I registered for X-box Live (well 'Live') sometime in 2011 (mainly just to claim my username), I have logged in twice. I never paid anything and I never owned an X-box. It's just an account which many of these new users probably are.

The X-box live gives great service and features to those willing to pay. The idea is that if I pay for something, I damn well hope it's better than a service which is free.

well we'll all be paying next gen so it won't really matter anymore

The hate is justified if the users who are hating on it are people who have an Xbox and have paid for Xbox Live and just hate the service and feel it isn't worth a 60$ price tag. But I don't feel that's case here, though I may be wrong.

Will people -in their desperate attempt to defend their favourite brand- stop calling solid arguments "hate" ?

There is no way to sugar coat or justify MS making people pay for essentially part of a game they have bought. Here's what all the xbox "soldiers" do: they want to turn the discussion into a matter of services, justifying the cost. But that's is the thing, it's not a about the better value for money. It's about the very basic access to the online part of a game you own. With this generation online gaming being fundamental, MS invented a whole new market by charging people for something they already bought. If a game has a built in online component and you bought the damn thing you are entitled to play it. What MS did is sell you half a console.

When people start comparing services between psn or psn+ to Live, they consciously mislead the consumer. It's not about services but the game itself. It's not about paying for a better network or demos or dlc or access to an eshop or voice chat. It's about cutting you out from a core part of a game you own and divert the attention with other stuff you may or may not even want.

people hate just to have something to hate, especially on the internet. xbl is a great service if you use it.

Xbox Live - Great service. There is nobody that uses this service and hates it. 
PSN - Not so great. Xbox live hate comes from PSN users that can't fathom why a paid service is more popular than a free service. 

End of story

I have PSN Plus and it is appalling how long/tedious/broken the online/downloading experience is.

if I have to pay £30 a year for super fast downloads no stupid installs for downloads, small patches and a better user experience so be it.

Enough with these misleading excuses about services.

What this guy said: KEY GAMING FEATURES.

You buy Black Ops II.

Is this an online game ? Yes.

You buy an Xbox 360

 Can you play black ops II online out of the box ? No.

Guess what. Microsoft sold you half a bloody console.

Don't exactly see how it's a pain in the ass, especially if you use Steam. But that's not the point. I'm comparing services, not platforms, so even if PC gaming in general happens to be a pain in the ass, it's totally irrelevant here.

Really, the only people who complain seem to be people that don't play on or own a 360. And MS doesn't really care. Check their profit numbers. Check their increased market share. Check their internal consumer satisfaction numbers. Etc.

They've been the blueprint for online console gaming for a decade now. Everyone's still trying to catch up, both in service and as a business. Believe me, Sony's been kicking themselves for several years not taking a piece of that pie. They'd have been much better served outside of Japan having initial console costs lower for consumers but then adding a monthly fee. It COST them buyers, net, worldwide. Not added.

Hm? Half a console? Really now, DDS?