Xbox Live Gold Needs To Compete With PS Plus, But Microsoft Are Moving In The Right Direction

Dealspwn writes: "Microsoft are aware that the playing field is changing as the next console generation fast approaches, and that Xbox Live Gold has to evolve in order to compete with Sony's PlayStation Plus service. But can it evolve fast enough?

Every time we sling up a post about the latest 'games with gold' offers, the comments section tends to play host to a very familiar argument. The small selection of often mid-tier or ancient games are nowhere near as impressive as the latest titles on the PS Plus Instant Game Collection, and it's often tempting to take the mickey. But when comparing Xbox 360 and PS3 side-by-side, the two services couldn't be more different, and the comparison more specious."

[Evil_Abed]

Dedicated servers for ALL games, check.
Free games per month to keep forever, check.
Already superior and more stable network, check.

Xbox Live Gold already ahead.

[HardcoreDaBoss]

He may or may not be an xbot... but he never lied and he stated facts. XBL has already been ahead since it started. and now we have servers, free games? seriously only sony fans would say its not better.

[UltimateMaster]

Since when is charging for free apps a good direction?

My logic is pretty simple and straight-forward.

Xbox Live charges ME for Free Apps, PS+ Gives ME Free Games.

I don't now about any of you guys, but I'm going for PS+.

[UltimateMaster]

I'm quoting the article.
"PS+""It has to offer great games to convince us to spend extra money."
Oh, and Xbox doesn't?

"and it's unfair to say that Xbox Live Gold offers nothing beyond multiplayer and apps/features that are completely free on all other platforms (DVR and Skype say 'hi')."
How can the truth be unfair?

"The Xbox Live Rewards scheme is on hand to offer players store credit on their purchases and simply for playing games"
It's a bloody 1% to 2% discount. Sony also has Sony points which you can get that same deal without the need to play the games beforehand.
Either way, it's Very small.

"There'll be a fitness training video application"
I've got your Kinetic Fitness Training right here: http://www.amazon.com/Eye-T...
The game keeps track of your training progress and will tell you how much calories you've burned, revolution 2005.

"could blow us away with its titanic server"
Titanic... really bad choice of words there...

http://www.dealspwn.com/wri...
I can already do all of that, without a monthly subscription.

"Perhaps some exclusive TV shows, which have been heavily hinted at over the last few months."
Exclusive TV shows, most of the time means Shows I never watch.
When your making a show, your goal "like all other business" is to maximize profits. To do that, you need to be everywhere you possibly can.

That's my take on it, but yeah, if exclusive TV shows is what supposed to be the determining factor as to why you should take an Xbox Gold Live Subscription. Then it's not in the same direction as I am headed.

[SL1M DADDY]

So at the moment, Xbox Live and the PSN are identical in that they both give you free games, they offer seemless online play, and they both come at a reasonable cost. Why would either one of them have to step it up? How about we focus on the games we play online instead of the medium in which we play those games?

[VENOMACR1227]

Agreed

PS online has always been playing catch up. Just getting to your friends list and messages on PS online is a chore and it's clunky. There's a reason why games like COD and BF sell better on the Xbox. I have friends who had a PS3, and went and bought an X360 just so they could play BF online. Live is just a better service and now it got better. I'll take free full best selling games over free indie/arcade games I get to rent.

PS fans can complain about Live's paywall, but at the end of the day anyone with intelligence know's Live is the standard.

[SliceOfTruth888]

I pay for Gold so i can play on an amazing network...sony just got me to pay for an unproven one they have a year to change their horrid PS3 service to come close to what Live gives me. You can keep the free games

[pompombrum]

Yet they still feel they need to stick all their additional fluff behind the XBL gold subscription.

I've been a happy subscriber to gold for over seven years now and am more than happy to continue to do so but if Microsoft want to move in the right direction, it really wouldn't hurt to allow everyone to benefit from all the awesome features we take for granted as gold members.

Seeing how they want to turn the Xbox as the "One" device needed for the living room, it seems silly putting most of the standard modern features behind XBL gold. For gamers who want online multiplayer sure but for more casual families it seems a little harsh expecting them to shell out a monthly fee to use features freely available on almost every other platform.

[HardcoreDaBoss]

does it matter if stuffs behind a pay wall really? as long as you have gold you will be fine... most keep the subscription to xbox or psn.. so it doesnt matter if it has pay walls. all this is is a plan by M$ to make people upgrade to gold and get more money.. I dont like it but it doesnt affect me at all since I have xbox gold, PSN plus, and wii u online is free.

[VENOMACR1227]

I pay for Gold to play online. I think anyone who pays for an online account does so because they want to play multiplayer games. So having things behind a paywall isn't a big deal. Think of it like this: Your paying $50 for Live to play online, get free games to keep, using Netflix, use recording feature, use other apps. PS users pay $50 just to play online and rent games. So which service is giving you more for your $50?

[pompombrum]

What about the non gamers out there who Microsoft are also targetting with their system? As I said in my last paragraph, for online gaming gold is fine and completely understandable but what about the more casual to non gamers Microsoft are also trying to entice with their system?

[DiRtY]

Weird timing for these kind of articles...
Is PSN up again?

[Palaven]

Exactly. The first wave of users brought PSN down, a small amount of people compared to traffic PSN is going to receive over the next few weeks.

With Microsoft's XBL track record I think that launch day will go smoothly for them.

[Kryptonite42O]

I'm pretty sure that the free games you get with PS+, you only get while you have an active subscription, where games with gold gives you that game forever. If your subscription expires, ms doesn't take away all the free stuff they gave you.. its just yours. PS+ takes it away. It's really more like renting a game from sony that you can keep as long as you are subscribing. let ps+ expire, and you lose the game.

mind you, this won't be an issue for me as I plan to keep my ps+ subscription the same way Ive had my XBL subscription set to auto-renew for years.

[come_bom]

The next 6-12 months we may see witch is the best, PS+ or XBLA Gold.

Witch offers:
- Best "free" games?
- Best online?
- Best gaming deals ?

[HardcoreDaBoss]

@come_bom
Witch (which) offers:
- Best "free" games?
- Best online?
- Best gaming deals ?

PSN has always offered the best and most free games..

best online is based on the servers it doesnt lag more or less with xbox sony or wii u. But in the setup and interface xbox live is easier and better.. and with dedicated servers for games this would be the best system for online gaming

best gaming deals goes to sony for sure. They have free games since forever and deals on games all the time.

[KiLLUMiNATi_89]

And n4g disagrees with you SMH, theses people really think ps4 is 10000000xs better then the x1 in every category... ###DulsionalThinking###

[harrisk954]

Here is where the comparison breaks down....

1. PS+ is needed to play online multiplayer, with the exception of most free-to-play games, which will not require PS+.

2. All other services, including apps (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) are not behind a paywall. Also not behind a paywall are things movie/TV services, sharing/live streaming (to Twitch, UStream, etc.), Facebook, remote play (with Vita), cross-game chate, web browser, PS App on Android/iPhone, Sharing to Facebook.

3. PS+ also provides free incredible, RECENT, games, including many AAA titles, as well as great discounts on NEW releases, as well as older games. PS+ also is priced at only $50/year and can be used across all Sony platforms (PS3, PS4 and Vita).

XBox Live, on the other hand, has ALL OF ITS SERVICES behind a paywall. You can't even access Netflix and Hulu or Facebook! The games they are giving away for free have been lackluster and do not compare to the PS+ offerings (although that may change). Not only is Xbox Live needed to do anything (besides play single player games on your XB1), it costs $10 more per year than PS+ ($60/year).

There is no comparison. At present, PS+ is a much better value!

[kreate]

But the games they gave out kinda suck though if u compare to ps plus.

I just download the free game for gold a week ago and it was some Indie game I didn't want to play.

[Vames]

Microsoft is, not Microsoft are. Why do these things get approved?

[DeathOfTheFanBoy]

Either way works depending on how you are talking about/view the company.

Go back to YouTube or something gamma troll.

[Vames]

Are you crazy? This is an article that should have good grammar. This is not a YouTube comment! And no, it's Microsoft is because Microsoft is one body.

Go back to school and educate yourself.

[pompombrum]

^^^Move along, this isn't the Shakespeare appreciation club you're looking for.

Seriously though, moaning about grammar on the internet is facepalm worthy.

[Skip_Bayless]

Don't be such an anal grammar nazi. As long as you are comprehensible it's fine.

[Dirtnapstor]

Really?!?!
Not if you want to be taken seriously in the world of journalism... or anything at all with regard to communication!
What school did you attend? Lol!

[pompombrum]

Well the beauty of the internet is it gives everyone a voice and you don't need to be an English major to be able to express your passion for gaming in words. Personally, I wouldn't take anyone seriously who would be so quick to discredit a piece of writing simply because it didn't meet their high grammar standards.

[Drewidian]

"British English treats collective nouns (corporations, departments, etc.) as plural. American English treats them as singular. The size of the group is irrelevant."

I guess its relative to where you live.

[Blues Cowboy]

It's a UK site, though yeah, "it" reads better.

[pheature]

GGJ free games per month to keep forever? how big is your hard drive. Check.

Dedicated servers for all games? i could give you a list of games now that DO NOT have dedicated servers. Check.

Already superior and more stable network? yeah that is exactly why microsoft are keeping XBLG the way it is and not changing anything because PSN is not a threat. Chizeckm8

[jackanderson1985]

why would the size of ur hard drive matter? you can delete them after u've initially "purchased" them and redownload them at a later date once the Games for Gold has gone

MS are offering dedicated servers to all games on the xbox one (unsure if this will apply retrospectively to future games on the 360 if there is any) if the devs want them

not sure what the point is on the last one so i've no comment on that

[pheature]

Well i thought once the free games where deleted from the hard drive you could not redownload them. if you're rite then Meh, majong and washout, not bad games to delete and go redownload at a later date eh?
microsoft dont offer dedicated servers TO ALL GAMES on the 360. its actually a wide varitey right now. and ofcorse you cant respond to the last comment because at the moment psn looks awesome. that is why ms are trying to upgrade there live.

[Dirtnapstor]

I've got both current-gen systems and have never understood the argument as to why the Xbox is supposedly superior...uh, I can talk to my friends while playing a different game than them...so what! Uh, more stable game servers... is that a Microsoft thing or a developer thing?
I've never seen or heard anything to lock down the idea that the 360 is superior. Preferences.
Xbone is getting notable crushed this time around. Fanboys have got to say something!
I'm sure both new systems will thrive. That needs to happen.

[Bennibop]

Microsoft PR spin regards dedicated servers is ridiculous, Sony has been doing this since the launch of PS3 it was only EA and Activision driving things the other way! Microsoft trying to claim they have reinvented the wheel!

[mikeslemonade]

Yep.. Resistance and Warhawk with no lag was amazing.

[Kayant]

It's very easy..... Make it a rental like IGC which will allow them to give newer games & can start very early on XB1.

[kratos_TheGoat]

great move by ms xbox on

[kewlkat007]

The biggest issue with xbl right now is for non online multiplaying gaming users being behind the paywall for media apps..etc..

I wish Microsoft would change that but like any other company that has been making money since it's inception and continues to do so it's probably hard to just free up all features. You shouldn't need to be premium to use a damn browser now or watch netflix. Here is to hoping competition can help do that just like the free game perks.

Anyhow, xbl has has been a leader in all other areas on it so line infrastructure which Sony has been playing catchup. Having the option for dedicated servers for all games, if the devs choose so could be huge on xbl. Matchmaking, party chat and other social aspects have always been part of the xbl experience so that is nothing new while it is for sony.

Now that both consoles will be out soon we will see how they fare with much improved psn and with xbl trying to stay ahead.

[mhunterjr]

I really think this issue is overstated, especially now that one account covers the entire household. The typical xbox user doesn't even notice the paywall because they subscribe to Live for the online gaming anyway.

[kewlkat007]

Yeah well with over 40 million paying XBL member, well that's some good money right there Micrososft is making.

Now if they dropped the paywall, how would they differentiate basic XBL and Premium? Then again you really can't do much with XBL basic on the One.

I do know people that have cut their cable services and they also happen to play games but they are already paying for the Internet/Netflix/Hulu and now they have to pay for XBL. Maybe they don't game online much which is all I'm saying.

I know people who thought about making that decision and sometimes went with the PS3 for multimedia app streaming. Now if your gonna go out and buy a $500 console just to steam media then that is not something I would do. If you happen to game "very casually" and do buy the Xbox One, the least Microsoft could do is open up some apps for that type of gamer that doesn't really game online.

[mhunterjr]

I hear you, I just don't think there are that many people casually buying consoles at launch. By the time they get involved, the consoles are much cheaper, and they likely have other ways to access these services (smart tv's, rocky etc) And given the fact that these paywalls have existed since Xbox 360 and MS has been a leader in this space since xbox1, I think MS rightfully understands that their customers generally come for online play. People aren't buying these consoles to stream... I don't think its a serious selling point.

[felidae]

lol, PSplus is miles behind XBox Live.

there's hope that it will catch up .. have fun with partychat.

[mhunterjr]

No doubt the free games on PSN add amazing value, but I have NEVER felt like I haven't gotten my money's worth with Xbox live. I've been a member since it's inception, and there's no doubt that my money has gone towards something that has pushed the entire industry forward. For that, I don't think MS needs to offer loads of handouts to remain competitive with Sony. I'd hate for this to become a race to the bottom... Making each service into loss leaders. This would remove all incentive to invest in the infrastructure that has made LIVE the standard of stability we know today.

I understand why Sony did it... They needed to groom their customers into accepting a yearly subscription. But I don't need bribery to become the standard. Just keep giving me a better online service, that's what I'm paying for... All signs point to MS doing just that.

[KingDadXVI]

I agree that it is great that MS is giving games for free and that you get to keep them if your membership expires. But to me the whole premise of this article is ridiculous.

MS needs to play catch up on a ONLINE GAMING SERVICE? I don't disagree that the extra little things like free games are good to have. I do disagree that free games is what the focus should be for Xbox Live Gold or PSN+.

Bottom line: MS created the first true universal online gaming network for a console and it works fabulously. It is fast, consistent, rarely ever down. They did this when both the competition, game developers, and some groups in their own corporation thought they were crazy. To top it all off it worked.

If adding free games means they are catching up to PSN then this journalists understanding of what the online services are for is ass backwards. It is their for online play primarily. The other stuff is nice to have but not the main purpose of the network.

The article should be titled:

"Now that Xbox Live Gold is offering free games coupled with the best online gaming service available supported by 300,000 servers PSN+ needs to take the money from their subscription fees and use it to do more to improve their online gaming service."

[Blues Cowboy]

Valid points all, but the article isn't comparing XBL to PSN - it's comparing the subscription packages (i.e. XBL GOLD to PS+).

[KingDadXVI]

I believe that in the second paragraph I said XBL Gold and PSN+. Those are the comparisons I was making and so is the author of the article.

XBL Gold's main purpose has been and will continue to be online gaming which it excels at. PSN+ is Sony's first real thrust at that. What I am saying is that the article should be focusing on Sony's push to catch up with Xbox Live Gold. MS has nothing to prove here other than continuing to provide. Now it is on Sony to show that by charging a subscription fee they can improve to the level of online gaming that Gold gives you. Offering free games is nice but not the main feature of either service.

[Blues Cowboy]

That's a good point, well made, actually. It depends how you couch the discussion I suppose.

[voodoogts]

I find it weird that this arrival came out when the PlayStation Network is down. Bad timmimg.

[GodGinrai]

This Is really quiet simple..just offer up a more descent free games. The only advantage PSN has ever had over XBL has been, the fact that you get a better selection of free games.

[unjust75]

Xbox live rewards offering money towards purchases? They should have done this after the 2 systems I purchased from them. After 3 RROD and countless ondemand live downloads I still don't get why people even care at this point. Rewards should have been offered long ago. I wish someone would explain to me what is so much better about Xbox live compared to PSN? I don't see anything that is better.

[HmongAmerican]

This article is about which service provide better games for the users. Lets leave the none gaming stuff out. Like some of the people comments above. We understand that all device connect to a online service have the same function. Things like chat/messaging/friends. PS+ just did a little better term of offering better games.