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[Absolute Bastard]

So Microsoft has sold 40 million Xboxes but only 25 million has live account and out of those only half has gold? 60% of Xbox owners go online and only 30% get Live Gold. Perhaps it's not suprising, I know four Xbox owners myself included and only one has Gold and one has never connected his machine to internet at all.

 

[Prine]

My mates brother is such an XBL addict that he has his own gold account. Its not uncommon to see multiple gold accounts on one system.

 

[Meier]

Oh yeah, I forgot they changed that. I only use Netflix and iTunes.

Anyway, $600 million for all content might not be as great for games as it sounds, then.

I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't include microtransactions although it very well could. I'd image sales from the MW2 map packs alone are close to $100m in sales which feels like it would be less than 1/6th the total sales for the year but who knows. The article is pretty nebulous.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Now if they could use some of those space bucks to allow for official, dedicated servers like back in the Ghost-Recon-Xbox days, I'd be entirely satisfied with their service.

Ghost Recon = 3rd party title

The first 3rd party title for 360 with dedicated servers was Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, which was released in April 2006, five months after the 360 launched.

 

[kswiston]

Try and shake down ms, i dont know how in the world he can even lay claim to any of that money. :lol

Hopefully Microsoft laughs in their face. Call of Duty is huge now, but Activision will drive it into the ground within 5 years.

 

[H_Prestige]

Congratulations MS on getting a bunch of people to pay you for things they already paid you for. And then getting them to congratulate you on your success.

Agreed. Can you imagine what the Playstation Network would look like today if it wasn't for Xbox Live. I shudder to even think about it.

No forced ads in the XMB and no more stupid trophies?

 

[Str0ngStyle]

Well XBL is a business project that has soared, can't fault MS for that.

Lets just hope the "other 2" don't follow suit.

One of the other 2 has already laid the groundwork to follow. I think PlayStation fans better get ready to pay to play online with Playstation 4 cause that shit is coming.

Even at $50 a year, but if you're smart of course you can usually find a year's subscription card for a little over $30.

Truth.

You know, the most interesting part of that article wasn't bolded. Kotick wants a cut of the Xbox Live subscription money? Should be fun to watch him shake down MS. :lol

WTF is he gonna do? Hold back COD? I would pay so much money to see this play out. I mean feature for feature could you picture a PS3 exclusive COD versus a Halo or Respawn's game? Or even funnier, just out of spite Microsoft lets someone put out a free map pack the same day.

I want this to happen. Please try to shakedown MS. I'm not really an Activision hater, but that would be so much fun to watch

 

[Beer Monkey]

Yeah, Activision should totally threaten to go Sony/PC exclusive and give up over half of their CoD/MW revenue. :lol

 

[Mrbob]

Heh this is the first time I've seen a public statement by Kotick about wanting a piece of the Xbox Live pie. He has skirted around the issue many times, but the first time I've seen direct comment about wanting money. At this point I'm just hoping the Xbox Live doesn't go up because the end user has to start paying publishers for Xbox Live success. I like finding my 30 dollar subscription cards online.

I also notice MS is offering a year of service for $39.99 through the dashboard, so at least they are trying alternatives to grow the base.

If you don't want to pay for XBL, there is one other service right now which has slowly grown over 25 million in users and has a service similar to XBL. On that "dead" PC platform this service is Steam.

 

[Zhengi]

That is awesome news for MS

 

[Fox Mulder]

Heh this is the first time I've seen a public statement by Kotick about wanting a piece of the Xbox Live pie. He has skirted around the issue many times, but the first time I've seen direct comment about wanting money. At this point I'm just hoping the Xbox Live doesn't go up because the end user has to start paying publishers for Xbox Live success. I like finding my 30 dollar subscription cards online.

lol Activision. How much is MS paying for the timed exclusivity on CoD map packs?

 

[Baki]

I pay $30-$35 a year, cross game voice chat included.

I pay $0 a year for STEAM. Dedicated servers included.

Congratulations MS on getting a bunch of people to pay you for things they already paid you for. And then getting them to congratulate you on your success.



No forced ads in the XMB and no more stupid trophies?

:lol Adverts on a premium service. What will MS think of next.

 

[flyinpiranha]

Congratulations MS on getting a bunch of people to pay you for things they already paid you for. And then getting them to congratulate you on your success.



No forced ads in the XMB and no more stupid trophies?

I'm perfectly fine paying for XBLive. I love the service. None of my PC gaming friends IRL even play PC games anymore but I still have a lot of IRL friends on XBLive and just the experiences I have had with Borderlands and Halo 3 have been easily worth the price of admission.

I pay $0 a year for STEAM. Dedicated servers included.

That's really cool, but none of my friends have Steam. That's basically like going to a party that you don't have to pay for beer and nobody you know is there. I'd rather pitch in on a keg with my friends and drink with them.

 

[Baki]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/flyinpiranha/Funny%20Pic/Haaaaaters.jpg


I'm perfectly fine paying for XBLive. I love the service. None of my PC gaming friends IRL even play PC games anymore but I still have a lot of IRL friends on XBLive and just the experiences I have had with Borderlands and Halo 3 have been easily worth the price of admission.

Bu...But I like paying for peer to peer gaming. Plus MS is totally justified in making me pay extra on-top of a game to fully experience it. :/

That's really cool, but none of my friends have Steam. That's basically like going to a party that you don't have to pay for beer and nobody you know is there. I'd rather pitch in on a keg with my friends and drink with them.

Sure, everyone loves playing with their friends. You just shouldn't have to pay for that privilege.

 

[RavenFox]

We lost. Give up.

In other news, my teeth hurt when I hear the phrase "XBox Live experience". Are you sure you guys aren't in marketing?

lol great post. I have to agree.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Peer gaming is cheaper to implement than dedicated server gaming, and since the $30 a year doesn't include any Microsoft-hosted dedicated servers (as opposed to EA stuff et al), Microsoft is probably making a profit on the subscription fees alone.

If this bothers you, don't ever drink a soft drink at McDonalds. You don't want to have any idea as to how cheap syrup and water is. And don't get me started about coffee.

Of course, ultimately 99% of consumers spend their money based on getting an experience that they find sufficiently pleasurable, instead of worrying about what the cost to deliver that experience was.

The funny thing about Activision wanting a piece of the pie is that it is EA who spends more money hosting servers. Of course, EA often does a horrible, shitty job of it, but that's another story.

 

[infinityBCRT]

Like I said a few weeks ago, the people who said MS will never make back the $5 Billion of R&D they put into the Xbox/Xbox 360 are probably wrong. As online adoption increases and as MS makes it easier for people to get online (such as including wifi in the new 360s), and grows their business (getting rid of the RRoD stigma so hesitant gamers buy into Xbox, launching the next console at a better price point) they should be able to make money on this.

 

[Odrion]

I've got no problem with them making big bucks off a service that provides me with so much bang for my buck. XBL is one of the things that sold me on the 360.

that's right, i was sold on the prospect that microsoft would make me pay fifty bucks to play online

 

[poppabk]

Peer gaming is cheaper to implement than dedicated server gaming, and since the $30 a year doesn't include any Microsoft-hosted dedicated servers (as opposed to EA stuff et al), Microsoft is probably making a profit on the subscription fees alone.

If this bothers you, don't ever drink a soft drink at McDonalds. You don't want to have any idea as to how cheap syrup and water is. And don't get me started about coffee..

If you love coffee and continue to drink at Starbucks at $2.99 a cup, even though there is better coffee being given away for free next door then don't be surprised if people are curious why.

 

[RiskyChris]

You are congratulating a multi billion dollar corporation for making money through subscription fees and microtransactions. Awesome.

Hahaha you could at least hide your troll a little better. Gratz'ing a corp for making profits might be dumb but XBL subs hating is soooooooo lame.

 

[szaromir]

Why do people stil cry over ads on XBL? You pay for cable TV and it still has ads in it. That's the way the world is.

 

[onken]

God yes thank you Microsoft mmmppphhhgghhslurp

 

[Beer Monkey]

If you love coffee and continue to drink at Starbucks at $2.99 a cup, even though there is better coffee being given away for free next door then don't be surprised if people are curious why.

Thing is, there isn't better coffee being given away next door. I have two gaming PCs and a Steam account. I have a PS3 and a PSN account. On the other services I still find it cumbersome and annoying, compared to XBL, to collect my friends together and play various (and different) games with them while chatting. To me, gaming is a social experience, it isn't just about what kind of networking infrastructure is coded into the games. $2.50 a month is worth it to me just to deal with less hassle.

 

[flyinpiranha]

Bu...But I like paying for peer to peer gaming. Plus MS is totally justified in making me pay extra on-top of a game to fully experience it. :/



Sure, everyone loves playing with their friends. You just shouldn't have to pay for that privilege.

Bu ... bu ... but I don't give a shit. It's cheap as hell, and I've had GREAT times with my friends. Squabble all you want about $2.50 a month ... I lose more change than that in the same time frame.

And why shouldn't I have to pay for that privilege? Because Steam says so? I wonder how many people would stay with GAF if it cost $19.99/year like other sites. Would it be worth it to bitch about how others spend their money?

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

This makes me so sad. Mediocre service that charges for something that should and has always been free makes big bucks. What makes me even more sad is that people are defending it.

Why do people stil cry over ads on XBL? You pay for cable TV and it still has ads in it. That's the way the world is.

Most things that you pay for in media subscriptions don't have any advertisements popping up in front of you. TV is an exceptions solely because it shows primarily make revenue off of advertising due to their huge cost. Otherwise they'd have to charge extra. It's the reason why channels like HBO and Showtime are commercial free while everything else isn't.

And for a service that not only charges for something that should be in the first place, but also has advertisements is literally rubbing salt into the wound.

 

[RiskyChris]

Bu ... bu ... but I don't give a shit. It's cheap as hell, and I've had GREAT times with my friends. Squabble all you want about $2.50 a month ... I lose more change than that in the same time frame.

And why shouldn't I have to pay for that privilege? Because Steam says so? I wonder how many people would stay with GAF if it cost $19.99/year like other sites. Would it be worth it to bitch about how others spend their money?

Until someone else steps up and kicks XBL's ass I will gladly pay $100 a year for it.

This is coming from the biggest fuck-you-capitalism poster on the forums.

 

[Averon]

Success may breed increased demands from content providers to share more revenue. Already Activision says it wants a cut of the take from subscriptions, not just the percentage it currently gets from its content sold through the service.

How in the world does Kotick think Activision is in anyway deserving of that money :lol

 

[RiskyChris]

This makes me so sad. Mediocre service that charges for something that should and has always been free makes big bucks. What makes me even more sad is that people are defending it.

Yep I enjoy my free XBL clone w/ Nintendo.

 

[Beer Monkey]

How in the world does Kotick think Activision is in anyway deserving of that money :lol

He feels that CoD/MW is a killer app and that it drives XBL subs.

You'd think if he values CoD/MW so much that he wouldn't have buttfucked the creative forces behind it.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Yep I enjoy my free XBL clone w/ Nintendo.

I'm rocking out my free online services on my PC. Well except at the horrid Games for Windows Live.

 

[Dabanton]

Every console thread without fail people bring up Steam.

Newsflash guys Steam is a PC only affair (and before some smartass tries it Portal 2 for PS3 is cloud stuff only) what does it have to do with Console gaming?

Yes Steam is free and that's nice i certainly enjoy playing my CS:S and HL2 but they both offer different things that i like.

 

[RiskyChris]

And for a service that not only charges for something that should be in the first place, but also has advertisements is literally rubbing salt into the wound.

Arrrgh I'm so wounded with my quality online gaming ;__;

I'm rocking out my free online services on my PC. Well except at the horrid Games for Windows Live.

Cool, I'm rocking out with the cum-munity offered by MS while Nintendo still recoils in fear of gamers spending time with online games.

 

[Son of Godzilla]

He feels that CoD/MW is a killer app and that it drives XBL subs.

It's like the chicken telling it's egg it wouldn't be nowhere without it.

 

[WJD]

This makes me so sad. Mediocre service that charges for something that should and has always been free makes big bucks. What makes me even more sad is that people are defending it.



Most things that you pay for in media subscriptions don't have any advertisements popping up in front of you. TV is an exceptions solely because it shows primarily make revenue off of advertising due to their huge cost. Otherwise they'd have to charge extra. It's the reason why channels like HBO and Showtime are commercial free while everything else isn't.

And for a service that not only charges for something that should be in the first place, but also has advertisements is literally rubbing salt into the wound.

:lol Quite possible one of the most pathetic posts I've ever seen on Gaf, and I've seen some pathetic fucking posts.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Every console thread without fail people bring up Steam.

Newsflash guys Steam is a PC only affair (and before some smartass tries it Portal 2 for PS3 is cloud stuff only) what does it have to do with Console gaming?

Yes Steam is free and that's nice i certainly enjoy playing my CS:S and HL2 but they both offer different things that i like.

So STEAM being on PC discounts that a free online service should be standard on consoles why?

Cool, I'm rocking out with the cum-munity offered by MS while Nintendo still recoils in fear of gamers spending time with online games.

Why are you focusing completely on the free service that offers the worst online gaming experience (the one that I can't be mentioning) while ignoring the free services that are as good and better than XBL?

(people getting pissy about ads is dumb dumb dumb)

I'd rather not have things constantly pop out of my face from other services telling me what to buy. It's the same reason why I got so pissed at Hulu's enhanced service.

 

[RiskyChris]

:lol Quite possible one of the most pathetic posts I've ever seen on Gaf, and I've seen some pathetic fucking posts.

*$lurp* this is the sound of you $ucking on Micro$oft'$ dick.

(people getting pissy about ads is dumb dumb dumb)

LOL at you focusing completely on the free service that offers the worst online gaming experience (the one that I can't be mentioning) while ignoring the free services that are as good and better than XBL.

LOL at you crying about ads.

XBL offers me things that PC gaming doesn't. Deal with it.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

XBL offers me things that PC gaming doesn't. Deal with it.

Such as what? No I'm really curious.

Spoiler

Sorry for my harsh tone before, I've edited my previous post.

 

[Coin Return]

I like the people who are genuinely upset by this news. :lol

 

[Kazuma Kiryu]

We lost. Give up.

yep.

 

[goldenpp72]

Cool, any reason to justify keeping the brand alive is fine with me. Especially after the potentially devastating effects kinect may have on it.

 

[Owzers]

If it's successful then enough people obviously don't feel it's a "rip". You can be bitter and call them stupid or sheep or whatever but the fact of the matter is everyone spends money on something that others would deem foolish.

I myself pay $30 tops per year for online play, cross game invites, voice messaging, party chat, global mute ability, join session in progress, unified features across all games and voice quality that isn't god awful. Sure, you can say "well durr this has been free on PC for years". Who gives a fuck. That's the PC. And secondly, no, it's not available in one tight little package like this anywhere else. That's a convenience. And people will pay a premium in any market for a convenience. It's been this way forever.

As for the rise of DLC, I think the rise of development costs and economy are just as much to blame there as "stupid people".

Horse armor was successful, people are dumb.

 

[plagiarize]

i don't have cable TV.

i don't think it's worth the money.

i don't spit on everyone that does every time anyone mentions it.

 

[RiskyChris]

Such as what? No I'm really curious.

Spoiler

Sorry for my harsh tone before, I've edited my previous post.

Such as the games that don't ever reach the PC platform? Until the singularity hits and we're playing the same games on XBL as we do on our toothbrushes I will defend paying for XBL.

 

[Beer Monkey]

i don't have cable TV.

i don't think it's worth the money.

i don't spit on everyone that does every time anyone mentions it.

Cable companies always have offices where people can pay their bills in person. A surprising number of people do this, especially when they are late. You should go park outside the office and scream at them that they are wasting their money. That's pretty much the real-life equivalent of the internet. :lol

 

[Vilix]

subscription fees and microtransactions for things which have been free for decades on other platforms.

Congrats for screwing us over, MS

I don't blame MS. I blame myself. If there wasn't a market MS wouldn't charge for it. Of course the would've dropped it had there been no market for it. But, MS has done what they are so good at doing: Creating a need and then charging for it. And, if this weren't bad enough, rumors abound that they may allow devs/publishers to start charging to play their games online on top of the annual fee.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Such as the games that don't ever reach the PC platform? Until the singularity hits and we're playing the same games on XBL as we do on our toothbrushes I will defend paying for XBL.

That doesn't really make all that much sense. I'm more so specifically asking what makes the Xbox Live platform such a step up from other online platforms that it's worth paying for. But I'll just leave this thread now, because I'm derailing it (well one of the people). If you are interested in continuing this discussion, please PM me.

 

[flyinpiranha]

Such as what? No I'm really curious.

Spoiler

Sorry for my harsh tone before, I've edited my previous post.

My real life friends. It's the only reason I need. It may not be what you're looking for but for me XBLive >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Steam.

 

[CitizenCope]

Use it almost as often as my cable service that I pay 3 times as much for.
Been there since day one!!

 

[RiskyChris]

That doesn't really make all that much sense. I'm more so specifically asking what makes the Xbox Live platform such a step up from other online platforms that it's worth paying for. But I'll just leave this thread now, because I'm derailing it (well one of the people). If you are interested in continuing this discussion, please PM me.

I told you why it's worth paying for. You'remilagemayvary.

 

[Projectjustice]

Good for MS, they brought a great service to online gaming with XBL.