So now you have to pay for demos?

[shaka]

Demo is free on ps3. 👍

 

[V1P3R]

Somehow since it's Micro**** I believe if you restart your console that will go away and you'd be able to d/l it. xD

 

[Formula1Driver]

*PS3s now fly off the shelf*

 

[MustangSVT]

I believe that demos are a week delayed for silver users.

lol @ above comment

 

[YSSMAN]

Thanks for trolling, but yes, I believe SVT is correct. They're made immediately available for Gold users, otherwise you do have to wait on a silver account.

 

[Wolfe]

Is it depressing to know that there are places on the internet where this thread would quickly garner 20+ pages of angry, hastily-typed replies?

 

[KSaiyu]

20 pages more like

NPD numbers anyone?

 

[MustangSVT]

I've seen a few folks on IRC get mad about this, and they're like "with Gold, you're paying for demos", well that's one way to interpret it I guess. I interpret it in as in I get to play games online.

 

[V1P3R]

The problem is... the PS3 doesn't require a monthly payment to play online. So... why do I have to on the 360? Hmm...

 

[Mark T]

The problem is... the PS3 doesn't require a monthly payment to play online. So... why do I have to on the 360? Hmm...

Because different companies have different policies. If you look at mobile phone companies they all try to out do eachother by taking away one charge and implementing another one. GTP has adverts, or you can pay a premium fee to have no adverts and a host of other features.

Microsoft are doing exactly the same, charging a fee to help provide a well maintained online system. I think £40 is a fair fee.

 

[Scaff]

Because different companies have different policies. If you look at mobile phone companies they all try to out do eachother by taking away one charge and implementing another one. GTP has adverts, or you can pay a premium fee to have no adverts and a host of other features.

Microsoft are doing exactly the same, charging a fee to help provide a well maintained online system. I think £40 is a fair fee.

I can't agree with that, Microsoft are charging a nominal fee to cover a loss in advertising revenue, what I personally objected to is that you have to pay this fee to play on-line. Given that Microsoft operate a peer to peer service I find it more than a little bit cheeky that they charge users for using their own machines (if they had a network of servers for on-line gaming I could understand).

I know that many people don't object to paying for this, but for me its always been a factor, I paid with the original Xbox but it was one reason why I held off getting a 360.


Regards

Scaff

 

[Mark T]

It does seem like a cheeky fee to charge but I'm really happy with the service that I have had. I can't really argue against it being an unfair fee, but I feel that £40 is a small fee to pay.

My Playstation 3 should be delivered this week, so I'm looking forward to trying the online service. I'm sure it will be as good as the XB Live service.

 

[KSaiyu]

I can't agree with that, Microsoft are charging a nominal fee to cover a loss in advertising revenue, what I personally objected to is that you have to pay this fee to play on-line. Given that Microsoft operate a peer to peer service I find it more than a little bit cheeky that they charge users for using their own machines (if they had a network of servers for on-line gaming I could understand).

That is my main objection to paying, I'm grateful that the online service is more streamlined than any other console but I don't expect to still be getting P2P games when I'm paying 40 pounds a year. SOCOM was free and had dedicated servers since the first installment if I remember correctly, the least I expect is that service for the AAA games released on 360.

 

[YSSMAN]

I dunno, I guess that because I only end up spending $4 and change every month to hook my Xbox to the interwebz, talk to friends that I wouldn't normally see everyday (even on FaceSpace or MyBook), get some Xbox-exclusive content, and enjoy a (mostly) stress-free online experience.

Should it be free? I don't know, I'm not sure how the math works out. But as long as people are willing to pay for what has generally been considered a stellar service, Microsoft will continue to charge. My guess is that if PSN is overly successful due to its nature of being "free," Microsoft may eventually make the switch and make XBL much the same way.

 

[Maven]

I guess it's an intruiging way to keep the price of the console down. People look at the base price of the 360 and remark that it's cheaper but say you keep it for four years and that's an additional $200 you're paying. Your $400 machine is actually $600.

 

[RedOak]

and people are complaining that the PS3 is too expensive... with Native HD drive and "free" internet access... funny. That stuff puts you down 400$... so the 360 is up to 800$... yay

 

[Wolfe]

The 360 and PS3 are both too expensive, but only the 360 has games I want to play.

 

[Joey D]

The 360 and PS3 are both too expensive, but only the 360 has games I want to play.

This statement is true and would get repped if I was allowed to.

Paying for live isn't a big deal for me, and if it is a big deal for others then you have a couple of choices a.) don't buy it b.) don't buy a 360. If neither one of these choices suits you then I suggest just shutting up about it and not complaining. Microsoft charges for it because people pay for it and will continue on paying for it.

 

[V1P3R]

I guess it's an intruiging way to keep the price of the console down. People look at the base price of the 360 and remark that it's cheaper but say you keep it for four years and that's an additional $200 you're paying. Your $400 machine is actually $600.

Huh?! yeah right... I don't ****ing think so. They are making money freely hand over fist. Even then AT LEAST the PS3 lives up to that $600 price tag...

 

[Joey D]

The PS3 does not live up to it's $600 price tag, the game library is fairly weak, even after a year.

 

[Layla's Keeper]

I'm in the "what are people complaining about?" camp too, when it comes to Live. I mean, compare the Xbox Live flat fee for unlimited online play of multiple games to monthly subscription fees for individual PC games. My World of Warcraft playing buddies easily spend double what I do for Xbox Live.

I do admit, the ability to websurf via the PS3 is pretty impressive. It's an impressive piece of hardware, but the 360 is a damn fine package taken on its own. My yearly subscription to Live is great. Never have a server problem, all the demos, trailers, online matches, chatting, and funny bits of machinima I want, plus movies, games, and DLC as I want it for fair prices. I'm a genuinely satisfied customer.

 

[BlackZ28]

you guys forgot how well the XBL interface works.. the marketplace, friends, achievements and everything seems to come together really well especially online. everything works together beautifully, sure free would be better. but it is worth a measly 50 bucks a YEAR. I'd pay that for HOME. but i sure am glad its free... but that doesnt mean it has no value.

 

[Robin]

PS3 - free online, free demos, free everything, yeah 360 looks cheaper when you see it in a shop but oh boy does it work out more expensive it you add all the stuff (such as wi-fi, hd-dvd etc)....

MS such A**holes charging for demos!... oooh silver has to wait, NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO WAIT!... I wouldn't want to pay yearly for online gaming anyway! Why should I if I play on it for like 10 years!

Oh and I much prefer the XMB... just looks alot cleaner and less Vista Gel effect stuff than the XBL interface...

Robin

 

[YSSMAN]

Who uses WiFi on their XBOX? I honestly don't know anyone who does... I'm personally not a fan of it, not reliable enough to keep a constant signal coming through...

And Robin, they're not "charging" for demos. They're absolutely free. The only difference is that you've got to wait a little while longer if you're on silver instead of being on gold. I really don't think a few days has killed anyone...

What may be interesting to calculate would be the cost difference between content (videos, music, games, themes, pictures, etc) on PSN versus that of XBL. I'm not even sure if it is that different, however, would be interesting just to know...

 

[MustangSVT]

And on PS3, you pay the same amount as we paid for Forza 2 6 months ago for a Prologue. Sorry it had to be said.

Anyway, as someone mentioned, different company, different policy. It's like complaining that say Dishnet charges more for some channel than DirecTV does? Ya so? Big deal. If a lot of people were to stop using Live and using 360 and all move over to PS3, then MS would probably consider making it free. As it is, more people use Live on 360 than people online on PS3 (or at least I'd assume so), so it's their choice to charge and our choice to pay. I choose that Gold is worth paying for.

 

[Rue]

I'm fine with paying for XBL. It's a great service and for HK$1/7p a day it's worth every penny.

 

[SpawnCH]

Regardless if XBL should be free or not, the question in my mind is WHY does Microsoft differ between Silver and Gold Accounts in the point of releasing Demos. I mean, are there now a lot of Xbox360 owners changing from Silver to Gold just to get a Demo a few days earlier?

 

[Joey D]

Regardless if XBL should be free or not, the question in my mind is WHY does Microsoft differ between Silver and Gold Accounts in the point of releasing Demos. I mean, are there now a lot of Xbox360 owners changing from Silver to Gold just to get a Demo a few days earlier?

They feel their paying customers are more important than there non-paying ones...which makes sense to me.

 

[gotoguy]

I thought paying for X-Box was going to be a bad thing as I was always a HUGE playstation fan. But since switching to the 360 the cost is something I can afford. I have a blast playing online and couldn't afford a PS3.