Mass Effect 3 Demo Shows the Absurdity of Xbox Live Gold

1UP: The current XBL Gold/Silver division needs to change. After five years of Microsoft's biggest competitor offering multiplayer for free, Microsoft maintains what amounts to a $60 annual surcharge to play online. Online gaming is not new or novel -- it gained popularity nearly 20 years ago. Even consoles began supporting the function in the Dreamcast era. Multiplayer gaming should come standard with any system in 2012.

[NYC_Gamer]

MS won't drop the fee since many people view xbl as being worth the 60 bucks a year

[AgentWD40]

Xboxlive is worth the fee in my humble opinion, I would happily pay double for it.

[MariaHelFutura]

I honestly don't even know how to respond to that.... But, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little..

[kneon]

And if online multiplayer was free without a gold subscription would you still pay for it? I would bet the vast majority would not.

[kamanashi]

I wouldn't pay double, I just pay half. Get the 12 month cards on sale. But I will say for $30, it's worth it since it tends to have the best features and least amount of lag in comparison to other consoles.

[BuLLDoG909]

one of the reasons why i never bought an xbox,
we already have to fork out for the console, the games, and the broadband bill.. why would i pay even more when i can get the same(if not better) for free....

anyone who thinks its not a rip off.. either ther parents are the ones paying the bill, or there lying to themselfs to justify paying for that bs,

[gamingdroid]

@kneon

... and without the fee, do you think Xbox would offer you all the sweeping changes and introduction of features it has?

The real question isn't why do we have to pay a fee, but why we elect to pay the fee despite free options available?

[neoandrew]

That is a PURE 100% BLIND Xbox 360 FANBOY answer!!!

Why in the hell would you be happy to pay TWICE the price for something you already have...

Man this is just unthinkable, abstract, you are a m$ puppet i guess, no hope for you, sorry...

[trouble_bubble]

Agent, you'd gladly pay double for access to -free- sites like this?
http://www.youtube.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
http://twitter.com/
http://www.crackle.com/
http://www.tmz.com/

You'd gladly pay double for this:
http://netflix.com/

You realise you already pay Netflix, right? Yet you'd happily pay Microsoft double the money for an app that lets you watch what you're already paying for and/or is free elsewhere?

The bubble's gonna burst, sooner or later. Sooner or later Microsoft will have to survive a console slump. It's happened to everyone from Nintendo to Sega to Sony. Gold could end up hurting them in the long run.

[Almir908]

You're an idiot. Plain and simple.

[trenso1]

The fact that you have to pay is one reason why I havnt bought an Xbox yet. The cost of the console and the games is already enough and you pay your ISP for Internet. So you ganna pay MS to use your Internet on a console you purchased? Makes no sense to me.

[omi25p]

I barely play online multiplayer on xbox and yet i still think xbox live is worth paying for, Why??

Party chat and its the key reason i play my xbox nearly every single day and havent touched any other console in near on 2 months.

I only have another console for Exclusives and even then ive traded all but one decent game about a superhero. The rest of the "BIG" exclusives last year i thought were awful (including an xbox 1)

[Montrealien]

Watching people getting trolled like noobs is by far the most entertaining thing on N4G.

/on topic
For now, it is well worth the 60$ a year, and if you are a smart shopper, it can be only 40$ a year. And it offers more then just playing online, the cross game chat, persistent parties and a few more options still trump what PSN offers. I actually suprised these things are still not on PSN yet let alone PSN+ and I see many people on my PSN friends list that pay for PSN+ for what? discounted games free trials for a month and demos ahead of time. If people argue that is worth it, then they are being hypocrites when they say Xbox live is not.

[Muffins1223]

I think they need to add free dlc for there exclusive games then it would be worth it.Sure,the online service may be a bit cleaner looking and more easier to do but not near worth 50 :c

[MrBeatdown]

@gamingdroid

"... and without the fee, do you think Xbox would offer you all the sweeping changes and introduction of features it has?"

If the people kneon mentioned weren't interested in anything but online multiplayer, would they care if they got those "sweeping changes and introduction of features"? Why would they be concerned with new features, if all they are interested in is accessing basic multiplayer?

If people do value those new features, shouldn't the costs associated with those features be passed on to the people who want them? Why should everyone have to foot the bill for additional features like YouTube, avatars, or Bing that they don't necessarily want?

Why not offer a basic tier that allows nothing but the ability to join matches from within a game, a secondary tier which offers cross-game chat, invites, parties and all that, and a top tier that includes everything?

Why must everyone foot the bill for everything, or be locked out of features in games already paid for if they don't?

And more importantly, if implementing all these changes and features isn't financially worthwhile for MS without a $60 fee from everyone, or can't drum up enough interest to get people to pay for it without a reliance on other features, should those new features even be implemented in the first place?

[SixZeroFour]

i think MS should really consider Sony's online model where online is free, and extra is paid...i would still be the few that pay cause i actually do spend alot of time on the apps theyve released thus far, but i think if they offered online for free, they would take in a lot more sales AND THEN with those sales, they have possible gold users

[kreate]

And u guys do know ps3 has party chat and cross game chat right?

From reading the comments above. Cross game chat and party chat is what makes it worth the 60 dollar price tag for them and claims ps3 doesnt have it.

Add me on ur friends list so we can have a party chat on the ps3.

[MerkinMax]

If you pay more than 45 dollars a year for XBL, you are a dumbass. Every year around renewal time I call and say I saw it for 30 dollars from an online retailer, and plan on buying it from them. They have always offered me live for a discounted price. A price I am VERY happy to pay.

[cooperdnizzle]

@ Montrealin.
You are pretty ignorant. You speak of things you have no clue of. If you have psn + You get full ps3 games and ps1 classic and mini games for free. I have over 40 free games. If i add up all that i have gotten for paying 40 bucks a year, i have like 500$ of games. You can hold on to you cross game chat, because you have nothing better to speak of. You can have your one feature that really isn't that cool to begin with for 60 bucks. You make all 360 owners look like fools. All of you say the same thing. A we have cross game chat. You are clearly not the smartest of the bunch. And yes i own i 360 and have gold, but i don't go and say that it is better then ps+ Because ps+ is 10 X better. Fact, just look at all the free stuff ya get. Its in the numbers

[Shackdaddy836]

I wouldn't say it's completely worth it. I just don't mind paying for it. I mean, if I can't pay $60 for 12 full months then there's something very wrong with my job choice :P

[da_2pacalypse]

Seeing as how I have an xbox 360, ps3, and a pc with Steam on it... and yet I have been an xbox gold member for 4 years says a lot of XBL gold. It is completely worth it because it completely puts other services such as the PSN to shame. I think steam is better then xbox live for sure, but that is completely a different playing field. I don't think the fee is absurd at all.

[mechanicleman]

Hmmmm. steam for PC is free! and its awesome thats kinda weird Wii free! PS3 free! and PS3 is where all the games are.

[ShinMaster]

And on top of that, you STILL have to pay for those features (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, sports and other features) plus you get advertisements. Fantastic. You can get Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc for free on PS3.

It's a terrible excuse and makes no sense. 

A don't bring PSN+ into this(it's called PS Plus not PSN btw, @Montrealien). This shows how little you know.
It's an OPTIONAL service. Not sure if you've hear of such thing.
It gives you access to free and discounted PS3, PSN, PS1 and classic games, avatars, themes and DLC.
We DON'T NEED PS Plus TO BE ABLE TO PLAY ONLINE.
Which, let's be honest, that's the main reason you pay for XBL.

[Soldierone]

Then why not come up with a method like PlayStation? playing online is free, other stuff is a bonus and people have the OPTION to pay for Xbox Live? If EVERYONE on Xbox Live thinks its worth it and will gladly pay for it, then having the option shouldn't hurt them at all since EVERYOne will keep paying for it.

[duplissi]

lol... just wanted to say to all you above me he got you hook line and sinker.... lulz

bravo.

if you are serious though!? wanna pay mine too?

[saladthieves]

Just to remind you how much you're getting ripped off by M$, Steam can do anything that Xbox Live can do, $60 cheaper, for $0.

[aaronobst]

@AgentWD40

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyix wqiCag

[mysterym]

After sony's losses I bet they regret not charging for multiplayer now.

What's the betting that the next PS4 PSN will be a charged service?

[Anon1974]

I don't think it's hypocritical to pay for PSN+ but not XBL. With PSN+, I'm paying for content. With XBL you're paying for a service that should be standard. Developers build games with multiplayer. With XBL, you're being charged extra to play 100% of the game that you already paid for.

Imagine if you bought a bed. PSN+ would be like paying for extra thread count in your sheets or fluffier pillows. XBL is like paying extra to actually sleep in it.

[Ace_Man_6]

Most. Dislikes. Ever.

[plumber15]

I swear people say that kind of BS so that they can come on the next day to see what people respond like , instead of having an intelligent comment to have an intelligent response .

[Why o why]

Lol, ive seen it all now. One guy saying he'd pay double...im guessing thats tongue in cheek but montrealien saying getting full games isnt comparable to x game chat....i think hes actually being serious. Free games vs party chat to use whilst you play games.....hmmm. No wonder some people dont complain about exclusives...lol. It seems some value actual games more than others...not hard to work out which is which

Good result today gooners...sad times but at least she'll get a proper seeing to later if you know what i mean;)

[spicelicka]

It's definately not worth it and no one wants to pay $60 a year. I just love halo and gears of war online so much, i can't do anything about it.

Microsoft are money whores, now they know why people justify modding their xbox, if i ever got mine modded i wouldn't feel ao bad.

[SwampCroc]

Yeah.. you can't even watch Netflix when Xbox Live is down... even if your Gold.

atleast when PSN got hacked you could still watch Netflix...

you have to be Gold first before your Xbox can stream Netflix....

little shit like that definitely gets overlooked a lot in arguments like this...

I just got a new Xbox Live 12Month Card off gamestop.com digital order for like $42.56 or something after tax.. they have a promo going on... in my opinion that's better than $59.99 a year.. so I snatched it up...

but I also own PS3 and am PS+... and I will say in my opinion of having PS3 for 1 year and Xbox360 for 5 years... that I am more than satisfied with PSN and PS+... and I can tell that MS is starting to implement a more scheduled discount system similar to what PSN has been doing for months.

I have them both. I pay for both.. even though I pay for PSN's extra service since it is completely OPTIONAL because all you need for PSN is the internet and/or a wireless connection/ethernet cable... that's the main difference...

well 2 main differences.... if you buy an xbox game and go home... you can play it right away...

if you buy that same game or any game on PS3 and go home you have to do the mandatory install before you can play it..

this and the differences between network services I believe are two of the reasons gamers always bicker over this one or that one..

normal consumers are going to try and get the best deals for their money, regardless of the product.

for more people gaming online at any given time of the day I would say Xbox has more... but all those people pay for a service PSN offers for free.

[otherZinc]

@Ryan Winterhalter,

PSN "robust" LMAO! SONY's PSN+ is $50 per year & its the equivilant of a SAM's Club discount card! Who the hell do you think your audience is? We (true gamers) know PSN isn't XBOX Live! And Wii: efin please, its bs & you know it!

I've been a member of Live for 8 years, son 6 years, daughter 2 years. Also, only an idiot would pay full price. Live is offered at discounts all the damn time & thats without a "Sams Club card for $50 per year" as SONY charges.

Those of us that have both consoles (360 & PS3) know the facts & PSN isn't close, that is if you tell the truth!

Tell SONY to get cross game chat & have a unified online system; then talk!

Until then, Ryan; STFU!

[MaxXAttaxX]

PS+ has NOTHING to do with the ability to play online and it's optional.

And that "Sam's Club card" you call actually got me several discounted and free games(PS3/PSN and classics) and DLC amounting to $200+ in value. Including RRD+Undead Nightmare bundle for $25 last year and discounts on games like SFIII:Online for $10 on release/launch day instead of the $15 you had to pay.

PSN itself also gets discounts. BUT XBL discounts just don't compare to PS+.

PS Vita has cross-game chat for free. Expect PS4 to do the same.
Until then, you're still just paying for the ability to play online with friends, lol

[jrbeerman11]

I have both consoles and I only use Xbox Live and Psn to play games online. Thats what the core gamer does..... play GAMES ONLINE.

Xbox Live started the online console and charged in order to use it. PSN said OK came out with PS3 and offered it free.

Now xbox live is trying to add on features to make it superior to PSN to justify $5 bucks a month. But what it is giving us is things we already have and worse versions. such as facebook, twitter, youtube, espn, or cable provider tv (which in my case doesnt have half the channels so no thanks verizon).

so people pro Xbox live can brag about things we already have, but in the end your justifying paying $5 bucks a month to play games online and PSN does that just as well.

Xbox should at least go the way of the cellphone and make silver account have everything with adds so we can choose.

Cross game chat (i dont use but people mention it so much) is the only thing live really has over PSN.

[rezzah]

I believe the reason for why people accept a fee for free online and other features is because it is a set of mind.

By a set of mind I mean the 360 came out with the fee (50) already set in place. So it was considered to be a norm in the view of 360 Live. However, if the case was that there was no fee at first, but was added on later then people's reactions would not be "happy". In fact it would be the opposite. It would be the type of reaction observed if a fee was placed on anything that is free. An example would be PSN or wearing clothes.

This is why people do not mind a fee existing for online and feature access; it is because their minds have the fee set to being a norm in correlation to Live.

To understand this (if you do not) I will repeat it using an analogy:

If you and I were born into this world paying for clothes separately and with a fee to be allowed to wear it, we would consider it to be normal. We would not reject this idea or way of life because we grew up with it.

On the other hand, if we grew up paying for only clothes, the idea or enforcement of paying a fee to wear clothes would make us angry (PSN/some 360 owners).

So overall 360 owners who enjoy paying for live, or consider it to be a norm are people who accept paying for what is widely regarded as free. Furthermore, they are happily/unknowingly paving the way for possible company/government control of citizen freedoms. What is regarded as free might one day be seen as a privilege that will only be accessed through a fee (large or small is based on your perception).

[nirwanda]

@rezzah finally someone showing a bit of conmon sense rather than just throwing mud at the other side, i think sony would like to charge to play online but have been put in a position where they can't now.
When the PSN launch it wasn't a ununified service and it was down to devs to provide the service, but now after watching xbox live they realize now they need a ununified service which cost money to run.
The PS4 will be a fresh start for PSN this time and they will definatly charge to play online just like MS.

[SonyPS360]

I don't think it is. I don't use many of the features that gold is used for other than to play with my online buddies, so why would I think it should be worth 60 bucks for something that's free everywhere else?

They won't drop it with so many people paying already. They are greedy after all.

[CoolBeansRus]

People pay so they dont have to deal with hackers. Oh did we forget about that already?

[GraveLord]

I agree. Charging for basic online multi-player is ridiculous.

What Microsoft should do is make Silver accounts be able to play online for free, Gold members can have premium features like access to Betas, cross game voice chat and a bigger friends list.

I would never pay another fee to use my own internet connection. Those of you paying for XBL are getting ripped off.

[Snookies12]

Yep, that's what I've been saying... It's absolutely ridiculous that every other console and PC plays games online for free, yet with Microsoft you have to pay. Especially considering the quality of online play is in no way better than any of the others. In fact, I'd say I have problems playing online on Xbox more than I do with my PS3. o_O

[CYBERSNAKE]

No, the Xbox has a slightly better quality of online play but it still doesn't justify the $60.

I believe it should be like how 'GraveLord' described it.

[hellvaguy]

"It's absolutely ridiculous that every other console and PC plays games online for free"

Every other pc game is free online u say? Wonder why World of Warcraft is charging me $15/month ($180/yr) and Im payin another $180/yr to play the Star Wars online game. I guess "free" is a relative term here.

[despair]

@hellvaguy

cost of a mmo and free online play are very different things. Its not like any normal online game (as in non-subscription based MMOs) charge anything at all. You're nitpicking.

But you already knew that and just felt the need to oppose Snookies12 point.

[Megaton]

Agree about having more problems on Xbox. I experienced far more lag in 3 months of XBL Gold than in 2 years on PSN.

@hellvaguy - You know damn well he wasn't talking about P2P MMOs and their ridiculous fee models. That's not a broad access fee like XBL Gold, it's just the fee that their greedy publishers charge you to play that game. Those also disappear when no one is willing to pay, hence the abundance of free MMOs.

[kamanashi]

PC games typically have dedicated servers not ran by the actual company. That is why they are free.

[Montrealien]

SNookie.

In 2006, Xbox 360 was out and charging for xbox live, a new console was coming out in Novemeber that had a new online service, that was free! yeah, 6 years later, here we are, with the Live service still going strong, why? because it is a good service.

now I didnt say PSN was bad, but when it comes to many features that many xbox live users are used to, the PSN is a little lacking, and I am suprised that PSN+ does not have these features yet...

[Imalwaysright]

"Live service still going strong, why? because it is a good service." Bullshit. Its going strong because 360 owners are forced to pay for it if they want to play online. They have no choice.

[LiL T]

Wow it only took 6yrs for these idiots to figure this out.

@hellvaguy.. ummmmm those are mmo's no one forced you to pay subscription and you can still play for free. Do you not understand english.

edit @despair, damn beat me to it.

edit2 @ Noticeably_FAT... HAHAHAAAAAAA. is there schools where your from or just T.V. Sounds like you have no education but im from Canada so maybe I just can't understand how someone could be so dumb.

[ZippyZapper]

Who the f*** has Silver? I don't care about people who have Silver. What's the point of it? Xbox should be subscription only.

Free = all the crap that comes with being free. If you want free go choose something that is free. MS should just get rid of the Silver option and adopt free to play only.

[gamingdroid]

I will be burned on the stake for this, but I agree to some degree. Fact is, there are numerous benefits of being a fee based network.

It keeps out the scum that just creates a new account that is filling up my friends list or people that think they can be @ssholes online and just get a new account.

I also like the premium features XBL has provided, but think the fee should be lower. I never pay more than $30-35 for my subscription.

The way it is right now, to continue to charge the fee MS will be forced to continue to lead. We already have a free option and it is PSN and soon likely Nintendo Network will be free too.

I say, there is plenty of competition as it is and there are plenty of options. Don't ruin mine.... but yeah, go ahead burn me at the stakes.

[P_Bomb]

@gamingdroid
I'm not sure I follow. Scum that create new accounts that fill up your friendlist? They're your friends. You added them there. New accounts don't add themselves.

As for jerks online, once I leave a lobby I tend not to see those people ever again. There's lotsa rotations running out there. Lotsa people. Odds are slim that matchmaking will keep you with the same group forever, unless you're playing something like 007: Blood Stone which was dead from launch. Made a friend in that game actually cuz we were the only two playing, lol.

[Gazondaily]

I agree with gamingdroid...the fact that Xbox live isn't free means that a gamertag has value and thus, a person's stats has value. Unlike the PS3 where you can have a myriad of accounts, you can never really rely on a person's online stats. Boosting is made that much easier. In that regard, the gamertag and the achievements and online stats associated with it are a more accurate representation of a person's 'true skill'.

However, I really do think playing online should be free. I'm happy with Xbox Live and the services it offers but I know a few of my mates who have been out put off by the cost. Make the use of party chat and other features for Gold users. I would gladly go Gold as I do now, but I think the annual fee should be scrapped. This will obviously dilute the value of a Gamertag though.

[badz149]

"Free = all the crap that comes with being free."

You would think getting Gold would get rid of those annoying ads too, right? But unfortunately NO! ads are thrown to your face even with Gold. How about that? Still not greedy? Other services get rid of ads if you pay!

M$ is really in the odds here with paid online MP and ads-filled subscription, and yet here we are with people still defending them!

*facepalm*

[badz149]

"Free = all the crap that comes with being free."

You would think getting Gold would get rid of those annoying ads too, right? But unfortunately NO! ads are thrown to your face even with Gold. How about that? Still not greedy? Other services get rid of ads if you pay!

M$ is really doing the odds here with paid online MP and ads-filled subscription, and yet here we are with people still defending them!

*facepalm*

[P_Bomb]

@Septic
Multiple accounts are pro-consumer and a good thing imo. You can make multiple accounts on the 360 too, and you can take em all online with the family pass. You can also change your gamertag. Difference is the fees, which people pay regardless.

I've never heard before that paying for online makes your kill/death ratio or 1000/1000 more meaningful. True skill? Are you honestly implying my near 50 platinums don't mean as much as your 'X' completed games? That Steam cheevos aren't as accurate?

That's a lot of hyperbole, especially when the 360 has sites like this http://www.xbox360achieveme... for guides and boosting. If anything, cross game chat, dashboard parties and that whole "everyone has a mic" thing I always read about would make boosting much easier to organise and more of an issue on the 360. PS3 couldn't even do in-game messaging til what, 2008?

[BuffMordecai]

You already get the crap of being free, the ads, for a premium price.

[gamingdroid]

@P_Bomb

***Scum that create new accounts that fill up your friendlist? They're your friends. You added them there. New accounts don't add themselves.***

When I play online, I meet new people and if I enjoy playing with them, I add them to my friends list so I can connect with them again. On PSN, I find some of these people have multiple accounts that they use. Even my personal friends in real life that I hang out with occassionally, started a new account without telling me. I didn't realize it for over half a year.

Point being, if you have to pay you are far more likely to be attached to your account and play more often online. People that has a microphone and uses it effectively also tend to be more team oriented (or at least aware). Those are the people I would like to meet and play with it.

I also hate it when people change their gamertag, because it is hard enough to remember everyone I play with. Changing your name makes it even harder to keep track of you in my 60-70 friends and you might just fine yourself pruned out.

***As for jerks online, once I leave a lobby I tend not to see those people ever again. There's lotsa rotations running out there.***

I sense that you don't play online a lot... otherwise you would start noticing why building a network of people you enjoy playing with is important to the overall experience. Playing with *randoms* (i.e. matchmaking) is in my opinion a sub-par experience and I rarely do that anymore. If I do, it's a new game that my friends doesn't play and I have to start building that network again....

***Multiple accounts are pro-consumer and a good thing imo. You can make multiple accounts on the 360 too, and you can take em all online with the family pass. You can also change your gamertag.***

It doesn't prevent people from making accounts, but it certainly reduces it. There is a reason why Facebook only wants one account per person, or why Google wants you to post with your real name. The main problem with the "hostility" on the internet is due to anonymity, and having an account you are attached to reduces the likely hood of you being an @ss towards others.

Mutliple accounts might *seem* pro-consumer, but it is anti-community. It allows people to act like @ssholes without repercussion.

[BX81]

I'm not getting ripped off. I pay for it because I can and don't mind paying for it. It's not some hidden fee. It's up front. If you want to play MP you have to subscribe to xbox live gold.

[Imalwaysright]

" It's up front. If you want to play MP you have to subscribe to xbox live gold." Bubble up for being honest on the reason why you're paying for live! Too many fanboys here.

[Montrealien]

They will Grave, once the competition "PSN+" catches up on those features and has them in the PSN+ service.

[DragonKnight]

Ok, I'm sorry but I'm quite disappointed that a Canadian (judging by your name) is this ill-informed. The lack of these allegedly necessary (read: completely unnecessary features that have only existed on consoles for one gen and somehow have become "the standard) has been explained by pretty much every Sony exec there is. If Sony could bring those features to PSN, even PSN+, they'd be there. Sony has been good with listening to what users want, hence the no longer HTML based PSN store, improved Trophy support, etc...

It's quite simply a memory issue, and also a patent issue (in the case of in-game custom music) that prevents these features, which is why Vita has the features people like you yammer on about incessantly.

I find it ironic you talk about people being trolled on n4g and then you make troll posts about what PSN is lacking that makes Live worth $60. So a chat feature is worth $60 to you? How much is your phone bill? Bet it's less than $60 and you get better service from it.

[GroundsKeeperJimbo]

I want my phone bill to be less than $5 bucks a month...

[DragonKnight]

GroundsKeeperJimbo: Oh, so when you pay for Live you don't buy the subscription per year, you buy it per month? So, you paid $5 in January I take it and have yet to decide if you want to pay $5 for February maybe? Oh wow, I didn't know you could do that... Wait a minute... YOU CAN'T?!

You almost got me there Willy, I mean Jimbo. Almost had me believing Microsoft would be content to letting people just pay for Live on a month per month basis and not as a whole fee of one game so that you can get a chat feature. Close one there.

Really? You're still trying to justify paying $60 a year for a chat feature? *sigh*

[GroundsKeeperJimbo]

I know you're a fanboy and all, but you missed the point entirely. You pay more for your phone because of its better quality. I pay $75 a month for my phone and $40 a year for Live. So uhhh your point?

[Rtard THE HD VERSION]

beeeh beeehhh bbbbbb butttt its like 16 cents a day , facebook and party chat are worth it.

Its not like you can do that free on other device...

[MGRogue2017]

If Microsoft were to make online multiplayer free to play for all Xbox Live members.. There'd be a massive uproar from Xbox Live Gold members about why the decision was made straight out of the blue & they'd most likely demand something of value in return like some free Xbox 360 games.. not to mention a ton of lawsuits would be incoming for Microsoft to sort through.

Who knows what would happen, actually.. One can only imagine.

Put simply.. It's too late to change things now. Maybe MS will do the right thing with their next console & keep multiplayer free of charge. Sony has online multi-player nailed down on the PS3 though.. as well as their next console, I can just tell.

It'd be funny if they were to switch sides in the next generation of consoles.. so like, Microsoft's one would have free online MP & Sony would charge for it instead lol.. but nah, I think it's going to be like how it is now with X360 & PS3.

[digitaleraser]

I'm an Xbox Live Gold member (have been for several years), and if the next Xbox console still requires me to pay for basic online play, I'm probably going to go with a PS4 instead (as will many of my friends).

The only reason I went with a 360 is because most of my friends had a 360, and the only reason so many of my friends had a 360 was because the core system has always been less expensive than a PS3. Granted, Xbox Live Gold technically makes the 360 more expensive in the end, but that's how MS gets people.

[AgentWD40]

Sony charging a fee for PSN next gen

[despair]

@AgentWD40

I'll be expecting you to vacate within 30 days..when you're proven wrong :)

[TKCMuzzer]

@AgentWD40

Online play will be free for all. Other aspects may require a fee as the PS4 is going to be offering much more in terms of content. But online play will be free, as it should be, that's why we pay the prices we do for games, so we can access ALL of their features.

[BlackTar187]

I pay for live to play with family and friends. But i can never not once justify to myself that it is 'OKAY" in fact it disgusts me that i buy the game and the system and THEN pay my ISP and im not done with paying . its just ridiculous. I have no idea how someone could be okay with it. Im not short on funds either so its not like im just poor and can't afford it. But beuing that i can afford does not mean it sits well with me just cause i can

[RXL]

why would they change anything if people keep paying for it?

understand?

like...if people WERE to smarten up and stop paying for it...then they would probably do something about it...

change something...but nope..people still buy it..

sure you get a solid list of stuff but nothing worth the subscription fee IMO

btw..it's not just 60 bucks..you look around and you can get 12 months for 35 dollars..

[Megaton]

They wouldn't charge for it if people stopped paying for it. They caved on GFWL's fee, they'd do the same on XBL if they were backed into a corner. Unfortunately, their fans tend to be more inclined to justify the completely unnecessary fee rather than fight against it.

[PixL]

There are $10 HDMI cables and $200 HDMI cables. They're exactly the same but some people believe in marketing bullcrap which says those for $200 give better picture.

If there's a flock to be herd, there will be a shepherd... or Shepard ;)

[hellvaguy]

Or the counter example would be cambell's .99 cent can of condensed soup with the 2-3 small cubes of meat in thier vs the $3-4 can of chunky beef stew. Im gunna pay more to get more usually every time.

[BattleTorn]

Good example.

It's like people saying they would rather choose to have free-food, than buy their own food.

How could anyone possibly think that the free-food will even compare to what money could purchase?

Sayings like "you get what you pay for" don't stick around because their illogical.

[TKCMuzzer]

@BattleTorn

eh? the food thing does not really work. If someone offers me a cheeseburger for free there's a good chance it will taste better than one from MacDonald's. I just would not be getting the extras that the money would buy, which of many don't really make the burger taste any better.

[OllieBoy]

I'd pay $60 for XBL Gold if it was more like PlayStation Plus. Throw us some free games, themes, and avatar items every month.

All you're paying for is the "privilege" to play online which is a joke. It's a shame millions of people just don't know any better.

[Noticeably_FAT]

You get what you pay for, I like the look and feel of the premium service that is Xbox Live. I also like the fact that people cant go around creating new accounts whenever they want.

I know a lot of people who use certain PSN accounts to strictly cause trouble or learn maps on certain games, so they can get better and then play under a main account to get a better K/D/R.

Microsoft is making hundreds of millions off their online and I don't think it's going to change. If anything, I fully suspect PSN will be a paid service next generation. Imagine what Sony could do if they got some of the hardcore online players like Microsoft has.

I've said it for years, PSN=casual online players and XBL=hardcore.

People say the Xbox 360 is for shooters, that's not exactly true, shooters are online and the best online is XBL. So that's where all the core shooter fans go to play.

PSN is so rudimentary in comparison, it's almost a last generation feel, when you consider they've done nothing to update even the look, let alone the feel since it's launch in 2006.

I know I'll get disagrees and that's fine, but you can get free TV with a antenna, which is the equal of PSN or you can opt for Satellite which is like the XBL of television service.

Either way, nobody forces you to buy it, but a lot of us 360 gamer's actually prefer a premium service. It helps keep the riff raff out.

[Megaton]

Exhibit A ^

[dcortz2027]

I've had both PSN and XBL gold, the only difference is one service charges to play online, while the other is free to play. Stop trying to justify paying for XBL gold, you aren't fooling anyone! By the way, why bother bragging about Microsoft making millions off you morons if you guys don't get a single penny from all that money?

[FACTUAL evidence]

^ IKR! Not only that, but these fools can barley get an exclusive made off the hundred of millions of dollars MS makes off these pawns.

I actually laugh all the time people talk about XBL keeping trolling away....go on youtube...soooooo many damn 360 trolls it's not even funny.

You get what you pay for and that's netflix and Xgame chat, because everything else is free everywhere else.......Also, I hate hearing this whole "XBL is hardcore", lol I remember when I had my free 30 days playing COD4 on 360, ownin with the m16........when on ps3 and tried it and got ownt...I'm just saying, the "hardcore" people must be rare to find on 360 because majorit of the time it's kids, and racist crying about dying too much.

[trouble_bubble]

@noticably fat
"You get what you pay for..."

Only when it comes to MS though, right?

Because when people had to pay more for a PS3, for the Vita's memory cards, for an online pass, for the 3DS, for the freaking 3DO or just 3D in general...suddenly everyone was on a fixed income and Sony, Nintendo, Panasonic, EA, Warners, Activision, THQ, Ubisoft were the devil.

But nevermind that MS charged you way more for a proprietary hard drive, charged extra for wifi for how many years, and not only charges you for online access to games you've already paid for, but also for access to apps you're already paying for like NETFLIX.

That's okay, right? Because paying MS extra to watch Netflix on a 360 is so much more economical than watching Netflix for no extra charge on the PC, PS3, Wii, TV stream or soon the Vita http://www.techradar.com/ne...

This is the oddest gen I've ever played through. People need a Gold subscription just to access Youtube, YOUTUBE, and they think they have a premium service and say 'thank you'. Uh, -nobody- charges you to watch Youtube, except on the 360. Gold's a dinosaur charging people for the WWW piecemeal instead of simply installing a browser. I ain't paying for Facebook, or a demo. Darn right ME3 better have a free gold pass for the demo.

[PirateThom]

See, you get it...

Everyone else does something like, say, an online pass and they're the devil. Microsoft have an online pass for EVERY GAME and it's just that "you get what you pay for".

Honestly, it's an odd situation. Microsoft have people so held to the service, they've got them thinking "I pay, so it must be better" and then they'll actually have people DEFENDING a charge for online when no other platform does it.

Well, it's their money. Can't argue if they want to pay for something others get for free.

[superrey19]

Damn, well said.

[Majin-vegeta]

Well said man here's a bub.

[kingslayer1000]

Stop drinking the kool-aid

[Captain Qwark 9]

i........really dont care about the fee either way. its like 5 bones a month, not exactly breaking the bank. would i rather it be free? yes. but do i care that much about 5 a month? no

[BlackTar187]

I think the fee is minimal too but that means nothing you need to look at big picture how much money has microsoft made off you to play online then add up the price of games and the cost of intrnet in that same period the result should be enough for you to care.

When you pay isp and ms and all you do is online gameing your paying to pay online 3x

ISP,GAME,LIVE

Some may say the system as well but i don't look at it.

I say all this and i pay yes i do i like playing with my family across country and oversees so im a sucker i'll admit it but i don't like it and you will never see me justifying it as ohh just $5 a month not bad well times that by the users and thats how much more they are making you pay to play something you already paid for.

[Hatmantc]

the point of the article isn't the fee. it's just that multiplayer shouldn't be one of the core reasoning for the fee. it's cool if they make you pay for things like your voice mail, party functions and things of that nature, but to lock out multiplayer, and services like Hulu & Netflix to nonpaying members is just some what of a dated idea

[tigertron]

I hate the Xbox Live fee, especially when the core PSN service is free and just as good.

However, Microsoft know the majority of 360 owners with an internet connection love to play online multiplayer games so they can charge what they like. Its the same principle as convenience stores at service stations. They charge whatever they want because they know customers want what they have.

[AgentWD40]

Paying for live is still a problem, it isn't expensive and its a great service. Microsoft will never drop the live fee. They make a shit ton of money off it and have plenty of customers like myself who think xboxlive is worth its fee. I have a PS3 as well and yes PSN is free but its such a bog standard service. I can log into xbox live and be in a game with my friends in a matter of minutes thats why I love it.

[christheredhead]

Thats great and all, but like many people have mentioned, the services and online play should be split. If people want to pay to have extra services on top of their account than so be it.

Playing an online game is the same no matter what platform, its a basic service that should be functional with the game. Ive played BF3, COD, homefront and about a dozen other games on ps3 and 360, so what is the difference? Absolutely nothing. Not one single difference. It's always the same game. Only, I have to pay a fee for the same game I could play for free with ps3/pc. It just doesn't make logical sense in any form.

I can log on my ps3 and be in a match with friends within a matter of minutes as well. I wouldn't pay 60 for it though.

[TKCMuzzer]

I don't see your point. I switch on my PS3, load up Battlefield 3, press start, select my friend and join. Easy as that, why would I want to pay extra to do exactly the same thing on another console?
Many PS3 games make it easy to play with your friends these days, people are stuck in 2007, things have changed.

[MrBeatdown]

The problem isn't being unable to afford it. It's the principal of being roped into paying for a hodge podge of additional features that aren't necessarily wanted, just to access the most basic of features in games we've already payed for.

I could pay $60 extra to get better versions of a lot of stuff I have. I could get a faster internet connection. I could get a better TV package. But why should I when I'm perfectly content with a basic package? Unlike other services which offer tiers, Microsoft makes it all or nothing.

People like to justify it by saying "you get what you pay for" but the reality of it is that Microsoft charges for many features that Sony, and everyone else offers for free. If Microsoft was confident that customers valued those features that set it apart from PSN, they would sell the extras separately and wouldn't need to tie in basic online multiplayer to seal the deal. If Microsoft doesn't believe enough in those extras to sell Gold without relying on online multiplayer, why am I expected to think it's worth my money?

If Sony was to tie online play to PlayStation Plus, what would that say about Sony's confidence in their Plus offerings?

[m23]

After all these years, and people are still complaining? If you don't want to pay for it then don't. Why is it people have to criticize others for what they do with their money, I feel it is worth the price even though I never even pay the full $60 for the year. Even if it was a full $60 it isn't gonna put me out on the streets, people complain about money problems then go to Starbucks everyday willing to pay $5 everyday for a coffee SMH.

[KingSlayer]

"people complain about money problems then go to Starbucks everyday willing to pay $5 everyday for a coffee SMH."

And yet you're ok paying for the Internet twice. Stop shaking your head, it's causing damage.

[PirateThom]

I hate this reasoning... it's ignoring the issue entirely.

$5 isn't a lot per month... but it's working out at $60 a year... XBox Live has been running since 2002... even if we take it as $50 or so, that's $500 or thereabouts to play games online... before you even buy the console and the games. No guarantees they won't look at Live now and Live next gen and factor a higher price for the service in if they add more features either... how much is "too much" to play online?

[m23]

"It's causing damage"...........hilario us.

Like I said, $60 is not a lot, and if you are so short on money then maybe gaming is not the right hobby for you.

You only have one bubble so clearly you aren't willing to, or even capable of having a proper discussion.

@PirateThorn

You seem like someone who I can actually discuss with. I get where you're coming from, but using that reasoning of how it adds up over the years can be used for anything. I would hate for the price to go up next gen, but like you said, they probably will. People will still pay for it though, if the content is good I may as well.
We had the CEO of PostMedia, a company in Canada that owns a few Newspaper companies in the country, come speak to us. He spoke about how newspaper companies really screwed up by giving news away for free on the internet and how they will start charging for news online, using a new system. Companies are willing to change to make money, I think Sony may go that way as well next gen.

[jetlian]

when psn gets to XBL level then they can say whatever they want.

Right now party chat, demos on arcade games, better DL games, custom tracks, better UI looks and full DL without install they can talk.

Live 40 on amazon and to add you still get deals every week so if your a hardcore gamer live pays for itself

[Why o why]

Demos for every arcade game is the feature i think gives live plus points. That and the fact ms forces their unified sytem on devs. The paying to access the online component of games you've already payed for on an isp you've already payed for is a minus point. If silver had online access without all the bells and whistles many people would downgrade.. MS knows this and always did. They have us by the balls im affraid. The moment silver is free to go online im not touching gold again.

[yesmynameissumo]

When I drop $60 on a game that has multiplayer, I'll be damned if I pay AGAIN in order to play it. Or use the Netflix subscription I've already paid for. Or watch Crackle videos that are free to watch on phones, PCs and the PS3. Or Tweet. There's not a single thing XBL offers that is worth $60 a year, especially when damn near everything it offers is free everywhere else.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

Folks spend well over 60!00 a month on fast food feeding there faces .....60!00 a year isn't that bad for online gaming entertainment.

[Transporter47]

You're ignoring the issue, is not the amount of money you spend, it's the reason why you're paying, why should you pay to play ONLINE, when you pay for an Internet Service already. Also why pay for something that is free everywhere else except on Xbox?

[kevnb]

If people pay for it they won't stop charging.

[kevnb]

Xbl hardcore Lmao.

[jdktech2010]

I payed 3.33 a month last year by buying 12 month card from Amazon.....If you can't afford 3.33 or have a huge issue with it, might need a better job.....You can find that much laying on the sidewalk.

Would I love it to be free? Sure I would but am I gonna whine like they're stealing from me? No

People need to worry about their own lives and stop telling everyone else how they should or shouldn't run theirs. There are opinions and then there is beating a dead horse with a dead stick with dead ants falling off in turn causing gravity to beat the dead horse again.

*Expecting PETA to come after me for no reason now*

[Beastradamus]

Honestly if they stopped charging it would be a good move, but I won't hold my breath.

[m23]

It may be a good move to get on the gamer's side but it would be a pretty horrible business decision. The reason why they have been so successful in terms of making profits in the gaming sector is due to XBL Gold, and like you said, I don't see them stopping.

[Why o why]

Depends which side of the fence you stand on

Gamer side

Or

Shareholder side

[romancer]

I have never had to pay more than $40 per year for my Gold Membership (thanks to Amazon sales) and i get plenty of value for my $3.25 per month.

It's around the price of one coffee per month (Americano, Vente) from Starbucks.
What's all the fuss about? Jeeesh!

[Beahmscream]

I'd be fine with XBL's fee *IF* it was like PSN. Sony did it right.

[SITH]

After a 2.9 billion loss by Sony, they might want to consider charging for psn services.

http://www.montrealgazette....

And for you delusional people who think that Sony's game division is magically immune to this loss, you need serious help. No matter what the game division did or does, it will be affected by this loss.

[undisputed]

Learn how to read. That loss didn't come from their gaming division. Stop justifying this with an article that has NOTHING to do with the topic.

[SITH]

Take your own advice high-speed, and this quote is from the article you failed to read.

" Sony's executive deputy president Kazuo Hirai (hey, look who it is), who was named new president and chief executive officer as of April 1, speaks during a news conference as the Japanese GAMES, music and electronics giant releases its quarterly earnings reports in Tokyo on Feb. 2. Japanese entertainment giant Sony more than doubled its full-year net loss forecast to 2.9 billion U.S., one day after announcing that its president and CEO Howard Stringer would step aside."

And a gaming division is not separate from the earnings (lack of in this case) or debts of a company. That is a subsidiary dumb-ass. Next time you try to insult someone, try not looking like an ass.

[josephayal]

Best service for just $60

[saladthieves]

(Steam) better service for $60, no, $50, nope, $10, naaah, but for just $0 a year.

[InTheLab]

If people want to pay to access their own bandwidth and matchmaking, let them. Fools with money do foolish things. There's no convincing 360 gamers that they're being ripped because they don't feel like they're being ripped. Just stop it.

Before I go, I'd like to point out a few more absurd things I've read in this thread...

-There is no $5 a month plan. There's a $9 a month plan which is the only monthly sub MS offers. It's either $9 monthly or $60 annually.

-There's a difference between paying $15 monthly to access an MMO that constantly receives content updates and paying $60 annually to access all of your games and still pay for DLC. If you're not feeling the $15 fee, don't pay it and skip that game. Only that game is affected. If you're not willing to pay for XBL Gold, you're entire multiplayer library is screwed.

-cross game chat...big f***in deal. That's the difference between PSN and XBL. Stop with the lag nonsense. You don't need to lie to yourself to justify paying for Live. If you feel it's worth it...then it's worth it, but don't pretend like PSN is garbage and lacks features when you probably haven't used the service enough to know the difference between the two.

-Sony charging $60 for PSN won't magically heal all of Sony's problems. 2.9 billion loss for the entire company....but a $60 sub will fix that? No wonder you have two bubbles /facepalm.

That's all I got....this is stupid.

[leogets]

its called a 360 cos when people bought the system and realised u have to pay to play online their brains done a full 360.u know the feeling right? when u know uve fucked up.
ive seen people play 360 and moan about lag so ya fee isnt towards connection.broadband is broadband right. so im guessing its to supply them really lame dash board changes that have no effect on online gaming at all. not knocking the system it delivers just as good visualls as the ps3 but u wouldnt get me paying for something thats free elsehwere. simples!

[ironmonkey]

for a lot of people its still a bad time to be paying for shit like that. rather have two pairs of jeans for 60$.

[KimoNoir]

Ill tell you guys one thing... Employees at ms still have their jobs. Ms is doing.a good job at making.people spend money. Sadly its expensive but dam they do a good.job at business

[Bob570]

Let's be honest here, anyone who owns both consoles knows that XBL is much better than PSN. To argue otherwise is utterly ridiculous. And anyone who does a little searching can find a 12 month code for $40 or maybe even a little bit less. And $40 a year comes out to $3.33 a month. It's worth that.

[Majin-vegeta]

Umm bs i own both and they both feel the same the only thing XBL has over the ps3 is Xchat other than that their both the same.

[DigitalRaptor]

XBL is NOT "much better than PSN". It's more unified and has a better interface - that's it. Performance wise, they're on almost equal ground.

And about the $40 a year comment: do you understand the value of money? Do you have kids who might want to hop online as well as yourself? Charge adds up and there are other things such as bills and shopping that need to be paid for with the money you're spending on a universal feature that shouldn't have to be paid for. No-one else does, but Microsoft gladly charges because of apathetic opinions like yours. They charge because they're allowed to, not because it's reasonable.

You can tell me how much XBL is worth it until the cows come home, but it doesn't cease the fundamental principle that to access at least 50% of every game you've bought and will buy costs you that much EACH year and EVERY year! And Microsoft won't stop charging unless something drastic is done. Hey, they might even raise the price a bit like they have done in the past. XBL Gold is like one of those things that reaches a level of irritation among its userbase and lots of angry comments are made, but nothing is quite done about it, and Microsoft keeps smiling!

When the Vita comes out and then the PS4, with the same features of XBL Gold and more and for free, the value in paying for XBL is going to look even more absurd and less worth it than ever. Breaking it all down to cents per day doesn't relinquish the bigger picture. Just because you're forced to pay for it, doesn't mean that you're also forced to sit there defending Microsoft's decisions.

[Silly gameAr]

If MP was free, there's no way I'd pay for a Gold sub. I'm sure MS knows this.

[Acquiescence]

I never renewed my Gold membership again. Both PSN and Xbox Live offer the same services, the key difference being one is free and the other isn't. In retrospect, paying for Xbox Live was daylight robbery and I'm glad I don't do it anymore.

[dkp23]

I pay for xbox live usually around $35 due to available deals throughout the year.

I switched to ps3 a few years ago to play 3rd party games such as COD and Madden since the online access is free. I had played these games on the xbox prior and didnt want to pay anymore.

So after a couple years of COD/Madden on the ps3, i switched back to xbox because i found out, you get what you pay for. The online experience on the xbox was so much better than the ps3 in terms of connectivity, lag, and smoothness of the games online. My xbox/Ps3 are side by side and the lag i would experience in madden/cod on the ps3 was not fun to play through.

I play in a madden league and in my league, there would be constant disconnects in the group and having to restart games. Games were lagging/disconnecting although i was pulling in 20+ dl speeds and 3+ upload spds, but the lag remained. So i decided to go back to xbox to see how the online experience was and i havent gone back to the ps3 since.

I have not had random disconnect in my madden league games since i started playing may of 2011 outside of my opponent internet dying and EA going down for maintenance, limited connectivity issues with MW3. Both games run smooth online and i really dont have to worry about any disconnects.

This is just my experience and i am sure others will have other experiences as well. But I am ok with paying the $35 or so annually for faster and less clunky interface, better messaging system, better connectivity, better online experience, and better party/chat system.

Take it for what it is worth, but i am ok with paying, but not dumb enough to say i would be happy to pay double :p.

It is pretty common knowledge that the ps3 is free in terms of online access, but xbox live continues to have millions of gold members. You can make excuses that people stay cuz they have a lot of friends on xbox or people are sheep, but clearly, with the amount of people on live, you can see how much people enjoy the experience.

[Proeliator]

Put aside all fanboy notions, and any sensible person will agree that PSN is a load of basic, absolute crap.

XBL is great and because of it, there is a subscription.

And for the record "HURR U PAY 4 ADS" is not a valid argument. PSN has just as many ads.

[P_Bomb]

@Proeliator
I'm pretty sensible, and I disagree. It's mostly all the same stuff with a couple minor differences like being able to check your sent messages on the XMB but not on the dashboard, or beacons.

Off the top of my head, PSN and PS+ offer:
*in-game messaging
*party text chat
*free access to apps like Netflix
*online gaming
*beta priority
*web browser for Youtube to N4G
*cloud saves
*game sharing
*unified friends list
*automatic updates and background downloads
*user created themes and dynamic themes
*game joins from the XMB
*evolving Home integration (contests, events, social networking, free games and game rooms from 1st & 3rd party devs)
*permanent time/date stamps on trophies
*remote play with PSP/Vita
*custom picture viewers/video editor
*video/pic/music transfers to XMB via flash drive, can remove flash drive after
*system backups to external 3rd party drives

See? Mostly the same foundation with preferential differences. One auto syncs cheevos, one gives double credit for Steam.

As to your last point, PSN doesn't have 3rd party ads from Subway, Rogers, Walmart on the XMB. The Video Store is in the PS Store and Qriocity is a seperate app, so you never have to see plugs for Lady Ga Ga's new video or Ryan Gosling as you scroll over to the marketplace. Less clutter doesn't mean less content.

@kuntryboy
The Resident Evil: Retribution trailer in the dashboard MSN app is low res too. Pobody's Nerfect.

[KontryBoy706]

I have both the PS3 and 360. While I do prefer my PS3 most of the time there are things about the 360 that I will not ignore. MOST 3rd party games ARE better on the 360. Now that the 360 has all of these new apps Youtube, crackle, tmz, dailymotion, epix etc etc etc with HBO GO on the way too... I do not mind paying for XBL. Yes the PS3 can access Youtube but it doesn't even play HD it plays in 360p and lags. Crackle on PS3 is pixelated while it's HD on 360. Look at all you get with exclusive content and IGN vids too. However, I have yet to pay over $35 for it because of deals on Amazon. So... I own more games on my PS3 but I still keep my 360 going with several games and it's entertainment features that are great with all the new apps they have added and more coming

[yesmynameissumo]

I disagree with this entire "MOST 3rd party games ARE better on the 360" bullshit notion. It's really not 2007 anymore. Dead Space, Batman, COD...with a ton more out there, but I don't think I need to post anymore. As far as this YouTube in HD thing...who gives a shit? Can you rent movies in HD from YouTube via the 360 app? No? It's a non-issue. YouTube videos look fine via the PS3. As far as Crackle, the only thing pixelated are the Seinfield ads that play every now and again while watching a unedited movie. Neither, in HD with unicorns snowing tear drops of Elton John songs, would I pay $60 to use either. Or launch the Hulu and Netflix apps I'm ALREADY PAYING HULA AND NETFLIX TO ACCESS.

[KontryBoy706]

As I said. I have a PS3 and use it more. You can be in denial all you want the truth is out there. There are a shit load of 3rd party games that perform better on the 360 and you know it. It's not that the PS3 isn't capable of having better 3rd party games it's the devs that don't spend the time to have a better version. Why the Hell do I want to rent movies from YT? I have Netflix for that. YouTube looks fine on PS3? Lol what you have your PS3 hooked up to a 17 inch tube tv? And yes Crackle looks awful on PS3 I should know. It is pixelated you can see Jaggies and if you cant you need your eyes checked. I do like Netflix on PS3 better than on my 360. You must dont own a 360 or you would know it has WAY more apps than the PS3 unfortunately.

I had to laugh at you when you mentioned COD being better on PS3. You would have been better off saying battlefield. Now batman and dead space I agree I have them for PS3. You talking about what you wouldn't pay for huh. Watch when next gen rolls around you would have to be a fool to believe Sony is not going to charge just as Microsoft is. As long as its a beefed up service you will pay and you know it. Right now as PSN is it should be free. I am a PS+ member too.

[Zephol]

Xbox Live gold is only 25 $ per month LOL. i cant wait baby!

[YodaCracker]

Just from spending a few minutes on PSN, I am instantly reminded why I pay for Xbox LIVE Gold and why it is worth it.

[DebateMaster]

Trolling. Has to be

[urwifeminder]

Im more than happy to pay the sevice is great stable and rarely down for anything repairs or hacks, i never get phone credit but i allways have my xbox live gold, its great how it bothers everyone on here how others spend money really human and caring.

[fullmetal297]

I think paying for online is ridiculous since I can get the same experience for free on other alternatives like on PC. That being said, I also think PS Plus is also a bunch of crap. Why would I pay 50 dollars a year to get discounts when steam offers them for free? The whole concept of paying money to save money is absurd like Xbox Live.

[gcolley]

too many hackers on PC, not as many on console. Sure you get mods but at what cost? Also, nobody buys your game unless they have to, e.g. multiplayer. Yet there are only a few MP games that dominate, the other franchises struggle as much as the SP only games.

Sony is going broke because they don't have a successful subscription service yet. PSN is still costing Sony a bundle to provide.

MS charge too damn much but I don't think it should necessarily be free if they are going to continue to really support the xbox brand. I also think developers should get some of this money from XBL sales if it is their game dominating the online gameplay charts. Then they can get rid of the Online Pass.

But of course everyone wants everything for free in this day an age of piracy and thievery.

[annus]

I love the hackers argument. I've seen about a total of 5 hackers on BF3 on PC, all of which get banned after the round ends. MW2 on 360 on the other hand...that was just a mess. Hackers on PC get banned near instantly, on consoles it takes until a patch comes out (which for CoD usually meant they opened up even more room for hacked lobbies).

[fullmetal297]

You are forgetting the anti-hacking tools we have available. The PC does have the most hacker on any platform, there is no questioning that, but we also have admins, punkbuster, VAC, and server tools like voteban to get rid of a hacker. Why do you think games like CSS are being played to this day?

[drsnobby]

I understand the authors opinion,but XBL is a cashcow.why on earth would MS change there mind so silver members can play multi-player gamers? if gamers have a problem with XBL,they would not pay for it.

if the author is so upset with XBL,then stop paying for it,dont't pay and then bitch about it.the xbox brand had a banner year in 2011,and from the looks of all that revenue,there's alot of happy XBL members.

[rezzah]

He simply doesn't want to pay for what he has access to. Also since 360 is so popular, chances are his friends play it.

Paying for features makes more sense than paying for access to something you already have.

The situation would be the same as paying to drive your (completely paid for) car on top of having to pay for gas and maintenance. Why do that when others drive their cars for free?

Also the reason why they are happy is because paying for what is already free is all they have known since the release of the 360. Meaning if access was free at first then had a fee attached people would be angry. To them, paying for online is normal on the 360, when everywhere else it is considered a taboo.

Also the whole "friend only owns a 360" (do to its popularity in America) thing, forces the choice of having to pay for online in order to chat and play with friends.

Overall people are getting ripped off, so why be happy about it? Especially when the same people would not allow this type of treatment in another situation?

Here is another analogy: having to pay a fee to enter your house.

[Hozi]

I agree 100% MS needs to change the silver accounts to have free Multi-player and leave out any perks the Gold Membership has.

How can they sell us a game via a demo if we cant even play the demo unless we have Gold Membership?

[Coach_McGuirk]

the only thing absurd about xbox live is how much faster it is than psn. It took me 3 minutes to download a 30 meg patch on psn the other day.

[P_Bomb]

Conversely, why does Zune take so long to load all the time when all I wanna do is watch my saved videos?

[Coach_McGuirk]

sorry, I've never owned a Zune so I don't know. Maybe you can answer why is PSN so slow?

[yesmynameissumo]

He's talking about the Zune Video Marketplace on the 360. Not the failed Zune hardware. PSN is slow for you because you have a 3-5MB connection.

You're welcome.

[bunt-custardly]

Being an Xbox 360 and PS3 gamer, the thing I find is - that yes, Xbox Live Gold takes the piss. It's been free for years on PC to play online, and Sony does it across the board, on their exclsuives, most of which are on dedicated servers and allow for significantly more players.

I still prefer to play on Xbox Live for it is just simpler, and much easier to get in games and communicate with friends pre-game. I hate having to text individuals to arrange a game on PS3.

PS+ is the game changer though, and Microsoft need to match that. I don't think MS will ever drop the 'Online gaming' side to the Gold sub, but they could add more value to it similar to how Sony does with great deals and offers, most of which are free for Plus subscribers. 200 Microsoft points once a month off an XBLA game like UNO or whatever just doesn't cut it anymore.

If it wasn't for Gears 3 I doubt I'd be paying for my Live Gold sub to begin with, although the nice blunder last year where MS made Gold £1 per month has seen me right up til 2014 at least. ;)

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

what kills me is knowing I could've bought a new game insted of paying for online play...

Im 80% sure Im not renewing my LIVE when mine is up soon and with no new games in sight, I definatley don't see the need to renew it at all!

[olLANDSHARKlo]

It's too easy to cheat,glitch, hack on PSN, because someone can freely(at no cost) make another PSN I.D., yes you can do that on xbox live as well, but I believe it costs you like $8 to change your gamertag name. Had a madden league with 12 teams, I was 1 team found out the other 11 teams was a user with 11 different PSN I.D.'s, cause they are free, your gonna have people go to this limit. When you have to pay, your not gonna do this fee from xbox live just to cheat. Yes the $30-$35 a year in my book is worth it.

[Skynetone]

the other 11 teams was a user with 11 different PSN I.D.'s

LOL

you can only log in with one account at a time, unless the guy has 11 ps3s and 11 tvs and 11 controllers maybe its possible

[Baka-akaB]

that made no sense whatsoever indeed . And if he did that anyway on ps3 , he pretty much got the means to have 11 360 connected with the games the same way .

And what's with that weird new obsession about boosting in discover in this thread ?

When the hell did it ever become rampant on ps3 moreso than 360 , and what kind of backwater logic is it ?

So basically you've dropped low enough to advance the argument of needing a fee for a frickin' leaderboard and ranking system ?

[P_Bomb]

@Phibalnation
Quote:
"When you have to pay, your not gonna do this fee from xbox live just to cheat."

Sure they will.1600 XBox accounts were banned recently from COD:MW3 for hack/glitch/cheat infractions http://xbox360.ign.com/arti... .

There's always gonna be people looking for shortcuts or trying to stick it to the man. No system's foolproof. Remember when Microsoft banned a million consoles/accounts a couple years ago after COD:MW2 came out? http://www.techspot.com/new...

[InTheLab]

Shame on you for hopping on the internet and lying your ass off just to prove a point.

The 360 was hacked a month after launch. It took almost 5 years to hack the PS3.

You've been getting emails from hackers on Live for 5 years now. Stop playing...

[horndog]

I would gladly pay 80 for live. There is no substitute for it and don't even get me started with the psn is free BS because that's exactly what it is. It's my money and I can spend it as I see fit. Sony is going broke for a reason .

[evolution54]

I don't see why people complain about $60 a year for Xbox Live. In many cases, you can get it for only $36-$39 a year if you can catch it on sale on Amazon.

$60 equals to about $.16-.17 a day....If you really can't afford that, then as someone else said, you really should be more concerned about other issues than this. I'm not sure why some are getting so worked up, even after so many years.

[gamer7804]

/sigh 1up

people don't pay just for multiplayer, they are paying for a quality of service that you just don't get anywhere else.

Demand will always drive the market, people are willing to pay because its worth it for the service. Until that changes MS will not change their service.

If 1up wants to place blame on anyone, they should place the blame on all of us consumers.

[k4rma]

So have two qualities of service.

No reason to block something you can get everywhere else.

[Baka-akaB]

that's weird , last i checked the 360 doesnt have better quality service than free online on pc . I know pc aint console , but if the service was so costly and needed , shouldnt it at least outperforms all others ?

After all paid mmos do feature better service so far , bare Guild wars , and have some sound logic behind the concept for now .

[mechanicleman]

$60 isnt worth party chat to me and paying for lag and to play with cheaters isn't either before the PS3 jailbreak cheating was only on the xbox and you are PAYING!

[SeraphimBlade]

I doubt revenue's really a problem anymore, what with the adspace on the new dashboard taking up three-damn-quarters of my screen

[k4rma]

I agree with the article. Its time for online MP to be available to everyone on xbox. There is more than enough reason to want a premium membership too.

[ZeroWil]

I don't mind paying for the Gold membership, as I usually buy the cards when they're on sale anyway.
If they made multiplayer access free, I would continue paying depending on what they make exclusive to Gold members. But that's just me.

[-Ghost]

They should make the online free. I haven't bought a year subscription since I purchased a PS3 back in 2008 and I never will again. Only time I touch that system is if they got a free weekend going on.

[SaffronCurse]

Free weekend is going on right now

[-Ghost]

Yeah, I'm aware :).

[HacSawJimThugin]

My 6 year tenure with her has been a love/hate relationship (mostly love tho) ;she may pimp me for $60 a year or less, but, I love it.

Xbox live is the Bunny Ranch of online functionally. I will continue to be one of her many tricks...and love it.

[2v1]

pay 4 a list of friends that s all

[Knightofelemia]

Microsoft should just open up demos and game videos to the Silver members.

[SignifiedSix]

I'll be laughing at all the fanboys when they're paying to play on PSN next gen.
What if it happens? Are you guys going to pay for it? If you do, you're all a bunch of HYPOCRITES!

[mechanicleman]

you can subscribe to PSN+

[Baka-akaB]

If this happens it would kinda be the fault of guys like you , like the acceptance of dlcs .

And plenty people would have still stayed away from such schemes for one console gen , at the very least .

And actually no we kinda expect nintendo and sony to have the good sense to not charge for core mp , but for extras and services , wich then is fine .

[gcolley]

i think next gen multiplayer should be free. enough is enough. 1 live account is fine but for a family it is a bit much

[SaffronCurse]

Online gaming should be free to ALL Xbox live members, Gold members should start getting more deals eg: Monthly Microsoft point deposits, More Discounts on arcade, God games and even movies from Zune.

Honestly from all the money MS get from the subs, they don't really invest in getting Dedicated servers, seeing as Sony's online is completely free, they still offer dedi's for most of their first party titles.

[Yomaster]

Good ideas here. Even if we DID still have to pay for multiplayer, rewards like that would really justify the cost of paying to play.

I've been a member of Xbox Live for 9 years, and have never seen so much as a free month of the service just for being such.

[coojo]

xbl is well worth it been a xbl user since 2003

[DrFUD]

DISCLAIMER*****
THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT IS FROM A LOVE LETTER GIVEN TO ME FROM WHAT APPEARS TO BE A GAY ADMIRER THAT PM'd ME HERE @ N4G

I'm not going to include his screen name but I'm sure he's defending Live's charges in this comment section. He says it better in this letter than the comments above so I thought I'd help everybody out.

PEACE.

"The real reason I pay for live is because I love looking at advertising. No biggie, it's just I'm a compulsive shopper and get wet when I see ads so I gladly pay to see more. I respect that and you should too. It has nothing to do with gaming, because all the best games are on PS3 and free to play online (truth hurts, not to mention most of the best games even have PS3 exclusive content). Hell, PS3 even has actual free to play games online that are actually free to download and play. So no...I argue it's about the ads. Not only that but it's about the click of man love I can relate to who think for me and say whatever like it means squat but I find easy to repeat because sweaty man love is easy to follow. And to them I agree... It's totally worth it! It's less than a penny a day =) I can find one every day in the parking lot by the gay porn video store where I hang out all greased up and ready to hand it over so why not as long as I can belong. I love em well hung =) My membership is my hug because as a member I belong and I sure are special.

Smooches"

[galmi]

u guys are nothing short of little kids, those who pay, pay, those who don't, don't, for those who think psn is better, good for you and clap for yourself, for those who think xboxlive is better, good for you too, now shut up and go play some games.

[Yomaster]

I don't pay for Xbox Live just to play online, I also pay for the smoothness and reliability of the service. I've been a member of Xbox Live for 9 years now, and while I DO detest the increase from $50 to $60 annually, I CAN say that it's but a small fee for the quality of service you get.

To justify, I also have a PS3 and have experienced what it has to offer. While it works and does what it's intended, you really do get what you pay for here. The interruptions of service/lag/hitches/etc. on XBL are extremely minimal when compared to PSO. Gold members DO get some pretty cool bonuses here and there, such as Xbox Live Rewards, all the various free apps found in the Marketplace, Party/Private Chat (which has come in EXTREMELY handy in MANY cases), etc. Hell, I even scored that Saturday night UFC fight for free when that promo was going on.

Do I consider the price to be a bit steep? Of course, but Xbox Live hardly ever fails, and pretty much provides the quickest, easiest service you can find in the terms of online console gaming. Am I saying PSO is bad? Hell no, not even close to being so, especially being free. However, MS definitely did it right with Xbox Live, which is why I've been there pretty much from day one. However, I DO think it would make the cost far more justifiable if us Xbox Live members saw greater rewards for paying for the service, being long-time members, etc., as Xbox Live Rewards just doesn't do enough. SaffronCurse posted a good idea up above.

When it REALLY comes down to it, though, it's whatever you prefer. If you're cool with paying the subscription fee, it's worth the money. If you're not, then who cares? It's your hard-earned cash, do what you want with it.

As far as the author's opinion on the ME3 MP demo being free to play: why complain? You get to play something early on something that you normally have to pay for. Is that really something worth bitching about?

[Rhythmattic]

I Have a 360 and do not want anything but to play online with it....

F-=) the rewards, the party chat, the other crap that possibly people see the value in...

I see playing my games online as a point on that game box. MP online mode.

I have decided not to pay for the "privilege" MS see's as online gaming as I can do it else where for no extra cost.

Thats why i disagreed.

Spin it how you will, but if everybody had a choice to play MP online for free with their 360 silver account , what percentage off people would actually subscribe to gold?

Stuff all.

[Yomaster]

I don't think MS sees multiplayer gaming as a privilege, you're just paying for a service that they supply.

Take it from me, I was on XBL in the beginning where ALL you got for $50 a year was to play online. Nowadays, you pay $60, and get quite a bit more than that. All that is pretty well-known, though, so I won't go into details.

To me, Xbox Live is like Comcast in my area: somewhat expensive, but reliable and the speed/service is outstanding. I love Xbox Live, which is why I pay for it in the first place.

However, like I said, if you don't want to pay the fee, you don't have to. It's your money, and no one else's business but your own.

[Rhythmattic]

No go at you, but i'm sure your missing the point, actually, you are missing the point.

To reiterate.

I just want to play MP games online with my 360 without having to outlay another $60 a year (more in Oz and our $$$ is stronger) ..

Get it?

[Yomaster]

And I want to have my gas tank filled for free every day, have free 100% coverage health insurance, and get Comcast for free. Doesn't mean I'm gonna get it.

I get your point, but not everything in this world is free. If you want it for free, but it isn't, tough luck. You can't have everything you want.

Quite frankly, I don't care if you pay or not, but don't take your frustration out on those who pay for it without complaint just because you don't.

As for your other response, I'm not arguing for or against anything. I'm simply stating the facts before us. Online MP gaming IS free. However, on Xbox Live, it isn't. That's why you have OPTIONS. Sorry for the fact that you want Xbox Live, but don't want to pay for it.

[Rhythmattic]

Guess you didn't read the article.

2nd last Paragraph sums it up.

PS and for whats its worth, I dont want Xbox Live, I just want online MP.

You follow?

[Kinger8938]

Never had any lag or issues with psn, halo on the other hand :/

Either way its all opinion, i dont pay for live any more as i play very little online on the xbox lately as theres no games im interested in any more and if there is ill either play it online on the pc or playstation for free, but i understand why they charge, its a good service and party chat is a feature that is still missing on my playstation, but saying that, all my mates have xbox's so id barely use that too!

Hopefully the pricing changes in the next system or something!

[Yomaster]

Haha, Halo will be Halo. XD

Exactly. That's my argument, too. If you don't want it, no sweat. It doesn't affect anyone else if you don't want/feel the need to pay for Xbox Live!

That would be nice. I highly doubt that will happen, though, so I'm hoping for more rewards/bonuses to Gold members.

[Rhythmattic]

Yomaster.

That aint no argument for free online MP Gaming.

[Kinger8938]

So if i never use half the stuff that you get on xbox live, and someone else uses all of it, we both have to pay the same price per year

[Legion]

In no way does this justify the system failing. It is a multiplayer Demo and MS is giving a FREE trial of XBL to those wishing to try out the Demo.

MS often gives trial periods to non-gold members in hopes that they might enjoy the experience and sign up. Why is this any different of a scenario?

If you don't agree with XBL pay to play then you will not agree with it regardless of the Demo for ME3 multiplayer. He is basically saying they can't even offer a multiplayer Demo for FREE to non-gold members without having to adjust there membership for awhile. No sh@t Sherlock. If you want to play the multiplayer then you will need Gold nuff said.

As for those that don't agree with paying for Gold... then don't. You can still enjoy the Demo and see what you will be missing out on.

I remember way back when my friends used to rag me for paying for internet service instead of using NetZero free online service. So my paid for experience was better connection and I had a better experience... my friends still thought I was getting ripped off and never understood. Look at them now... where is NetZero??? Nothing is FREE for long. And even when it is you are just lieing to yourself thinking that you are getting the same experience.

[tudors]

I have Xbox-live and PSN now, and to be fair Xbox-live is the better service if you like online play, PSN has Playstation HOME which has come a long way but other than that Xbox-live is better, it's not just the chat features, PSN just seems easier to hack games, there is something wrong when I can get kicked from a MW2 lobby by a hacker or put up with the various cheats they use.

[kikizoo]

"PSN just seems easier to hack games, there is something wrong when I can get kicked from a MW2 lobby by a hacker or put up with the various cheats they use."

LOL, ridiculous, great imagination you have sheeps..euh sorry, xbox fanboyz....happy to pay more for the same thing, on inferior hardware, with (10X) less exclusives.

like they said (obvious for normal gamers) : The current XBL Gold/Silver division needs to change. After five years of Microsoft's biggest competitor offering multiplayer for free, Microsoft maintains what amounts to a $60 annual surcharge to play online. Online gaming is not new or novel -- it gained popularity nearly 20 years ago. Even consoles began supporting the function in the Dreamcast era. Multiplayer gaming should come standard with any system in 2012.

like

[tudors]

@kikizoo Only on N4G could someone tell me I imagine something that really happens.

[Baka-akaB]

the problem is more like guys like you pretend it's not a prob on xbl too , despite multiple proofs of otherwise .

It occuring less doesnt change it still happening , despite paying a fee

[CrimsonEngage]

"After five years of Microsoft's biggest competitor offering multiplayer for free"

Yea, and look how bad it is. I pay for live so i don't have to worry about having my account hacked or my gaming service go down for months at a time.

Fact is you need live to play online. Even if it's a demo. Live can still hold it's own. A lot of games come with a 72 hour live trail card anyways.

It's to entice people to buy live so they can continue playing the game they just purchased if they like it. It's called a good business strategy.

This article is lame.

[xchamp]

Its well worth the money, ill rather pay for it and have cross game and party chat, the xbox live community just has a better feel than the PSN

[xchamp]

Why the dislikes? Im just saying that nobody talks on PSN so the community is poor

[StankyChicken]

$60 for some extra features is not justifiable, it's a huge rip off. You must also realize that most people on PSN don't talk because most don't have mics. Xbox 360s ship with mics included with them. I can bet you that if 360s did not come with mics, a good chunk of the community wouldn't even bother going out to buy one.

[_LarZen_]

Pay for stuff that is free on all other systems?

No thx, im not stupid. Are you?

[Dorwrath]

Of course they are not going to stop it.

I own both consoles and pay for both XBL and PSN+. Im quite happy paying. In 5 years of paying for XBL I haven't paid over $30 a year for a 12+1 month card. That works out at $2.30 a month. Most of you waste more money on burgers and junk food a week than I pay for Xbox Live a month.

Yeah come the PS4 I see Sony charging across the board for PSN. Face it, PSN will not be free forever.

[SnowBlu]

that really is bullsh*t

sony offers ps plus at almost the same price and its totaly worth it

but what bothers me is that every xbox console comes with a mic so everyone talks

in ps3 its deserted

[Britainz-Fin3st]

Who cares if psn is free.
i have ps3 and 360 and i pay for live because reagrdless what you try to tell me, my xbl experience outweighs my ps experience.
its worth it to me, and if it wasnt worth it, millions of people wouldnt pay every year to play when you say theres something better out there for free. if that was the case people wouldnt be buying xbox live would they.

And for those saying we pay for free services. we pay for xbox live and these new additions are simply that, additions to a service ive subscribed to for 5 years.
if you want to access sites on your ps3 its your choice but i know id rather do it on a laptop then that slow cluddy browser.

if you dont pay for xbox live, and never have, your oppinion quite frankly doesnt matter to me or anyone else.
If you cannot afford a few pounds a month you need to get yourself a better career.

[alb1899]

Why would you repair what isn't broken.........i Pay happy Xbox live and i have both plataforms. I don't like to chat in psnetwork i like party in live. Is a joy to play Gears online!

[Cherchez La Ghost]

Nothing in life is free. And if it is, it has limitations to it's service to you. Correct me if I'm wrong, please?!

Is it me or 1up just rattled the hornet's nest of anti-MS people to get hits to it's site? What you pay for is what you pay for. Why should I judge you of you choices. As long as you're happy with what you got, do you!!

2012 and still the ignorance lives here in N4G.

[Tanir]

everyone who pays for live unless its like 15 bucks are fools, i dont care what anyone says the features arent worth 60$.

i think that they should make the online play free, and extra features they should charge for seperate. i dont know why people are such fanboys, its sad. I personally never used any feature but playing online so the 60$ isnt worth it to everyone.

Hell most of the stuff Live offers is free on internet tv's or *Gasp* ur computer which is probably a few feet away from you.

and no, just no, there is not less lag on the 360. halo 3 lags with 8 players where resistance 2 didnt lag at 60 players, so please stop.

I've had live for 2 years and so no perks what so ever, there is no point, and party chat is useless if ur playing anything team based because then u cant talk to ur team mates.

[Boon Tarkas]

I like it.

[Fadetoblack69]

I don't 'hate' the xbox, I'm more a PC fan anyway, always will be... (How the eff do you guys play FPS wifout a keyboard??), but I do like a few console games. That being said, that fee is the only thing that's stopped me from buying this console. Drop that and I'd go buy one tomorrow. You shouldn't have to pay to do what everyone else lets you do for free.

[InTheZoneAC]

you are programmed if you think FPS is better with a keyboard. When I was a kid I played pc games, then I was introduced to game consoles and there is no comparison. Who cares if you get can a tad better resolution or graphic ability, I got the better games and better controller...

[sak500]

I'm an Xbox360 fanboy and have been playing on it since Jan 2k6. Would not pay a single dime for XBgold if MP was free. I dont need any of the videos/movies/early demos as I get / watch / do all that on my PC or my HD media player which even has an android os built in for browsing and playing angry bird like games.

I'm forced to pay just for MP as rest of the features are useless for me. If they introduce Silver plus with MP only i'd just take that but unfortunately i just have to buy a 14 months live card @ $50 every year.

MS knows their $h!t when it comes to milking people.

[InTheZoneAC]

MS will NEVER stop charging for XBL knowing their customers love paying $60 for the same service than can be had elsewhere.

It's the same as the wife who enjoys getting beat by her husband and doesn't do anything about it, just keeps coming back...

[StankyChicken]

Xbox Live is a more user friendly and all around better service than PSN, but the $60 price tag in NO WAY justifies the features and services that are included.

To start, I shouldn't have to be paying to use a service that is FREE OF CHARGE on the computer (Ex: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube). Next, why should I have to be a Gold subscriber to use Netflix, a service which I PAY FOR? Tell me where the logic is in their idea that I need to pay to use a service which is readily available, free of charge, on my PS3 or PC?

Next, and the biggest issue I have, is why must we pay to play multiplayer online? After paying for Xbox Live Gold for the past 4 years, I finally realized how much I was getting ripped off. Paying to use my own internet connection, which we pay for might I add, to play online is downright ridiculous. Now you might bring up the argument that there is less lag on 360 while playing online, but there really isn't. I can't tell you how many games of Halo I've played where there is massive lag.

What I think Microsoft should do is restructure their online service. While it probably won't happen because the current plan is working well for Microsoft, there could be many benefits to the gamers. Microsoft should restructure their service like PSN. In other words, there would be two services they would offer: Basic, and Premium. Basic would allow you to play online, give you access to services like Facebook, Twitter, etc., give you access to demos. The premium service, which should be priced appropriately, would give you early access to demos, discounts on games or other marketplace items, access to betas. I probably missed a few things here and there, but that would be a basic plan that would benefit us gamers.

[Tacklebait]

$40 a year... just over $3 a month... it is affordable. Is it worth it to me, yes. I borrowed my friends ps3 for a month, played some amazing exclusives I had missed out on, tried a few online games. Is it me or does the ps3 have subpar voice chat? Anyways, I went back to my Xbox and will happily pay my minimal monthly payments to enjoy my slightly better online experience.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Its all personal preference if you make 60 bucks and u wanna pay to play online among other things, that's YOUR decision. Not everyone's ok with that, and you have to respect that. Now if someone makes a decision to spend the money to play online and you should respect that decision as well. its your money, some people find it profitable some don't.

[kingofhalo2050]

Wow there are still people out there ranting about Live subscription fee?? If you can't afford it, stay the fuck out of it, why make life complicated for urself?

On a side note, i got my xbox live 12 months for $35, how? just log on to xbox live every now an then when major title is released, and u will come across many deals.

[CoolBeansRus]

i pay so that i dont have to deal with hackers. What do you have to say to that.

[granfaloon]

I had gold, and quit paying the ridiculous fees. I just switched what little online gaming I do over to the PS3.