320°

Pachter predicts Xbox Live tiered payments

Another interesting snippet from our interview with industry analyst Michael Pachter, was his prediction that Microsoft might introduce a tiered payment system to Xbox Live.

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criticalgamer.co.uk
Genesis55247d ago

Oh Mike just give it up would ya!

scruffy_bear5247d ago

Good old Michael uniting fanboy worldwide :)

ABizzel15247d ago

I'd sell my 360 if that ever happened.

Redlogic5247d ago

hooray!! more Pachter predictions!! As I sit here in my cubicle, I wonder...how come I couldn't get a job as cool as his? I wish I could through sh!t at the wall and see if it sticks...for money!! Ugh, FML.

Lifendz5247d ago

this guy won't stop until it happens. Mike, sorry but this is yet another prediction of yours that just doesn't seem likely. So you can either keep making the prediction and appear more foolish, or you can admit you got it wrong and move on. Tiered payments of 30 bucks every quarter, ten bucks a month, just stop it already.

Chubear5247d ago (Edited 5247d ago )

You tell me, when MS introduces a $100 per year model for Live just in time to play Halo Reach MP, do you really think the 360 base will not pay that to play halo reach online?

Please, it's only 8 bucks a month and you'll get additional feature you dont' have today too.

One of the tiers will be that you could play online but you won't have your stats tracked. You just pay to have the privilege of playing online. You'll see soon enough.

boodybandit5247d ago (Edited 5247d ago )

there isn't a game made I would pay $100 dollars a year to play online. If MS raises the price I will walk away the minute my account expires.

SilentNegotiator5247d ago

Unfortunately, I wouldn't see MS struggling much from making it that high. People would probably still shell out the money.

sikbeta5247d ago

Do all of you know if this guy get paid for saying nonsense all day?

lol

DocEvil5247d ago

They all have an interest in making more money. pachter works for himself and investors trying to make money. He suggests $100 a month and sees what everybody says. Everyone gets pissed so maybe he tries a softer 'two tier' $60/$100. Still people are upset but not as upset as before. Next it could be $60/$75, less people upset then, after everybody has been softened by his ridiculous predictions, MS can announce a two tier $50/$70 and people are actually relieved that the basic services haven't increased and some people will happily get the upgraded service since they thought it was going to be $100. MS makes more money and pachter and the investors that follow his advice make more money. It's disgusting industry incest.

And the exact same thing is happening with Sony and all the rumours of charging for PSN. It's only to soften up the consumer cows so that the lower than expected PSN charges seem like a deal compared to what they could have been. It makes me want to puke.

Just watch what pachter predicts and compare it to what he recommends as stock buys and you'll see that he is actually trying to influence the market in his favour. The man is lower than a used car salesman in my opinion, sneaking around in the dark corners of the stock market. I am less disgusted by rotting feces than I am by pachter.

Bnet3435247d ago

Looks like Chubear and Pachter smoke the same crack. ;)

darthv725247d ago

To get more silvers to switch I can see them lowering the price. Maybe down to something like $30-35 a year. That gives the user the online basic experience with the same current bells and whistles. Then having a more expensive level of $65-70 would get the users discounted prices on live games as well as movies/tv shows.

Redlogic5247d ago

who's the disagree fairy? someone disagrees with my own opinion....i weep for the future.

kneon5247d ago

It seems the only requirement is to say whatever pops into your head whether or not it makes any sense at all. It'll take considerable effort but I'm sure in I can learn to come up with even dumber stuff than this guy :)

It may be possible that Microsoft and/or Sony will come out with higher priced premium services but I can't see either getting away with charging more for what customers are already getting anytime soon.

Anon19745247d ago

Microsoft makes a tonne of money off XBL, that's no secret. I bet if they introduced a lower tier that simply gave online play without all the bells and whistles they might lure more people online with their 360's. They'd probably make more then enough to offset the few Gold subscribers who may downgrade their service.

TheDeadMetalhead5247d ago

Since Pachter said it, It will never happen.

vhero5246d ago (Edited 5246d ago )

Sounds the most reasonable thing so far to be honest. Also as for saying since patcher said it, it will never happen your deluded. He makes his living by doing these guesses and gets them right more times than he gets them wrong trust me! Would you rather them just up it to $100 a year or prefer this tiered system? I know which I would prefer..

y0haN5246d ago

His only prediction I believe so far is the one that MS will start charging more for Xbox Live. If/When that happens, I will sell my 360.

STICKzophrenic5246d ago (Edited 5246d ago )

I don't even care about FaceBook, Last.FM, Zune Video etc. I pay about $35-$40 for my Live (Ebay is your friend), and I feel Live is worth it. There's no way I'd pay $100 for the current crap they offer, but I would probably pay $60 (or whatever price I can find on Ebay for cheaper) for the online play, and hopefully party chat would be part of that tier.

TheBrit5246d ago

This guy cant make his mind up about anything. He must be a royal pain to be married to.

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 5246d ago
Jockie5247d ago

Hey well, he had to say something to rile up the 360 owners after annoying PS3 users earlier..

Either that or he's an impartial industry analyst.. but somehow i doubt anyone is gonna buy that..

DemonStration5247d ago

I can't imagine MS giving up all the good will they've built up with their service just to make a few extra bucks.

kaveti66165247d ago

Oh? I can imagine that, but that's beside the point. Pachter has a very poor track record. I'm curious as to where he gets his info from and why he still has a job.

mjolliffe5247d ago

He could be right, he could be wrong. You never know with this one.

But people won't believe him because he's been wrong 80%+ the time.

scruffy_bear5247d ago

This be the one of those that he's right and still no one will believe it

vhero5246d ago

Your wrong you dont hear about most of the stuff he predicts so you think he's wrong 80% of the time that's all. That's why he's still got a job and earning hundreds of thousands a year most probably. Companys listen to what he says and work around him when releasing new games etc..

mrv3215247d ago

Michael Patcher relies on the fact that if you say enough you will eventually get something right, Michael Patcher doesn't realise this only works for people who have some common sense and not a troll...

karan86245247d ago

Some time a thousand years in the future something similar will happen in the Micronesia world goverment and everyone will think of him as nostradamus :P

/Sarcasm

mrv3215247d ago

I believe trolling transcends time and space and like energy cannot be created or destroyed and as such Patcher shall allways be know as a troll.

(That sounds like Doctor Who)

Sangria5247d ago

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

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60°

Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX

This could be fun as they make great tables. Go big or go extinct. Prime your senses for a neural handshake and step into the cockpit of a Jaeger. It is on you to cancel the apocalypse when Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX on May 16.

280°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv721d 4h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle15h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188112h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio12h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning777h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga15h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv721h ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

shinoff218314h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga13h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan9h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit1h ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus238h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv727h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
purple10117h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos17h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-7h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac16h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad16h ago(Edited 16h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10116h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos15h ago(Edited 15h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic14h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead7h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 7h ago
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140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein1d 3h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno23h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k422h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson21h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu22h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson21h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -