Microsoft to increase price of Xbox Live Gold

[shio]

slowmo said:

shio said:

2003

Valve: Hey Microsoft, wanna partner with us to make a service that could put PC Gaming over the top?

Microsoft: No, your idea is 10 years too soon. We don't want to have anything with you guys.

Valve: You are losing a great opportunity.

Microsoft: Whatever, we are going to consoles. We aren't focused on PC games.

2006

Microsoft: How's business?

Valve: Steam is all over. And you guys said it couldn't be done.

Microsoft: But aren't you giving Steam for free?

Valve: Yeah, which is why getting million of new costumers.

Microsoft: Whatever, PC games don't sell. Consoles are where the money's at.

Valve: But didn't you lose billions with the Xbox?!

Microsoft: Yes, but our idea was to win the console industry with the Xbox 360, not the original Xbox.

2007

Microsoft: Hey Valve, I'm launching GFWL! It will be a stronghold for PC gaming.

Valve: Cool, but what is GFWL?

Microsoft: It's like Xbox Live for PC, and you to pay to use it too.

Valve: What the hell?! PC Gamers won't pay for GFWL ever!

Microsoft: Whatever, we forced millions of console gamers to pay for nothing, PC gamers will too.

Valve: It won't work. PC gamers can't be forced to use GFWL.

Microsoft: We'll win, many big publishers  are already supporting us.

2009

Valve: So how's GFWL?

Microsoft: Badly. No one paid for it, so we had to make GFWL free.

Valve: I told you.

Microsoft: Whatever, PC Gaming is dying. We're closing down all our PC studios.

Valve: WTF?! That's insane! You'll regret this.

Microsoft: PC Gaming is dying, and the money's on consoles.

Valve: You should stop reading NPD numbers...

2010

Microsoft: *reads PR statement* "PC Gaming is important to us. We are always committed to PC Gaming"

Valve: Huh?!

Microsoft: We are coming back in full force to PC Gaming! We are releasing new games on PC, and GFWL will be a stronghold for PC Gaming.

Valve: I've heard this before. Have you even released anything in the past 3 years on PC?

Microsoft: No, "but we are committed..."

Valve: Dude, look:
- You lost billions with the original Xbox.
- You are losing billions with the Xbox 360, and are nowhere near the Wii.
- You closed all your PC studios.
- GFWL hasn't improved since launch and is still complete crap.
- All publishers that supported GFWL have abandoned you, and came over to Steam instead.
- You haven't released a PC game for years, and won't release before 2011 (if at all).

Microsoft: We thought PC Gaming was dying...

Valve: PC was the only platform to grow in 2009, and 2010 so far. It has always been growing. It was your fault for only reading NPD, and now Steam is so big that we are on MAC now. HAHAHAHA!!!!

Which explains why Valve are suddenly focusing on the PS3??? 

I like how you are quick to focus on Microsofts money making agenda then seem to forget 99% of commercially available Steam games are overpriced compared to their retail counterparts.

Given you have no intention of ever trying xbox live I think you're input in this thread is of little worth personally.

I already tried Xbox Live, my brother had an X360. Steam, and other DD services, are far better than retail stores:

1. They can have as many games as they want, without the worry of shelf space.
2. They make dozens of awesome deals every week. Tell me where you can buy on retail Mass Effect and Bioshock for $5, 30 THQ games for only $50, and every single game made by Bethesda and id Soft for $60 combined(Oblivion DLC, Morrowind, all Quake games, all Doom games, Fallout 3 DLC, etc...).
3. They allow for the release of games priced below $30. It's almost impossible to release a PC game on retail if the game is cheap.

Sorry, but there's many reasons why Steam is the juggernaut it is today.

Mr Puggsly said:

Microsoft: You showed us Valve. PC gaming now dominates the gaming industry!

Valve: Haha! Yeah right, people don't buy PC games. Worst of all, the most popular PC games don't even come to Steam.

Microsoft: SAY WHAT!!! You mean you don't get any of that World of Warcraft, The Sims, or Stracraft money?

Valve: Not a fucking penny!

Microsoft: PC gaming is growing... but its just bullcrap like Farmgames, casual crap, and MMOs.

Valve: Yeah pretty much. So how is GFWL going?

Microsoft: Shitty ofcourse, its PC gaming. How else could it go?

Valve: You know, we should have got together and made video cards. Every video card sold just goes to pirated games anyway.

Microsoft: True dat!

It's funny you're making Valve complain about Steam. Not only are they making billions, but they are also doing it WITHOUT Starcraft, World of Warcraft AND The Sims!!!

You just made up stuff because you can't find a single argument against what I wrote. The thing is, everything I wrote comes from truth:

2003:

1. Valve did go to Microsoft to talk about making Steam, and Microsoft did refuse and say it was 10 years too early. Gabe Newell said it in an interview.
2. Since going to consoles they stopped focusing on PC games.

2006

1. Steam is starting to become a force and for FREE, while Xbox Live is still a paying service.
2. With the release of the Wii and PS3, more and more people are saying PC Gaming is dying while looking at NPD sales.

2007

1. Microsoft launches GFWL to get a hold on PC Gaming. Many of the PC Gaming community predicted it to fail miserably.
2. GFWL initially had the support of many publishers, which used GFWL integration in their games.

2009

1. GFWL failed miserably, forced Microsoft to make it free.
2. Microsoft closed down all their major PC studios, among them was the Ensemble, ACES and FASA studios, which made multi-million selling series like Age of Empire, Mechwarrior and Flight Simulator.
3. More concentration on NPD, stating PC Gaming is dying because many people only looked at retail numbers.

2010

1. Microsoft released several press releases stating that PC Gaming was important to them, although they haven't done anything to support that so far.
2. They haven't released an relevant title on PC in the past 3 years, and won't release until 2011 (if at all).
3. GFWL is still crap, and has barely been improved.
4. Most publishers that supported GFWL have abandoned them, and instead started supporting Steam. Read this thread: PC Devs Abandoning Microsoft for Valve.
5. Xbox and Xbox 360 have both lost billions.

The only thing that you can argue is the date when Valve and Microsoft talked about making Steam. I don't know when the meeting happened, so I put it in 2003 just for comedic value.

Mr Puggsly said:

Alby_da_Wolf said:

Mr Puggsly said:

NJ5 said:

Valve: We've been profiting since like, forever. Didn't you lose billions of dollars in the console business?

Microsoft: ....

Microsoft: Could you make money not depending on MS products?

Valve: ...

This is a question whose MS really doesn't want to know the answer...

Right, Windows and 360 haven't been the bread and butter of Valve.

If Windows didn't exist, then it would be another OS. Don't kid yourself. Who knows, maybe then Linux-based OS'es would have a shot at being mainstream, which would probably be far better than Windows.

As for the X360, Gabe Newell has always said that they release their games there just for extra change. It's so easy to port from PC to Xbox 360, that it's almost free money. Xbox 360 is just a pocket with coins compared to what they make on Steam.

The reason they're now supporting PS3 is that Sony allowed Portal 2 with some Steam integration.