Live for Windows: Providing No Value to the Consumer

Aeropause has an editorial about the lack of value in the Live for Windows initiative.

"So looking at this, users have been asked to pay for a $50 membership to Live for two games at this point. How does Microsoft think they can pull the wool over the eyes of so many PC players? For someone like myself, that has a Live account via my 360; it is not a big deal as I get access to both systems for the same price. But if I did not have my 360, I would be asked to pay $50 to play two games."

[the worst]

thats MS for you

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

Online gaming started out free and should be so..I hate they way they have it set up over there at MS you pay to play online and alos there are micro transactions for extra content...and on top of that you are already paying for that internet connection you got...thats just my MO

[Omegasyde]

Yea I agree. IT almost time to renew my XBL subscription in December, but I think I might actually hold off until January or February since there is a lot of PS3 exclusive games that have great multiplayer. Unreal should keep me entertained and Haze looks alright and then you have the new DLC for Warhawk which so desperately needs along with motorstorm... then there is COD4 (which ever console version of COD4 is better I will buy that one)

But then again if the Halo 3 DLC comes out and they fix the sword glitch...MS can have my money.

[Bladestar]

The only thing worst than a Sony fanboy... is a sony fanboy that is stupid to understand the service he is writing about...

"But if I did not have my 360, I would be asked to pay $50 to play two games"... uhh... no..

Let me try to make it clear for those stupid sony fanboys are still not getting it.

Xbox live Games for windows cost $0 if you want to play online... cost nothing... nada! You are free to play against any PC gamer... you are able to send messages to any xbox live user (xbox 360 or not)... you are able to send messages, you have achivements, etc.. .all for free...

Now, if you want to play cross-platform... example.. you want to play xbox 360 vs PC... than you have to have a gold account... since xbox 360 requires gold account to play games... get it?

Currently PC gamers not using Games for windows can't play against xbox 360 gamers or any other console for that matter... so it goes down to ... if you want to play against xbox 360 gamers you have to pay $50...

Now, honestly I think it's dumb to do so... what PC gamer will pay to play console gamers? So, don't keep the service free... don't play console gamers..

Now, if you have already an xbox live account.. because you own an xbox 360.... you already have a gold account... so.. you can deside where you want to play your games... and you get to have achivements and single login account for the PC or the xbox 360.

[tethered]

Why would anyone want to pay to play 360 owners when there are many, many PC players already?

Great way for Microsoft to make more money off of stupid people I guess.
Great business move. Milk the loyalist dry.

[mclazyj]

You are correct that a silver account is free and you will be allowed basic server browsing with that account. It will also allow you to get single player achievements.

But to get the true multiplayer experience (achievements, matchmaking, cross-platform play) you need a Gold account. You are mistaken to think that Cross-platform play is the only difference in the two accounts. If you look at the chart on this page, you will see the differences - http://www.gamesforwindows....

As for being a Sony fanboy, I would have to disagree. I actually am a dyed in the wool PC gamer. I want Live for Windows to succeed, because I want to earn achievements for with my PC gaming skills. I do own a PS2, but I will never own a PS3, due to cost and little in the way of gaming value. I do have a 360, but it get more use as a DVD player than a gaming console. If you would like to see my collection of games to verify this claims, please visit my gamestop profile - http://www.gamespot.com/use...

[Irving]

Lol at Bladestar aka 'Fanboys are gay". How many accounts do you have on N4G? Checkout this guys post yesterday and his GT
http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-...

You play pirated games on 360 and then come here to brag about Live? Someone might just report your GT to MS.

[Douchebaggery]

one man MS defense force

[Bolts]

The worst thing than a Sony fanboi is a MS fanboi who doesn't know WTF he's talking about. Answer this question, why the hell would any PC gamer want to pay a fee so he can play against Xbox gamers? Even more importantly, assuming he's dumb enough to want this, what games would he play?

Live sucks so bad that even the "free" service is useless. The crappy MS achievements are completely meaningless in the PC world because unlike the Xbox which is monopolized Microsoft, PC gaming is not centralized. There is no gaming gateway to the internet.

[nomad117]

Well ya thats the bladestar we have come to know his total fanboy self sometimes he neutral when he is low on bubbles just to get more but when he has bubbles he's his regular self

[Omegasyde]

+Bubble for the truth.

[jackdoe]

Live for windows really is a big scam. The PC is an open platform and MS shouldn't be trying that kind of crap on the PC users. They are smarter than that.

[notsonice]

Hell, id pay for servers, but Live is all peer to peer networking. Just what are you supposed to be getting for your money anyways?

[Omegasyde]

Communication tools and achievements.

[notsonice]

Achievements work with a silver(free)... The only reason I pay for the gold is ingame invites which should be free...

[Skerj]

Ugh I hate Live for Windows, it's horrid and clunky. I was in the Universe at War beta and that stupid thing is implemented and made the experience worse.

[WilliamRLBaker]

If people are willing to pay 15 dollars a month to play a single game *wow* then they'll pay for this.

let alone the meat and potatos of pc gameplay has been online play for a while now and you still get that with live for windows, most pc gamers dont care as long as they get to play online, something they can do on windows live regardless of silver or gold, and there is nothing in the EULA of windows live that says the ingame servers can't be used by Xfire...ect

So I see no problem, then again I have xbox live till 2010:)

and this article is a lil boring i've all ready read 5 since windows live inception saying its broken, or it will fail...blah blah...lol one article actually had the stupid idea to say why its broke is because you cant listen to music or download movies...yeah...most people do that on pc's without live...and music? lol I run WMP11 or another audio program while my games run.

[Skerj]

The 15 bucks spent per month on MMOs goes towards server maintenance, GM salary, customer service rep salary, and helps fund the expansions that come out. Where does any of that fit into Live for Windows aside from customer service? On top of that you're still playing the game, and without the servers to back it up there will no longer be a game to play.

Take a look at the cancelled MMOs due to lack of subscribers. I can however continue to play UT99 whenever I feel like it because of the game type and it's P2P which is the same thing Live for Windows does. That crap might fly in 360 land where its an integral part of the interface but for PC it's a shoddy and mostly unwelcome add on.

[Bolts]

There is a difference between broken, and useless. Live isn't broken because for the games that support it, the peer to peer element works.

It is however, completely useless.

[Charlie2688]

I am actually VERY disappointed with the current state of Games for Windows when it was first announced MS promised the same quality, commitment and obligations form the devs for the PC games as the 360 gamers received and with the first two (Halo 2 and Shadowrun) things looked like they were going in the right path with the whole achievements and friend list...but after that things went to hell the only thing you know for sure or expect from games for Windows is support for the 360 controller and that is about it...ALL the cool features like achievements that probably got a LOT of people exited are non existent

MS what happened? I hope you get things straight so devs start giving better support for Games for Windows

[bumnut]

why would pc gamers, who get to play on dedicated server with 64 players (some games are even up to 128 players) pay for a service which is p2p with 16 - 24 players?

you would have to be a fool to pay for this.

nice idea, but there is already a better service for free.

[RRoDx360]

Figures. Next thing you know, M$ will charge people to view websites and use Internet Explorer, and any Plug and Play devices. Greedy sons of b!tches

[Prismo_Fillusion]

This is disgusting.

[mighty_douche]

they managed to get away with it on their consoles but now they're trying to push it on PC gamers? are MS actually trying to turn people against them?

PC gaming was fine without 'Games for windows', i didnt need/want it then and i still dont need/want it know.

how long till the charge you just to play online? money grabbing sluts.

[Korosuke]

I agree.

And most PC gamers don't like Xbox Live culture, closed, friend list, achivement.

[bumnut]

i have a 360 also and i do enjoy playing friends on xbl.

racing games are a lot of fun on xlb

but games like battlefield are no fun with 12 a side, i can have 32 a side on my pc for free.

[user9422077]

ms lol