A New Change?

Does anyone think it is time for Microsoft to make Xbox Live totally free? The PS3 and Wii have free online capabilities(with the PS3's friends list similar to the 360's). For the PS3, the only thing you pay for is the content one would wish to use(such as movies, DLC, etc), which is the same as Live. The Wii is also free(just no downloading music and movies), but you can download games or other features off their online server.

Also, both the PS3 and the Wii allow for the owner to go on the internet. Personally, I thought Microsoft would do something like that first, but even if they did not do that first, they still have not done it yet. I could see them charging for internet usage, but not having it at all by now is quite surprising.

With the rise of Playstation Network members, should Microsoft change their way of Live? Sony and Nintendo do offer some things that would seem so(web capabilities for free). Should they combine Silver and Gold and just have one Liver version? I guess it is what they want to do with it.

Does anyone think it is time for Microsoft to make Xbox Live totally free? The PS3 and Wii have free online capabilities(with the PS3's friends list similar to the 360's). For the PS3, the only thing you pay for is the content one would wish to use(such as movies, DLC, etc), which is the same as Live. The Wii is also free(just no downloading music and movies), but you can download games or other features off their online server.

Also, both the PS3 and the Wii allow for the owner to go on the internet. Personally, I thought Microsoft would do something like that first, but even if they did not do that first, they still have not done it yet. I could see them charging for internet usage, but not having it at all by now is quite surprising.

With the rise of Playstation Network members, should Microsoft change their way of Live? Sony and Nintendo do offer some things that would seem so(web capabilities for free). Should they combine Silver and Gold and just have one Liver version? I guess it is what they want to do with it.

They will make it free when users aren't willing to pay for it.

Which will be when?

I have a 360 but I'd be a Looney Tune to pay for Live. PC gaming offers so much more than Live but it's free to pay (excluding MMORPGs of course) Live has no reason not to be free. I don't want to hear that 'you have to pay because its the best BS' Like I've already said before PC's online gaming is superior to Live's and it's free.

"They will make it free when users aren't willing to pay for it."

"Which will be when?"

I doubt it. Why should they? I mean I'm not going to debate PS3 versus the 360 in terms on online play (Wii though, really?). I'm willing to pay because I want to play games online and the 60 dollars a year to do so isn't exactly bank breaking. I guess it's a matter of principal for some people but as long as I wish to play online I have to pay and as long as I want to play online I will pay. Pretty simple.

"I doubt it. Why should they? I mean I'm not going to debate PS3 versus the 360 in terms on online play (Wii though, really?). I'm willing to pay because I want to play games online and the 60 dollars a year to do so isn't exactly bank breaking. I guess it's a matter of principal for some people but as long as I wish to play online I have to pay and as long as I want to play online I will pay. Pretty simple."

Andrew: Good point. Very good point. But then what is the reason for having two separate versions of Live(Silver and Gold)? Couldn't they just have the Gold version and charge people like normal?

I too hope Live was free and I think it eventually will as the competition between XBL and PSN gets more intense,MS will have to make XBL free in order to provide "incentives" to purchase the console.

Lightwarrior: True, but it is as someone said above, "They will make it free when users aren't willing to pay for it."

If Microsoft stopped charging, then they would lose the infrastructure that they use and couldn't cover the cost of the bandwidth.  It would then be put in the hands of the developers in order to provide servers and such...

jakob: Can you tell me why you played it more on the 360 than PS3? Also, how many people are in one game on the PC?