Should Xbox Live be Free?

Getting your PS3 online costs nothing. Does Microsoft have a case? Two of Gameplayer's writers, Ben Talbot and Ryan King, bash heads over this crucial issue in this article.

"Well perhaps they could fund it with ads. Billboards in GTA would show real products; vending machines in Splinter Cell would promote real fruit-flavoured drinks; the adverts on F1 cars could carry ads for Bertie Beetles."

[Breakfast]

What kind stupid question is that? Everything should be free.

...Unless i own the company...

[toughNAME]

maybe they should have reworded the title..

[stunt213]

the best thing in life are free

[chanto23]

i think it shouldnt be free, but it shouldnt cost 60$ either...i think $19.99 is a nice annual fee that xbox live should impliment and PSN network should do it too so the PS3 can get an more organized online service (rank matches, match finder etc etc)

[godofthunder10]

i wish xbox live was free like the psn is but i'm willing to pay the monthly fee to keep it like it is instead of it being like the psn.the ps3 have some things going for it that's better then the 360 but online isn't one of them.the truth is that xbox live is a lot better then the psn.
i'll admit that the ps3 have things that better then the 360 but online isn't one of them.i know that the majority of ps3 fans will say that the psn is better then xbox live but just like the majority of 360 fans they are bias.

[gamesR4fun]

ya id agree overall the live service provides more but the psn system has some pretty strong advantages and is closing the gap quickly.

[le killer]

did'nt take so much commision from the developer if they added an on-line component to the game! i could be wrong though. anyway, you get what you pay for imo, and live is a great service. i've been a subscriber since 04, and have not worried about the price period.

and it seems to be that more games perform better, and have better functionality on live than they do on psn, making it appear the better service.

perhaps the question should be reversed, how long can/will sony keep the psn free?????

[Shadow Flare]

If you compare Xbox Live to PSN, all you are paying for above psn is cross-game messaging and headset use and a common online interface throughout all games.

Xbox Live provides movie rentals yes. Does that come into the $50? No, because you pay again for the movie rentals. So you are just paying $50 to provide with the offerings so you can pay them more to view it.

$50 for online gameplay? No because psn does it for free. With dedicated servers. And no lag. And up to 60 players. Sorry live.

And yes, psn will be getting everything Live has, including an improved form of achievements, for free. And even more when Home is released.

Why does MS charge you $50 for online? Because they want your money.

And if you think Live needs a $50 charge, consider then, why did MS charge $50 for Live on Xbox 1? When all you had was a global buddy list, messaging and the ability to play online??? Think about what the PSN can do for free when you answer that.

[PimpHandHappy]

but online gaming

yea

[Breakfast]

Dont lie buddy, you know you want everything for free. :)

[somethingSQUISHY]

... so what's with the comment about MS needing a server room the size of Sweden?

The advantages of XBL are not great enough to merit the relatively high annual cost. Where does the money go??

[marionz]

should a phone line or internet connection be free? or how about texting, xbox live is a great service and for those who want it i think its fair they pay, just cos sonys is free doesnt mean ms should offer the same, it would be nice if it was free but i dont think it needs to be, its not even that expencive

[toughNAME]

fanboy trap...sucking...me...in...

[Breakfast]

Hahaha...how in the hell do you have 4 bubbles?

[toughNAME]

If the bubble system worked like it's supposed to work, I'd have 1 bubble (or less)

But if there were any justice in this world...I'd have 10

:P

[IntelligentAj]

This is kind of flamebait, very funny comment though.

[The Wood]

MS thinks not and that's what matters.

EDIT

lol @ toughNAME ^^^^^

[The Wood]

not his bubble confession

[Hagaf22]

i really had to break up your 4 comments in a row,

but i havent purchased a 360 for multiple reasons, but this is one, psn my not be perfect but its great for how much i pay for it, i mean those who think paying for the service is how you have good connections to games then youre wrong, that service is in those who you pay 60 dollars to, ie ubisoft or activision. hints why psn isnt at fault for rb6v2's crappy connections they had, all that was ubis fault, psn was up and working fine, i dont see why ms still charges when they can see ps3 is catching up in all categories.

[The Wood]

I bet there will be xbl users who will say they believe it should be free and they will get shut down by xbl users who feel it shouldnt be.

[The Wood]

ive seen REAL xbl account holders say they would prefer if it was free only to be told all the reasons people think it shouldn't be. I just feel they should make it free and could and if they wanted to. I know they're not putting the adverts up on live for free. And they get money from over avenues but for the xbox division be as profitable as they planned they need to charge for now at least.

[TrevorPhillips]

well if ps3 online is free then hell yea xbox live should be free

[Silver360]

People are willing to pay for it no. If people start all having silver accounts then yes.

[PirateThom]

Yeah, but here's the catch.

Microsoft don't give you a choice. You either pay to play online or you don't play online. You don't really get a choice to say "Well, I don't really want to pay, but if I can still play online, that would be super and pay for extra features like using the website to reply to messages or getting earlier access to demos or getting more customisation options, maybe I will."

PC and PSN - no charge, server and P2P play
360 - charge, P2P play

[C_SoL]

Seeing that they charge for everything.

[sandip787]

YES
THANKYOU

[INehalemEXI]

It should have always been free and should be free. PC and PSN free. XBL should be free as well.

Gamer themes and pictures should also be free unless they are done custom by some worthy artist.

[actas123]

Agree. Charging for xbl is like walmart charging customers just to get in the store. Playing online should be always free, given Ms and Sony make money off of products offered in their stores.

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

Sams club...and others

[meepmoopmeep]

i would like MS to make it free because online play should be free. i know i won't be subscribing to Live. ever.

[DJ]

for not jumping to Gold subscriptions. They should definitely make online multiplayer free for everyone. I mean you already pay $60 for every game you buy; you'd think that would grant you to right to use the game in its entirety.

[PirateThom]

I refuse to pay for Live, now, if I actually cared about achievements as well, I'd be screwed, because there's a huge number from The Orange Box lost from the word go.

I also just outright prefer the PS3 online just because it's free.

[TwissT]

Everything should be free thanks to the generosity of MAN. But MAN loves cash, so they charge for everything.

[AllroundGamer]

the online play should be free (since it is only P2P based and they don't have to buy dedicated servers...), because they are taking some experience from the game itself from the people, that have no idea they have to pay to play online... if a company is forcing people to pay for a part of a game, that is everywhere else free (except MMORPGs), than something is very wrong. What's next? Pay for changing the difficulty level? For everytime you turn on your console? For changing your nickname/gamertag? oh wait, they already charge for that one...

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

When it could be free...unless we talking MMo..but i think 25 bucks a year for a mmo is enough

[HarryEtTubMan]

Only 7 million active members LOL.... PS3 has 3.5 million just in the U.S....PS3 will pass the 360 in online also... wait and see... your average gamer doesn't care to pay for Xbox Live... especially with how good PSN will be soon(and its all ready good with budy lists, invites, text/voice chat) but thats not even close to what it soon will be. Achievements/ trophies.
Xbox 360 has already lost LOL.

[thor]

If live were free, then an xbox would cost you more. They recuperate some of the losses on the consoles from the gold subscribers. Simple as that.

[Rice]

The best things in life are free...but sometimes you get what u pay for...

[Rockwallaby]

Microsoft will charge money for a service which is free elsewhere.

It's always seemed wrong to pay for P2P servers if every game had dedicated servers maybe I'd be OK with it.

[EZCheez]

Microsoft is making a killing off of charging for Live. Live is a great service, but what I'm worried about is that Sony will one day realize just how much of a cash cow it could be and decide to charge for PSN.

I could honestly care less whether or not Microsoft wants to charge for it. I just hope they don't start a trend.

And one more thing. I've said this before but it really baffles me. Why the $50 just for multiplayer? If I were Microsoft, I would charge for the entire service. A Silver member would not have all the access that they do with the exception of multiplayer. That's some serious backwards thinking, but what exactly are they charging people for if I could do everything with my Silver account but play online?

[strotee]

I ask this as objectively as I can.. but what income has MS made from Xbox (outside of Live)? They dropped the first console before it could turn a profit.. and now the 360 RROD cost $1 billion dollars... so, outside of Live, do you think MS will ever have a return on their investment that is Xbox? They NEED to charge for Live to make any sort of profit.

[The Wood]

strotee my be right.

[ThaToNeKiiDKaBaW]

OR if PSn wins cause of people flocking to PSn and causes the xBox or Live to "lose" than PSn will probably start charging since it's "the" service to use..

[DJ]

I do NOT want Sony to do what Microsoft is doing, which is charging us money for online play.

[Utalkin2me]

Well i think everything should be free. But i don't mind paying for live, i would not pay for PSN period. Unless some major changes happen.

[budbundystyles]

Keep sucking Gates d!ck X-bots.

[Utalkin2me]

AHHHH, someone is jealous.....

[Sir Ken Kutaragi 2]

You do get something Free off Micro$oft&the xBox 360...
LOTS of FREE TIME!!! ;-D
i.e waiting for your(9th?)Console to be repaired!!! ;-D

[Deios]

I don't mind paying for Xbox Live, but I don't like paying for DLC. All DLC should be free from the begining, we shouldn't have to wait 6 months or so for the DLC to becomes free. By the time is free, I'm already playing a new title. And not all DLC become free. We pay $50 for Xbox Live and $60 for each game. And we buy atleast over 10 games a year or so. So IMO, Xbox Live can stay the same or even cheaper :), but DLC should always be free.

[AllroundGamer]

seeing it as a gamer DLC should be free, because those addons+maps+mods are free on the PC (fan made stuff, that is sometimes even better, than the commercial DLC), but since the DLC is made by the developers, they automatically think of profit...

[jaja1434]

If DLC is made by the Dev. then they have every right to charge for it. Say it took one employee 3 days to make a map, which is quite on the low end when you count in testing and such but go with it for now. So say it took him 3 days and he makes a somewhat low salary of 50k a year. This would mean it would cost the Devs. 625$ to just pay the employee to make the map in this case.

Now a more realistic view is that it takes much more time and more employees and thus more money to make such a item. Basically someone had to get paid so it's only fair they charge for the DLC.

That all said, I still wish it was free. Then again I wish everything was free.

[SSCOOLCHEA]

remember those bots love paying for shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[Utalkin2me]

Is there an xboxlive prologue, i want to pay 30 bucks for half a service then pay 50 bucks for the full service a year later.

[eagle21]

Sony's PSN is 7 million in 1.25 years. This will grow even bigger in the next 3 months for Sony. Anyone with half a brain can understand the growth is stalling since PS3 hit the market.

But you know MS loves Pimpin' DEM Hoes....you have to buy the games, then PAY them to play them....lol

[sak500]

You were right in there with harry when he was pulling the figures out of his a$$.

[kcdude]

I don't mind paying, it's cheap. Some magazine subscriptions cost more, at least you get more out of Xbox Live than a couple of magazines.

[DJ]

Since the product we're talking about is $60 a pop. If you buy a movie, for example, the entire disc should work, right? Live is a pretty good service, but Microsoft would actually be making more money if they didn't charge for online play.

I know what you're getting at, but $50~80 a year is still a lot of money for most people.

[TheWickedOne]

what kind of magazines are you buying?

Even my Playboy subscription is only $18.00

[jaja1434]

Err I'm not saying 50-80$ isn't some money but really, if 50-80$ is hard to come by chances are you should not be owning a 300+ system. Just a thought.

[QuietStorm]

Online gaming should be for all for a numbers of reasons

1. We already pay to be online though your ISP.
2. Gaming online for ps3 and cpu are free.
3. We already paid for the console and wifi adapter, Live should be included.

Now i know a lot of you are going to say Ps3 and Cpu online play has nothing on live. And I can debate you on it. Also most of you would agree that they all have one thing in common. (online gaming) So why don't Ms just charge for the xtras such as friends list, vice chat, seeing what game your buddy playing, etc. And let the gamers play. That all I ask

[Alcaponeyou]

xboxers have no choice, it's only pay or gtfo.
so they HAVE to say it's 'worth' it

[Varsarus]

Once Home comes out, it should be yes LOL.

[BLUR111]

yes it should be free microsoft is extremely wealthy. after paying for it it should be free after atleast. ps home should be really cool tho, it will help psn alot

[rbanke]

My brother in law has a 360. I was over there last night playing Rainbow Six Vegas 2 with him. 50 bucks a year (i think thats the price) for xbox live isnt a big deal, however i could not believe that there are advertisements on the menu screens. The psn is free and has no add's, So i cant believe that xbox live does. And im not talking about a MS or Xbox related add, these were adds for McDonalds. If they are going to run adds, it should be free. If they are going to make you pay, it should have no adds. One or the other.

[TheWickedOne]

yup

[IntelligentAj]

Well if it were free it would result in less "PSN is free, XBL isn't statements and arguments. That's a win-win for everyone.

[ECM0NEY]

I would gladly keep paying for XBL if it had dedicated servers for all games.

[BigKev45]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

[onenut]

why pay Microsoft to play online when multilayer is already programed on the games DVD that we pay for? i payed for multilayer by purchasing a multilayer game, i think that Microsoft try's to milk everyone for everything they possibly can so that is why i switched to PS3 and also because of xbox hardware problems and also because of blu ray winning the HD war ;)

[Bathyj]

As you may or may not know, I'm not a big fan of a lot of things M$ does. But no I dont think it should be free. Its service people want, they have every right to charge for it. No one complained before PSN came along, and theres the thing.

M$ should charge, and Sony should do what they want, and the customers should decide whose right or who has what they want for what it takes to get it. Personally I prefer PSN cos its all free, but I dont play online much, dont care about messaging in game and just want to get demos, trailers, clips and updates for free and play the odd online game that I've already paid for.

If you think XBL unified structure is worth having to pay again to play a game you already own online then good for you, go for it, each to there own.

I dont think XBL needs to be free just because PSN is.

[PirateThom]

I notice that both my points got a lot of agrees and a lot of disagrees, but 0 comments.

I really wish people would discuss these points, I like discussing how consoles could be improved for us.