120°

Is Microsoft trying to cheat people?

A recent "deal" on the Bing Rewards program tries to lure people into paying an unnecessary premium for their Xbox LIVE subscription.

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examiner.com
Wenis4533d ago (Edited 4533d ago )

The author forgot to add the part of how fun it is to go about cancelling your credit card that's associated with your XBL account after you get the free month.. but I guess thats just the icing on the shitcake

hellvaguy4532d ago

Actually they changed the credit card cancelling process about 2 patches ago. Its pretty easy now, but ya in the past it was a big pain.

Bull5hifT4532d ago

Yes That Is There Business Model

StrongMan4533d ago

Well, they do charge for Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

hellvaguy4532d ago

Except that they dont since they are free on xbox live. Swing and a troll miss.

StrongMan4532d ago

And just how much is XBL? So, if all I wanted to do was use Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube on Xbox you're telling me I can use these features for free without paying for XBL?

GearsOfWar4532d ago

It's a paid service, but they aren't trying to "cheat" people, they're running a business. They're bringing in more value to make the subscription worth it.

I don't see the problem with bringing in more value.

Would you rather them charge you JUST for playing online with nothing extra? Exactly.

ZombieAssassin4532d ago (Edited 4532d ago )

"Would you rather them charge you JUST for playing online with nothing extra? Exactly. "

Well...yea if you could get everything else for free like Facebook/Twitter/Youtube/Acces s to Netflix(a paid service already). Basically what you're saying is you would rather pay for those services instead of get them free just because it add's more value to XBL...logic is flawed.

radphil4532d ago (Edited 4532d ago )

"Would you rather them charge you JUST for playing online with nothing extra? Exactly."

Honestly charging for stuff that can be accessed free on other platforms isn't EXACTLY a good trade-off.

Plus they did that before in the past, called the regular Xbox.

GearsOfWar4531d ago

It's not about whether you get that stuff for free on the net.

Heck, I could download full games if I wanted to for free.

The point is, you're getting that stuff on a gaming console.

badjournalism4532d ago

This guy must be new to the world of subscriptions...month to month is *always* more expensive than quarterly/yearly subs.

Colonel_Dante4532d ago

"I love xbox live, but.." - the author.
Its a service, dont fall in love with it, when you trust it and are head over heels in love with it, thats when its gonna rip your heart out, kick you to the curb and say "lets be friends.."

brish4532d ago

Q. Is Microsoft trying to cheat people?
A. Yes

brish4532d ago

@disagrees

Microsoft is giving one month free so they can charge $120 a year for a $60 a year service. Please explain how that isn't ripping off customers!

drsnobby4532d ago

please show proof that MS harges $120 a yr

PirateThom4532d ago

Did you read the article drsnobby? It basically puts you on one month renewal after the free month. Which is 9.99 a month...

brish4532d ago (Edited 4532d ago )

"please show proof that MS harges $120 a yr"

$10 per month * 12 months = $120 a year.

Redgehammer4532d ago

Your account is set to renew to what ever your subscription is, IE family, yearly, monthly etc. If a person is not smart enough to realize they need to downgrade their membership, if they don't want to continue being billed, then maybe that person should not be in a decision making position.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4532d ago
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340°

Microsoft's quest for short-term $$$ is doing long-term damage to Windows, Surface, Xbox, and beyond

Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation, and it all revolves around Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood's plans to increase every department's margins.

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windowscentral.com
Brazz14h ago

"The plan to move Xbox games to other platforms is codenamed "Latitude" internally, and I know there's debate and unease at Microsoft about whether or not this is a good idea. More upcoming Microsoft-owned games slated for PlayStation are already being developed. At least for now, they're potentially obvious games you'd most likely expect. And yes, while it's true Microsoft is a prolific publisher on PlayStation already, it has typically revolved around specific franchises like Minecraft. From what I've heard, Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation, and it all revolves around Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood's mandate to increase every department's margins. "

Yeah, they are going to kill Xbox hardware.

Xeofate12h ago

"Yeah, they are going to kill Xbox hardware."

It's for the best.

Quit stringing along xbox fans and screwing over PlayStation owners.

crazyCoconuts7h ago

Take good care of those Xboxes if you have 'em ...

outsider16247h ago

An Xbox game on a Playstation. Never in my years of gaming did i ever thought this was gonna happen.

jznrpg3h ago

It is dying anyway so doesn’t make much of a difference

VersusDMC3h ago

No way can they get rid of the hardware as probably 90% of game pass subscribers are hardware users.

Highly doubtful those users will move to PC or Cloud to subscribe there and the competition (Sony and Nin) will never have gamepass on their system.

If they want to keep the current subscribers, they need to keep releasing new hardware.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3h ago
gold_drake14h ago

i think it will kill off the xbox brand. windows will be fine.

but there is and would be a chance that xbox might be killed off in the future. if they fail to make the money they put in. imo.

S2Killinit11h ago

They wont kill it, but they will go fully PC while keeping xbox as a brand, and go multiplatform for the most part. They will also work tirelessly to diminish console gaming’s importance.

PRIMORDUS8h ago

It would be best if Xbox goes the way of Sega, just make and publish games. I know I myself will not support them at all with buying games from them, you all can. 🙃

ChasterMies6h ago

The Xbox brand will live for the games. I don’t expect Microsoft to entirely drop out of gaming hardware. They make Surface tablets and laptops. They’ll make Xbox branded hardware for those that want it.

shadowT13h ago

"Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation"

Forza and Starfield next?

Skuletor12h ago

Starfield would be no surprise and there's the rumor that it will come to Playstation after the Shattered Space DLC, Forza (along with Halo and Gears of War) I find less likely but I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually end up on PlayStation too, especially if Xbox give up on hardware and go the Sega route.

shinoff218311h ago

Not to worried about forza. I'd rather see others like what inxile and obsidian are working on. Starfield sounds like it needs more time in the oven so let it cook first imo. If starfield and it's a small if does release on ps it'll be in the fall around the time for dlc or right at the dlc and come packaged with it.

-Foxtrot12h ago

In the words of Phil Spencer when he was talking about Nintendo last year

“It's just taking a long time for Microsoft to see that their future exists off of their own hardware"

S2Killinit11h ago

Yup. MS are a cancer to console gaming.

Aloymetal10h ago

100%!!
I wonder what happened to that dude that was always here posting those court articles with cartoons about MS spending all those billions in studios. He suddenly disappeared, I guess he doesn't like bad news when the green brand is in trouble. No new articles from him as of late...

PRIMORDUS8h ago

Yup, and it's only going to keep spreading.

Outside_ofthe_Box8h ago

Phil Spencer's words always comes back to bite him lol

12h agoReplies(7)
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130°

Microsoft's Absurd Antics Have Me Scared For Dishonored And Arkane Lyon's Future

With Arkane Austin no more and Lyon living for who knows how long, the superb Dishonored is in serious danger; Microsoft cannot be trusted.

Relientk772d ago

I love the Dishonored series so much and really want Dishonored 3. Microsoft better not screw this up.

JEECE2d ago

I mean, I think the fans will probably kill Arkane Lyon by cooking up reasons to hate whatever they do next without playing it. I've never seen a game so artificially disliked as Deathloop.

thesoftware7302d ago

Lol, why don't we just say, we are worried about all studios owned by MS now. They will keep closing studios until they have none left ...🙄

Skuletor1d 22h ago

Just merge them all into a single studio, have it churn out a single Call of Duty every year and call it a day, lol.

Barlos1d 22h ago

Don't be scared, you'll be fine.

Skuletor1d 22h ago

It's exputer, fine is one word I would not associate with them.

Profchaos1d 21h ago

I think it's becoming clear based on matt bootys comments there's no future for any IP that can't sell above 10 million within the launch window. But is also a small game that gives them prestige

/S it's beyond a joke right now

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290°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

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spieltimes.com
Sonic18814d ago (Edited 4d ago )

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

sagapo4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xbox IS microsoft so there’s no “paying back “.
And MS gross profit in 2023 was over 140 billion dollars so forget your 2 decades.

Unless you mean the money MS invested in Xbox (acquisitions included) and the time it will take for xbox as a brand to gain that money back on it’s own, then yeah, that could take a while.

romulus233d ago

The better term to use might be return on investment, xbox is simply a division of Microsoft one that MS can easily do away with if profit margins are not met. So in that regard he's right, if xbox isn't showing the expected return on investment the higher ups are expecting than it's unlikely Microsoft will acquire any other studios any time soon, especially if they are spending billions buying developers just to shut them down in the end.

MrBaskerville3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Xbox is a division that they discussed shutting down but doubled down on after Gamepass was pitched.

It needs to make money at some point. Big money.

rokos3d ago

According to Statista the net income of Microsoft is about $72.4 billion dollars which is a bit lower than last year profit. That is almost as much as Activision's acquisition but I assume that would be a one off since it costs so much plus I see how their focus has been shifted to AI, thus any major future investments will probably be in that area.

Markusb333d ago

i think you are really missing the point

VariantAEC3d ago

@romulus23
That is not why MS buys studios. They might continue to buy because it's about taking that sweet sweet IP out of the corporate husks of their acquisitions.

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SonyStyled4d ago

“There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future”

No bro, there do be is for Microsoft not acquiring for what is now if not what it be is 😂

3d ago Replies(2)
ChasterMies3d ago

Xbox isn’t a separate company from Microsoft. It’s all Microsoft.

Abear213d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Let’s be real, this is the media spinning all the acquisitions and liquidations of said developers and spinning it to make M$ the villain.

This was bound to happen, a bigger slice of pie and cut costs, when the games come they stand to make more and that’s their agenda—it was the writing on the wall when the sales went through and legally all those who approved the sale and mergers knew this would happen.

Snowflakes need to realize business is ugly and you can cry all you want but this is how capitalism works. And it works.

That said, M$ needs to steer the narrative and grab hold of all this, make their plans known, hype the hell out of all those dead IP’s they plan to revive, and be honest about the timeline. This is likely to involve mobile and IP on other consoles, and most people realize that.

The problem is this company is incapable of being transparent and seems to often want to dissuade and confuse is customer base. The lack of E3 has hurt Microsoft and I don’t think they know how to properly or effectively market their brand anymore.

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jwillj2k44d ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

-Foxtrot4d ago

Maybe it's time though to put a stop to it and use a big giant like Microsoft as a huge example to the rest of these big companies.

There has to be a line drawn somewhere.

People like the FTC and the like went against Microsoft yet their Actvision deal was still allowed to go through yet look what's happened...it's not even Acitivisions studios aswell, it's Bethesdas.

VariantAEC3d ago

Years?

Try several decades, and in the gaming space 2.3 decades.

Jon615863d ago

You do realize this happens in ALL industries? Or are you just saying this because it is Microsoft? In any case I feel for those that are being let go but the trch industry is suffering right now.

jwillj2k43d ago (Edited 3d ago )

This absolutely does NOT happen all the time. Let me know the last time 1 company with a terrible product track record spent 100 billion onto acquire MULTIPLE successful companies in under a year only to shut them down and stop making their products regardless of how successful they were. Not merge them, completely shut them down.

And you can’t use Microsoft in your example.

Notellin3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Class action lawsuit? The law is on their side and protects them at all costs. There are no rules to protect the people at the bottom.

jwillj2k43d ago

Not true when it comes to mass layoff do your research.

RNTody4d ago

Ninja Theory, Perfect Dark, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Wolfenstein 3, Dishonored, Prey, Doom, Quake... something tells me that bad things are going to happen to these entities under Microsoft.

MrDead3d ago

ID software, the makers of Doom and Wolfenstein that have been with us since 1991 could be gone and MS will keep the IPs.

I hope some of these studios can buy their freedom from MS otherwise this is going to be even more devastating for the industry and gamers.

Yui_Suzumiya3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I've been a fan of id since Wolfenstein 3D and I'm honestly afraid.

lodossrage3d ago

Toys for Bob saw the writing on the wall and bought themselves out.

Wouldn't be the first time a company did that under MS either. Bungie and Twisted Pixel did the same. Considering what just happened, I can see some other devs trying to buy themselves out too.

anast4d ago

Good thing the bosses of all those small studios made their money.

glenn19794d ago

they cant do it right now they will get burned

XiNatsuDragnel3d ago

Phil and his team need to be gone

lodossrage3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Won't make a difference.

The whole structure needs to be overhauled. Anyone that replaces Phil will be no different than him, Mattrick, or anyone else.

Until the company changes how they go about business, nothing will change

glenn19793d ago

I just don't have any idea what they would do , they have done sooo much damage on their xbox brand, they have a show at July or June I think, but will it even matter even they show amazing games, idkn

lodossrage3d ago

True,

But they may as well get it over with. Whether it happens now or later, the burning is going to hit the same.

Reality is the ONE move that can alleviate a lot of this is the one move they can't make. Remove day 1 from gamepass.

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