallels are a piece of cake to install.
    • XHashmeerX, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3It's been getting MUCH better over time and it will continue improving. It's a great feature to not have to pay anything extra. They're also putting a lot of TV shows up as well. I would catch Heroes about two days after every new episode on Netflix and enjoy it commercial free.
  • domokunt, on 07/19/2008, -3/+25Caps lock: still unjustified
  • MarsSentinel, on 07/19/2008, -3/+2Oh and what about this: why can't I see any other countries TV shows (on my TV)? I mean, I know CNN lies to me but I want to see how the lies differ in the UK and in France and In Norway and Germany and Poland and (yeek) Australia. Why doesn't my (or your) cable/satellite company offer that? Not like there aint enough available digital channels.
  • sumepls, on 07/19/2008, -9/+1nice summary of microsofts new updates. heres a decent priced a live card

    http://www.buy.com/prod/xbox-360-live-12-month-gol ...

    cheers
  • techfish, on 07/19/2008, -6/+16In other news, XBOX Live subscription price rises from $50 dollars to $200 dollars.
    • Quicksilver4648, on 07/19/2008, -4/+1Odd, it just lowered for me. I got a 12+1 months card for $39.
    • Katana314, on 07/19/2008, -0/+6He's just saying they're likely to increase the price as a result.
    • FlyinWhee, on 07/19/2008, -5/+1likely? who said it was likely.

      They won't.
  • Hoogs, on 07/19/2008, -0/+16They should just make all Xbox Live accounts free, but have you link up your Netflix account with your Gamertag. The selection of streaming movies is pretty pathetic anyway.
  • troopa, on 07/19/2008, -13/+4Xbox Live is 14 cents or so a day. When will people stop complaining? Maybe it needs to be 9 cents a day. Using my rare dimes just cuts through my heart.
    • Chalks777, on 07/19/2008, -1/+11Pretty sure that he said in the article that dividing the cost by months (or days) was as foolish as dividing the price of a movie by the number of minutes in it. I agree with him.
      • troopa, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1Until another provider comes out with a better service, I don't mind paying a little bit of money to use Xbox Live.

        Don't get me wrong. I'd love for it to be free too. But I don't buy a car and complain about oil changes. Likewise, I don't buy a 360 and complain about Live prices. I knew what I was getting into when I bought the system, and it's worth it to me.
    • WallyAnti, on 07/19/2008, -6/+9um bc online gaming should be free!!! XBOX live burns the candle at both ends if anyone cares to notice. First they sell you a platform upon which they can sell you more stuff. That's right, you are paying to be advertised to so you can pay some more. You are being charged to hear a pitch. Some of the fanboys remind me of those fools who walk around wearing 50 dollar armani exchange logo shirts. It's like saying "Hey look at me, I had 50 bucks but now I have a 3 dollar shirt. Go to A/X and find out how." But I digress...

      MS runs MS Gaming Zone on PC for free which I have enoyed for many years. It is ad driven. And there isn't one practical thing that Live can do with regard to gaming that Zone can't. In fact Zone does more in that respect. LIve is an insult that cuts to the quick, beyond the feel of most.
      • Willeth, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1Except that you can access the service on which they sell you stuff for free.
      • troopa, on 07/19/2008, -2/+1If it's not worth it, then people won't buy it, and they'll be forced to change their pricing or even make it free. But obviously it's worth it to many people.

        This is a business. They will charge you if you think the service is worth it. Enough people think it's worth it. Saying that a service "should be free" is like saying that television should be free, or the Internet should be free, and so on. Sure, it'd be nice if those things were free, but "should" they be? Well, I guess it's up to our opinions.
    • Tahiri, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3Cause it's not 14 cents a day. It's $60 a year. You're probably one of those assholes who complain PS3 is too expensive, I don't see you saying it's 2 cents a day since the cost is divided over 10 years. Live is the cost of another game a year, 2 if you buy used.
      • troopa, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1"Cause it's not 14 cents a day. It's $60 a year."
        Think about what you just said. Seriously.

        I pay $50 for 13 months of Xbox Live. It's less than 14 cents a day for me. If I put a nickel and a dime in a jar every month, I'll have more than enough to pay for it.

        I don't think the PS3 is too expensive. It's actually a fair deal when you consider all of the technology you get. Again, I'm not one of those bitches who think everything should be free.

        I don't mind paying for Live because multiplayer gaming is what I enjoy most, and Xbox Live does it better than any other console I've experienced.
  • greevar, on 07/19/2008, -12/+54I'm still waiting for the part where Live is worth the $50.
    • ryansimbalist, on 07/19/2008, -14/+2Did you read the article?
    • Tahiri, on 07/19/2008, -1/+21Yes he did. Hence why he's asking
    • battletrax, on 07/19/2008, -9/+4World of Warcraft subscribers pay $15 monthly ($180 a year), to play one game online.

      There are 10 million subscribers, No one complains about paying $180 a year, yet people like to whine about paying $50 for xbox live.
      • apena89, on 07/19/2008, -4/+2yeah but WoW is actually good.
      • whyufail, on 07/19/2008, -1/+6Yes, but MMO subscribers actually pay for a service. Gold users pay for the privilege of microsoft opening up their digital gate and letting people use their own bandwidth. Flawed analogies are flawed.
      • Cockslap, on 07/21/2008, -0/+0-internets for saying "WoW" and "Good" in the same sentence.
  • Thorpe, on 07/19/2008, -11/+6Buried for CAPS in title.
  • presage, on 07/19/2008, -10/+11I've been happy to pay the $50 a year. I own a Wii, PS3 and a 360. Microsoft has delivered the best online experience so far. I'd rather pay the $50 a year for a unified service, that allows me to jump into a game quickly.
    • 560Benz, on 07/19/2008, -3/+7You own a Wii, PS3, and a 360... Of course you're happy to pay the $50
  • ajocksch, on 07/19/2008, -4/+12With that much excitement in the title I could only assume that XBL was finally going free. Alas, it turns out that all they're doing is adding a few new features and ripping off Nintendo's Mii. Buried.
  • phyl0x, on 07/19/2008, -2/+51http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8 ...

    newegg has the 13 month card for $39.99 w/ free shipping
    • hafniOum, on 07/19/2008, -1/+6too bad they don't ship in Canada, then!
    • jkr801, on 07/19/2008, -0/+11I just ordered one thanks man
    • radikul, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1nice
    • Ishota300, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1wow thanks for the tip. definitely buying from newegg.com the next time my subscription runs out.
  • fuckthis, on 07/19/2008, -15/+16Is it free? No? Then my prayers aren't answered.
  • Quicksilver4648, on 07/19/2008, -9/+14I just scored a 12+1 months gold card off eBay for $39. That comes down to $3 a month exactly. Seriously guys, Xbox Live isn't that expensive. I would gladly pay $3 month for just the ability to private chat and have auto game updates,
    • Bender1001, on 07/19/2008, -4/+15$3 a month sounds much more appealing than $50 a year.

      However...Blizzard and Valve have offered Battle.net and Steam free to use from the get go...sooooo...I know it's not a pure 100% apples to apples comparison but if Blizzard and Valve can afford to do it then Microsoft has no excuses.
      • machocheese34, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3Vavle and blizzard don't need to recuperate the losses of producing a console.
      • DJNephilim, on 07/19/2008, -2/+2Yeah, but maybe Microsoft could recup its console losses by, I dunno, selling the console. Oh wait, they are!

        The price of Live has nothing to do with recuperating console losses.
      • apena89, on 07/19/2008, -1/+3@DJNephilim
        that's just stupid because selling the console is how they get the loss anyway.

        The price of Live AND other software has everything to do with recuperating console losses.
        That's the only way both Microsoft AND Sony have been able to make any money from this generation from SOFTWARE SALES. But either way, i believe they both have a net loss.
      • DJNephilim, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1@apena89

        Um, no. The price of Xbox live is NOT for recoup of these losses, as XBL incurs its own losses (cost of bandwidth, hardware, server maintenance, development of Live features, hosting of content, etc.) That is what your money goes to when you pay for XBL.
    • ammundsen, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1Newegg sells these cards at $39 as well with free shipping. Still dont know that the price is all that great for what you really get.
    • smhTheory, on 07/20/2008, -1/+0what exactly does that $3 a month buy though? all the "features" listed sound like you are paying for the right to use what you've already bought.
  • goatmasterx, on 07/19/2008, -10/+0Be slow padawan, microsoft shows you soon what evil the dark side can bring
  • blankfrack, on 07/19/2008, -11/+5Buried for the unrelated picture....
    • pancak3s, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1Buried for lack of intelligence....
  • juand182, on 07/19/2008, -9/+4My roommate and i each paid $50 for our own account on one xbox and it is still ALOT better than PS3 and the WII online service.
    and not all of netflix is going to be available for instant viewing, out of the 80 movies in my queue only 9 are listed to be viewed instantly.

    • logicslayer, on 07/19/2008, -5/+8What does Xbox have that PS3 doesn't have?
    • Tahiri, on 07/19/2008, -0/+4XBOX Live has invites and cross-game voice chat. Both of which are coming in Home. Neither of which are significant.

      The list of features MS announced at E3 are all things PS3 has had for a while or announced Home will have.

  • dlawrence, on 07/19/2008, -5/+8I completely disagree with the of this story. I've been an Xbox Live member since the original MechAssault launched. For me, its consistently performed well, and generally been reliable. On the rare occasions when it wasn't MS did their best to make up for it. Just my opinion...
    • s5demigh, on 07/19/2008, -2/+0Yep, I was there since the beginning as well and to be honest, the only problems I've had were that people are cheating during games and creating lag and the few and far in between XBL goes down for maintenance. Maybe i'm just lucky...
  • CollapseControl, on 07/19/2008, -10/+27If you don't like online gaming with the Xbox 360, don't subscribe to Xbox LIVE.
    If you don't like the games on the Xbox 360, go play another platform.
    It is as simple as that.
    But for the thousands upon thousands of gamers logging in hours everyday on XBL and gaming with friends, we have no problem with the 360 and have no need to go around searching for other ways to game just to save a small amount of money a year.
    IF paying for LIVE wasn't worth it, why in the world would so many gamers be doing it? Wouldn't we all just.... stop?
    But we won't, we enjoy the service, we know how it works and it does everything we want it to do just fine.
    • SupaDawg, on 07/19/2008, -4/+10Exactly. find me a better way to spend $5 a month. I spend more than that on my breakfast every day.
      • Xiata, on 07/19/2008, -10/+3Why pay for something when you can have it free. When you take away "have it free" you are left with pay for something.

        Simple really. Had online play been free xbox live would have failed. Don't you dare bring up that "well every xbox has xbox live" *****. If anyone really cared about game statistics they would be using excel.
      • NipGrip, on 07/19/2008, -7/+2There's more to it than that, lunchbox. Some people don't want to even support such things. You're essentially saying, "HAY CORPORATIONS. IF YOU PRICE SOMETHING LOW ENOUGH, EVEN IF I SHOULDN'T BE PAYING FOR IT, I WILL!" Where is that line drawn? $5 is nothing to you, ok how about $6? $10? You're paying for ***** the OTHER CONSOLES GIVE YOU FOR FREE (you know. like wireless instead of charging you $100 for a USB wireless?). Minus a few bells and whistles that you use what.. 1% of the time? You 360 fanboys.. Corporations just loooooove you and your willingness to hand over small amounts of money for services and products you should be getting for free. AND Live has ***** ads plastered on it, lwhereas PSN is free and no ads. Ask any corporate head what they think of 360 owners and they'll say "Easy money" and not only becuase there's millions of you out there, but because you're ignorant with your financials and buy up ***** like themes, propritary addons, pay for a service laden with ads, and THEN DEFEND SAID PURCHASES! hahaha.. Ok carry on.
      • CollapseControl, on 07/19/2008, -4/+5Xiata, you are just a nitwit.

        NipGrip, you are a nutjob. I can picture you being one of those guys with tinfoil over his head thinking "The MAN" is out to steal his brains. You do realize we are only talking about a game console here? I game console that is considered, to some extent, a big success, right? Get over yourself and your fears.

        -----

        Gotta love these children who are so against a console that they feel the need to rip on it while others flat out enjoy it.
      • SupaDawg, on 07/20/2008, -0/+3Heads up NipGrip, I'm also a PS3 owner. PSN is great, no doubt about it. Xbox live it is not.

        Also, i have never purchased a theme or un-needed(ie. other than a controller) proprietary add-on for my 360. Hell, i have yet to even buy a game on live! arcade. When EA sports titles run at 60fps on my PS3, and the cold day in hell that i can play Halo & Forza on my PS3, i will have no reason to pay for live... But I can justify $5 a month.... $60 a year is little more than what some people spend out in a single night at a club. "It ain't no thang."
    • frygar, on 07/19/2008, -5/+7Because from what I can tell, most (not all, *most*) of the xbox demographic are heavily marketed to, and they spend accordingly. Microsoft isn't a software company, remember. They're a marketing one (Bill's words, not mine.).
      PSN does *everything* the 360 does online, and it's free (and doesn't have in-dashboard adverts). Nintendo WFC doesn't have as much functionality, but it too is free, and is moving in the right direction.
      • sniper68, on 07/19/2008, -4/+6PSN sucks though.
      • Willeth, on 07/19/2008, -2/+7PSN does not do everything the 360 does at all. 90% of the online users on Xbox Live have a headset due to it being packaged with every version of the machine other than the Arcade, whereas maybe 20% of the PSN users do, being generous. When you're trying to co-ordinate a team it's very helpful to be able to talk. PSN also doesn't have cross-game invites, which is invaluable. And PSN doesn't have as many games I want to play online. So even though I'm paying nothing for the service, I'm also hardly using it. Nintendo doesn't even enter into the argument.

        Sure, it'd be great if Xbox Live were free. I would enjoy that. But I also do not begrudge Microsoft my yearly fee when I am getting a stellar service for what amounts to a drop in the ocean.
      • CollapseControl, on 07/19/2008, -2/+3Maybe when the PS3 can do the following, i'll THINK about making a purchase, even if the console just sits there.

        1) Play online with my friends. Now frygar, you may not have friends playing the 360, if you even have friends at all, but I have plenty of gamers online for LIVE and I game with them all the time. I can't do that with a PS3, none of them have it.... lol... let alone want one.

        2) Xbox 360 games: Gears of War 2, Halo 3, Crackdown, Bioshock, Dead Rising, Mass Effect, Too Human, Fable 2, & LEFT 4 DEAD are some enjoyable games that can not be played on the PS3 with PSN. Don't give me the some are PC games as well, that is tired, we are talking about CONSOLES.

        And all the multiplatform games are more enjoyable on the 360 with a unified experience with Achievements and friends. COD4, GTAIV, RB6, Orange Box, etc, etc, all worth playing on XBL with friends.

      • kinseyincanada, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1wait Nintendo WFC connection is moving in the right direction? how bout the get it to work first. Nothing is good about nintendo online service.
    • philhatesyou, on 07/19/2008, -6/+10"IF paying for LIVE wasn't worth it, why in the world would so many gamers be doing it? Wouldn't we all just.... stop? "

      No, because you're consumer sheep.
      • CollapseControl, on 07/19/2008, -3/+2Big surprise, someone who has no interest in either MICROSOFT or the XBOX brand console would naturally assume that people are sheep for playing the 360.

        And if this child phil, plays the PS3, he is one of the sheep himself, he blindly follows Sony and rips on the other consoles.

        STFU troll.
      • philhatesyou, on 07/19/2008, -7/+2I don't assume people are sheep for playing the 360, I assume people are sheep for buying a 360. There's a difference there. And you've done a remarkably poor job in characterizing my interests. There's a game or two on the 360 I'm quite interested in, like NG2. However, I'm not willing to, as a proud 360 owner stated elsewhere, get raped by Microsoft simply because they've paid for the better game library. Nor do I blindly follow Sony, just like any other company they have problems(comparing them to MS is absurd, though). I do have an appreciation for Sony though, because they, you know, actually invent *****.

        If I'm a troll, why the ***** did you respond? Suck my *****, *****.

    • NipGrip, on 07/19/2008, -1/+5Yeah the problem with that mentality is a phenomenon where Company X puts out a broken piece of hardware that has a known near 30% failure rate and guess what.. Becuase enough stupid consumers keep buying it instead of NOT (which would force them to FIX THE ***** THING), now, to enjoy the 360, EVERYONE must put up with the problems. Why? Not because we didn't buy it and MS magically fixed it, but because enough low standards having consumers DID buy it which forces the rest of the consumers to either not enjoy the 360 at all, or deal with the piece of ***** that it is.

      Also see: The record industry. You have enough stupid, low standard having consumers buying the ***** up that the RIAA is putting out and look at the selections now.. Utter *****. Go listen to the radio.. Enough people put up with garbage, the rest must follow.
      • CollapseControl, on 07/19/2008, -3/+1If you do not like the Xbox 360 console, that is your choice. But you can't say anything to the every other gamer out there who bought a 360 and love playing games on it and enjoy all the other things to do past gaming.

        Just because you had a bad experience with Microsoft, and think they are evil in carnate doesn't mean that everyone else has to think the same way. And if you didn't have a bad experience, what is your problem with OTHER gamers enjoying their console? Nothing. You can't deny what other people enjoy doing just because you are jealous or not interested.
    • CollapseControl, on 07/19/2008, -6/+2ATTENTION EVERY XBOX 360 GAMER:

      WE MUST STOP PAYING FOR XBOX LIVE BECAUSE SOME BITTER CHILDREN ON DIGG.COM DO NOT SEE IT FIT TO BE A PAID SERVICE.

      CANCEL ALL GAMERTAGS NOW!

      Add me on PSN, i'll be online unlocking trophies for Call of Duty 4 while listen to my music. Send me a private chat when you see me playing.
  • Chrino, on 07/19/2008, -9/+4Watch for an XBL price jump.
  • PabloMac, on 07/19/2008, -10/+4Praying for an online gaming solution? Someone needs to get a life.
  • whisperedlie, on 07/19/2008, -8/+8after being a long time (and now former) pc gamer, as well as trying online gaming with the ps3 (and the ps2 and even original xbox for that matter), no experience is as smooth as xbox live. and nothing has come close to providing the connected, social experience that i've come to demand with online gaming. that alone is worth a paltry $50 a year, less than the cost of a game. i love continual advancement and new features, and i expect to see them knowing the capabilities of the xbox and the fact that i am paying for a service. but the focus here isn't new gimmicks or frilly tricks. i want a solid, reliable, and enjoyable online experience, using my current (and very positive experience) as the baseline. i couldn't care less about netflix or that sort of thing: those are just gravy. that being said, i'm having a hard time giving a ***** about this guy or his article because i feel like his requirements or expectations are backwards, and at any rate at least very different from mine. all i can say is "go back to PC gaming?"
    • Awspire, on 07/19/2008, -2/+2Of course your being dugg down for appreciating the value of a Microsoft service. Unfortunately, the naive communist mentality that permeates from idiotic Digg user's and the like is what sickens me about this community.

      The blogger of this submission actually claimed he felt "raped" by paying $50.00 a YEAR. As if providing a group of developers, maintenance, hardware, and bandwidth can be done at zero cost, and for what you pay for a game can hardly be expected to fund Live's service.
  • Pyroteq, on 07/19/2008, -7/+8A 'Running Riot' will always be a 10 kill streak in the hearts of true Halo fans.
  • parax, on 07/19/2008, -2/+14"There was no service that Microsoft provided that required $50 from the average consumer in my mind, and they only have charged us because they had enough lackeys (myself included) willing to pay. That was until yesterday. "

    That really makes no sense. As of yesterday, nothing has actually changed about the XBL service. News of new features to be coming in the Fall doesn't change the value of the service today.
  • 3drage, on 07/19/2008, -3/+9Seems like xbox live subscribers are still being ripped off, considering you can download the netflix movie viewer for free on your PC.
    • rdvon, on 07/19/2008, -1/+5I've always been happy with my current streaming method, Tversity.
      I can stream most movies for free..

      *cough* tversity, keepvid, watch-movies.net *cough*
  • whataboutdave, on 07/19/2008, -3/+21That's the first time I have seen the XBOX avatars.

    Could they have ripped off the Mii concept any more blatantly?
  • frygar, on 07/19/2008, -12/+6And yet the service isn't worth $50 a year, with or without Netflix.
    Still sore about HD-DVD, Microsoft? Well, you deserve to be.
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