Do you think Xbox Live should be free?

[Fennz]

I think so. I really don't get why we pay 8 bucks a month for something PSN get for free. Sure there were some differences, but some of the PSN updates really compete with XBL. What do you think?

[Sarge51]

You've obviously not used both the PSN and Xbox Live.

No, I don't think it should be free. You get what you pay for, and it's not even that much. It's not like we're paying 50 dollars a MONTH to use Xbox Live. I wouldn't mind it being a wee bit cheaper, but free? Hell no.

[STANNY]

Xbox live is so much better than PSN, and if I have to pay the £30 a year to keep online gaming at such a high standard then so be it, and if sony were to launch a paid version of PSN at the same quality as Xbox live id pay for that too! As already said you get what you pay for!

[bermuddy]

XBLis already full of whiny, annoying brats @ $8 per month. i can only imagine what it would be like if it were free.

[Insane3]

I don't care about whatever, I just wanna play with others. Yeah I think it should be free. Or you should pay only if you want premium services.

[Insane3]

XBLis already full of whiny, annoying brats @ $8 per month. i can only imagine what it would be like if it were free.

Err... are you saying that poor people are whiny brats?

[kiggidykev]

XBLis already full of whiny, annoying brats @ $8 per month. i can only imagine what it would be like if it were free.

I agree with my esteemed colleague.

[davidshek]

I think so. I really don't get why we pay 8 bucks a month for something PSN get for free. Sure there were some differences, but some of the PSN updates really compete with XBL. What do you think?

You don't pay 8 bucks a month. XBL is $50 a year, which is more like $4 a month.

And it's worth every penny.

[jeccaneko]

I want to know why the hell people are paying $8 a month. I buy 13 month Live subscription cards when they're on sale, so I end up getting 13 months for a total of $30, or about $2.31 a month.

Don't waste your money buying it monthly or buying a subscription straight from Microsoft.

I also agree with David Shek. It's worth it. Heck, at my house we actually pay for 2 Gold subscriptions (mine and my husband's) when we could easily share. But we like having 2 gamertags and our own save files for games and being able to play online without switching gamertags (like you'd have to if one was silver). We find it worth it and we end up paying about $60 a year because of that, more than most people.

[athenahollow]

I don't care about whatever, I just wanna play with others. Yeah I think it should be free. Or you should pay only if you want premium services.
It already offers premium services for pay. For free, you get to keep track of your achievements I believe. Everything else is pay.


Err... are you saying that poor people are whiny brats?

And I think he was saying that mommy and daddy are willing to shill out $8/month. If it were more, there wouldn't be whiney brats on there. If it were free, no one to stop MORE little brats from joining in and making live unplayable.

edit:
You don't pay 8 bucks a month. XBL is $50 a year, which is more like $4 a month.

And it's worth every penny.

Yes, if you pay month by month its ~$8/month.

[kiggidykev]

Thinking about it further, Xbox Live can potentially be free if you do the "sign up for a new gamertag" loophole every month like it seems jerks do for Halo 3 all the time, and look at the cesspool that that game became for online play.

[murph]

nope, totally worth the $$. keeps some of riff-raff offline. allows M$ to pay their developers to add new features. meanwhile Sony is forced to charge their 3rd party developers for demo bandwidth.

[athenahollow]

Thinking about it further, Xbox Live can potentially be free if you do the "sign up for a new gamertag" loophole every month like it seems jerks do for Halo 3 all the time, and look at the cesspool that that game became for online play.

I agree.
Also, look at all the free MMO's out there. They suck major balls. Wanna know why? Because they don't pay people who are worth it to maintain it. In order to keep it at least MODERATELY under control, ya gotta have income. People aren't gonna do that job for free, at least not people who are worth their weight in s***.

[kiggidykev]

I can't stand free MMOs anymore because of the sheer douchebaggery and advertising that goes on in them.

[Insane3]

Also, look at all the free MMO's out there. They suck major balls. Wanna know why? Because they don't pay people who are worth it to maintain it. In order to keep it at least MODERATELY under control, ya gotta have income. People aren't gonna do that job for free, at least not people who are worth their weight in s***.

Hum, that's not true. I'm on a WoW private server and it's very worth it. Less players but also less *******s. I also used to play Shaiya which was OK, better than some paying MMOs.

[athenahollow]

Hum, that's not true. I'm on a WoW private server and it's very worth it. Less players but also less *******s. I also used to play Shaiya which was OK, better than some paying MMOs.

That's totally different. That requires having the intelligence to find the files to edit in order to connect to said server.

Free MMO's (really free, like rubies of everintide (sp?) and the like) are suckish. Their development team blows, their support is supremely lacking and it's all because they don't have the monetary resources to handle it.

[Insane3]

That's totally different. That requires having the intelligence to find the files to edit in order to connect to said server.

Free MMO's (really free, like rubies of everintide (sp?) and the like) are suckish. Their development team blows, their support is supremely lacking and it's all because they don't have the monetary resources to handle it.

Yeah, agreed about WoW, but I also played Shaiya and everything was alright. I also played Anarchy Online (the free 1 year trial... which isnt really a trial). But you get tired of AO.

The thing is I hate paying monthly fees. I prefer paying once and then not being bothered again. I would love Eve Online, I know it, but I don't wanna pay monthly fees.

[aremis]

If you cannot afford 4$ a month for online play, then you should sell your console and take up basket weaving.

[jeccaneko]

I can't stand free MMOs anymore because of the sheer douchebaggery and advertising that goes on in them.

I don't like MMOs in general, even the paid ones, because I always seem to run into the jerks. If it has PvP they kill me for no reason. If it doesn't have PvP they will follow me around and steal my item drops from monsters or just be annoying in general. Doesn't matter whether I be a male or female character.

[Banky71]

The service on XBOX is so much better(although PS3 has made improvements) I just can't stand the racism and hatred. If your so bad at games or such a sore loser that you have to shout racist terms or passive agressively *** bash the other people on the other side of the mic maybe you should find another hobby rather than video games that actually calms you down rather than becoming this person. It's a game. There is no need or room for this in todays society.

[Insane3]

If you cannot afford 4$ a month for online play, then you should sell your console and take up basket weaving.

Yeah right, this "poor people are ****" thing again.

Of course, most people can afford it, but not being able to afford something doesn't mean you are not worth it.

[seinman]

Thinking about it further, Xbox Live can potentially be free if you do the "sign up for a new gamertag" loophole every month like it seems jerks do for Halo 3 all the time, and look at the cesspool that that game became for online play.

That only works three times per console. Every Xbox comes with three free months of Live, but only one month per account. Once you use your three, it basically says too bad, go pay for it. I mean, not in those exact words, but pretty much. So no, it isn't free forever, just long enough for you to start liking it so you're more likely to go buy a subscription.

Also, I know others have pointed this out, but $8/month? Really? That's almost as laughable as the guy who claimed it was $30/month. Only idiots pay month-by-month since it's such a huge ripoff. You can get 13 month cards for $30, which comes to about $2.31 a month. Hell, even if you don't wait for a sale or buy online, the full price of a 13 month card is $50, or $3.85 a month, over half off paying the month-by-month price.

[kiggidykev]

To be honest, I was completely against the idea of paying for a monthly online service when we first got our 360 that I didn't even sign up for an account for like 2 years. But there are so many people that I know with Xboxes now, it's a service that I'm gladly paying for.

[athenahollow]

I don't like MMOs in general, even the paid ones, because I always seem to run into the jerks. If it has PvP they kill me for no reason. If it doesn't have PvP they will follow me around and steal my item drops from monsters or just be annoying in general. Doesn't matter whether I be a male or female character.
Yea, that's why I like city of heroes/villains. PVP only in very clearly marked option pvp zones.



Yeah, agreed about WoW, but I also played Shaiya and everything was alright. I also played Anarchy Online (the free 1 year trial... which isnt really a trial). But you get tired of AO.

The thing is I hate paying monthly fees. I prefer paying once and then not being bothered again. I would love Eve Online, I know it, but I don't wanna pay monthly fees.
Now see, that's just lazy LOL...


If you cannot afford 4$ a month for online play, then you should sell your console and take up basket weaving.
Or not complain because you have to pay for good service... But some people find a need or desire in their life to complain about everything.

[bermuddy]

now that i had time to reflect on this question, i'm going to change my answer. XBL should be free. so should gas, food, tvs, and anything else you want. everything should be free. we could live in a freetopian society!

[Insane3]

now that i had time to reflect on this question, i'm going to change my answer. XBL should be free. so should gas, food, tvs, and anything else you want. everything should be free. we could live in a freetopian society!

Yes, that's communism. But try to apply that correctly now.

[Renrock]

Thinking about it further, Xbox Live can potentially be free if you do the "sign up for a new gamertag" loophole every month like it seems jerks do for Halo 3 all the time, and look at the cesspool that that game became for online play.

I believe that only works 3 times per console.

[bermuddy]

Yes, that's communism. But try to apply that correctly now.

no, its a freetopian society. in communism you're expected to contribute to society. i just assumed he wants everything for free and not work for it.

[Insane3]

no, its a freetopian society. in communism you're expected to contribute to society. i just assumed he wants everything for free and not work for it.

Oh. But that would be perfect. We simply need a couple slaves gathering ressources for us lol!

[bermuddy]

Oh. But that would be perfect. We simply need a couple slaves gathering ressources for us lol!

there you go! now youre with it! :D

[Zoologico]

I want to know why the hell people are paying $8 a month. I buy 13 month Live subscription cards when they're on sale, so I end up getting 13 months for a total of $30, or about $2.31 a month.

Don't waste your money buying it monthly or buying a subscription straight from Microsoft.

I also agree with David Shek. It's worth it. Heck, at my house we actually pay for 2 Gold subscriptions (mine and my husband's) when we could easily share. But we like having 2 gamertags and our own save files for games and being able to play online without switching gamertags (like you'd have to if one was silver). We find it worth it and we end up paying about $60 a year because of that, more than most people.

Wow.
You made characters based on FF6 (and did a great job).
If you weren't already married, I'd propose.
/epimp

[kiggidykev]

Hee hee, jecca's got an admirer

[Insane3]

there you go! now youre with it! :D

Let's choose the Aryan race as slaves as some sort of vendetta from nazism. That would be cool!

[bermuddy]

Let's choose the Aryan race as slaves as some sort of vendetta from nazism. That would be cool!

ok, i think we just crossed a line somewhere.

[Sarge51]

Um, to connect to private servers on WoW all you got to do is find the text file and change the server address. The file is in plain site, and all you got to do it copy and paste the server into the file, and... that's it. But, WoW got old faster than Anarchy Online did. Ultimately AO got more and more annoying with advertisements that were 2 times louder than anything else in the game.

EVE Online is pretty much the only MMO I've paid money for. and it's because I know I can get into it and like it in the long run. It's just those first two months that are hard to get by. Plus, with EVE you can eventually pay off you subscription with ingame money.

I don't think I've ever played a free MMO that was good. But the same is true for most paid ones. Maybe that's just because I can't get into that many MMOs.


I think they should allow people to play together online in Arcade games on a Silver Account. and now they have discounts now and then for gold members. So you can end up saving some money sometimes. :D

[rowtheboat]

It would probably suck if it was free...

[athenahollow]

Also, I know others have pointed this out, but $8/month? Really? That's almost as laughable as the guy who claimed it was $30/month. Only idiots pay month-by-month since it's such a huge ripoff. You can get 13 month cards for $30, which comes to about $2.31 a month. Hell, even if you don't wait for a sale or buy online, the full price of a 13 month card is $50, or $3.85 a month, over half off paying the month-by-month price.

Actually, I prefer paying month by month. That way, I'm not shelling out $100 at once, as I have to pay for 2 xbox accounts. I don't know about you, but there are much more important things to me, like taking my kid to chuck e cheese, the zoo etc. All of which I can if I don't have to shill out that much money at once.

[seinman]

Actually, I prefer paying month by month. That way, I'm not shelling out $100 at once, as I have to pay for 2 xbox accounts. I don't know about you, but there are much more important things to me, like taking my kid to chuck e cheese, the zoo etc. All of which I can if I don't have to shill out that much money at once.

Well, firstly, $60 at once for two accounts. Secondly, do you understand simple math? If you buy two 13-month cards for $30 each when they're on sale, you'll save $148 over the course of that year. How many times can you take your kid to the zoo for $148? If your point is "I need to save money so I can spend it on my child," then the 13-month cards are the obvious choice here.

The only situation I can think of where paying on a month-by-month basis for Live makes sense is if you aren't sure you're going to use it, or if you know you won't use a whole year. Say you're going to join the military in three months, okay then buy three months. Or if your son owns the Xbox and he's taking it to college in the fall, then maybe a 13-month card isn't such a good deal. But I mean, if you know you're gonna have the thing for a year, it seems ******ed to NOT spend a little bit more up front to save such a large amount in the long run.

I'm broke too, so you know what I did? Every day, I started putting my change in a jar. It was less than a dollar a day. And by the time there was a sale on the cards, I had enough for one. Literally, that's how cheap Xbox Live is. You can pay for over a year of service with your spare change. If you can't swing $30 up front, but somehow can manage $8 a month, I think your money management skills need to be improved.

[Cpt. Overkill]

Well, firstly, $60 at once for two accounts. Secondly, do you understand simple math? If you buy two 13-month cards for $30 each when they're on sale, you'll save $148 over the course of that year. How many times can you take your kid to the zoo for $148? If your point is "I need to save money so I can spend it on my child," then the 13-month cards are the obvious choice here.

The only situation I can think of where paying on a month-by-month basis for Live makes sense is if you aren't sure you're going to use it, or if you know you won't use a whole year. Say you're going to join the military in three months, okay then buy three months. Or if your son owns the Xbox and he's taking it to college in the fall, then maybe a 13-month card isn't such a good deal. But I mean, if you know you're gonna have the thing for a year, it seems ******ed to NOT spend a little bit more up front to save such a large amount in the long run.

13 month cards have always been 50$ around here... :confused:

[seinman]

13 month cards have always been 50$ around here... :confused:

Sales. Once every month or two, either Kmart or Walmart or Target will have a sale where a 13 month card is $30. Start saving your money now, and I bet when it goes on sale you'll have $30 ready for it. I got my current 13 month card for $30 at Kmart about a month and a half ago.

[athenahollow]

Firstly, I've not once ever seen that sale, and I'm at walmart literally 5 days a week.

Secondly, if you would pull your head out of your ass, and quit trying to act like an elitist jerk, you would see that there's a huge difference between over spending throughout the year, and $100 up front. I could care less that I'm spending the $16/month, honestly. It doesn't hurt me to look at my bank and see it go through. $100 on the other hand, considering I run my own business, and some months are much kinder than others, I don't have the assurance of that 9-5 job that guarantees how much I make each week/month. So I have to spend as little as I can each month individually, to make sure that without a doubt, if things are sour next month, I won't have to worry my ass off.