MS tries to explain why Live isn't free and Games fo Windows is free

[Zeus]

Microsoft's Games for Windows head Kevin Unangst has suggested that the content is different to warrant Games for Windows Live being free while Xbox Live is valued approrpriately at cost.


"What we've got is two different groups who are trying to do what's best and offering value for their customers," Unangst said. "The Games for Windows team and the Games for Windows Live team looked at this and said, 'What do we need to do to make sure this adopted broadly and has value?'"

"And that's all those changes -- the UI, the Marketplace, the fact that we're not going to have the same content. On Xbox Live, I think they've done everything to continue to add value to the Gold subscription."

With same friends lists, Gamertag and a shared currency in Microsoft Points, Unangst points to what he calls a "common underpinning." On the Xbox 360, however, Unangst says the focus is more largely on "things that make sense for the console."

"So those services will evolve in different directions. You'll have different types of content that we offer."


News Source: <A href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19623" target="_blank">Gamasutra</a>

[picopir8]

They should just say "We can milk our 360 customers because they are locked into our platform. Windows users have options so it has to be free so people will use it."

[mashti]

windows is free because they dont make the hardware.

LIVE is paid service because they need as much cash as they can get to put towards the high cost of fixing the millions of rrod's xbox360 consoles.

[QrafTee]

Yeah... pretty much what everyone else has been saying. Microsoft can't justify charging PC gamers for something they already get for free, but it's their turf on the 360... Oops... that AND the many derivations of RROD? Microsoft is as ballsy as ever.

[barran21]

Can they explain why people have to pay for a P2P system? live is garbage.

[tailsnake]

PC users aren't stupid enough to pay for something that should be free, simple as that.

[sigma8]

Not that any sentiments I am about to express haven't been expressed already, but I dare MS to put "online multiplayer" into the silver subscription--while continuing to create added value to gold.. and watch their gold subscriber-base plummet.

Sure, XBL Gold may have more stuff than Windows Live, but most people are quite content with what Windows Live offers. If they offered Windows Live (XBL Win?) next to XBL Gold on the 360.. hrm..

[haggard]

Amen brother

[Boco]

What is 5euro every month?? It is 0.167Eurocent a day, I don't find that allot, do you find 0.167eurocent allot? Your Internet provider is more expensive, your energy bill is more expensive, so why cry about it? The 60euro a year are to keep servers up and everything that has to do whit XBL, they have to pay the ppl that work on these servers to keep the up and everything, or do you think the servers run whit out hymens?
PSN is P2P, but XBL is somthing totaly difrent then P2P.

[cardboardbox]

The 60euro a year are to keep servers up and everything that has to do whit XBL, they have to pay the ppl that work on these servers to keep the up and everything, or do you think the servers run whit out hymens?
PSN is P2P, but XBL is somthing totaly difrent then P2P.
wow. Could one post be more wrong than this?

[kcvfr400]

What is 5euro every month?? It is 0.167Eurocent a day, I don't find that allot, do you find 0.167eurocent allot? Your Internet provider is more expensive, your energy bill is more expensive, so why cry about it? The 60euro a year are to keep servers up and everything that has to do whit XBL, they have to pay the ppl that work on these servers to keep the up and everything, or do you think the servers run whit out hymens?
PSN is P2P, but XBL is somthing totaly difrent then P2P.

The question is would you buy dlc thats already on the disc as thats what your doing with live. So if you don't have gold and want to play online content after buying a game you need to spend an extra 60 euros to enjoy it fully.

You are right about other bills being more expensive but that does not justify the cost. And with bills getting even more expensive why would anybody want another bill to pay for no matter how low it is.

Now live for windows is free and many live windows/360 crossover games are too it seems you pay gold to download demos early that you can do for free on other platforms at the same time. Facebreaker demo is an example of this.

Live uses p2p and some dedicated servers if the developer wishes too, though at extra cost obviously.

[John Crichton]

i still won't pay!

Your Internet provider is more expensive, your energy bill is more expensive, so why cry about it?

see, i already pay for that, so why should i pay for live?

[NextGenPsych]

What is 5euro every month?? It is 0.167Eurocent a day, I don't find that allot, do you find 0.167eurocent allot?

No, 0.167 eurocent on its own isn't allot, and if you have fun playing online 24/7 it's well spent.

But many other gamers just wants to play online once a while, and not all the time.
If I have to pay another 60 euro's a year just to play online sometimes while it's free on the PS3, I would get the PS3 version, and buy another game with those 60 euro's.

So you see, your theory doesn't count for everyone ;)

[rapture206]

its a vicious circle im afraid for like users

get fleeced for 60 euros a year which then microsoft use to pay out for game exclusives which then you have to buy that game to play online with a service that fleeces you to begin with

or buy the pc version for half the price and free online bit messed up really

[loliix]

Let me sum it up to you..

In Windows and PC, without the need of purchasing different hardware, there is competition for online services, hence they make their service free to kill the competition.

XBOX360 is a closed and proprietary system, where there simply can't be any competition regarding this services. If you have a XBOX360 and want online then you just have XBOX Live! and their policies, or else you will have to shell a large amount of money buying a new console.

There you go, basic economics -- and blindness towards XBOX360 hardware competitors, like catching up PS3 or Wii.

[DEDDOA]

While theoretically i can't see a problem with paying for XBL as regardless of commnets on PSN, it does offer a vastly better service. However from a practical standpoint with all the competition offering their services for free and MS offering their own PC version of XBL free, i can't see how whatever reasont hey use, they can justify the charges, especially all they are runnign is a matchmaking service. Fair enough with MS running the service it is practiclly hassle free, but to be honest even though the cost is low, the majority of people will still take free and some hassle over it.

Personally i'd rather see silver be kept as a matchmaking service and gold as a dedicated server service. The small fee would be worth it for a reliable server service, as free servers run by game producers can be dropped anytime without warning, especially when sequalls are released.

Do this and I have no doubt that will be another product seller for MS