Why is Microsoft not giving Xbox Live free?

[Laxman9292]

Purchase of the console - yes. Purchase of the GAME - no. When you buy a game, you pay for both the single AND multiplayer experience. I don't see any sane reason, why you should pay extra for something you already paid for. This is not a price to pay for a glass to drink milk in it. This is a price for DRINKING the milk which you already bought. If we're going to compare XBL Gold to a glass you have to buy, then sorry, I prefer to drink the milk from carton.

Allright, call me a fanboy, because I have PS3 and not X360, but trust me, if I had some additional cash, I would love to have X360 as well (I so want to play Alan Wake). I understand paying for extra goodies and features. This is normal. Free = less stuff. Fee = more stuff. But demanding an extra payment for a multi in a game you already bought? No, this is not a bonus stuff. This is removing stuff from you until you'll pay extra. In other words - a dick move.

Not true. You bought the game yes, so you can play the multiplayer provided by the game: splitscreen. But the game/devs/publishers are not the ones who are setting up servers for online matches and what have you. That is what Microsoft does, and they do it very well as well as having a significant catalog of downladable games and other features. And I gladly pay them for that service.

By the way, Alan Wake is fucking PHENOMENAL!

 

[Worgen]

The reason why Xbox Live arguably a better online service than PSN is because we pay for it. Our money lets Microsoft make improvements to XBL.

That's why even though it costs money, more people are on XBL than PSN. It's an all round better service.

and yet pc gamers have the best service and its costs us even less

Go away you tosser. This conversation has little to do with you, and even less reason for you to be an absolute dick about console vs. PC. You just seem annoying and petty trying to turn every conversation into a flamewar. GIVE IT UP ALREADY!

WOOOO I just won *dances around the room* I have won the internet because of you and you have proven that my point was right, for you see, with only your righteous indignation could I truly have achieved victory, all the other responses were just too reasonable

so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this stunning victory today, Im not used to people handing me one so easily

Congratulations, you have succeeded at being a douche? I do not understand, even if you won, that means your intention was just to be an asshole? And by some logic it does not really mean that you are an asshole? No, you are stupid, and that logic is stupid, and you are an ass. You should lose the internet.

Oh well, some people just get off on that. Good day to you.

I won because I managed to elicit this response from you without even trying to make a flame thread, its like being accused of cheating in a multi player game when your not, it sustains me

also your misusing the word douche, which allot of people do online, the mistake of using the word douche is that it implies they still have a use, really if you want to insult someone you should call them something that is useless

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Why give something for free when you can charge for it?

 

[jboking]

The reason why Xbox Live arguably a better online service than PSN is because we pay for it. Our money lets Microsoft make improvements to XBL.

That's why even though it costs money, more people are on XBL than PSN. It's an all round better service.

and yet pc gamers have the best service and its costs us even less

Go away you tosser. This conversation has little to do with you, and even less reason for you to be an absolute dick about console vs. PC. You just seem annoying and petty trying to turn every conversation into a flamewar. GIVE IT UP ALREADY!

You sir, are silly. The PC is a completely valid platform for games and we shouldn't view things as PC vs Consoles, but rather as PC vs PS3 vs 360. The fact is, when you compare Steam, a free PC service provided by Valve, and Xbox Live, you'll notice very little differences of any importance to a gamer. In fact, it provides some services (like discounted games) to its users that Live doesn't. Live really isn't that great.


To the OT: It's been said plenty of times, but the truth is that Microsoft charges for Live because they can and people will pay the fee. They're a company, naturally they'll try and make money where they can.

 

[guruda]

having to pay for something free on other consoles is a waste but xbox live has just too many features from better multiplayer to nice social networking options

I agree with parts other than the mutiplayer statement because it seems to me that more ps3 games are ran on servers then xbox 360 games this observation could be wrong though

 

[Kevon Huggins]

having to pay for something free on other consoles is a waste but xbox live has just too many features from better multiplayer to nice social networking options

Excuse me? Multiplayer is in no way better. Also, the social experience is shit due to the fact that 50% of the community is comprised of pre-teen boys screaming "******," among other things.

The PSN is like omegle, occasional trolls, but an overall clean and a decent experience. Xbox Live is like Chatroulette, you may be more "social", but half of the time you stare at some asshole's dick.



Answer to OP: Because they [Microsoft] can, and because people are too dumb to say "To hell with this shit."

i think your confusing your self psn remember psn is the one which sucks

 

[Kevon Huggins]

having to pay for something free on other consoles is a waste but xbox live has just too many features from better multiplayer to nice social networking options

Excuse me? Multiplayer is in no way better. Also, the social experience is shit due to the fact that 50% of the community is comprised of pre-teen boys screaming "******," among other things.

The PSN is like omegle, occasional trolls, but an overall clean and a decent experience. Xbox Live is like Chatroulette, you may be more "social", but half of the time you stare at some asshole's dick.



Answer to OP: Because they [Microsoft] can, and because people are too dumb to say "To hell with this shit."

i think your confusing your self psn remember psn is the one which sucks remember

having to pay for something free on other consoles is a waste but xbox live has just too many features from better multiplayer to nice social networking options

I agree with parts other than the mutiplayer statement because it seems to me that more ps3 games are ran on servers then xbox 360 games this observation could be wrong though

kk not better multiplayer but nuch more how ti put developed has a lot of people playing on a nice selection of games

 

[Inco]

Because they're a company that's looking to make money.

Deal with it.

This pretty much.
The sense of entitlement here is kinda getting on my nerves. Microsoft is a business and is providing a service that they are allowed to charge for in order to make a profit.

 

[mew4ever23]

I continue to hear that X-Box Live is a far superior service than Playstation Network, so there's that, I guess. Then there's Nintendo WFC, which you shouldn't even get me started on.

 

[Jfswift]

Modern Warfare 2 runs great on both systems (I own both and I can't tell a difference). The only reason I still hang out on XBL is because several of my friends are on there.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

The amount of money sony losses for not charging will drive them under.

 

[Magicman10893]

Because the money we pay goes to upkeep for the service. That is why downloading updates for my games on my Xbox takes only a couple seconds while downloading updates on my PS3 takes several minutes at a time. I had to wait around 30 minutes to download an update for Gran Turismo 5, but downloading updates for Red Dead Redepmtion, Borderlands, Mass Effect 2 and Assassins Creed: Brotherhood took less than 2 minutes all together.

I however disagree with the high price. When it was $50 for a year it wasn't bad (considering 3 months was like $20) but then they added Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM and Netflix, which are, you know, things we can get with our computers FOR FREE. Things that we get FOR FREE with our INTERNET BILL. Anyone that wants Facebook, ESPN, Twitter or Last.FM will already have had it ON THEIR COMPUTER FOR NO ADDITIONAL COST. The only conceivable feature of value they added was Netflix so you could download the movies and watch them on your TV instead of waiting for the DVD in the mail, but doesn't that have its own separate fee?

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

I own a Xbox 360 and repeatedly having to pay for a Xbox Live Gold Membership is quite annoying. After a while i started thinking about why Microsoft isn't giving Xbox Live free. Surely its to make more money and the Xbox Live service and benefits is quite worth it but surely they must realize that they lost many costumers to Sony's PS3 due to this and that this is always a major disadvantageous point when used in console wars. I am open to all views and opinions.

Have you played an online game on PSN? It's awful. I gladly pay for a membership to maintain servers and get content early. In other words...

...YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

 

[SpAc3man]

I have used both and still haven't really noticed all that much of a difference. Most likely due to the fact I am a PC gamer and I am used to Steam. Sure my PC cost more than a 360 with several years of Live but the amount of money saved by taking advantage of Steam sales and the fact that PC games are cheaper than console games in the first place has saved me far more than the cost of my PC in the first place.

 

[Wintermoot]

because Microsoft wants to charge for EVERY LITTLE THING (why else would they charge $100+ for office software)
also welcome to the escapist

 

[Devil's Due]

I just threw in Steam because it does everything live does for free to brush aside the usual Live > PSN argument.

So, how's the cost to get a gaming computer (usually around 900 or more US dollars if put together, more if bought already made, sometimes lower if lucky), the hours it takes to configure it, and the cost of constantly updating it over the years to then get your Steam?

Eh, I'll stick with my $ 200 gaming console that lasts for years and only costs approx. fifty dollars a year. Even at five years of Gold, I've only spent around $ 550. That's just little over half it cost to even buy a basic gaming PC. I'd rather take my Xbox Live.

As for the thread: Servers are not cheap, oh man they're not. Nor all the special updates and such. Though we could do without the Facebook and ESPN crap and such. That I wouldn't mind thrown out for a few extra dollars saved.

 

[Drake_Dercon]

It costs money so that they can pay their techs. They pay their techs so that everything stays in working order. Everything stays in working order so that you don't have to wait an hour to play a single match when you're already on the server and it's full.

Microsoft also has that soulless money obsession (as evidenced by that recent Windows (not quite a)live ad) schtick that seems to be dominating almost everything these days (or any days, really).

What can I say? We can't all be indie.

 

[Aj Swan]

Xbox Live is a lot better than PSN. It's like the difference between WoW and Runescape. I pay to have the servers monitered and fixed. So they make a profit. Thats why its called a business. Microsoft doesn't support giant servers for the good of there health do they? And Xbox has a lot more titles that are out there.

As for the DLC thing, thats for if you buy the game used. The only way the devoloper can make his money to make more good video games is through the DLC's. Otherwise, they go bankrupt, and we revisit the NES ages of videogames; wich would be there is only a handfull of playable games.

 

[emeraldrafael]

The reason why Xbox Live arguably a better online service than PSN is because we pay for it. Our money lets Microsoft make improvements to XBL.

That's why even though it costs money, more people are on XBL than PSN. It's an all round better service.

Well.. you know, and that more people own 360s.

Anyway, besides all that, why would they? And lose that money when people are used to paying and dont care enough to protest it? Seems pretty obvious to me.