I've yet to meet someone that has spent even $50 on a membership, personally. There's almost always a deal running on it - both times I've gotten 12+1 for ~$35.
I've yet to meet someone that has spent even $50 on a membership, personally. There's almost always a deal running on it - both times I've gotten 12+1 for ~$35.
While I've certainly met people who pay full price for LIVE, I'm not one of them. I wonder what the price increase will be for those of us who only buy our year cards when they go on sale.
And we aren't even close to being done. This holiday, Xbox LIVE is adding new Gold features, including ESPN and Video Kinect, with Hulu Plus coming on Xbox LIVE in 2011.
So yeah, they're adding new services. It's $10 a year more - less than a dollar a month. Like 3 cents a day. If it was worth it for you at $50 a year - which was more like $35/40 a year - I can't imagine how it wouldn't be worth it for you at $60 a year, which will likely end up more like $45/50 a year.
I can certainly see the people who wish Netflix was its own separate thing - it is probably absurd to pay up to $60 for a year of watching Netflix if you have another machine (or 3) that could play the content. But if you used the gaming service, used the external service integration, etc, this $10 difference shouldn't really affect much at the end of the day.
And no, XBL and PSN are not really comparable. Yes, PSN lets you play games with your friends for free, but in my experience (both in the US and here in Europe), PSN is a vastly inferior service in quality and community (speaking to number of users, not quality of the userbase - they're pretty much a tossup). Existing subscribers can get an extra year for $40 direct from MS now before the price goes up, too.
Tempest in a teacup, really. If you're going to balk over a $10/year raise, you should have been questioning well before now if you were getting your $50/year out of it. If you're not, it's cool. No reason for the internet to get up in arms over it, though.
Here's why some of us are up in arms. 10 bucks a year increase. Not that much. Except I have 4 memberships in my house. Now it's 40 bucks a year more. None of us use any of the "value adds" that "justify" the price.
Facebook on Xbox - Crap. No video, no apps, why would you go to it on Xbox?
Twitter on Xbox - Crap. Cant follow links, cant re-tweet.
LastFM on Xbox - Crap. The app itself is ok, but cant listen and play games at the same time.
Netflix on Xbox - Not total Crap. But it's behind a (second) paywall. I have other boxes hooked to the tv
Some yahoo also said, "What about Deal of the Week?" What about it? I have to pay for you to allow me to buy something? Uh?
And multiplayer. This I would pay for. Ironically, this is the free bit on PSN. And if you buy used games, you will be paying again for that.
So what does it come down to? Budgets get tight, somethings gotta go. XBL is at the top of the list for jettisoning.
And lets say Microsoft has been treating me VERY well lately, and I am still fixing to bolt. Unless they come through with the 100 dollar four pack of subs they mentioned at E3. If that goes up to more than 120, I'm officially out.
The only problem I see with this is that gamers have two other compelling online services that are free. The Playstation Network, and Steam.
360 gamers, upset, don't like paying for live, stop whining and switch already...
I game on Steam, everyone here knows why... Now, if I were to choose an HD console (I don't plan to), but if I did, I'm more certain than ever that it won't be another Xbox 360. Don't give me that, "we offer the premium experience"... BS. Just because you were first does not mean your better. Everything gamers can do on live they can do on PSN, and with a little extra effort they can do it all on Steam.
There is plenty of opportunity to make revenue on the online service without having to bilk your customers $60 a year for the privilege of using their own internet bandwidth to host games.
Sony and Valve do it and make plenty of revenue leveraging online services as a digital distribution platform. Also, as facebook is proving, ownership of that mind share, consumer data, the marketing data, its all a gold mine. If Microsoft does not want it, go somewhere else consumer, you are free.... Don't tell me Halo Reach is the only thing that keeps you there, please kids... Play something new already.
My point is, don't want to pay $60 for live, sell your clunky RROD generator already and get gaming on something else. Its not like we don't have options.
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
Comments
While I've certainly met people who pay full price for LIVE, I'm not one of them. I wonder what the price increase will be for those of us who only buy our year cards when they go on sale.
So yeah, they're adding new services. It's $10 a year more - less than a dollar a month. Like 3 cents a day. If it was worth it for you at $50 a year - which was more like $35/40 a year - I can't imagine how it wouldn't be worth it for you at $60 a year, which will likely end up more like $45/50 a year.
I can certainly see the people who wish Netflix was its own separate thing - it is probably absurd to pay up to $60 for a year of watching Netflix if you have another machine (or 3) that could play the content. But if you used the gaming service, used the external service integration, etc, this $10 difference shouldn't really affect much at the end of the day.
And no, XBL and PSN are not really comparable. Yes, PSN lets you play games with your friends for free, but in my experience (both in the US and here in Europe), PSN is a vastly inferior service in quality and community (speaking to number of users, not quality of the userbase - they're pretty much a tossup). Existing subscribers can get an extra year for $40 direct from MS now before the price goes up, too.
Tempest in a teacup, really. If you're going to balk over a $10/year raise, you should have been questioning well before now if you were getting your $50/year out of it. If you're not, it's cool. No reason for the internet to get up in arms over it, though.
Facebook on Xbox - Crap. No video, no apps, why would you go to it on Xbox?
Twitter on Xbox - Crap. Cant follow links, cant re-tweet.
LastFM on Xbox - Crap. The app itself is ok, but cant listen and play games at the same time.
Netflix on Xbox - Not total Crap. But it's behind a (second) paywall. I have other boxes hooked to the tv
Some yahoo also said, "What about Deal of the Week?" What about it? I have to pay for you to allow me to buy something? Uh?
And multiplayer. This I would pay for. Ironically, this is the free bit on PSN. And if you buy used games, you will be paying again for that.
So what does it come down to? Budgets get tight, somethings gotta go. XBL is at the top of the list for jettisoning.
And lets say Microsoft has been treating me VERY well lately, and I am still fixing to bolt. Unless they come through with the 100 dollar four pack of subs they mentioned at E3. If that goes up to more than 120, I'm officially out.
They should be giving it to me for FREE since there's no Halo 2 on Live anymore!!!!!!!
The only problem I see with this is that gamers have two other compelling online services that are free. The Playstation Network, and Steam.
360 gamers, upset, don't like paying for live, stop whining and switch already...
I game on Steam, everyone here knows why... Now, if I were to choose an HD console (I don't plan to), but if I did, I'm more certain than ever that it won't be another Xbox 360. Don't give me that, "we offer the premium experience"... BS. Just because you were first does not mean your better. Everything gamers can do on live they can do on PSN, and with a little extra effort they can do it all on Steam.
There is plenty of opportunity to make revenue on the online service without having to bilk your customers $60 a year for the privilege of using their own internet bandwidth to host games.
Sony and Valve do it and make plenty of revenue leveraging online services as a digital distribution platform. Also, as facebook is proving, ownership of that mind share, consumer data, the marketing data, its all a gold mine. If Microsoft does not want it, go somewhere else consumer, you are free.... Don't tell me Halo Reach is the only thing that keeps you there, please kids... Play something new already.
My point is, don't want to pay $60 for live, sell your clunky RROD generator already and get gaming on something else. Its not like we don't have options.
The real source of Cliff's argument.
Then again, I stocked up on several 13-month cards a while ago on eBay for $30 each about a year ago, so I'm golden for a while.