| tube82 said: IMO it isn't worth it. Paying for playing games online (thats the only reason anyone pays for gold, or am i wrong?) that don't even run on dedicated servers but mostly only through p2p just isn't worth it to me. Plus, the only games i really enjoy online are shooters and those control better on a PC anyway. So i don't see any reason to pay for xbox live. I enjoy my 360 and Wii when I'm in the mood for non-competitive- or party-play. Lying on my comfy couch in front of my ~80 inch projected image with a controller in my hands, and in the best case scenario with a buddy or my GF, to me is not an environment for competitive play. Local co-op is what really lets consoles shine in my opinion. That has always been the reason why i kept consoles besides a gaming PC. Coupled with the fact that I would have to pay for a low-standard (IMO) online service I didn't even think about paying for live after my 30 free days ran out. There are some really great arcade games though. And although they usually are IMO too expensive, especially compared to similar games as good steam offers, they are what is really good about xbox live... but i don't need live gold for them |
I won't lie to you. If the online play was free, I probably wouldn't touch a Gold membership. But we don't have a choice. But Microsoft has done a good job in my opinion making Gold a very good value--even if its primary function should be free. Still, I never feel bad renewing my subscription. I haven't delved into the world of PC gaming (probably never will) so I can't compare. Sounds like an awesome experience, though. If I had to rank the online offerings of the different platforms, it would go like this:
- PC: Hardest of the hardcore, cheapest, most features
- Xbox Live: Very good, most expensive, very simple to use, best among consoles
- PSN: Very good, free, lots of good features, gets the job done
- Wii: Limited experience, very complicated, free, not entirely stable
- PSP: Limited experience, free, limited amount of users
- DS: Bare bones online
