Xbox Live: Why am I being forced to pay, to play games online?

No one here who is against XboxLive can prove with facts that XBoxLive should be free

There is no other service like it

No one here who is against XboxLive can prove with facts that XBoxLive should be free

There is no other service like it ON CONSOLES

gamer-adam1

EDIT: Too late :P

[QUOTE="gamer-adam1"]

No one here who is against XboxLive can prove with facts that XBoxLive should be free

There is no other service like it ON CONSOLES

RavenLoud

EDIT: Too late :P

He was right the first time.

There is no other service like it. ...In a bad way :P

[QUOTE="gamer-adam1"]

[QUOTE="Brownesque"] Steam > XBL BTW Windows Live is free lol and it's the same thingBrownesque

no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no NO

Steam and GFWL ARE NOT THE SAME AS XBOXLIVE

question, can I play BF2, Badcompany 2, Mass Effect2, Eve Online, Arma 2, Age of empires 3 without Steam or GFWL?

If I cant go online, does that mean Steam or GFWL is down, would I call them to ask them why I cant play BF2 online?

they are not the same service, thats why they are free because why would they charge you money to go to there store?

Does Steam or GFWL effect anything when you are playing online?

If you don't know anything about the service why do you have to comment

Yes you can play all those games w/o Steam or GFWL

If you can't go online you play them in Steam in offline mode

Steam has friends lists, groups, an in-game instant messenger, party chat, VOIP, group events, cross-game invites, auto update, Valve anti-cheat, achievements, usage-related stat tracking, and even an in-game web browser. Steam also manages and organizes all your mods. Using Steam you can create and organize clan scrims, find a player through social networking to replace a lost player in said scrim, and invite said player onto a private server, IMing him the password. I've done that a number of times through Steam.

Steam is a superior service in part of what it does not do, namely dictate what content you can play, what servers you can play on, or how you host your games. That means that unlike on Xbox Live you can download and play mods, custom maps, and sound files. You can also play on player hosted dedicated servers or even host your own private or public server on a listen or dedicated server.

Games for Windows Live Gold used to not be free. Actually, it used to accept Xbox Live Gold subscription cards. After PC gamers basically mass-boycotted it, Microsoft realized that they needed to make it free for people to even use the service, largely because other widely available free services like Steam and XFire were superior, and partly because most of the "features" of Games for Windows Live involved taking their ability to play freely and host their own game servers away from them. In short, there was no good reason for anyone to pay for GFWL on the PC platform.

your not forced, you knew the stakes when you bought the system it wasn't dropped on you half way through you chose to pay into xbox 360, its games, and xbox live if you didn't like it you should have chose another system you have choices.

WilliamRLBaker

How cool is it to get a game where all of the features for it require Xbox Live and you don't have it?

[QUOTE="WilliamRLBaker"]

your not forced, you knew the stakes when you bought the system it wasn't dropped on you half way through you chose to pay into xbox 360, its games, and xbox live if you didn't like it you should have chose another system you have choices.

LegatoSkyheart

How cool is it to get a game where all of the features for it require Xbox Live and you don't have it?

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

[QUOTE="WilliamRLBaker"]

your not forced, you knew the stakes when you bought the system it wasn't dropped on you half way through you chose to pay into xbox 360, its games, and xbox live if you didn't like it you should have chose another system you have choices.

themyth01

How cool is it to get a game where all of the features for it require Xbox Live and you don't have it?

Mmm... birthday/Xmas present?

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

[QUOTE="WilliamRLBaker"]

your not forced, you knew the stakes when you bought the system it wasn't dropped on you half way through you chose to pay into xbox 360, its games, and xbox live if you didn't like it you should have chose another system you have choices.

themyth01

How cool is it to get a game where all of the features for it require Xbox Live and you don't have it?

Go ahead and tell me how freakin' great Halo, Left 4 Dead, Shadow Run and Call of Duty are without Xbox Live.

Doesn't this get old, your not being "forced" to do anything, leave go play Ps3 or PC.

Ultra_Combo

Go ahead and tell me how freakin' great Halo, Left 4 Dead, Shadow Run and Call of Duty are without Xbox Live.LegatoSkyheart

Because of the same reasons you're "forced" to pay for anything: supply and demand. Its manufacturer choose to charge for it, the consumer answered positively. [QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]Go ahead and tell me how freakin' great Halo, Left 4 Dead, Shadow Run and Call of Duty are without Xbox Live.IronBass

err.. really? ...

err.. really? ...theuncharted34

Nobody is being forced to do anything. Did someone hold a gun to your head and make you choose the 360 over PS3? Why Microsoft charges is simple, Sony doesn't support PSN the way Microsoft supports LIVE and you get what you pay for. I have both and LIVE is light years beyond PSN. It only works out to a couple dollars a month but you people act like they charge $200 a year or something. Everyone is entitle to their own opinion and if yours is that LIVE isn't worth it then there are other options.

I personally love party chat, cross game chat and just the way everything is seamlessly built across the platform no matter what game your playing. It is much easier to communicate with friends and get together than it is on PSN. They also give the bi yearly dashboard updates that add features or improve features that gamers ask for and you can thank GOLD members and the fee they pay for them maintaining LIVE and the 360 the way they do. PSN is free and it shows, it isn't even close in neither quality nor features compared to LIVE. Yes online gaming is the most important feature and is free on PSN but for those of us that use the features LIVE has that PSN don't the fee is well worth it. Anyone can claim they are the same but anyone who has both knows this isn't true. I can't imagine anyone would buy a 360 without LIVE in mind. If the consensus on these forums is that PS3 has better exclusives and free online and you don't want to pay for LIVE then why get the 360 over the PS3 in the first place?

I must not be the only one to feel this way cause there are what? tens of millions of LIVE subscribers and more signing up every day? those millions outnumber the few hundred on these forums that bash LIVE for charging, but hey the happy people must just be rich, stupid or not real gamers right? Hell if Sony offered these features for the $50 instead of free mini games and demos I would gladly pay them too. I am a Plus subscriber and would trade the free content for LIVE like features in a heartbeat for the $50/year. But that is my opinion cause I don't ever play the free games and find them useless but I am sure there are people that do like it just like there are people that use the extra features of LIVE.

[QUOTE="theuncharted34"]err.. really? ...IronBass

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

[QUOTE="IronBass"][QUOTE="theuncharted34"]err.. really? ...theuncharted34

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

You can't just say you're not here to judge, and then follow it up with a judgement :P

[QUOTE="theuncharted34"]

[QUOTE="IronBass"] Yes, really.Raymundo_Manuel

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

You can't just say you're not here to judge, and then follow it up with a judgement :P

I didn't judge him though. I judged the game :P

[QUOTE="Raymundo_Manuel"]

[QUOTE="theuncharted34"]

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

theuncharted34

You can't just say you're not here to judge, and then follow it up with a judgement :P

I didn't judge him though. I judged the game :P

My point still stands :D

[QUOTE="IronBass"][QUOTE="theuncharted34"]err.. really? ...theuncharted34

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

[QUOTE="theuncharted34"]

[QUOTE="Raymundo_Manuel"]

You can't just say you're not here to judge, and then follow it up with a judgement :P

Raymundo_Manuel

I didn't judge him though. I judged the game :P

My point still stands :D

:x should have been more specific.

You are using their servers. They require upkeep. You don't like it, play the PS3 or PC. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. I pay for Live because I believe the online to be much better integrated into games than the PS3 or PC. I will pay for the convenience.

You are using their servers. They require upkeep. You don't like it, play the PS3 or PC. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. I pay for Live because I believe the online to be much better integrated into games than the PS3 or PC. I will pay for the convenience.

Rekunta

P2P servers don't really require upkeep though...

[QUOTE="Rekunta"]

You are using their servers. They require upkeep. You don't like it, play the PS3 or PC. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. I pay for Live because I believe the online to be much better integrated into games than the PS3 or PC. I will pay for the convenience.

theuncharted34

P2P servers don't really require upkeep though...

This is true. As far as online gaming goes, XBL offers you no benefit at all. I think Rekunta meant that it's easier to invite friends and interact in XBL, whilst having Cross-party chat. At least I remember a friend of mine that used to complaint that he couldn't invite one of his friends to a match of Street Fighter IV. Don't know if that was game-specific, console-wide or if it's been fixed.

[QUOTE="theuncharted34"]

[QUOTE="IronBass"] Yes, really.IronBass

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

Specifically

Every game you like is mediocre, and every game I like is good

[QUOTE="IronBass"][QUOTE="theuncharted34"]

Well, I'm not here to judge. But the game is mediocre. :)

Raymundo_Manuel

Specifically

Every game you like is mediocre, and every game I like is good

what if he likes rayman 2?

[QUOTE="Raymundo_Manuel"]

[QUOTE="IronBass"] Every game in existence is mediocre. Or good. Depending on who you ask.theuncharted34

Specifically

Every game you like is mediocre, and every game I like is good

what if he likes rayman 2?

I pay for it just for my Halo fix, but I don't like having to pay for Live just for that. I think it's a big rip off.

I have a better question. Why do we need another thread? Every week we get one or two of these. It's getting tiresome to hear the same whiny arguments by people who, optimistically, have a 50% chance of actually owning a product rather than just pretending to give more weight to their moaning. I was ready to explain why it is some of us don't care but then it occurred to me. None of the people who don't like paying for Xbox Live want a reason. They don't care beyond griping and fussing. Beyond criticizing Microsoft. They aren't really looking for any kind of justification. No one ever does. It's just a means to slander. Listen to the arguments and then discard them.AncientDozer

I hate how typical people who say "we don't need another thread" or "we don't need to hear.." when they can simply ignore the thread instead of complaining about what I make my threads about. There are several other threads you could have clicked, but you chose this one.

[QUOTE="AncientDozer"]I have a better question. Why do we need another thread? Every week we get one or two of these. It's getting tiresome to hear the same whiny arguments by people who, optimistically, have a 50% chance of actually owning a product rather than just pretending to give more weight to their moaning. I was ready to explain why it is some of us don't care but then it occurred to me. None of the people who don't like paying for Xbox Live want a reason. They don't care beyond griping and fussing. Beyond criticizing Microsoft. They aren't really looking for any kind of justification. No one ever does. It's just a means to slander. Listen to the arguments and then discard them.RECON64bit

I hate how typical people who say "we don't need another thread" or "we don't need to hear.." when they can simply ignore the thread instead of complaining about what I make my threads about. There are several other threads you could have clicked, but you chose this one.

Sort of like those who don't want to pay for LIVE can simply just ignore it? When you simply could have ignored the 360 instead of purchasing it anyway then complaining about paying for LIVE? There are plenty of PS3's in stock you could have purchased, but you chose the 360.

[QUOTE="RECON64bit"]

[QUOTE="AncientDozer"]I have a better question. Why do we need another thread? Every week we get one or two of these. It's getting tiresome to hear the same whiny arguments by people who, optimistically, have a 50% chance of actually owning a product rather than just pretending to give more weight to their moaning. I was ready to explain why it is some of us don't care but then it occurred to me. None of the people who don't like paying for Xbox Live want a reason. They don't care beyond griping and fussing. Beyond criticizing Microsoft. They aren't really looking for any kind of justification. No one ever does. It's just a means to slander. Listen to the arguments and then discard them.CBCstillmatic

I hate how typical people who say "we don't need another thread" or "we don't need to hear.." when they can simply ignore the thread instead of complaining about what I make my threads about. There are several other threads you could have clicked, but you chose this one.

Sort of like those who don't want to pay for LIVE can simply just ignore it? When you simply could have ignored the 360 instead of purchasing it anyway then complaining about paying for LIVE? There are plenty of PS3's in stock you could have purchased, but you chose the 360.

Look, the time I got the 360 was a time it had titles that interested me more than the games on the PS3. Also the PS3 was too pricey for a game console, so I wasn't gonna get that. So I got myself a 360 arcade, and then got the harddrive once I decided to really invest in it, and buy stuff off the marketplace. So no I could not have just gotten the PS3 instead, I felt the systems were similar enough, but the 360 was cheaper. Made more sense to me.

[QUOTE="CBCstillmatic"]

[QUOTE="RECON64bit"]

I hate how typical people who say "we don't need another thread" or "we don't need to hear.." when they can simply ignore the thread instead of complaining about what I make my threads about. There are several other threads you could have clicked, but you chose this one.

RECON64bit

Sort of like those who don't want to pay for LIVE can simply just ignore it? When you simply could have ignored the 360 instead of purchasing it anyway then complaining about paying for LIVE? There are plenty of PS3's in stock you could have purchased, but you chose the 360.

Look, the time I got the 360 was a time it had titles that interested me more than the games on the PS3. Also the PS3 was too pricey for a game console, so I wasn't gonna get that. So I got myself a 360 arcade, and then got the harddrive once I decided to really invest in it, and buy stuff off the marketplace. So no I could not have just gotten the PS3 instead, I felt the systems were similar enough, but the 360 was cheaper. Made more sense to me.

Right and I can understand that, when the PS3 was a $600 BEAST. But still you don't have to pay for LIVE if you don't want to, I know you say you have invested to much into the 360 but if it bothered you that much you could trade it in and get a PS3. Like I said I have both and PSN cannot hold a candle to LIVE in my honest opinion. I know others will disagree but paying for LIVE is well worth it to me as it is to others. I don't mean to bash you but the simple fact remains that complaining about it isn't going to change anything, though I am sure you are just venting. When millions upon millions of gamers pay for LIVE and those numbers grow by the day then it is safe to say Microsoft won't be changing it anytime soon.

You should just embrace it and learn to love the features that make it worth paying for or you do have other options. Have you ever played a PS3 or on PSN? If not you should and you would see that the $60 for LIVE isn't really that bad(well you can get the subscription cards for $35-$40 online). Sure the idea of playing online for free sounds nice but I can tell you when I jump on to play MAG or Killzone 2, I instantly miss the features built into LIVE.

uh you bought a MICROSOFT product bro,

theres a reason people put a $ in M$

PC, PS3, WII - all 100% free online

but its your money

Because its probaly the most cohesive online of the consoles, and apparently MS believes that worth 60 bucks a year.

go buy a ps3 and then buy 2 copies for the same game then play them onboth systemsalot in the same. week and you will see why

sony has 2 things they try to get people to pay for. quore and psn + quore failed then they bring out psn + in a last ditch effort to cash in on ms`s succes from xblg. next gen all 3 will be charging. nintendo already said they want to start charging and when psn+ fails to get sony the money they want. they will make you pay to play... just be thankful for ms from forcing sony to step it up or you could be getting wii online on ps4 next gen

go buy a ps3 and then buy 2 copies for the same game then play them onboth systemsalot in the same. week and you will see why

sony has 2 things they try to get people to pay for. quore and psn + quore failed then they bring out psn + in a last ditch effort to cash in on ms`s succes from xblg. next gen all 3 will be charging. nintendo already said they want to start charging and when psn+ fails to get sony the money they want. they will make you pay to play... just be thankful for ms from forcing sony to step it up or you could be getting wii online on ps4 next gen

monson21502

Qore ahs done anything but fail. theyre actualy miles better then they were back when they started, and getting it free with PS Plus is just a perk. PS Plus is actualy super good and isnt really a last ditch anything. And honestly Live isnt miles better then PSN anymore. Both are rather comperable.

Another person complaining about paying $60 a year, Yeah its $60 a year, who can't afford $60 a year, break it down its less than 1.25 a week, I spend that on a coffee ever day

Another person complaining about paying $60 a year, Yeah its $60 a year, who can't afford $60 a year, break it down its less than 1.25 a week, I spend that on a coffee ever day

Supabul

it's not about can or can't afford..........

and with your coffee you are actually getting a product you pay for.....

as for live you get 0 I mean almost all games are p2p that means it could be you hosting........... it's not as they do that for you....

you pay to be able to use your already payed internet for to play online with a game you already payed for wich has also had royalty's for microsoft on to start with......

in the end you get nothing special with gold and your just a stupid milking cow.................... but hey mate at least you could afford it.........

AND REMEMBER THE WORLD IS FLAT PEOPLE

AND ELVIS LIVES

[QUOTE="Supabul"]

Another person complaining about paying $60 a year, Yeah its $60 a year, who can't afford $60 a year, break it down its less than 1.25 a week, I spend that on a coffee ever day

freakshowfreak

it's not about can or can't afford..........

and with your coffee you are actually getting a product you pay for.....

as for live you get 0 I mean almost all games are p2p that means it could be you hosting........... it's not as they do that for you....

you pay to be able to use your already payed internet for to play online with a game you already payed for wich has also had royalty's for microsoft on to start with......

in the end you get nothing special with gold and your just a stupid milking cow.................... but hey mate at least you could afford it.........

AND REMEMBER THE WORLD IS FLAT PEOPLE

AND ELVIS LIVES

[QUOTE="Ultra_Combo"]

[QUOTE="dommeus"] They charge because people continue to pay. If they stopped paying, MS would rescind the charge. My Live ran out in Dec and I don't plan on renewing it any time soon.RECON64bit

What what do you mean your not renewing , your forced to :roll: /thread

Well if I want to play Xbox 360 games online then I have no choice but to pay, so I am being forced aren't I?

More like coerced.

I'm pretty sure Sony is gonna charge online next gen. PSN hasn't been profitable for Sony and they are hoping to actually make a profit with PSN this year. Maybe by selling more PSN Plus subscriptions. LOL.

jimmypsn

[QUOTE="lamprey263"]the $5/month the XBL costs me is really nothing, learn to be a little frugal the money is there, skip a trip to Starbucks, don't buy popcorn or soda at the movies (or don't go to the movies for that matter). Anyhow, back in the day I used to go to the arcade after school like everyday, I could easily spend maybe $5 a trip and not complain, $5 gets you online gaming for a month. Now with the bills I gotta pay each and every month I barely notice these things like XBL gold fees, I've got rent, car insurance, health and dental insurance, utilities, cable, high speed internet, groceries, gas, my cigarettes, etc, that $5 to help me ignore all that is really nothingskrat_01

[QUOTE="RECON64bit"]

[QUOTE="Ultra_Combo"]

What what do you mean your not renewing , your forced to :roll: /thread

Tangmashi

Well if I want to play Xbox 360 games online then I have no choice but to pay, so I am being forced aren't I?

More like coerced.

[QUOTE="Tangmashi"]

[QUOTE="RECON64bit"]

Well if I want to play Xbox 360 games online then I have no choice but to pay, so I am being forced aren't I?

HuusAsking

More like coerced.

Your going to blame Microsoft for advertising their products so much that your friends bought it, as well?

Sheesh, there ARElimits, people.

[QUOTE="HuusAsking"][QUOTE="Tangmashi"]

More like coerced.

iAtrocious

Your going to blame Microsoft for advertising their products so much that your friends bought it, as well?

Sheesh, there ARElimits, people.

[QUOTE="iAtrocious"]

[QUOTE="HuusAsking"]Coercion can be pretty potent..especially when your friends are on the 360 as well.HuusAsking

Your going to blame Microsoft for advertising their products so much that your friends bought it, as well?

Sheesh, there ARElimits, people.

So, now you're also claiming that the 360 has no competition? What happened to the PS3, the PC and the Wii?

[QUOTE="RECON64bit"]

I really do not understand why I am being charged to play video games online. I understand Xbox Live has other features that we have to pay for but, I have no use for ESPN or facebook on Xbox 360. The only thing I want to do is play online, I couldn't care less about these extra feautures or Xbox live parties. Why can't online be free except foreverything else like Parties, ESPN and all the other useless garbage. I see no justification for raising the price either.

I've already invested a lot in the Xbox so I'm not gonna sell it, but I definately won't be getting their next console if they continue with this practice.

What is Microsoft's justification for charging me to play video games online?

Also this is on system wars because i'm pretty sure a post like this on Xbox forums would get me reported, and/or banned.

blackace

I still get a laugh that if you've been paying for Live since 2005 that you could essentially afford a free PS3 now.