Who is thinking of signing up for Xbox Live? (1 Viewer)

[Calvin Watts III]

Now that the details of how the big box will be getting into cyberspace, I was just wondering who is interested in getting the service.
Myself, I don't think I'd pay the $10 monthly fee (especially for one game), but for $50 for one year, & with a game,some demos,& the voice communicator, then this is worth a try in my book.
If only to play with some of my fellow HTFers
Calvin

 

[Aaron Copeland]

I'm going to give it a shot.

Aaron

 

[Andre F]

I have a friend who is but since I don't have an XBox I don't think I will. If it works good who knows...I might have to get one (an Xbox that is)!
-Andre F

 

[KevinRB]

I don't have a Xbox, but I will likely get one this fall and try out Xbox Live..

 

[ryan_x]

I will...but i will probably wait till around christmas...by then all the bugs should be worked out...i think there strategy is a bit better than ps2 by having a centralized service and broadband only...it will be a better quality of service...and better in the long run...cant wait Halo online

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The X-Box Live thing is a little tricky. It's more like an ISP than an online gaming service.

You pay $50 for the first year, $10 a month every month after the first 12. You can also be charged additional costs by developers if they want to charge you. If you choose to be charged, I think X-Box Live handles everything, so all the charges for every online game and the service are on the same bill instead of dealing with many different companies about subscription fees.

When I get an X-Box, I might get the XBL service.

 

[ChrisV]

I'll probably give it a try. It's definitely a good price for the first year.

 

[ChristopherS]

The X-Box Live thing is a little tricky. It's more like an ISP than an online gaming service.

Umm ... no it is not. You will need a broadband Internet Service Provider in order to sign up for Microsoft's online gaming service (XBOX Live). I am not sure how you can say XBOX Live is not an online gaming service. MS will provide all the centralized servers, keep them running, keep out cheaters, and do all the account receivables. Gaming servers (and forum servers) require quite a bit of ongoing maintenance. When done poorly or without enough financial resources (PSO anyone?)a great game quickly becomes a disappointment. I think a centralized service like this will let the game publishers and developers do what they do best (make games) while permitting MS to run and manage the servers (which most people will admit MS has quite a bit of experience doing - running/managing servers).
As for the charges, the initial rate is incredibly cheap and I will be signing up just to play either MS NFL Fever 2003 or Sega's NFL 2K3. As for the additional charges, I have a wait and see attitude. At $50 (or $75 CDN), if you have broadband and an XBOX I don't see how a person can go wrong.
Chris

 

[Romier S]

I will most definitely be signing up for X-box live. If only for Halo and Steel Battalion online. I'll also getting the PS2 adapter for Socom.

 

[Rob Lutter]

Heck yeah! I am going to college, and my free OC-3 access WILL NOT go to waste

 

[Morgan Jolley]

You will need a broadband Internet Service Provider in order to sign up for Microsoft's online gaming service (XBOX Live). I am not sure how you can say XBOX Live is not an online gaming service

What I was saying is that XBL will act more LIKE and ISP than an online gaming service, I didn't say it actually was one. Just like PC games, X-Box games require you to pay a fee for a service (PCs=ISP, XB=XBL and ISP) in order to play them online at all. And like PC games, some X-Box games can charge you additional fees to play them online. In this sense, it is more like an ISP, even though it is not one.

 

[Steve Bjorg]

I can't wait to jump on it. The thought of a well integrated Halo Online (not the tunner variant) is too sweet to pass up. However, if they do switch to $10 a month, I'll likely pull the plug after year one. A flat rate is what I want. Since this is the first time I have actually heard about a possible monthly charge, I'll reserve bashing it further until it is confirmed.

 

[BrianB]

The thought of a well integrated Halo Online (not the tunner variant) is too sweet to pass up.

Late 2003 apparently for the next Halo.

 

[Edan W]

At 50 bucks for the first year, well probably more like $80CAN, it's pretty hard to pass up. Of course, if there is a sequel to HALO released in 2003 it will most likely be right after the initial one year period is over and I'll *have* to continue subscribing so I can play it...

 

[Dave Falasco]

I'm definitely down with XBL. I've got a few friends with Xboxes, but we're spread out over a few states. This will be a great way to hook up for a little Fever or Unreal. I can't wait!

Morgan, I'm still not sure I understand your point. ISP's provide internet service. XBL does not (as you stated). So where is the similarity? Because they both charge a fee? I still don't see how that makes it "more like an ISP than an online gaming service". It is an online service that allows you to play games. It does not provide internet access. So how exactly is it more like an ISP than an online gaming service?

Unless you mean to say that its pricing structure is more like an ISP that charges you than an online gaming service that is free. With that, I can agree.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

If you get an ISP for your computer, you can play some games online for free and you have to pay for others. You also can do some other things for games, like download patches and such.

XBL is the same. You pay a fee to play some games online for free but still get charged extra for others. You can also download patches and media, so its like a connection between your XB and the internet. You also NEED XBL to play any games online (unless you do something like the HALO thing) and you NEED and ISP to play games online for your PC. In this way, XBL is like an ISP.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I probably will as I hooked up my XBOX to my 5Mb connection a couple of weeks ago and messed around with Halo. It was pretty cool playing other people like I do on my PC, yet sitting on my couch with a controller and playing on my 32"HDTV!

 

[Adam Nixon]

Let me get this straight -- X-box Live now requires $10 a month AND any additional fee that a publisher desires? Did I miss an announcement, somewhere? I thought that the entire point of X-box Live was ONE flat fee and ALL games under one roof. If this is indeed the case, then Live is a complete and utter joke. Dedicated network or not, they've touted a flat fee for over a year and if they're now tacking additional charges on in addition to a mandatory broadband requirement then Sony will yet again stomp MS into the ground. Small wonder Bloomberg reports on the X-box losing hundreds of millions for MS.

 

[BrianB]

Let me get this straight -- X-box Live now requires $10 a month AND any additional fee that a publisher desires? Did I miss an announcement, somewhere? I thought that the entire point of X-box Live was ONE flat fee and ALL games under one roof.

No - it's always been the case. The "average" game is unlikely to cost extra, it's the large, expensive massively multiplayer games that are likely to cost extra.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

You pay $50 for the first year and get a free X-Box Communicator Headset. After the first year, it's $10 a month. If a developer/publisher decides to charge you for the use of their online game(s), they can. Phantasy Star Online is one such game.

The original idea was that when you subscribe to XBL, all of the bills would be lumped together and would be sent to you on just one bill instead of several different ones. Also, I think you will be able to set it up so that when you get a new online game, you can just start playing it because XBL will start to bill you automatically.