Submitted by PaPa-Slam 620d ago | opinion piece

The Next Xbox – Microsoft’s Battle With The Consumer

NGB: This past Monday, my Xbox LIVE gold subscription expired. Normally, I’d have jumped on it and made sure I’d either had a rolling subscription or a cheap code purchased online, but this time, I couldn’t bring myself to fork out the cash to renew for another year. My four-year tenure with Microsoft’s “premium” service has come to an end. I can’t foresee a time in the coming months when Microsoft can woo me back either, because based on recent events, it seems they’re waging some kind of war on their own consumers. (Xbox One)

DigitalRaptor  +   620d ago
Microsoft's actions have spelled out exactly what they think of the consumer.

- Shipping their console knowing about its failures and subsequent RROD occurances, denying the genuine complaints, until threats of going to court then, and only then, made them change their tune.

- Charging $60 a year for P2P connectivity in half of every game that the consumer has most likely already shelled out $60 for. So it's paying MS to use your own ISP bandwidth with games you've already bought.

- Charging $60 a year for access to applications such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Netflix etc. that are all available for FREE across every single other platform and device.

The list indeed goes on. MS reckons their consumers are stupid and can take them for a ride, and MS supporters/ consumers have proven that which people claim, is not a myth.
#1 (Edited 620d ago ) | Agree(19) | Disagree(8) | Report | Reply
Belking  +   620d ago
I can't wait to see what people like you say when you find out you have to pay for GAIKAI. If you think it's gonna be free you are highly mistaken.
paranoid1971  +   620d ago
I don't think anybody is expecting Gaikai to be free, the general opinion is that it will require a subscription to PS+ to use. It's an optional service and not required to play games online.
badz149  +   620d ago
putting Gaikai in the same category with XBL and PSN is a FAIL in itself already! it's not like Sony ditching the PSN altogether for Gaikai and when Gaikai comes to the PS4 later, it will be just like what it used to be just not on pc anymore but on PS4. it's still an optional service nonetheless and it's not REQUIRED for you to play the games you payed for online.

just stop dude with the desperate attempt to justify paying for online play is good!
Yi-Long  +   620d ago
My XBL subscription also ran/runs out this week orso... (had an e-mail that it was about to run out)
.... but I won't be renewing it. The only game I really played online was Battlefield 1943.

Other games that I want to play online I was already buying for the PS3, because of the reason of having to pay to go online.
DigitalRaptor  +   620d ago
As most logical people have said and as I've related both on here and to you via PM, I know full well that Gaikai will be premium in some form, but don't expect it to be separate to PS+.

As usual from Xbox fans, you're completely missing the point. In fact I'm convinced you're glazing over it.

Read my points again and there's no worming your way out of them, nor can you defend those things that Microsoft does or claim them to be reasonable or consumer-minded in any form .

Gaikai may or may not be premium in its entirety with PS4, but it shouldn't be free as it costs to hold and maintain servers for streaming technology. Just like i don't mind paying for the ADVANCED features of PS+ and don't expect them to come free.

Acting like forcing online play and FREE apps into a subscription is comparable is moronic and juvenile.

Microsoft's Peer-to-Peer online ransom doesn't cost them anything to run, so why is that held with a $60 barrier to entry and why isn't that passed on to the consumer, as it rightfully should be?
#1.1.4 (Edited 620d ago ) | Agree(0) | Disagree(0) | Report
talisker  +   620d ago
You shouldn't have put those issues together. Nobody forces you to pay for XBL, you can choose another platform or stay with offline. It's all about your choice. They are people who like to pay for nothing, it's their money and I don't see a problem with that.

Selling faulty hardware is another thing. And to be exact, selling faulty hardware AND knowing about it is terrible and against the law. Microsoft should have suffered from their actions more than they did. They had costs to cover but it's obvious. They should have been fined to hell with their practices. Unfortunately, they are under the US government's umbrella of protection.
RuleofOne343  +   620d ago
I don't feel battled , I feel options are being provide & its up to me to use or not use . never been forced to do anything I did not want. besides been a consumer for almost 12 years why go or buy anything else.
betan21  +   620d ago
AkatsukiPain  +   620d ago

If they do start to charge for online play which I dont think they will, it's all thanx to ppl like yourself for supporting microsoft and letting them con u for things that are free on every other platform.


I gotta agree with you & because of microsoft's fanbase who are willing to pay for xbl, microsoft is paving the way for other companies to follow in their footsteps. Other companies are like hey if their fanbase are stupid enough to pay for something that is free on every other system why dont we do the same.

Shinra Tensei
#4 (Edited 620d ago ) | Agree(9) | Disagree(6) | Report | Reply
Typical-Guy  +   620d ago
They might look into PS Plus offerings and act accordingly, we never know until they announce it at E3. If PSN is going to remain free, MS has to do something about their service.

Odama Rasengan :-D
Jek_Porkins  +   620d ago
PSN was free this gen and MS didn't have to do anything, they take in like a billion a year with the service, and it grew 15% last year. What would MS incentive be to make their online free?
Typical-Guy  +   620d ago
@Porkins I didn't say it has to be free, I said do something about what they offer. PSN is going to offer all of those XBL features ( for free ) on top of the PS Plus!
Jek_Porkins  +   620d ago
I've never understood why or how people feel they have the right to tell others how to spend their own money.... If you don't like XBL there are alternatives, but plenty of people enjoy the service very much.
Dms2012  +   620d ago
I have used both, and I would rather pay for Live than use PSN for free.
Yi-Long  +   620d ago
The problem ofcourse is that you buy a game for 60 bucks...
... then can't play the half of that game (online multi-player) unless you fork over even more money to MS for wanting to play the game on their system online, p2p.
AkatsukiPain  +   620d ago
It has nothing to do with peoples choice, it's the success that microsoft has achieved from this scam that ends up like a domino effect. When this happens and others like sony & nintendo see the success, u dont think they will want to follow suit?

It has already started with the ps3 with sony & ps plus but the difference is u can still play your games online free without ps plus. Sony is actually giving great value for ps plus that gives its users free games & discounts on other games on psn whereas microsoft makes u pay for xbl just to play online. If your a silver member u cant play online. Really big difference between the 2 services.

In the end because of u & millions of others who help microsoft succeed with xbl. The future of online gaming may change as we move forward where a fee may be tacked on for every console thanx to microsoft & those who supported it & brought this upon all gamers. Thanx for screwing every other gamer over.

Shinra Tensei
#5.2 (Edited 620d ago ) | Agree(4) | Disagree(6) | Report | Reply
GetSnooked  +   620d ago

"Thanx for screwing every other gamer over."

So what, you blame Microsoft for charging to play online and, if Sony starts to charge online, you blame the people who play online on Xbox? Talk about fanboy much.

Why is it that when Microsoft does something wrong you blame Microsoft (yes this is understandable) but, if Sony does something wrong you still blame Microsoft?

Talk about broken logic. If Sony begins to charge, blame damn Sony geeze. They're the one charging you after all, not Microsoft.
AkatsukiPain  +   620d ago

My post makes alot of sense. First off microsoft has been the only company to charge for online play out of the big 3 so yes its because of microsoft and ppl like u who dont even understand that your paying for a service that should be free. Wake up pal.

Shinra Tensei
FunAndGun  +   620d ago
if you have a 360 you can pay to play online or you dont play online at all..... not much of an alternative. how forced can you get?

do you honestly think they would have the subscription numbers if pay to play online wasnt mandatory?

i dont have a right to tell people how to spend their money, but i do have the right to think you guys are suckers.
Jek_Porkins  +   620d ago
People could have bought a PS3, Wii, Wii U or PC if they had such a big problem with XBL, as I said, there are alternatives. As a long time gamer I realize gaming is a choice and hobby, that has a cost, I've never spent more then $35 a year on it, which is less then $3 a month, not really breaking the bank and totally worth it to me. Let me enjoy what I want without snarky comments.
ger2396  +   620d ago
Nice, you just made the point for paid dlc. If people are willing to pay for it, then developers will keep selling it.
#6 (Edited 620d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(3) | Report | Reply
IK IR Y IP T  +   620d ago
I dont see why garbage like this is approved this is a opinion piece this is not news this site is complete trash now a days working on a website of my own if anybody is interested no gimmicks just gaming news for the gamers no fanboy shit either ...
ger2396  +   620d ago
Cool , what's it called?
glennhkboy  +   620d ago
It seems like both MS & Sony are ashamed of their new hardware. They hardly tell us about the hardware. Up to now, they can't name a good reason why we customers "want" to buy a new hardware. If I can play my favorite games in my current XBox, why do I "want" to buy a now one, or PS4 for that matter?
Belking  +   620d ago
MS is looking good going into next gen
#10 (Edited 620d ago ) | Agree(0) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
GABRIEL1030  +   620d ago
I'm disagree for pay 60 USD for the online, that's free in PC, PS3.

Microsoft needs to catch the interest of the consumer with a Premium service like Plus and doesnt charge for the online.

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