If you don't see where the money goes than stop putting your money into it.

Seven years ago Xbox Live had no equal on consoles, and had already PC where Microsoft had Windows Live. Within the last two years Xbox Live has a direct competitor with equal services which remains free, Steam is superior and free and PC is still free and Windows Live is worthless on PC because Microsoft can't lock you into a payment on an open system so if the people ignore it Microsoft is forced to drop it, hence why Xbox Live is at its current status as a closed entertainment format. All consumers have to do is put two and two together.

Growing and thriving? Despite the free alternative available on a console that is practically a replica of the console? If the service did not justify the cost, then we wouldn't see the constant selling of consoles and growth in the numbers of users who subscribe to xbox live. Not everyone is cheap, the payment does not justify the bitching that ensues. It's literally one months fee of phone contract for the duration of a year. No one forces people to buy Xbox, no one forces people to buy Xbox Live.

Face it, no matter how much you crusade on the internet against xbox live and the MS products in general, people will still be buying it, and I don't think many would give a tiny rats ass about your biased opinion.

Now can you STOP derailing a thread with your useless baseless arguments? If you want to continue, do start your own thread so I can continue to ignore your constant droning and whining.

I have an Xbox and I bought Xbox Live for the same reasons many continue to buy it. Word of mouth, Halo, COD, Kinect whatever you will could be reasons why Xbox Live can hook people in. PSN was never marketed as the alternative (even though it is), Most people just connect to it and dont think about it (not to mention it has a more complex community, which you know nothing about until you go into home). The majority of gamers who buy Xbox Live buy it because their friends do. With the alternative, once realized there is no denying it.

Right. So by that rationale, a friend of my friend is also a friend of another friend who's actually friends with Bill Gates. So that makes me somewhat of a friend to Bill Gates, after all he's the CEO of MS and it's only logical that his live account is one of the ones who started it all?

What I've seen so far, PSN has nothing in terms of community when compared with the XBL, cross-game party chat being one of the main cons for that, and lack of microphones to top it off.

As I said, I know your posting pattern, this is a pointless argument, don't bother replying, because I sure as hell won't reply back.

I was wary when I bought BF3, never again EA.

PSN has everything that makes Xbox Live special besides the centralized OS which puts everything together into one player friendly unit. It's graphics and design aesthetic pretty much at this point. All Sony would need to do now is find a way to make home apart of a centralized unit, make messaging quick and easy, bundle a headset bring over the cross chat from the Vita (on the next console) and whats done is done. Never thought it was that close? Well it really is. I think Sony also has their head screwed on better about what is worth paying for and what isn't compared to Microsoft who would rather just make you pay for everything including your own subscriptions. Next generation if Sony keeps up what their doing while staying the gamers console and beefing up the online could take back at least some their customers with the online and the games that Microsoft scooped up early on. In a new gen everything starts over. 

As for EA, I know they will still do well in America, but everywhere else? We'll see.

Stop trying, he just doesn't get it.

Wrong, matchmaking on games has everything to do with XBL.

Wrong, you still pay for crap you don't want. Unless you can pay for individual channels you want, your argument is flawed.

Wrong, my point about PSN Plus was subscription fees go to paying for items not everyone wants or some already own. This is no different than a peice of Live subscriptions going to Activision, regardless if you're a CoD fan.

"Gold just lets you use things you already paying for."  No, Gold allows you to use all online services. Some of which is exclusive to the 360 (i.e. playing exclusive games). If people simply want to use Live for services that are free elsewhere, then I high suggest they cancel and look elsewhere. Not piss and moan about the fee.

"If anything MS should offer a small one off fee to ugrade to access and nothing more." No, if anything you should stop being so damn concerned about the fee. Its not forced on you so move on.

I don't get how you guys see a successful service like Live and feel you know best on how it should be run.

Its not forced on anyone, it has strong competition, yet you people are angry simply because you want it all free and MS getting more money. You're also angry at those willing to pay regardless if they see value in the service. This is the kind of logic socialism and communism breeds. You know what's best.