What is Digg?234 Comments
- MechaZain, on 12/01/2007, -8/+55"Indeed, sometimes I wonder where my money's going."
Best thing the article says, and it's always been my biggest complaint about the service.
Yes, Xbox Live is the best online service. No one contests this. But what does the $50 a month we pay for go towards, exactly? What is Microsoft doing with that money that they couldn't do if the service was free? It's not going to developers, because we're still paying for the extra content on top of the subscription price. It's not going to dedicated servers; we're all connecting to each other.It can't be friends lists or voice chat, as those have been done for free on the PC. Microsoft could maintain Live's current set-up if you were paying $5 or $50, but enough people pay 50 for them to keep charging it. I want to see something that justifies the price.
I pay for Live because I love playing online, but too many people defend the price instead of trying to get it lower because "it's the best" (arguably only because of the amount of users) without ever really questioning why they pay for it.
- Ductapemaster, on 12/01/2007, -3/+49$50 a year is a hell of a lot better than the $15 a month ($180 a year!) you pay for WoW...
- Hale, on 12/01/2007, -12/+49Because Nintendo and Sony don't do it for free. They don't do it at all. The developers do.
- Konrad9, on 12/01/2007, -0/+29You're paying $50 a month?
Dude... I only pay $50 a year.
You should check your credit card. - spikes, on 12/01/2007, -9/+38Don't get me wrong, but when I PAY for XBL, I expect them to get rid of those advertisement riddled blades too. Microsoft is easily making more money on those than subscription fees.
Why charge for something that costs MS nothing, due to the advertising? - triplehelix, on 12/01/2007, -11/+38he slags on sony's online effort, but they offer most of what he proposes, from free online play, to free theme's.
- Ajajadude, on 12/01/2007, -2/+26Yeah, the entire article seemed like a broken record: Live is significantly better than what Sony has to offer, but it would be great if it were free like Sony's service, but it's still understandable that Microsoft charges you, but wouldn't it be great if it were free, etc.
- MadTom, on 12/01/2007, -0/+19I don't think its much of a hassle, although sometimes I hate having to pay for new things that I think should be free... Like the new Halo 3 map pack...
- ucbmckee, on 12/01/2007, -1/+20At least XBL doesn't also shove ads in our face on the Dashboard. Oh wait...
- joegibes, on 12/01/2007, -1/+16"What are they doing with the money?"
...providing the service and making a huge profit margin. - mrjit, on 12/01/2007, -6/+21WoW actually host their own servers, not clientside.
- MatttK, on 12/01/2007, -2/+17Exactly. The way most people look at it is that it is worth it because it is better than Nintendo or Sony. The way I look at it is that I'm paying for things I've been getting free on the PC for years.
- Ajajadude, on 12/01/2007, -6/+20I've seen more lag while playing on Live than I've seen playing online with my PS3. What are you paying $50 for? The guy even said you're not getting dedicated servers, so what's the point?
- inactive, on 12/01/2007, -3/+16Nintendo is doing nothing in the way of online as far as I'm concerned.
- Tempest261, on 12/01/2007, -1/+13I, for one, will NOT be renewing my Xbox live subscription, for two big reasons.
1. I shouldn't be paying for peer 2 peer when DEDICATED servers are FREE on PC.
2. The "average joe" on Xbox live is much younger, stupider, foul mouthed, and idiotic compared to PC. I know there are the typical counterstrike brats, but jesus- the quality in the user-base is so different it's like night and day. I refuse to pay $50 to hear the english language get continually ***** upon. - MeThePeople, on 12/01/2007, -0/+12i mostly complain about the fact that i paid for the console, the service, and the game. yet i still need to pay for 3 new maps that get released for the game i already paid for. i understand having to pay for xbla games i just dont get paying for new features for a game i already paid for.
- djh816, on 12/01/2007, -0/+11That didn't make me feel ANY better about paying for live...Now I just feel like a sucker.
- GeneralFailure0, on 12/01/2007, -0/+11I have a bit of an issue getting around the whole paying for maps thing, but I'm glad that Bungie and Epic have at least been offering their maps for free a few months after they're initially offered. When develepors like Infinity Ward offer maps like those in Call of Duty 2 for $10 and they're made available for free for the PC version, which is a full $10 cheaper than the 360 version, I'll have absolutely nothing to do with it.
- TehEnergy, on 12/01/2007, -2/+13I don't know why we should pay. None of the online games Xbox Live users play are hosted on a dedicated server, there hosted on our own Xboxes. I don't mind paying for a fast reliable dedicated server, but I don't see why I should pay for something that I SHOULD be able to do for free. I mean, its my Xbox 360 right?
- baldr, on 12/01/2007, -5/+16Microsoft still has to have servers for xbl, even though gameplay is not hosted on their servers.
- Skwerl, on 12/01/2007, -2/+13Agreed, if I'm going to pay to play, it better be to play on dedicated servers. Now they're trying to migrate this ***** service to the PC with Windows Live, good luck with that. There's a reason PC gamers look to play on dedicated servers only, latency, and the knowledge the server won't die because they guy hosting the game decides to go rub one out instead.
- DeadPain, on 12/01/2007, -7/+18Wait a second, so you guys don't get dedicated servers? so you don't know what being a regular at a server feels like? wow, and you guys actually feel ok for paying $50 o_O (some one explain this to me, I don't know if I'm wrong, never been an xboxlive user)
I always thought you got to play on dedicated servers on xboxlive, how can you guys live with yourself? I'm guessing most of the people thinking that paying $50 is ok have never played a computer game online before - vertinox, on 12/01/2007, -0/+10HAHAHAHAAAHAHAHHAAHAH HOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHO LOL HAHAAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh god that was a good one! Um... Oh... Your serious.
- pendraegon, on 12/01/2007, -0/+9I've got to say that xbox live really needs to get some dedicated servers to solve some of the lag issues. Maybe than the multiplayer can be more than 8-16 players. One other thing, the premium that we pay on these games has to factor in as well, the PC players get many of the same games for 10+ dollars cheaper. What are we getting for that money? Besides the fact that the 360 is a standardized platform that's easier to develop for than the PC. Some of the game companies need step up and provide dedicated servers as well. It's something that's going to be needed in the future as the games become more complex.
- doshindude, on 12/01/2007, -24/+33if they make it free, i'll be happy. seriously, why pay for something everyone else (nintendo, sony) does for free?
- gmprunner, on 12/01/2007, -0/+8Who says I can afford an HDTV, surround sound system, and comfy chair and couch? I play on an older 30" 4:3 TV, with nothing but the speakers in the TV, and sit on a pillow on the ground. Yet, playing Halo 3, I am content...
- bmystry, on 12/01/2007, -0/+8Well thats your fault for not canceling in the first place.
- PawFox, on 12/01/2007, -0/+7In otherwise when you join the game, its being hosted on the other persons internet,
So if I hosted a Halo3 Match it would be using my internet and then if my brother came along and decided to go and download MB's of songs the game would start to lag for over players. Unlike a dedicatated serve where it has a fix connection and normally used for a few services (I.E: Game Server) - MeThePeople, on 12/01/2007, -0/+7$15 a month is for WoW not xblive
- CrimsonTide7199, on 12/01/2007, -0/+7Paying for P2P is stupid. Dedicated servers should be included if I'm gonna pay for it. Lag, hosts leaving ending my game, and no ability to kick team killers or glitchers for most games really make XBL less than impressive.
- MeThePeople, on 12/01/2007, -0/+7$100 a year?
and who are you blowing to get 500 free points a year. im just getting 500 points now for bieng a member since 2002. - logicalnoise, on 12/01/2007, -0/+7so whats your problem again?
- zatch5412, on 12/01/2007, -1/+7Uh what? When did he bash PC gamers? Did we read the same article?
- chris9902, on 12/01/2007, -0/+6They are making money. They take a huge hit on the 360 console.
- bobakanush, on 12/01/2007, -0/+6Peer to peer servers are the biggest thing MS needs to fix in my mind. Anyone who's played Gears of War online can tell you this. As a none host-player, I can usually expect 1/2 to 1 second delay for my bullets to hit their target. It may not seem like much, but when your trying to make precision shots, its retarded. May I remind this is only 4V4. Then there are PC games like BF2 that have 32 V 32 and you rarely lag. Yes, these are dedicated servers that cost money (even then you are never forced to pay to play on them) but games like BF2 take a lot of resources. How expensive can it be to have dedicated servers for Halo 3 and Gears? COD 4 perhaps? Can you imagine not getting head shotted by the jackass spamming your general area with his LMG?
- spiralspirit, on 12/01/2007, -1/+7umm...no they don't.
The only servers microsoft pays for would be the ones that do the matching themselves. advertising servers and game content selling servers don't lose them any money at all. The games themselves are not hosted on dedicated servers, but rather on peer-peer connections.
This kind of thing has been in existence a long time, an easy example of this being Blizzard's battle.net. - plbland, on 12/01/2007, -6/+11If you honestly think that advertisement blades bring in more than subscription fees then don't get into advertising purchasing!
- inactive, on 12/02/2007, -1/+6I believe Sony did catch up, it's why I refuse to pay for Live, and why I buy PS3 games over the 360 equivalent (that and the ever present fear of RRoD)
- Ajajadude, on 12/01/2007, -0/+5Tell you what, you can take my spot in line, too...
- TotalHalibut, on 12/01/2007, -7/+12Services are provided and paid for, this is a principle of business. Where the money is going is not relevant. Do we ask our cellphone provider where the money is going? Our electricity company? Either the service is worth paying for, or it isn't. There's no inbetween. Businesses exist to make as much money as possible, Microsoft is making money by providing the Xbox Live Gold service. Working as intended, end of story.
- mutedecho, on 12/01/2007, -2/+7Well, we did get a free game Aegis Wing I think is the name of it. They do give away some themes, like the XBOX live is 5 and the Discovery channel shark week theme, and a few other product sponsored themes I think. I'm not hugging MS nuts or anything, but it's interesting that the guy doesn't put that in the article, since he says that he's been a member for so long.
I dunno. Just my 2 cents... - logicalnoise, on 12/01/2007, -1/+6if I have 4 friends over what should I do? Play it on 360 with my HDTV split screened or tell them to all go home and get online with their pcs so we can have fun "together"?
- Ductapemaster, on 12/03/2007, -0/+5You are entitled to your own opinion...and my opinion is that I would rather pay $50 a year than $180.
- AngryOx, on 12/01/2007, -1/+6I will stick with my dedicated PC game servers then.
- jdaniel284, on 12/01/2007, -3/+8From the article: "In the end, despite that Microsoft hasn't done any of these things – and probably won't – I'll still pay out the $50 when Microsoft summons it from my checking account. And if you're like me, you will too."
I am not like you. I quit paying Microsoft this meaningless tax a while back, and I will never pay them again. It was sometime around the time my XBox 360 red-ringed on me, they sent me back a beat-up refurb that never worked right, and all my DRM'd arcade games quit working. No thanks. I still have my 360 but I have even pulled the ethernet cable from the back of the machine. I consider it an offline only console now. - AngryOx, on 12/01/2007, -0/+5I thought the yearly fee went to pay for dedicated servers. I don't own an Xbox so I really don't know but is he saying that when you play halo you are running on some guys Xbox.
- inactive, on 12/01/2007, -3/+8He's talking about cheaters and modders. I really don't give two ***** about a kid calling me a *****, but hacking and actually ruining my gameplay experience is a lot worse. Microsoft regularly sends out waves of bans after detecting mods or cheating devices, and THAT alone is worth the $50 a year to me.
- lordtyros, on 12/01/2007, -0/+5What about Guild Wars? That game has even better service than WoW does, yet it doesn't require a monthly fee. The reason these business models are allowed to survive is people who don't care to switch. Personally, I don't believe in paying monthly fees for games. So I won't purchase a game that requires that.
- piratearggghhh, on 12/01/2007, -2/+7http://www.buy.com/prod/xbox-360-live-12-month-gol ...
$38.99 Buy.com with free shipping. - Nfed163, on 12/01/2007, -9/+14I LOVE xbox live, its well made and kept updated, and if i need to pay 50$ a year for a good live system im totally fine with that, its not bad at all to pay $50 a year, and hey it beat the 15$ a month i WAS paying for world of warcraft ;)
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