Xbox Live sounds expensive!

The apex of video games right now is online.

wrong, its gameplay
something most xbox games lack


how do we feel threatened by xbox?
if anything, its fodder for amusement

I still can\'t see how XBL is so bad. Is $50 that precious to all you guys? Doesn\'t the fact that you\'ll have to spend a couple hundred dollars up front just to go online worry you even a little--keeping in mind that all these "extras" you are buying come stock with an xbox? - Watchdog

I don\'t think you understand Watchdog, that while XBox Live may be a better service to those with DSL in their area.. broadband still isn\'t in the majority of American homes. Many people couldn\'t adopt even if they wanted to. Now, for those like me, the cost stackup would be something like this.

Ps2: $40 Modem, Harddrive $80 - 100 (Speculated, only the Linux kit is 200), KB & Mouse $5 - 30 (Old cheapie PS/2 KB\'s can be converted to USB for pennies, and used on the PS2)

Xbox: $50 Xbox Live service, Microphone (No price since I\'m not sure if that\'s included or not), DSL line.. which even at a dollar a foot to bury the line.. would end up in the thousands since I live over 10 miles away from the closest DSL router.

Of course, I could opt for Satellite DSL from DirecTV. That\'s only, $80 for the modem (comes in the package), $40 for the service, $20 for an outside ISP (to send packets).. and guess what.. Aww.. Since my modem only uploads at like 2.4-3.8kb/s MAX I won\'t meet the requirements for Xbox Live.

Third option, I could just move to the city. Sure, I\'d be paying twice as much for rent and all my utilities (since i\'d be leaving roommates) but I\'d be able to play Xbox Live! Yay! Too bad I\'ll end up paying quite a bit more than I would if I just used the PS2 for my online gaming fix.

Now of course, this isn\'t the case for everyone. But neither is Xbox\'s "great value". That\'s something that really pisses me off about the Xbox. They could have gone the Sony/Sega/Nintnedo route and made Xbox games that are broadband only and some that allow both.

It\'s funny, but you know that if Sony had opted to go broadband only like they planned on in the beginning, there would be no end to hell they\'d catch for it. Yet Xbox spin doctors are out in full force and noone really seems to care. Sure, it\'s going to be a superior service.. but at the cost of 3/4 or more of their potential userbase.

*Shrugs*

Wrong, it\'s online gameplay.

And you\'re wrong again (not to mention terribly jaded ), there are plenty of xbox games that offer great gameplay.

And you feel threatened because you take every liberty to put it down.  If you weren\'t bias, if you were completely openminded, you would view XBL as a potentially great experience--not one that is heinously overpriced and doomed to failure.

At worst you would be cautiously optimistic.  But, again, you\'re not, it\'s doomed according to you, already dead.

And that makes no sense.

not one that is heinously overpriced and doomed to failure.

i wouldnt say its doomed to fail
its just far from the " be all end all" online service you guys fluff it out to be

im not an optimist
im a realist

i also refuse to pay to play online games that should be free

I can appreciate your point of view.

And I don\'t think XBL is the be all and end all--for one BB isn\'t as fast as it has to be to get gamers to where they want to go, but it is a step in the right direction (the future).

I refuse to pay for something that should be free too.  If XBL was dial up, I wouldn\'t pay either.  But XBL is offering something that has never been offered before.  Dedicaed servers, downloadable content, high speed only, etc etc I don\'t have the give the pitch again.

People pay for MMOGs because of the servers and the bandwidth costs, XBL is no different.  Like I said, XBL has the potential to be far and away the best online gaming experience this generation.  If it lives up to the potential remains to be seen, but I\'m willing to pay teh 50 bucks to give it a try.

Does Xbox online support 56k?  I forgot, a lot of people can\'t afford BB so it would suck if it didn\'t.

Originally posted by "The One" Billy Gunn
Does Xbox online support 56k?  I forgot, a lot of people can\'t afford BB so it would suck if it didn\'t.

That\'s a big fat NOPE.  No 56k for XBL people.  Big mistake, IMO...   Maybe next generation they could have pulled BB only off, but not this one.

And yet another page in the continuing saga: "Dumb as they Come" Billy Gunn.

I like the all BB decision.  Devs can focus on optimization, and hopefully lag will be kept to an absolute minimum.

It splits the market, and MS won\'t make as much money, but it\'s better for gamers.  Plus it\'s an indication that MS is serious and is building for the future.  When the next generation comes around, the infastructure will be in place and everything will be ready from day 1.

And frankly, while they have my pity, I could care less about the people without BB--they ruin online games, if they\'re not whining about the unfairness of it all, they\'re warping all over the place and slowing things down.

i knew it didn\'t support 56k, I thought it would be funnier if someone else answered.

"Dumb as they Come"  how original.  Watchdog your just sooooooooooooooooo cool.  Doesn\'t everyone agree?

I\'m stupid and Watchdog is the genius.  Just like Clowd, who could back up anything he said with facts, and everyone else who was just wrong.

(Note: HEAVY USAGE OF SARCASM)

lol, you make this far too easy.  From the person who brought us: "Real life is faker than wrestling", comes this little gem:

________
i knew it didn\'t support 56k, I thought it would be funnier if someone else answered.

"Dumb as they Come" how original. Watchdog your just sooooooooooooooooo cool. Doesn\'t everyone agree?

I\'m stupid and Watchdog is the genius. Just like Clowd, who could back up anything he said with facts, and everyone else who was just wrong.

(Note: HEAVY USAGE OF SARCASM)
_________


Tarzan??  Is that you?

[Bobs_Hardware]

Perhaps Billy Gunn would like a nice warm cup of SHUT THE HELL UP!



Ok, heres my take on it.  I plan on playing my PS2 online, thats $40 (US) for the adapter, $400 (AUS) for the Cable modem installation ( im currently on 56k) and $70 (AUS) a month for the cable modem.

This is mainly for gaming (although Web-browsing and other factors come into it).  So all of a sudden XBox Live did look more attractive.

But I also must consider.. how much time do i plan on spending playing games online?  and how many games am i going to play? Twisted Metal, SOCOM and Twisted Metal will fill my needs.  Plus others.

Once Final Fantasy XI comes out, thats another $80 (US) and $10 (? US) a month.  This is all plus the cost of the games.

Now to XBox Live.  One payment of $50 (US) up front, free XBox Live for a year, only the price of the games.  That\'s a great deal, i dont know how anyone (with Broadband) can really deny that.  Why it completely nullifies the entire "PS2 Online requires you to buy an add-on" arguement.. who cares (we arent discussing who will win, are we?)??  You get to play some great games online.

But I\'m still thinking about whether or not i will get it.  PS2 has plenty of online games that (IMO) are more appealing.. and i wasnt really thinking about getting the games that will be great (online) for Xbox.. I guess it all depends on how much time i have on my hands and the quality of online play.

IMO, it all comes down to games.. and Sony has games that (for online play) interest me more than XBox does.  So that is obviously my priority.  I guess I\'ll have to wait and see.

Dedicaed servers

sega dreamcast used dedicated servers for some of its games and they didnt charge till the very end

pc games have been using dedicated servers for years and do they charge?

no matter what we say, xbox live will always be a ripoff to me watch

just wait till more and more devs back out (EA) or charge additional (PSO) and we\'ll see what happens

They key is that Sega started charging.  Sega was desperate, they gave their console away, they gave away online play, they had more discounts than I can count.

True PC games have been free, but there aren\'t many dedicated servers (Blizzard comes to mind).  But the whole interent econmony is changing.  How many websites have shut down or started charging?  How much longer do you think these dedicated servers will be free?  Blizzard has alread stated that Diablo3 may have charges to play online to offset the server costs.

EA dropped out because they made a deal with Sony.  EA has been down on MS before xbox was released.  The only reason PSO has charges is because it\'s a MMOG and Sega is desperate for money.  Plus, like I\'ve said, if Capcom starts charging for their games online, that charge will carry over to the PS2 as well.

When that happens you have a charge on a dial up service.  Think about that.  How good will PS2 online look then?

With XBL you are paying for a faster, secure, complete community to play on.  The only reason Sony is not charging is because they can\'t.  They can\'t ask their players to pay for all the extras that they need to get the machine online and then pay for a dial up service.

Watchdog, what are you like 5 years old?  Your acting like a baby, please do me a favor stop focusing your post on personal insults towards me, instead focus them on what I say.  Sure this is the forum where you can let it all out, but is that why you come here?

So go ahead, make your jokes, your insults.  I wont be the one to turn away, It\'s fun making fun of the failures of M$ and seeing you react so personally.  I\'m giving you fair warning, stay out of my way or you\'ll end up like Jumpman.

Lol, I love internet threats. Haha, thanks for that Dumb as They Come.

And I do focus on what you say--it\'s what you say that makes you look like such a moron.  I\'ve argued with Seven, mm, Ryu, etc, but I respect them.  You, you\'re a half wit and that\'s good too.