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[Sidney Prescott]

PS or Xbox needs to remove the paywall before anything happens. It would force the other to probably reconsider. I would like to see Online Gaming just be free. It has always been something I've reluctantly paid for as I have no other choice on console.

It's a shame Sony moved to paid online after PS3, but it doesn't surprise me with how much Xbox Live Gold was booming.

The "free" games you get are nice, and I have got some games that I have put a ton of hours in to over the years. That has been the only thing making it worth it a lot of the time.

 

[Blond]

Yea its not like this has happened before when a group of gamers pushed back against Microsoft's paid online, oh wait...

There was plenty of pushback back then, the difference is that Xbox live presented a legitimate improvement over what the PS2/GameCube had on offer with friends list, cross game invites, a DSL required connection whereas GC/Ps2 allowed dial up leading to smoother online experiences. The PS3 release changed all that but even then the 360 now had party chat and introduced cloud saves at some point, which the PS3 lacked for an entire generation yet the PSvita had it at launch. It wasn’t until the PS4 where they were both feature matched and the value proposition for xbl went out the window yet Sony decided it was time for them to start charging.

 

[Forsythia]

As long as there are so many with only Gold and not Game Pass online won't be free. Maybe if 90% of all users have GPU they'll consider it.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Phil discussed this a couple years ago in an interview. Paid online on PC will never work.

Console gamers are willing to pay for online services. They have only one option: what the platform holder gives them. They charge under the guise of building and maintaining the platform that everything runs on. Everything is through the console.

PC gamers are not willing to pay for online features. They don't need to use Microsoft's online features at all because they have several other options open to them.

If Microsoft had tried to make it's glorious return to PC a few years ago with paid online in the mix, it would have been a hard crash and burn. Surprisingly to just about everyone, they went the other direction and even started putting their games on Steam to reach even more PC players who absolutely won't pay a premium for something they already pay for.

 

[Aguero9320]

I never play online, ever, still subscribe to Gold for the freebies and deals.

If they increased the quality of the Games with Gold, and did some big sales I'd be happy with a price increase tbh. Although I should probably admit at this point that, prior to GamePass Ultimate I was on the monthly plan through the console, so have been paying $9.99 a month any way because I can't be bothered chasing down sales. Wasn't actually a price increase for me

 

[LordCBH]

Why would they get rid of paid online when people are so happy to hand them money hand over fist? The ONLY reason Microsoft got rid of it for pc is because almost no one wanted it and could just play other games online free.

 

[DeepEnigma]

They got rid of paid online for f2p games making them offer the best deal for online console gaming. Coupled with free cloud saves I don't see them dropping paid online unless another platform does it first.

 

[martino]

They got rid of paid online for f2p games making them offer the best deal for online console gaming. Coupled with free cloud saves I don't see them dropping paid online unless another platform does it first.

it's up to the challenger to try to seduce competition audiences with such moves.

 

[Panajev2001a]

it's up to the challenger to try to seduce competition audiences with such moves.

I think you got your quotations wrong , that is not me .

 

[martino]

I think you got your quotations wrong , that is not me .

you're right.
i edited

 

[Captain Toad]

There is absolutely no chance to get rid of paid online.

Yup. The only chance is for them to ONLY allow online pay with GamePass. Which is very close to what they were getting ready to do.

 

[cm osi]

online paywall is the number one reason people are subscribed. the "free games" are there to justify a higher price.
remove the online and you'll have a huge number of people quitting.

 

[Azelover]

It's more likely that they'll drop the hardware, if it gets really ugly..

 

[Fuz]

You peasants are gonna ruin PC multiplayer too.

 

[DeepEnigma]

You peasants are gonna ruin PC multiplayer too.

Nah, they already tried that. Ended in a colossal failure. PC is too open a platform where people will just create their own tunneling if they ever tried that again in force.

 

[Bernkastel]

You peasants are gonna ruin PC multiplayer too.

Why does PCMR need paid multiplayer on consoles?

 

[Hezekiah]

The smart thing to do is to get a PC and a PS5. For games with multiplayer modes that I actually want to play like Gears 5 and Battlefield 6 I just play them on PC - free online, keyboard and mouse is better anyway, plus the games are cheaper.

Playstation for the exclusives, and sign-up for PSN as and when needed for multiplayer gaming and access to the Playstation Collection.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Xbox Live is a big service and incredibly backed by Microsoft.

 

[MilkyJoe]

It's really not a big fucking deal. My god our broke are people? Take away Gold and Games with Gold goes.

 

[Hezekiah]

It's really not a big fucking deal. My god our broke are people? Take away Gold and Games with Gold goes.

Some fools will happily be taxed to play online, and would be happy even if it was $120 a year .

 

[magnumpy]

why does nintendo charge for online play. they have the least valuable online service and honestly they should be paying ME to suffer the horrors of their online games as well as a stipend for the post traumatic stress I endure as a direct result of their poor quality of online infrastructure

 

[Spacefish]

It's really not a big fucking deal. My god our broke are people? Take away Gold and Games with Gold goes.

you wanna pay me 60 bucks a year? you can have whatever shit is leftover from my humble bundles and I can pretend to host your p2p connections too.

 

[Stuart360]

Lets be honest here, the only reason why online is free on PC is beause no company 'owns' PC, like Microsoft and Sony own their consoles.
The odd game studio has tried charging online on PC in past years and yeah, it wasnt accepted, and never will be. Can you imagine every game studio having their own Paid online on PC?.

 

[BeardGawd]

Why would MS put themselves in a financially disadvantaged position compared to their competitors?

Nintendo, again Nintendo, of all companies charges for online. We all know how shit Nintendo's online is. MS would be stupid to drop it at this point.

 

[CitizenZ]

900 million a month, yea they are going to give that away. LMFAO.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

900 million a month, yea they are going to give that away. LMFAO.

What is with this mindset? Literally showed theyve considered it multiple times in the OP and they were just about to suicide live to try to force people to gamepass and yet people still can't wrap their heads around it.

The reason it doesn't happen is because y'all accept it.

 

[Iced Arcade]

Service is never going away, there is a reason Sony jumped on that bandwagon of cash. these companies make more from subscriptions than they make off consoles made and let's face it... they are here to make money, not friends.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like paying for online MP but they have buildings, servers, teams of workers, equipment that is dedicated to Xbox Live. start stripping aways and you might not be left with something that is profitable to continue or half assed.

100% think they should remodel the service

 

[Magnific0giganticus]

They got rid of paid online for f2p games making them offer the best deal for online console gaming. Coupled with free cloud saves I don't see them dropping paid online unless another platform does it first

They WILL get F2P games out of the paywall in the "upcoming months". They haven't changed that yet. When it happens, it happens, just don't treat it as if you can go play Fortnite right now without a Gold sub, 'cause you just can't.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Anyone seen Harold and Kumar go to Guantanamo Bay?

Then you know why I won't let her anywhere near me.

She scares me.

 

[Nezzeroth]

This is not going to happen. Microsoft wants you to pay for subscriptions. The most you could ask for is them including online play in their regular Gamepass (not ultimate) and get rid of Gold.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Microsoft is looking for more income streams from the Xbox division, not less.

They've spent so much on acquisitions, I'm not sure if they are willing to wait 3 to 7 years for the possible payoff on some projects. Phil should have thought of that before.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

2 bad moves in a row.

Price increase.

Backpedaling.

Now ppl think MS is a pushover.

Philip Spencer in action

What Phil thinks he is like

 

[alabtrosMyster]

You peasants are gonna ruin PC multiplayer too.

Nah, the main arguments are cross game multiparty chats, friends list, cross game invites... You don't need an Xbox account to do any of these things on PC.

 

[BlackTron]

People like you are why Microsoft and Sony get away with this scam.

In the case of MSFT, it's impossible because their entire game business is predicated on fees and subscriptions. It's their long-game plan to go all in on such fees as console and game sales wither away.

Take away the fees and subscription, and there's nothing left, it goes against the direction of their entire strategy that's guided all of their decisions.

Nintendo could reverse the fee easy though.

 

[Aidah]

Charging for a service is understandble, just don't charge multiple times its cost and bundle a bunch of garbage with it to make it seem justifiable. Most of the cost of online multiplayer for a given game isn't even covered by the platform holder, but rather the game publisher.

Anyway, I bought a couple of years of PS+ for $25 a pop, and I mostly play on PC anyway especially when the consoles start no longer feel new and impressive. So, whatever.

 

[MilkyJoe]

you wanna pay me 60 bucks a year? you can have whatever shit is leftover from my humble bundles and I can pretend to host your p2p connections too.

60 a year? 5 dollars a month, even less if you get it on CD keys ... . Jesus wept you people crack me up

 

[Wunray]

Doubt that'll ever happen on both of those platforms, can't imagine paying to play online though but console players are content paying for it. I suppose that might change when they had enough.....lol.

 

[Genx3]

XB should create a Silver tier that includes free on line gaming with no perks.
No free games included like Gold.
You get free online gaming on random playlists. No friend invites, clans, etc.
I think this would be a good middle ground for people that barely play online and don't really get much value from XBL Gold.

 

[RScrewed]

People on here are fulfilling a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Yeah, it's never going to go away or drop down in price because you are actively paying for it, planning on paying for it...and then retorting "ehhh, it's neever gonna happen". It's like you are not even trying to understand what OP is saying.

If everyone cancelled their subscriptions for a few months, watch how quickly prices drop.

Hopefully most of you are old enough to know you should always bounce between ISP's, mobile wireless, insurance companies, other subscription models every so often so that companies try to incentivize you to switch back to their service. Same thing here.

OP, the one big thing that will keep this from happening is that there is no competition between Sony or Microsoft (despite the narrative they both push that they have to compete against each other...but then end up doing exactly the same thing with a few stylistic changes - which is all planned, kinda like how Exxon isn't purposely trying to cut gas prices under Shell/Mobile).

Sony and Microsoft know they already have a real steady fanbase that have a pride in their choice of choosing a console (it's all manufactured pride too, amazing marketing) and the companies really only have to compete against a former version of themselves because most gamers are blind zealots that dig their heels in one side of the camp.

Can you imagine if gamers as a whole jumped en masse every generation to the one company that provides the best deal that gen? It'd be a race to the bottom with prices, but all of that would require gamers to have a brain and not be like "ewww I gotta buy an Xbox?!?" and "ewww, I gotta buy a Playstation?!?"

It's pretty easy to take money from children so this is what we've ended up with. I applaud your efforts OP.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

Service is never going away, there is a reason Sony jumped on that bandwagon of cash. these companies make more from subscriptions than they make off consoles made and let's face it... they are here to make money, not friends.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like paying for online MP but they have buildings, servers, teams of workers, equipment that is dedicated to Xbox Live. start stripping aways and you might not be left with something that is profitable to continue or half assed.

100% think they should remodel the service

In the case of MSFT, it's impossible because their entire game business is predicated on fees and subscriptions. It's their long-game plan to go all in on such fees as console and game sales wither away.

Take away the fees and subscription, and there's nothing left, it goes against the direction of their entire strategy that's guided all of their decisions.

Nintendo could reverse the fee easy though.

That's for Sony for PS+ AND PSNOW with double the install base that MS has. Obviously percents are gonna be different here and there for MS but the point is its nowhere near as big as people think it is, the real money comes from microtransactions, which would go way up if 100% of the userbase had access to online instead of ~1/3.

There's a reason Sony doesn't make PS+ required for F2P games, not because they are nice guys, its because they make more from the microtransactions than from people subbing to PS+ to play F2P games.

 

[Jeeves]

There will be no large-scale effort from consumers to get rid of these pointless fees. Just look at the responses in this thread; they're willfully resigned to it.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

There will be no large-scale effort from consumers to get rid of these pointless fees. Just look at the responses in this thread; they're willfully resigned to it.

Yea its kinda sad, people don't even have to get off their lazy asses, just type a few keys on their keyboard. No wonder digital is booming so much, changing a disc must be like climbing Mount Everest for some of these people.

 

[Captain Toad]

PS or Xbox needs to remove the paywall before anything happens. It would force the other to probably reconsider. I would like to see Online Gaming just be free. It has always been something I've reluctantly paid for as I have no other choice on console.

It's a shame Sony moved to paid online after PS3, but it doesn't surprise me with how much Xbox Live Gold was booming.

The "free" games you get are nice, and I have got some games that I have put a ton of hours in to over the years. That has been the only thing making it worth it a lot of the time.

PS3 being free didn't stop 360 from being paid online.

Of course, at that time, Xbox Live was significantly better than PSN. Today, they're basically identical with PS+ having the advantage in better monthly games (most months). So, maybe it would be different now.

 

[TheMay30thMan]

The best chance was when it started. We’re locked into it now. Next up, Steam will charge for multiplayer access.

 

[Spacefish]

60 a year? 5 dollars a month, even less if you get it on CD keys ... . Jesus wept you people crack me up

yes, I too ritually flush 5 dollar down the toilet at the beginning of every month, It's such a small amount of money I can't help it. I tried to get my friends to do it as well but they said no, must be poor or something.

 

[MilkyJoe]

yes, I too ritually flush 5 dollar down the toilet at the beginning of every month, It's such a small amount of money I can't help it. I tried to get my friends to do it as well but they said no, must be poor or something.

Poor, entitled, tight... Could be anything.

 

[D.Final]

There shouldn't be a single Xbox gamer that is content with Microsoft just walking back their price hike, they should be using this momentum and continuing to push Microsoft to drop their online fee like they did for PC players. Every Xbox gamer should be tweeting them, why are you charging me $60 to play online but its free for PC players? There isn't gonna be a better chance than now to do this, they already got people riled up and Microsoft even has another service to switch all the existing Xbox Live memberships to, you couldn't write a better scenario than what we have now.

Paying for online is a SCAM, it doesn't cost them millions and millions of dollars to maintain their servers. If it was how did Sony offer it for free for the entire PS3 generation when they are hemorrhaging money? How does Microsoft offer it for free to PC players if it costs them so much to maintain? Why has it always been free on PC? Cause it doesn't cost jack shit.

For the Xbox fanboys that are gonna come in here using the fact that Sony charges for online to justify Microsoft doing it, the only way this is going away is if Microsoft does it first. The one in the lead is always the least likely to throw away free money for good PR. MS are the ones that need the momentum shift and need to convince people to come over to their side. If you wanna tweet Sony too whatever go for it, but Xbox gamers are the ones that have the best chance to do anything about this.

Edit: Credit to Bernkastel

For what?

 

[Enjay]

Welp I tried , people fucking brainwashed into accepting this shit.

Gamers are by and large the dumbest consumers ever.