Xbox Live first impressions!!!!

sony didnt spend 2 billion+ setting up a closed network that will be shared with PC users only to have it underused

[Bobs_Hardware]

Doesn\'t mean they won\'t spend billions over the next 10 years  Especially if they do go ahead with what they want.

/me nods

Wasn\'t broadband expected to boom 3 years ago also tho? I just don\'t see it happening on the scale it needs to be. Sure all the major metropolitan centers will be covered.. but small towns and rural communities will still be left out in the cold for a very long time. Not to mention, it\'s only supposed to boom in the US by 2005.. who knows how long it will take the rest of the world to catch on.

I don\'t remember any reports or speculation dating back 3 years ago.  

The only place in the world that BB is highly saturated, I think over 50%, is Korea.  Xbox is fixing to launch their too

The internet isn\'t going anywhere...BB will have it\'s time.

downloadable content? you mean downloadable patches
its going to be a crutch for devs to push out unfinished code

No, I was thinking in the way of (ie. downloadable tracks, cars, levels, characters, etc.)

As for the episodic content, tangible or not, I\'ll still play it.  Cash or credit card...it\'s all the same to me.

online gaming is not the future
sony and m$ will realize this too late, but one of them will have spent billions and billions along the way

Bah, I said this already.  I\'ll quote myself...

"Regarding the topic, I do think online gaming will be very much a part of the videogame industry in the coming years.

The focus...no. Downloadable content, episodic games...it\'s coming. I rather like the idea...I\'ll welcome it with open arms, once I get BB that is"

It\'ll be a niche market...that\'s unavoidable.  

I\'ll quote Bobs_Hardware...

"Relax, it\'ll go in easier;)"

[Bobs_Hardware]

Actually, I said
"Clench, I like it rough"

And I will play the downloadable games, of course.  But I won\'t welcome them with open arms with a loving embrace.  Let me walk to the store and buy it, put it in my machine and play it.  What happens when you run out of room on your HDD?  Delete a game that you paid good money for?

No, I was thinking in the way of (ie. downloadable tracks, cars, levels, characters, etc.)

I think everyone knows what you were referring to.  But everyone also knows that what will really cripple console gaming will be the incomplete games being put out, and patched.  It\'s an advantage to ALLOW patch\'s one would argue, but not if it means developers can simply put out a product that isn\'t fully tested, and it turns out to have bugs.  Or even worse, IS fully tested, put out with KNOWN bugs, and patched at a later date.

That\'s what PC\'s are for.  

I could really care less...I buy most of my games over the net anyway.  Also, I\'m not talking about whole games for download...although it\'s a possiblility.

Just extra\'s here and there longing the life of the game.

By the time all this really catches on, you\'ll probably see some pretty big HD\'s capable of handling enough content for the average gamer.  Look at the 40GB HD from Sony...I could never fill that up...ever!  I doubt I\'ll ever even touch on the 8GB in the Xbox.

I\'ll say it again guys...it\'ll be a niche market, not the focus or direction of games.  Don\'t freak out!

[Bobs_Hardware]

deep breaths

I tried it out with my friend who is a beta tester and found the always connected chatting is pretty cool. Spent more time talking about games than paying attention to the game we were playing. Looks like a cheap way to make long distance calls if you already have the stuff.
________
Roll blunts

I don\'t see any good coming out of this...

Can\'t say as I do either.  Only thing maybe good is d/l expansion items/maps and such.  I\'ve already had 1 save on my X-box go bad and I don\'t know there\'s any way to remove it from your HDDDDDDDD.  If I buy a game I expect a CD not shareware.