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Should Xbox Live Really Have A Monthly Fee?

Back in those days, Microsoft had a very good reason why they charged for Xbox Live, as it was clearly better than PSN. But now, as the PSN has matured, it has grown closer and closer to Xbox Live quality but managed to stay a free service in spite of its constant upgrades. In fact, it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish which is the better service.

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Steve519 - contributor
Published: 154 days 17 hours ago | Article | Xbox 360

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meepmoopmeep - 154 days 17 hours ago

1 -

i thought it was a yearly fee not monthly

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Steve519 - 154 days 17 hours ago

1.1 -

it's either or. You can do it monthly or yearly

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butterfinger - 154 days 17 hours ago

1.2 - You save...

money if you buy the 12+1 (12 months + 1 free month) cards. So that's 13 months for $49.99 and you can find them for cheaper than that if you put in some effort.

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Rockox - 154 days 17 hours ago

1.3 -

I hear they've started to discontinue the 12+1 cards. Poo.

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Kigmal - 154 days 17 hours ago

1.4 -

No one pays $50 for the 12 month cards:

http://www.walmart.com/cata...

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Pistolero - 154 days 15 hours ago

1.5 -

I never pay 50 dollars a year...I have always been able to buy 13 months for $40 or less. In my opinion it is worth every penny.

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Gamedot - 154 days 17 hours ago

2 -

I have no problem paying for it, and I'll continue to quite happily pay for it as well

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mario8888 - 154 days 17 hours ago

2.1 -

I take the money that I could be paying live and pay for more bandwidth.

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Blaster_Master - 154 days 17 hours ago

2.2 -

I would pay for cross game chat on the psn all day. But Sony doesn't even offer it so why even talk about it?

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Nineball2112 - 154 days 17 hours ago

2.3 -

I take the money that I could be paying live and pay for more ... well, anything.

At the end of the day, if people on Live don't mind paying for it, it doesnt' affect me in any way shape or form.

This is a never-ending debate. I think MS originally probably needed to charge for it, I think at this point they don't but they probably won't ever stop.

*shrug*

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Rowsdower - 154 days 17 hours ago

3 - should

http://www.englishpage.com/...

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50CALheadshot - 154 days 11 hours ago

3.1 -

lol

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Spike47 - 154 days 17 hours ago

4 - OOOh parties, cross game chat, OMG that is totally worth the money. -_-

I agree if it weren't for Live, PSN would be trash, but I am comfterable with what PSn has and its free.

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dcbronco - 154 days 17 hours ago

4.1 - @Spike

Yeah, and Sony's swimming in cash. So it's working out for everyone involved.

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Kizwiz6 - 154 days 17 hours ago

5 - Yes - It's worth it

I'm renewing my live subscription in a few days time for a whole year of live. Cost me 35 quid but Xbox live is so worth it.
Xbox live and PSN are both good, shame about the wii..

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ape007 - 154 days 16 hours ago

5.1 - yeah

psn and wii online are both free

but it's day and night difference between them

gotta give it to sony,free,awesome and improving

wii 5 out of 10

ps3 8.5 out of 10

xbl 9.5 out of 10

online service reviews haha xD

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Omega4 - 154 days 16 hours ago

6 -

Its funny, it seems like the only ones complaining are the ones who dont pay it

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GiantEnemyCrab - 154 days 16 hours ago

6.1 -

haha I noticed that too and what a great counter argument this deep article of all but 2 paragraphs provides.

Basically he says, I think it should be free because PSN is.

I think Cable should be free since standard TV has TV shows on it too. But it will never happen, just like XBL going free.

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SaberEdge - 154 days 16 hours ago

6.2 -

I love everything you get with Xbox Live. It's not just the big features, but also all the little touches that make it special. For what it gives us, I honestly don't mind paying the $40 a year.

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hammytdci - 154 days 15 hours ago

6.3 - If you don't complain - you don't get!

Yeah but the people that don't pay and are complaining are the people that will get the service free (hopefully)for everyone which is a good thing. People who keep paying are simply keeping the system going (Feeding Microsoft cash they don't need for this), which in truth I think should be free, even though it is the best service on the 360, and I don't mind up until now that you had to pay, but with the PC free online ( I know its always been free), and the PS3 very close to 360 quality, I think it is time for Microsoft to stop charging. I won't be renewing my subscription, I will make do with the PS3 and PC, and hope that everyone does the same so that we can have the 360 free as well.

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freitox - 154 days 14 hours ago

6.4 -

well...isn't that obvious? if you complain why would buy it?

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Memo-Xen x3100 - 154 days 16 hours ago

7 - Short Answer....

no(but Microsoft has to recoup their console repair losses somewhere).

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GiantEnemyCrab - 154 days 16 hours ago

8 -

What kind of misinformation is this?

There is no "monthly free" it is a YEARLY fee. Someone reading this might get the impression it's $50 a month.

Where does N4G find these bottom of the barrel websites?

Anyway, as someone who plays both every day. There are some noticeable differences in features and thus the reason I will continue to pay for Live. I am all for a free service, but if the trade off is getting updates like PSN does then forget it.

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Persistantthug - 154 days 15 hours ago

8.1 - Actually.....

There is a monthly fee option.

You can choose to pay montly and if I'm not mistaken, the last time I checked it was either $7.99 or $8.99 per month.

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GiantEnemyCrab - 154 days 13 hours ago

8.2 -

True, you can go month to month but the general consensus is it's $50 a year. Even the article picture points to a card that is for 12 months.

I just feel that it leaves the door open for confusion. The "article" could of said yearly and made the same points.

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Dlacy13g - 154 days 16 hours ago

9 - So ...ok I get the arguement should Xbox Live be free...

I mean it makes sense... and to be frank it certainly is the best option from a consumer standpoint.

However, what about a counter arguement? Should PSN charge a fee? I know, I know....what the heck am I saying? But honestly, if Sony did charge a nominal fee for PSN they could be pooring that money back in to improving PSN even more than they have. It's money Sony could be using to help secure some exclusive DLC, etc... It's money that could be used to potentially make PSN better than LIVE instead of 2nd best.

Just food for thought. I know we all like free...but free doesn't always mean better. In fact more often than not, free means lesser quality, etc...

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Double Toasted - 154 days 16 hours ago

9.1 - Live fees don't...

...bother me, but I've said this before and I'll say it again, there isn't a game that I would pay a fee for on the PS3 except for Uncharted 2, so I wouldn't mind if the PSN charged a fee either. But since Sony isn't charging I can't complain...

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rimbreaker - 154 days 16 hours ago

10 -

this is a ridiculous question. If they deem that they have enough people using their service, there is no reason whatsoever for it to be free. It is a business, not a charity, people pay for it so they will continue to make it payment based as they should

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cmrbe - 154 days 16 hours ago

11 - As long as x360 fans

like paying to play online its fine.

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really duh - 154 days 16 hours ago

12 - ..

.

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ASSASSYN 36o - 154 days 16 hours ago

13 - litteraly a penny a day to play.

49.99(xbox-live)/(1yr.) 365 = 0.136958904(a day) you will be ok. It is not that serious.

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strotee - 154 days 15 hours ago

13.1 - slight correction

if it were a penny a day, it would be $3.65, not $49.99, but close. more like 14 cents a day.

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ASSASSYN 36o - 154 days 14 hours ago

13.2 -

You are an idiot. I have no idea wtf you are talking about.

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GarandShooter - 154 days 13 hours ago

13.3 -

He's not the idiot, you are. You're dividing dollars by days, not cents by days.

'49.99(xbox-live)/(1yr.) 365 = 0.136958904(a day)'

That's 0.136958904 dollars per day or 13.6958904 cents per day.

He's right, if it was a penny a day it would be 365 pennies. How the hell is 365 pennies equal to 50 dollars?

I can see by your spelling of 'literally' that you excel at spelling as well as math.

Make sure you're correct before insulting somebody next time, Einstein.

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36T - 154 days 13 hours ago

13.4 - @ ASSASSYN 36o

"You are an idiot. I have no idea wtf you are talking about."

LMAO!! Now that's what i call a classic! I can't stop laughing for some reason.

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GiantEnemyCrab - 154 days 13 hours ago

13.5 -

OMG 14 cents a day!! I could almost buy a pair of virtual pants for my Home doll for that outrageous price!

I am so canceling my Gold. virtual pants > XBL!

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aaronisbla - 154 days 7 hours ago

13.6 - @ ASSASSYN 36o Damn dude

i understand its not that big of a cost, but next time, TRY your best to do the math before you go spouting that its a penny a day, it really made you look foolish, unless you got some type of nice discount, if so let us gamers in on it please!

this is some sig worthy material right here folks

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Jason 360 - 154 days 16 hours ago

14 -

Wake me when PSN offers even half of the services of Live.

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Persistantthug - 154 days 15 hours ago

14.1 - half the services?

Well,
Shooting people in the head...check.

Movie downloads...check.

twitter and radio steaming ability...check

Avatar = Home....check

Now, I'm not saying XBOX Live isn't better than PSN....I believe it is better...but it isn't LIGHTYEARS better.

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KionicWarlord222 - 154 days 16 hours ago

15 -

Microsoft needs something really big that can make more people want xbox live .

Im not saying i have problem with it , but many others have problem with the price .

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Shbzshar - 154 days 16 hours ago

15.1 -

bring 1 vs 100 to like ALL regions and have the video market place (ie indie movies and tv shows) do the same ... my alternate usa account puts my indian gold original account to shame ... they need to beef up their audience first to get the love ...

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GiantEnemyCrab - 154 days 13 hours ago

15.2 -

Well I look at it as the $50 is constant pressure on MS to show me reasons why I'm paying for a service when it is free on others.

It gives me a platform to whine about Live when it isn't constantly evolving and adding value to my subscription.

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K1W1 - 154 days 16 hours ago

16 -

I think if Sony came up with PSN before MS got XBL up and running they wouldn't have had any trouble charging for it. I think the ONLY reason that Sony don't charge for there service is to catch up with XBL.

on another note. MS dashboard updates like NXE are probably funded by the revenue gathered from XBL, somebody had have got paid for doing it right?

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kewlkat007 - 154 days 16 hours ago

17 - Thats like saying should Blizzard's "WOW" have a monthly fee?

It's a business model that *currently works, so on Ms's end, they keep the end-users happy and they return the favor.

This is capitalism, if it's bad enough, users will jump ship. MS does not have a monopoly on consoles, there are choices.

But the choice is clear, XBL is a success and the gap widens, when it comes to value in terms of online services.

There is no "incentive" or "responsibility" to make anything "FREE" great. You get what you get and you shut the f%^k up because it's free. No leverage.

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GiantEnemyCrab - 154 days 13 hours ago

17.1 -

I always wondered why MS and XBL get so much crap from the media while pay for MMO's like WoW it's just business as usual. And these MMO's are just 1 game! Where are all the whiners and complainers from Free MMO's demanding they want WoW to be free?

Again, I think this goes more back to fanboy console war BS and most of the whiners and complainers don't have the slightest idea what XBL offers and don't have any plans to buy the system regardless.

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18 dork0783 | 154 days 16 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show

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QuantumWake - 154 days 15 hours ago

19 -

I don't mind paying for XBL. I have been a long time Xbox live member and I will continue to be.

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ASSASSYN 36o - 154 days 14 hours ago

19.1 -

I beta tested the service when it first launched. I helped make it what it is today. I too have no intrest to leave.

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Persistantthug - 154 days 15 hours ago

20 - Ok....At the risk of seeing alot of disagrees here, I'm gonna be honest.....

I don't understand why people agree that charging for playing people in random games is ok.
kewlkat007 in comment #8 tried to compare XBOX LIVE to WoW, but that isn't the same because WoW is a specific and specialized game that people pay to play, not just a slew of random games.

I don't pay Microsoft or Apple to play random online games on my computer, and I don't pay Sony or Nintendo play on their platforms, so I have a hard time trying to understand why Live should be paid for if all I want to do is play some GTA4, CoD 4, or some other game online since I pay for my own internet connection already.

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GarandShooter - 154 days 15 hours ago

21 -

I think the ability to play the game online in it's most basic form (with in game chat) ought to be free, after all, you've already paid for the game. All the extras you get, cross game chat, party system, etc., would come with your subscription fee.

Seems to me that a high percentage of Gold members would happily pay for those extras, even with the ability to play online for free.

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cyborg6971 - 154 days 15 hours ago

0.1 - Blade

What EA games have dedicated srevers on live? Just wondering. At the end of the day the only thing I wanna do is game online all the other stuff is extra. So why pay for the extra? I wonder how many gold members would keep on being gold if the online play was silver and free. That's why I didn't go back to gold cause it's a sham. Pay to play online WTF bullsh1t.

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0.2 Man_of_the_year | 154 days 14 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show

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Javier19 - 154 days 14 hours ago

1 -

I am happy paying a relatively small sum of around £30 a year for a far superior gaming experience.

We all know Xbox Live is miles ahead of PSN, its true, I have both consoles and its clear.

I mean its like

Someone buys a can of coke and enjoys it, they payed for something they want to enjoy, someone else gets a free glass of water then brags he didn't have to pay for his drink and pretends its just as nice as the can of coke.

LMAO.

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RAM MAGNUMS - 154 days 13 hours ago

2 - PSN is better!

Psp compatibility
Browser
Movies
Little to no lag
Text chat rooms
Home
Messaging

Everything a hardcore gamer needs.

No need to explain to a 12 year old what you're wearing while playing mass effect.
That's kinda ghay... Like avatars & the nxe bubble gum interface.

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Jason 360 - 154 days 13 hours ago

2.1 -

360 has
Messaging
movies
text
avatars/home
little to no lag

PS3 doesn't have
unified friends list
voice chat
voice party chat
cross game chat/invites
Netflix
Netflix party
PSN msrketplace is maybe 25% of that of Live
Custom soundtracks from HDD or streamed from USB HDD or computer
Instant messaging with support for text, voice, or pics or even instant messaging with text/voice/pics at the same time through Xbox and PC.
Friends tracking
matchmaking
Last FM
Facebook and Twitter through an app
Games on demand with more than 5 games
backwards compatibility

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360usetobegood - 154 days 11 hours ago

3 - People are frigin retarded.. The ps3 is to expensive but paying more over time is better..

Thats how we got into this economy you STUpiD IDIOTIC KIDS... STOP SUPpORTING ThIS BS.. ITS THE OnLY PLAtFORM CHArGING

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mezzo - 154 days 9 hours ago

3.1 -

OOOOOOOOOOK>

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devilhunterx - 154 days 8 hours ago

4 -

Yes! Infact it should also have:

1) Weekly fee
2) Daily fee
3) Hourly fee

Additionally, M$ should charge you $50 whenever you turn the console on. And $100 when you pray and then turn the console, cause that's an insult to the hardworking M$ hardware engineers craftsmanship.

Trust me, after this, there will be no fat american left :P

no money = no can haz cheezeburger

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Tron_Rocks - 153 days 21 hours ago

5 - NO!

I am a 360 only gamer, I always debate to defend the console but on this I say NO!

If they must charge a fee then it should be not more than 1/2 pf what it is now. They can give all the excuses they want but the day will come when the crappy PS3 and LAME fraggin Wii have an online service that is comparable and free then they will have no choice.

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mezzo - 153 days 17 hours ago

6 -

Without being a Fanboy---- i think Microsoft should stop charging immediately.

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