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Forums - Microsoft - At what price point would you ditch XBL?

thx1139 on 21 October 2009

It all depends on what the service does. Add something like the Zune pass and I could see paying a great deal more.

Yet this is all about a stupid comment from Michael Pachter. He could be just as correct by stating that MS may someday raise the price to $200. Yeah so what and someday and Hamburger at McDonalds will cost $10.00.



Its libraries that sell systems not a single game.

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Sardauk on 21 October 2009
Domicinator said:
Sardauk said:
Domicinator said:
alera said:

PlayStation 3                         Xbox 360

XMB                                       NXE

PlayStation Store                  Marketplace

Home                                    Avatars

Trophies                                Achievements

Friends list                            Friends list

That view is way too simplistic:

This is a feature by feature comparaison but the quality and the functionality are way too different to be compared :

 

XMB is a functionality while NXE is an architecture.

PS Store is a web site while Marketplace is fully integrated

Home beats Avatars in term of goals (Avatars are still under-exploited atm).

Trophies and achievements are quite similar indeed

Friends lists is not the question but more how you interact with it.

Actually, with all due respect of course, I think YOUR comparison is a bit too cerebral.  First of all XMB and NXE are the way we interface with our respective consoles.  Period.  Doesn't matter if one is technically an architecture and one is a functionality.  (I'm not even sure I agree with that statement anyway.)  And they both do the same exact thing. In fact, if you compare the way the two controllers work, they both interact with their interfaces virtually the same way.  The only difference is that the PS3 controller has a PS button in the middle and uses shapes on the other buttons instead of letters.  O is almost always the back button while B is the back button on the Xbox and they're both in the same place on the controller.  X is usually to select on PS3, while A is to select on 360....again, both in the same place on the controller.  You get the point.

PS Store is not only a certain spot you can go to on XMB but is also integrated into several different places.  Yes, they all point back to PS Store, and that's not a whole lot different from how Marketplace works.  Actually, pound for pound, I feel that Marketplace is a lot more cluttered and unorganized than PS Store.  But in the end, they're both just ways to get you to spend money.  PS Store may be a "website" but it sure doesn't feel or function like one.  And neither does Live for that matter.

I see virtually no difference in how I interact with friends other than the no party thing.  Once cross game chat is introduced, I think that little dilemma will be solved, and I have heard it's going to happen sooner rather than later.  And really, what are parties on Xbox Live other than a visual representation of the people you're talking to?  But back to my point--I can still see who's doing what on my friends list on PSN just like on Live, I can still send them messages, compare my trophies to theirs, see what they're playing at the moment, etc. etc.  Again, other than cross game chat, no difference.  And if Sony said I could pay $50 to have cross game chat added to my account, I would not pay it. 

In my eyes, and this is just my opinion, it really all comes down to Netflix.  Sony simply does not have any kind of instant streaming service like that.  If Netflix instant streaming selection didn't completely suck, it would be the killer app on the 360.  Unfortunately, once you start your account, you realize that the really good stuff on Netflix can only be had via snail mail on a DVD or BluRay. 

All in all, the two consoles have pretty identical services and interfaces.  There may have been a $50 difference in quality at one point, but there sure isn't now.  I think the amount of reaction we're seeing on the internet to even the possibility of Live going up in cost is proof that many people agree. 

And for the record, just for everyone who is now going to flame me, I love my 360 and play it quite often.  I am not a fanboy of either console.  As you can see in my sig, I own both, and have a lot more hours logged into the 360. 

Ok, let's agree to disagree



 

Evan Wells (Uncharted 2): I think the differences that you see between any two games has much more to do with the developer than whether it’s on the Xbox or PS3.

TRios_Zen on 21 October 2009

Last two times I've renewed, I've paid less than $40, and I've kind of gotten used to that now. I do enjoy the service though and have a good amount of friends on live that I play with.

I don't think I'd pay too much more then the standard price though, unless they increased what you got for it. More than $70 and I'd probably stop.



el-tri-fmf on 21 October 2009

i would pay $60 a year



ph4nt on 21 October 2009

$51 a year.



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loves2splooge on 21 October 2009
endimion said:
My real question is... if free PSN is so great why in hell is there more people using XBL gold membership ??? you tell me... and about lag... I might have had that a couple times knowing that I have 2 other computer DLing at the same time... then again the simple fact that you have to pay keeps away a lot of lame ass kids in matchmaking is an argument strong enough for me to pay for lol... now i can understand people being cheap... for me as i said many times it's one less drink a month in a club... not really much... the question isn't should it be free?? but how much am i ready to pay for it no matter what the service is...

More people use XBL Gold than free PSN because Microsoft have played their cards really well this generation. By being the first to go "Next Gen", the first to really push online gaming in a big way (Dreamcast tried but they were ahead of their time) and winning the favor of third-parties during the early stages of the generation (architecture that is much easier to develop for than Cell, allowing devs to host demos on live for free), North America was a lock for MS on the so-called "core gaming" side of things. Hop onto a time machine back to 2006, Playstation 3 launch is near but there aren't many Playstation 3 games you want to play. You have some buddies who "jumped in" sometime between 2005-2006 and are enjoying Gears of War, Call of Duty 2, etc. a lot. What do you do? You buy the console, you buy the games, you get the live subscription. The PS3 on the other hand took awhile to find their footing and once it did, it was too late for North America. This is why XBL Gold is such a success.



McClaren on 21 October 2009

I don't pay for it now. Why would I do that when I can play for free on other systems?



AlkamistStar on 21 October 2009
Boneitis said:
elticker said:
Steroid said:
dorbin2009 said:
This discussion is ripe for flame bait. I've always felt like the Xbox live subscription price is more or less just ammo for 360 haters to use. I mean really, right now I pay what 3.50 a month for it? If you can't afford that then you have some issues and probably shouldn't be playing video games. If they raised the price to 100 a year, that's still only 8 and change a month.

Would you like me to go along the how much you are paying an hour? Because I assure you, not even the cheapest man would win that argument.

So you would continue to pay for XBL at $100 per year then?


whats wrong with that. i would pay $100 dollars a year for xbl. its is only $8 a month.

I agree, and people gladly pay $15 a month for WoW. But MS is already making billions with Live.

All of their accessories are way over priced, they are the only ones charging for online play in general, and now they want more? I love my 360 but I'm getting tired of their greedy bullshit.


And when it's put this way, i think people start to realize..."hmmmm, wow, it's really not that much for Xbox Live". Sony and Nintendo have chosen to not price their online service, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have to have a price tag. If you want free onlien gaming, go to those, but for that and more, on a more reliable network with more features, and support...pay for $50 a YEAR (actually LESS if you buy on promotions, or other sites like Amazon) on a Gold account with Xbox Live.



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KingArthur on 21 October 2009

I would not mind paying 10£ a month. It is the price of couple of rented movies. I get much more hours of entertainment with XBL.



Domicinator on 21 October 2009
Sardauk said:
Domicinator said:
Sardauk said:
Domicinator said:
alera said:

PlayStation 3                         Xbox 360

XMB                                       NXE

PlayStation Store                  Marketplace

Home                                    Avatars

Trophies                                Achievements

Friends list                            Friends list

That view is way too simplistic:

This is a feature by feature comparaison but the quality and the functionality are way too different to be compared :

 

XMB is a functionality while NXE is an architecture.

PS Store is a web site while Marketplace is fully integrated

Home beats Avatars in term of goals (Avatars are still under-exploited atm).

Trophies and achievements are quite similar indeed

Friends lists is not the question but more how you interact with it.

Actually, with all due respect of course, I think YOUR comparison is a bit too cerebral.  First of all XMB and NXE are the way we interface with our respective consoles.  Period.  Doesn't matter if one is technically an architecture and one is a functionality.  (I'm not even sure I agree with that statement anyway.)  And they both do the same exact thing. In fact, if you compare the way the two controllers work, they both interact with their interfaces virtually the same way.  The only difference is that the PS3 controller has a PS button in the middle and uses shapes on the other buttons instead of letters.  O is almost always the back button while B is the back button on the Xbox and they're both in the same place on the controller.  X is usually to select on PS3, while A is to select on 360....again, both in the same place on the controller.  You get the point.

PS Store is not only a certain spot you can go to on XMB but is also integrated into several different places.  Yes, they all point back to PS Store, and that's not a whole lot different from how Marketplace works.  Actually, pound for pound, I feel that Marketplace is a lot more cluttered and unorganized than PS Store.  But in the end, they're both just ways to get you to spend money.  PS Store may be a "website" but it sure doesn't feel or function like one.  And neither does Live for that matter.

I see virtually no difference in how I interact with friends other than the no party thing.  Once cross game chat is introduced, I think that little dilemma will be solved, and I have heard it's going to happen sooner rather than later.  And really, what are parties on Xbox Live other than a visual representation of the people you're talking to?  But back to my point--I can still see who's doing what on my friends list on PSN just like on Live, I can still send them messages, compare my trophies to theirs, see what they're playing at the moment, etc. etc.  Again, other than cross game chat, no difference.  And if Sony said I could pay $50 to have cross game chat added to my account, I would not pay it. 

In my eyes, and this is just my opinion, it really all comes down to Netflix.  Sony simply does not have any kind of instant streaming service like that.  If Netflix instant streaming selection didn't completely suck, it would be the killer app on the 360.  Unfortunately, once you start your account, you realize that the really good stuff on Netflix can only be had via snail mail on a DVD or BluRay. 

All in all, the two consoles have pretty identical services and interfaces.  There may have been a $50 difference in quality at one point, but there sure isn't now.  I think the amount of reaction we're seeing on the internet to even the possibility of Live going up in cost is proof that many people agree. 

And for the record, just for everyone who is now going to flame me, I love my 360 and play it quite often.  I am not a fanboy of either console.  As you can see in my sig, I own both, and have a lot more hours logged into the 360. 

Ok, let's agree to disagree

Agreed.