Why do people pay for Xbox Live?

[Catchy Slogan]

Goddammit, why does this topic sill exist? It's been done to death every few weeks for so long I can practically summarize the transcript of the arguments about to be posted:

- XBox 360 owners will rant about "quality service" and "better tech support".

- Playstaion 3 owners will rave that both services are the same except for PSN being available for free, often hinting at some real or imagined superiority PSN exudes like a Mac user in a "Mac vs PC" debate.

- People with enough disposable income to afford both will stop by to remind us of their financial security, accuse both sides of fanboyism, and say that they can't tell the difference between the two to RAEG bait them.

- PC gamers will butt in uninvited to stand on the soap box to set us "poor, unwashed masses" straight, say Steam is a better distributor than LIVE and PSN, and claim superiority over console gaming in general as the "golden haired and golden skinned PC gaming master race" with the infallible logic of a hipster saying "You just wouldn't understand."

Give or take a few (hundred) remarks about PSN getting hacked. The only reason I can think of for you to make this kind of thread at this point is that it's easy post bait. Now hurry up and end this so we can get back to our Portal 2 Cave Johnson jokes and fawning/raging over BioWare releases.

You are now my hero.

 

[DeadlyBritishDisease]

(you are not even playing on a server as almost every console online game is player hosted) and the publisher of the game is running the game servers that just track stats and nothing else

If thats the case, then its absolute BS that Activision are thinking about making online CoD subscription based, it barely costs them anything (relatively speaking). Sometimes I worry where the industry is headed...

Goddammit, why does this topic sill exist? It's been done to death every few weeks for so long I can practically summarize the transcript of the arguments about to be posted:

- XBox 360 owners will rant about "quality service" and "better tech support".

- Playstaion 3 owners will rave that both services are the same except for PSN being available for free, often hinting at some real or imagined superiority PSN exudes like a Mac user in a "Mac vs PC" debate.

- People with enough disposable income to afford both will stop by to remind us of their financial security, accuse both sides of fanboyism, and say that they can't tell the difference between the two to RAEG bait them.

- PC gamers will butt in uninvited to stand on the soap box to set us "poor, unwashed masses" straight, say Steam is a better distributor than LIVE and PSN, and claim superiority over console gaming in general as the "golden haired and golden skinned PC gaming master race" with the infallible logic of a hipster saying "You just wouldn't understand."

Give or take a few (hundred) remarks about PSN getting hacked. The only reason I can think of for you to make this kind of thread at this point is that it's easy post bait. Now hurry up and end this so we can get back to our Portal 2 Cave Johnson jokes and fawning/raging over BioWare releases.

You are now my hero.

Oh, and this too XD

 

[Druss the Legend]

Because it's my money and what the fuck do you care what I do with it?

Seriously, I'm sick to shit of these console war threads, and yes, this is a console war thread no matter how you dress it up. I play games to play games, as I'm sure everyone else does, I have money to spare so who cares what i spend it on as long as its FUN. I don't care about hard drive space, graphics or online capabilities (I see no real difference anyhow), an Xbox is what I happen to have and I make do.
If I had a PS3 it'd be the same story.

Get over yourself and remember what gaming is actually about.

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

It makes it so microsoft doesn't lose shitloads of money maintaining the systems as a whole; look at how much money sony is losing on the ps3. (even before all of the hack business) Consoles take a lot of money to produce, and the producers often lose money on the sale. The money i pay ensures better and continued service, which I will gladly pay for.

Also, "I'm white enough to afford it." ~Yahtzee (paraphrase)

Pretty much this.

I give microsoft my money for live, they continue to pay developers and smart people to come up with cool new features and functions for my xbox online experience.

I'm sad to say though that this will be my last gaming console cycle. Ill keep my 360 for a media center til it dies then build a media PC or just buy a boxiee box to replace it when the time comes.

 

[Thundero13]

I see your point but it's really just that gamers will stand by their favorite conole no matter what, within reason of course, besides the Xbox does other things better than PlayStation so its all about even in the end.

Oh also will everyone shut up about how "Microsoft actually protects its user data, Sony just made a mistake, Microsoft could've too, oh no i'm defending Sony, WHAT HAVE I BECOME?! *cries*

Sony didn't "just make a mistake", they purposefully didn't put up ANY firewalls to protect the user's data. Thats not just making a mistake thats stupidity at its finest. A twelve year old with some computer skills could of hacked that.

Oh right, fair enough then, Sony are a bunch of idiots that could have put up extra firewalls even without the extra money.

 

[Gibboniser]

I pay it so I can go online really.

 

[Treblaine]

It makes it so microsoft doesn't lose shitloads of money maintaining the systems as a whole; look at how much money sony is losing on the ps3. (even before all of the hack business) Consoles take a lot of money to produce, and the producers often lose money on the sale. The money i pay ensures better and continued service, which I will gladly pay for.

Wait, is the Gold Membership paying for securing the network or subsidising the hardware?

Microsoft is VERY focused on Xbox, it it their central money making venture in gaming, no handheld, no other hardware nor licensing. Everything plugs into or integrates with an Xbox, they want to make money from the Xbox, as much as they can as unlike Sony they cannot make peripheral income from their console's presence in the market.

Sony is a major Consumer Electronics and Entertainment conglomerate with fingers in so many pies (music recording industry, Hollywood movies, laptops/PCs, Video game publishing) they don't HAVE to make a huge profit on PS3 console itself, as long as it facilitates profits in their other ventures such as movies, music, video games that Sony makes many many more than Microsoft does who depends hugely on 3rd party development.

Xbox Live gold membership is required for full network features purely because that is the price Microsoft sets and people are willing to pay that much not because it COST that much but because it is WORTH that much, to certain people.

The money goes directly into Microsoft's central bank account and is offset by their major spending which is mainly hardware manufacturing, R&D, marketing, buying exclusive content, and so on. Not network maintenance.

 

[TheEvilCheese]

As of this minute, the 250g Xbox, with built in wireless adapter is £175 on amazon.co.uk. The Slim PS3 (160g) costs £225. That list is so outdated most of the models on it are not in production anymore.

What's that? The sound of you being wrong?

In the words of the internet: Pics or it didn't happen, don't worry, I just got them for you, and before you complain about the HDD, they're the closest in size that aren't in a bundle or stripped bare.

Fair enough, I'm going by prices where I am, converted to USD the xbox is $286.44 and the PS3 is $368.28 for those HDD sizes. Price difference seems odd to me personally, why on earth is a PS3 worth more in the UK and an Xbox worth less?

 

[Robert2812]

This is not at all a Live sucks, PSN is better thread, I actually think both services are very similar in what they do and how well they do it. Everything I'm about to say is completely factual.

My problem with Live is that Microsoft wants to have their cake and eat it too as Microsoft charges you for services they don't provide. The FREE Silver Live account offers services that actually cost Microsoft money and resources to provide. Running and maintaining the servers that store the games, demos, DLC, etc. for everyone to download is at least 90% of the expenses of the Live service. And, all that stuff is offered for FREE through Silver membership because Microsoft wants everyone to have access to their store so people can spend money in their store.

For Live Gold membership, Microsoft charges you for Netflix, online gaming, Facebook, last.fm, etc. So, in order for you to have the ability to watch Netflix, you have to pay Netflix, your ISP, and MICROSOFT!!! Microsoft is not incurring any costs of any kind when you watch stuff off Netflix, Netflix is streaming movies from their servers using their bandwidth to you over your bandwidth that you are paying for, Microsoft is not involved in any way. To prove, rather simply, for people who might not believe that, PS3 users can still use Netflix with PSN down.

Onto online gaming, which is another big slap in the face to Live customers from Microsoft. If you play any third party game (e.g. COD), Microsoft is not incurring any costs or bandwidth when you play COD online as you are not playing on Microsoft's servers (you are not even playing on a server as almost every console online game is player hosted) and the publisher of the game is running the game servers that just track stats and nothing else. For a game like COD, the developer puts probably about half its resources into the multiplayer aspect of the game so about half the money you payed for the game is for the multiplayer. On Live, you have to pay Microsoft to unlock game content (online multiplayer) that you already payed for when you bought the game. The only thing that would make sense is if for Microsoft to allow online multiplayer for 3rd party games for Silver accounts, but only allow Gold accounts to pay first party games online. However, Microsoft isn't going to do that because people would be like, "I can play COD or Bad Company for free, screw Halo and Gears" and those communities would be a lot smaller. Also, Microsoft doesn't even run any dedicated servers whereas Sony does run dedicated severs for a few games (MAG, Killzone, Warhawk, etc.).

The only service Microsoft is providing you for Gold membership is cross-game chat so you are basically paying $60 a year for cross-game chat and that is it.

This is why I will never pay for Live as I'm not going to pay someone for a service they aren't providing, it's that simple. If Sony pulled this, I'd turn into a PC gamer and use Steam, which also provides the same services Live Gold does for free.

On the Escapist its not great to say "Everything im about to say is completely factual" and then start with "My problem".

Also, I forget, Didnt Xbox Live get hacked after Microsoft was DDoSed? oh wait that was PSN and Sony. Fans are at least paying for security in their details with an unpresidented amount of Playstation users credit cards number stolen theres no wonder why.

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

I do find the price of Live a lil....stupid...and the fact its similar to an MMO but you are forever caught in Trade chatter....


These threads are getting old

The amount of people that own an Xbox and preach how its glorious Live is still online..

The amount of people that still keep going on about lost information


Does Anonymous have a Suggestion Box? I would really like them to take down Xbox Live for a month after PSN is up so I can watch the tears roll down the face of the glorious Gold owners honking their awesomehorns

Ive never used Steam....would love to own a PC that I could run things on at the Beauty setting...then the everything is a papertowel of disappointment (my PC is a tough girl...old...like a MILF or so...she just cant run a marathon)

And I can already expect someone to Report this because I offended them....

 

[ScoopMeister]

Because I like Left 4 Dead and Halo, among others, and I do not begrudge paying a top up fee of £40 a year to play those games online. Plus all my friends got Xboxes before I upgraded to the current gen, and no one has a PS3. Also, I don't like PC gaming. I know that is cutting me out of a lot of quality content straight off the bat, but that's a hit I'm willing to take.

I guess it just isn't that big of a deal to me.

/shrug

Wow... I don't think I've ever agreed with someone more.

 

[fgdfgdgd]

In the words of the internet: Pics or it didn't happen, don't worry, I just got them for you, and before you complain about the HDD, they're the closest in size that aren't in a bundle or stripped bare.

Fair enough, I'm going by prices where I am, converted to USD the xbox is $286.44 and the PS3 is $368.28 for those HDD sizes. Price difference seems odd to me personally, why on earth is a PS3 worth more in the UK and an Xbox worth less?

Nah, I'm Australian, we get put through the ringer on all prices in gaming, I'm pretty sure a years Live is $100 here on top of that, games retail for $110 and it's just ridiculous, I can import games for my PS3 from America (PS3's aren't region locked) pay the shipping and I'll still save around $30, isn't that crazy? I think the real question is "Why do Australians get screwed for no reason even when their money is worth more than the American dollar?"

Apparently AUD prices for the consoles converted to USD is: $320.857

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Good for you, don't pay for live and don't play with your friends. I pay £35 a year to play games and talk to my friends while I do, I like it. I don't give a fuck if you think Microsoft is screwing me over by continuing to advertise, I didn't pay to not get adverts; I don't even get Netflix so why would I give a shit about that; I don't pay for Facebook on live, I don't even use it; Last.fm is a shite version of Spotify so I don't use that either. All of the 'faults' don't affect me at all.

Why can I not just pay for my live without being attacked by cheapskates who want to make sure that every penny to leave their wallet is spent on tending their every whim? I get what I want and I'm happy with the price, leave me and everyone else who does it alone.

 

[BoTTeNBReKeR]

Same reason people pay for MMO subscriptions. It's just there to get some more money in the bank and people are willing to pay for it because it's "not that much" and people do not seem to notice that that fee is probably a complete rip-off.

 

[Treblaine]

Fair enough, I'm going by prices where I am, converted to USD the xbox is $286.44 and the PS3 is $368.28 for those HDD sizes. Price difference seems odd to me personally, why on earth is a PS3 worth more in the UK and an Xbox worth less?

Because Sony is a Japanese company.

Exchange rate between Yen and Dollars is more favourable than between Yen and Pound-Sterling. International trade is complicated and lubricated by liberal helpings of bullshit and different import duties and so on.

 

[shurryy]

Get a PC.
Get a Computer.
Don't get a Mac.
It's not a gaming PC.
Get a Gaming Personal Computer.

Join us.
It's better than consoles.

/trololololo

 

[Joshimodo]

Look at PSN... Now look at XBL.


That is all.

/thread

I'm willing to bet that Live has actually had more downtime before this incident than PSN. It's not like Live can't be hacked and brought down.

It didn't. PSN has been down more times, and for longer.

Just look at the PlayStation Network and Live.That money goes places.

What about Steam?

Steam doesn't need a subscription fee, as it makes money hand over fist as it is. It also doesn't have to run matchmaking or their own servers.




Basically, what you actually pay for is access to online connections. What it's shown to pay for is content - Of which it has plenty. Frankly, £30 a year isn't a big deal. The service could be better, but then I'd rather pay a small sum for a better service than have a half-arsed one for free.

 

[LiftYourSkinnyFists]

Microsoft uses the extra money to actually protect users' data.

Honestly though, we pay for a stronger service and much less down time and assumably more frequent updates through the XBL system.

Xbox just seems to have a much better structure to it's online service.

 

[Rocking Thunder]

Nah, I'm Australian, we get put through the ringer on all prices in gaming, I'm pretty sure a years Live is $100 here on top of that, games retail for $110 and it's just ridiculous, I can import games for my PS3 from America (PS3's aren't region locked) pay the shipping and I'll still save around $30, isn't that crazy? I think the real question is "Why do Australians get screwed for no reason even when their money is worth more than the American dollar?"

Apparently AUD prices for the consoles converted to USD is: $320.857

The reason every other country is screwed, because they can... oh and I really hate region locked games, I mean come on, why cant I use my copy of starcraft 2 in Europe, sure I get on, but is so dang laggy.

 

[carpathic]

Well, we pay to not have our information stolen >.>

<..>

I believe sir, that you are entitled to a "Bazinga" for that one! Well played!

That said, I won't pay for xboxlive gold either...