@Etnos said:

@big_jon: I feel you man, a few years back I would strongly argue the 360 was destined to become the greatest console ever. Nowadays I can't find a good reason to turn on my Xbox, I really wish MS get their shit together, I want to like the xbox again.

I am with you.

@big_jon said:

I have used Xbox live since the Mechassualt days, I have always loved what it has to offer, so I have continued to support it for over 8 years. However, as of late am becoming increasingly angered by what Microsoft has turned Xbox live into, the adds are a joke, I pay for gold, you and I should not have to deal with this mess of bullshit adds plastered all over this poorly designed shit slow dashboard. Sony PlayStation premium seems to be getting more and more desirable while the Xbox 360's gold is seeming like a rip off the more I look at it, price has got up, value has dropped below the floor. The thing that really makes my angry is this BS "Rewards program", I mean fucking 2% of some of my purchases back is supposed to be a reward? What a Goddamn joke, I have been on this stupid program for a year, and I am still owed 90ms points. I mean what do I get with gold? I get the privilege to play the games that I played for online, while every other comparable service to that is free.

I am venting this now because I have finally gotten the new update I had hoped for some improvement but instead got this piece of shit "update". I thought pins would be great, but hey look, you get one pin on your home screen, and the rest is taken up by obnoxious adds that I don't want cluttering my UI. Microsoft, you are waring thin my good faith on your products, I have gotten both a Zune and a Windows phone, but I am strongly considering saying FU to Microsoft with the next console cycle if things don't shape up.

Who is with me here?

Wow, Mechassault, blast from the past there. I played that and Clone Wars/Tetris Worlds, I think they were packing the original Xbox with those games.

It's kind of shitty that we are subjected to a bunch of ads as well as having to pay for the service. I may not be getting the next MS console because of that.

Its kind of funny, but as someone who only connects his xbox online when needed. My start screens are 1/20th play game, 1/20th pin box, then 9/10th HEY YOU SHOULD REALLY BE ONLINE SO WE CAN LOAD IN ADS. I guess I should be thankful that they didn't cache some ads to be shown when my console is offline.

Xbox live has been actually given discounts on popular games to Gold members and sometimes Silver members, though they don't don't the free rentals on games that PS+ does.

From what I recall, usually the online experience is way better on Gold than the free services, but PC is usually ok as long as you can run your own server and I've had relatively good experiences on PS3. Still, everything they're doing to the xbox dashboard is a step backwards.

When I first got my xbox 360 I used to buy monthly Xbox live membership every month for about 3-4 months. Then I just bought yearly Gold membership just to get it over and done with. During that time I bought a PS3 for a few of the exclusive titles there. After my 1 Year Xbox live sub ran out I kind of reflected on the situation and thought... well I'm pretty much getting everything I want on the PS3 (in terms of online gaming) so why should up update my xbox live membership. Even though i had this thought I still get Xbox live since some of my friends are on it. Although I don't pay for it myself. I use a 'Pay to site' that rewards you with things like Free Amazon Gift cards, Xbox live memberships and other things purely for using their site. There's a detailed explanation on how to start up here.

End of the day I think having a PC and PS3 goes hand in hand. That's pretty much all you need to have a luxiourious gaming lifestyle. Sure there are exclusive games on XBox 360, but you will be missing out on exclusives anyway, unless you own all 3 platforms (which isn't very practical or friendly on the wallet). But Free 2 Play games like Planetside 2 and Tribes far exceed games like Halo, mostly down to the fact that former two games I mentioned are of such high quality and all that from being a Free game.

It is ridiculous that as we approach 2013 MS is still charging for crappy peer to peer gaming. They could get away with it on Xbox since it was really the only fully functioning console online system, but even the Wii-U and 3DS has it now. They really are exploiting us too, since we have to pay to play with friends we can't simply stop paying.

I recently recieved a '' 10 years anniversary '' with Microsoft Xbox Live, as I am a member since the old Halo 2 days. As a reward, they sent me fifty ( 50 ) MS points. I cancelled my subscription the day after.

I'm seriously considering switching back to Sony because of the online service (had a PS2 before I bought a 360). Paying a monthly fee for MP gaming becomes more and more ridiculous and the "deals" on XBL are a joke most of the time as well.

At this point, the only thing holding me back from getting a PS4 over a 720 is halo. I guess we'll see at E3 what sony and MS can pull of to get me to buy their console. For the moment, MS has the only must play franchise for me, better downloadable games(IMO) and the most stable online network while sony offers better deals and doesn't fuck its customers over.
The forces are evenly matched, we'll see if MS can stop fucking us or if sony can step up their online infrastructure and wow us at E3.

Well I pay yearly for my Xbox live (I shop around after Christmas, last two subscriptions were 14 month passes for £25) but I don't pay it for the online gaming, or the deals or the rewards scheme. I pay it for sky tv. In the uk sky player basically gives you whatever you pay for on sky on the Xbox without the garbage channels so long as you are on gold. My step dad pays over £250 a year for his service. But he doesn't see the point in using his 15 inch laptop screen to watch tv when he has sky in 2 rooms with 40 inch plus tvs. So he lets me have the player account details for my Xbox. The multiplayer is just a great addition to me.

I've been on Live for 7 years. The difference is that I did switch over to PS3. Know what happened? I had nothing I wanted to play. I like Halo. I like Gears and many other Xbox 360 exclusives. I like being able to play Skyrim and other open-world games without having problems. I still have my PS3, but I play my 360 more, because it has the games I want, the service is more dependable, and I like the GUI.

I don't care about the Ads, or paying to play. If I need to take a month or two where I don't pay for live, so be it. It's not a huge deal. But most of the time, I can afford it and pay for it because it's not a problem.

I would think that will that the advertisements and deals with third party videos and services, Microsoft would be able to front the cost of their servers for customers to have free Xbox Live by now. It's kind of ridiculous. But until a large chunk of people stop paying for Xbox live and switch to PC or PS3 or whatever else is available, Microsoft probably wont change the way they are doing business. That being said, im still playing for xbox live until I am bored with halo.

vote with your wallets, bitching about it on the internet will solve nothing

I have no idea why I pay for gold. No idea at all. My friends and I never have time to play online games together anymore, and I don't like playing with people I don't know. I used to think, 'hey, maybe it's worth it just for the times when I feel like playing that Snoopy Flying Ace game', but ever since I bought a PS3 and got a plus account there, it just makes what microsoft is offering their premium customers look like a joke. Especially since last time I tried to play an 'older' game online I couldn't get a match started.

Considering all that, I'll not be paying for my next year of Live.

I actually LOVE the Xbox Live experience. The ads are pretty cool, most of the time I discover new things, and besides they add some excitement to the screen. Why would I want to look at the same crap every day? I like seeing something different every day and discovering new things.

The Xbox dashboard is not slow at all, I don't see how you would think it is. It's easy to get to Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, etc. and with Windows 8 integration (and Xbox Smart Glass) is really awesome.

<3 my Xbox!

@jdh5153 said:

I actually LOVE the Xbox Live experience. The ads are pretty cool, most of the time I discover new things, and besides they add some excitement to the screen. Why would I want to look at the same crap every day? I like seeing something different every day and discovering new things.

The Xbox dashboard is not slow at all, I don't see how you would think it is. It's easy to get to Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, etc. and with Windows 8 integration (and Xbox Smart Glass) is really awesome.

<3 my Xbox!

If you like ads, that's cool, but having to pay to play online is a ridiculously outdated concept, and, like the OP pointed out, all of the Xbox 360's competitors offer online play for free. Moreover, none of the "rewards" Xbox LIVE Gold offers are comparable to the whole series of incredibly appealing deals, free games and other offers that a PS+ subscription gets you.

Having to pay to play online in this day and age is ridiculous and I find it surprising that so many people seem so okay with that. As it stands Xbox LIVE Gold is a joke of an idea.

Just wait until Microsoft gives you 20msp on your birthday, that'll win you back.

@Snail said:

@jdh5153 said:

I actually LOVE the Xbox Live experience. The ads are pretty cool, most of the time I discover new things, and besides they add some excitement to the screen. Why would I want to look at the same crap every day? I like seeing something different every day and discovering new things.

The Xbox dashboard is not slow at all, I don't see how you would think it is. It's easy to get to Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, etc. and with Windows 8 integration (and Xbox Smart Glass) is really awesome.

<3 my Xbox!

If you like ads, that's cool, but having to pay to play online is a ridiculously outdated concept, and, like the OP pointed out, all of the Xbox 360's competitors offer online play for free. Moreover, none of the "rewards" Xbox LIVE Gold offers are comparable to the whole series of incredibly appealing deals, free games and other offers that a PS+ subscription gets you.

Having to pay to play online in this day and age is ridiculous and I find it surprising that so many people seem so okay with that. As it stands Xbox LIVE Gold is a joke of an idea.

It's well worth the money though, it's a premium experience. The competitor's services may be free, but they are years behind Xbox Live's quality. I'd rather pay for quality than get something mediocre for free.

@jdh5153 said:

It's well worth the money though, it's a premium experience. The competitor's services may be free, but they are years behind Xbox Live's quality. I'd rather pay for quality than get something mediocre for free.

Examples?

@jdh5153 said:

@Snail said:

@jdh5153 said:

I actually LOVE the Xbox Live experience. The ads are pretty cool, most of the time I discover new things, and besides they add some excitement to the screen. Why would I want to look at the same crap every day? I like seeing something different every day and discovering new things.

The Xbox dashboard is not slow at all, I don't see how you would think it is. It's easy to get to Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, etc. and with Windows 8 integration (and Xbox Smart Glass) is really awesome.

<3 my Xbox!

If you like ads, that's cool, but having to pay to play online is a ridiculously outdated concept, and, like the OP pointed out, all of the Xbox 360's competitors offer online play for free. Moreover, none of the "rewards" Xbox LIVE Gold offers are comparable to the whole series of incredibly appealing deals, free games and other offers that a PS+ subscription gets you.

Having to pay to play online in this day and age is ridiculous and I find it surprising that so many people seem so okay with that. As it stands Xbox LIVE Gold is a joke of an idea.

It's well worth the money though, it's a premium experience. The competitor's services may be free, but they are years behind Xbox Live's quality. I'd rather pay for quality than get something mediocre for free.

Have you even used Steam?

I only play online games on consoles pretty much these days, so party chat is enough for me. I would on average probably spend over 500 hours in party chat each year alone. I found it a hassle to get friends together on the PS3.

10 year paying Live member, and I finally did it... I'm... I'm gonna let it lapse. Just bought a gaming PC. Connected to the TV full time, with big picture mode, there is literally nothing Xbox Live offered that is not covered by another service. I was really worried when switching, but friends list, voice chat, party chat, online marketplace, cloud saves - it's all there, and accessible with a controller.

Certainly the Xbox was much cheaper than a PC, and if someone feels they are getting their money's worth, by all means keep supporting the service. But to anyone who is on the fence, or feeling forgotten by MS: it gets better.

Microsoft's problem is they are genetically incapable of NOT monetizing the ever-loving shit out of anything they do. Windows 8? Ads in the bundled apps. Xbox? Paid service (gold) required to access OTHER paid services (Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc)... and ads. Just got a Skype update on my phone... OH LOOK ADS! There is something in their culture that when presented with a choice to a) cultivate consumer goodwill, or b) monetize the hell out a service, they have to scream "Damn the customers, full speed ahead!" whilst charging forward, tripping, and impaling their nether region on a sharp outcropping of option b).

If i worked at Microsoft I would be flat out embarrassed Xbox Live as compared to my competitors' services; but then I would probably remember my users are locked in to my system with their libraries of expensive Xbox games and their friends lists, and I would chuckle quietly to myself that I had almost experienced a real human emotion as I went back to work trying to figure out how to get ads into notepad.exe

@jdh5153 said:

@Snail said:

If you like ads, that's cool, but having to pay to play online is a ridiculously outdated concept, and, like the OP pointed out, all of the Xbox 360's competitors offer online play for free. Moreover, none of the "rewards" Xbox LIVE Gold offers are comparable to the whole series of incredibly appealing deals, free games and other offers that a PS+ subscription gets you.

Having to pay to play online in this day and age is ridiculous and I find it surprising that so many people seem so okay with that. As it stands Xbox LIVE Gold is a joke of an idea.

It's well worth the money though, it's a premium experience. The competitor's services may be free, but they are years behind Xbox Live's quality. I'd rather pay for quality than get something mediocre for free.

No, it isn't. That's the thing. You can play online for free on both a PC and a PS3, and you a lot more out of your subscription money with PS+. Xbox LIVE Gold gives you next to nothing in terms of offers well PS+ has new free games every month for both the PS3 and the Vita, exclusive sales, access to betas, among other benefits. Steam, which an entirely free service, offers discounts in an impressive flabbergasting scale that no other digital distribution service matches - Xbox LIVE Gold probably least of all, out of all the popular ones.

Right now I am only paying when I feel like playing Halo 4.

@HoboZero said:

Microsoft's problem is they are genetically incapable of NOT monetizing the ever-loving shit out of anything they do. Windows 8? Ads in the bundled apps. Xbox? Paid service (gold) required to access OTHER paid services (Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc)... and ads. Just got a Skype update on my phone... OH LOOK ADS! There is something in their culture that when presented with a choice to a) cultivate consumer goodwill, or b) monetize the hell out a service, they have to scream "Damn the customers, full speed ahead!" whilst charging forward, tripping, and impaling their nether region on a sharp outcropping of option b).

microsoft doesn't seem interested in building a relationship with the user. Their focus seems to be on making as much money off of you wherever possible. Because of this I may buy the PS4 over the next xbox, despite never owning a playstation in my life.

I'm thinking about making the jump as well. The only reason I stayed as long as I did/do is because I'm a Gears of War fan. But with Judgment coming out part 3 may become abandoned and honestly it's a bit strange to own a console for just one game. I want to at least have something else I really want to play just in case I get bored or if that one game isn't working right.

I pretty much stopped paying for Live consistently when I got my PS3 a few years back. Now I normally play my multiplayer games on there. However, when a game like Halo comes out, I'll buy like a 3 month subscription of Gold so that I can play it online. So for the last several years I've basically just paid for a part of the year and I'm fine with that. I still think it's ridiculous though that you have to pay to play your game online, but oh well, it is what it is.

I will absolutely hop aboard this XBL hate-train. I loathe the whole 'boxes' thing MS are trying to force into everything, so they can stuff crap I don't want (or pay) to see into my eye-holes. With using my 360 less and less these days, certainly for multiplayer purposes, I guess I should get around to stop auto-renewing my sub.

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. I have a PS3 and have numerous problems when I play online. I don't like the download times on patches, I don't like the store, I don't like the varying quality of voice chat that is on a per game basis, and I don't like that there is not top level form of chat.

I do like that it is free, but you get what you pay for. Everyone comparing it to steam, of course steam is better than the consoles. But between the three consoles, and if you want to have the best experience on a console at this point, the 360 has the best online experience. I don't think paying for Gold is a good deal, but I don't want to pay for Playstation Plus, because you don't get to keep the games and the online is still subpar regardless.

If Sony get's it together and has a comparable online service with their next console, I'll make the switch. As of now, Microsoft and Steam have Sony and Nintendo beat.

My major problem right now is xbox video and xbox music stuff all over the place.

I cant even get them out of my recent list.

I will never ever buy or listen or watch to music or videos from them.

I want to play games on my games console !!!! I watch stuff on netflix now and again.

I used to like watching some of the videos they put up about games and stuff. Cant even rememebr the names of the shows and dont even know if you can still find them there as they are probably hidden in amongst all the other shite that i and probably other people do not want !

They should allow you to remove content that you dont want on the dashboard.

I've only used Gold for HBO Go and Netflix, as of late. Just bought a Roku so I'll most likely cancel my Gold account.

@Breadfan said:

I've only used Gold for HBO Go and Netflix, as of late. Just bought a Roku so I'll most likely cancel my Gold account.

Like a boss.

Troll detected. Nobody bought a Zune.