It's 18 cents a day guys

Murderdolls

all the XBLA titles should be free online since they're 'casual' games

w00dm4n

Poor MS haha.. there wouldn't be this huge anti-subscription discussion if they hadn't fucked up with this accidental, limited free Live.

Personally I don't mind paying for Live (if you know where to buy your cards, $45 for a year ain't bad) but it'd be an absolute pain for Microsoft to make the service free even if they wanted to. If they did it instantaneously, what would they do for people on subscriptions? They couldn't just stop selling cards for a while since then XBL would have a shortage of players. They couldn't just announce a date and sell smaller cards because then no one would buy them.. if they really wanted to do it, it would have to be done at the same time they launch a successor to the Xbox 360.

Passa

Personally, I'd just be glad for free XBLA Multiplayer. That's all I really ask for.

Byakko

Hook and reel.

sir_carrot

Gosh... i don't think i have any of those games... T_T

Ultrasinc

@Gutzman: I understand your mentality, and I agree that there are a lot of whiny people out there, but in this situation I disagree. I think the circumstances are nearly identical. I'm not talking about PC, but about PS3. PSN is free, there's no difference between anyone's account. Why does the 360 have to be different?

Complaining keeps companies from being even stingier with their services.

wicko

With the crappy Internet connection speeds in my apartment, paying for Live would be as good as having it for free.

ChiChi_BBQ

I don't give a fuck, until July 2009, when my current subscription runs out.

karmaghost

I pay for Xbox Live Gold, but I can see why other people don't. Coming from the PC world, where the servers are plentiful and free (and contrary to Glasseater just as good if not better than the Xbox Live servers), many would agree that the principle of pay-to-play is at issue more than the cost.

While $4 isn't that much to me every month, I seldom go on-line except to play Rock Band. That's the biggest problem I have with it. I pay just as much as the Halo nut who spends 40 hours a week on the thing, even though I'm only getting a couple hours out of it each month. And it's not like the Gold subscription manifests itself in other meaningful ways. The delayed demo releases are as arbitrary as Halo 2 requiring Vista and the download servers are still sluggish on busy days and won't fetch more than one file at a time (which is great when you've got a 500 MB demo processing and some tiny 2 MB thing after it).

Kyouryuu

Are they only taking of the restriction for cross platform games PC/360 or for 360/360 also.

Dayhalk

We live in a world of whiners. Why do they think it's always "Your way, every day" ? I have noticed that they complain when they wait in line, when they don't get to play, when they lose, when someone else is having fun, when they can't get what they want, when you won't tell them the answer, when they're called whiners, etc.

I am curious why whiners are tolerated, and if the online whiners do so in real life. Complaining rightfully so is one thing, but whining about not getting to do whatever you want for free because someone else gets to under totally different circumstances... for that whiners should be turned into Soylent Green - or possibly forced to eat it. :)

Gutzman

@TheIrishNinja: Dude, PC! :P STEAM!!!

Aex

@DespisedMC:

Demo access early and probably some other extras, I'd imagine. As for three months, what's that, $15 or so? It's not worth the rage.

I'm a Gold member and pretty much stick to private games aside from the odd night of Halo 3. The $50 a year doesn't bother me at all, but if private games were made free, I might look to save a few bucks and drop down to Silver.

GorbyGipper

@wicko: Morrowind was 2x the size of Oblivion.

Just most of that space was empty and sucked.

With no fastravel abilities.

Arsenicberyllium

@bbaydar:

Interesting Theory

Tietsu

gold memebers like me should get something extra...and if they did make online free for all time I would be pissed since I just bough a 3 month

DespisedMC

@bbaydar: - "In other words, someone screwed up when they changed the Windows code and until they get it fixed, silver gets free play."

That's exactly what I was thinking.

dead_red_eyes

P2P... it should've been free from the beginning.

HaydenTenno

I play multiplayer games on my PC all the time for free and the quality's great. TF2 has never given me problems. Sure, somebody else is paying for those servers, but I'm not. I just jump from game to game having a good time.

Listen, to those of you who say "Stop whining it's $4 a month", how about this: "Why pay for something that you can get for free?" Let's say that on the first of every month, as you commute to work, a tollbooth appears and charges you $4. Just $4 right? I suppose you wouldn't mind. How about your weekly walk in a public park? That'll be just $1 please. And let's say, just for waking up on Saturdays, somebody charges you $1. No big deal right?

Are you getting the picture? Nobody likes to pay for stupid crap that they do all the time for free.

mistersneak

@Krondonian: Nice, I don't play morrowind but I've played Oblivion and I'd guess the size is similar.. so thats a pretty big mod. I've played a couple "update" mods, like System Shock 2 had a texture pack and model pack. I'll definitely check out that site.

wicko

@wicko: For great free indie games this article [www.gamesradar.com] is a must read.

As for mods, I recently downloaded Tamriel Rebuilt for Morrowind, where the modders have basically added a new landmass the size of the original.

Almost all of my old PC games can be updated with texture packs, enhancements, multi-player and completely new campaigns.

If you've got the cash for the PC in the first place, you can get a hell of a lot of gaming for your money.

Just adding to your point here.

Krondonian

@Scott3D:

Good one...er wait, no it wasn't.

SeedyROM

@Glasseater: They're free for the public to use anyway. And when your clan is willing to chip in, doesn't cost too much. And, its under your control.

And, you should take back "what is free, sucks". That's not true at all. Ever play mods? There are mods out there that rival the games they're built upon. Go check some out, like Portal: The Flash Version MapPack for Portal, Classic Doom for Doom 3, Minerva for HL2 (also, not out yet but check Black Mesa Source). Also, shitloads of great flash games like Desktop Tower Defense and such. Look around a bit, theres plenty of good free stuff.

wicko

@Glasseater: Not sure whether that was sarcasm...but if not...

Every PC gamer expects free online play. In that, to play a game you can get on a server from the company/user servers.

I play a lot of Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, but not enough to warrant paying for the right. I would, but my sessions are too sporadic for make a subscription worth it. That's why I'd like Live free.

Krondonian

Quit saying its no big deal. PSN is free and if you're talking just about online play which is all I care about I could care less about movies or NETFLIX, then you're paying for what's free on Playstation3. There's no visual difference between online play on either, so why pay?

Lil'Zay

@diablofreak: Dismal reception? More like, dismal implementation... You'd have to be pretty slow in the head to pay for Live for Windows. The only thing I'm aware of that's even worth considering a bonus is the Gears PC "ranked matches", cross platform play is a big "who cares". Which is, meh, whatever. Works for console, not for PC.

wicko

damn, I didnt know it was temporary. That sucks, heres to wishful thinking

topbravo222

@lwelyk:
lol free pc servers? where? last time i checked, renting a good FPS server is about 50$ and up, depending on slots. nothing is free in the gaming world, and what is free sucks.

Glasseater

@jello44: Because you get better servers on PCs for FREE, and you get almost as good for FREE on the PS3.

lwelyk

@diablofreak: yeah that's what i was thinking.

'unannounced promotion' is an oxymoron. this has the ring of 'oh shit, why didn't we see that happening? now when is our next firmware update?'

mister_shhh

@Grumpz®:

I make 4 bucks for 15 minutes of "work".

It's funny when people complain about the price of XBL, like you're paying 50-60 bucks to play one game, when it's the entire library of Xbox games. And considering a lot of people actually pay 15 bucks a month to play ONE game, 4 bucks for what, 250+ games is a steal.

jello44

@Grumpz®: You too? Lol. Although I get Full Throttle.

XBL Gold isn't THAT expensive. It's seven bucks for a single month, a twenty dollar three month subscription that puts the cost around six a month, or a sixty dollar one-year subscription that nails the monthly fee at five bucks a month. Seriously, I don't see why people make a big deal about it.

AcidCrownie

@Grumpz®: lol whatever you say. At the end of the year you spend $50 to play online and I use that $50 to buy another game.

Scott3D

So limited time and limited titles? You're doing it wrong MS!

FP_slomo788

@kagai:

I don't know about everyone complaining. I get that voice from people who use Xbox Live an awful lot when I tell them I don't pay for gold.

It's not that I don't have money. But I damn sure am not going to pay for it unless i'm going to use it. And the rare times that I do feel like playing a console game online, it's very rarely any of the games on the Xbox that actually have people playing them.

And I don't know about "the best multiplayer servers around"... I've heard of better. Last time I tried Live was when I first made my account. I was disconnected multiple times trying to play Burnout. It's not the best.. Maybe good. Maybe even quality. But best is pushing it.

Dennen

Are we people really complaining about paying $4 a month for the best multiplayer servers around...really?

kagai

It's $4 a month people, that's basically free anyway. I spend that much on mountain dew and monster every day.

Grumpz®

So this makes MS just learning disabled and not mentally retarded? They'll eventually get it, but just at a slower pace then the rest of their class.

Oh, and I only own a 360 so don't call me a hater. Thanks.

fatheadwilson

Why can't they just say they made a mistake and make online play free for all? And I already tried Gears it sent my ass to the membership page. It feels so good to play a game online without any hidden fees. Only on Playstation 3.

Lil'Zay

Might actually get an Xbox now, if I have money.

ggodo

idk what free weekend they were talking about. It wasnt a free weekend in Canada. Make XBL free you greedy bastards

Scott3D

this is most likely just a bug due to the GFW (Games for Windows) Live going totally free (due to its dismal reception)

and those eligible for GFWLive and XBLive cross platform play will all be eligible to XBL Silver users.

They're saying the next fall update will fix this.

Link here
[www.shacknews.com]

diablofreak

Oh I better hurry up and play online for free ... wait a minut, I have a PS3. Hurry up MS owners, have a piece of the good life.

believable_liar

@Arsenicberyllium: Wikipedia begs to differ.

Gears, Halo 2, Juiced 2, Kane and Lynch, Shadowrun, Universe at War.

Coming up...Battlestations Pacific, Fallout 3, Lost Planet Colonies, The Club, The Crossing.

Not sure about the last two, but the rest are all on 360 and Windows.

Krondonian

how come when I try to play xbox live online it says "Uh-uh 50 dollars." then sends my ass back to the dash.

Lil'Zay

Wow that's very generous.. If you add up all the subscription fees they're potentially missing out on, they could be losing literally DOZENS of dollars!

MeanMF

This is cool, even though there are about only three cross platform games that I know of. Shadowrun, Lost Planet, and Universe at War.

Quicksilver4648

Here's a good idea:

Scrap Gold and Silver, just make Live free. I''m sure they make more than enough money on store content alone.

Amazon_Chris

@LSSJ: Do you have a list or details about this? I haven't heard anything about a limited game list, but it sounds just dickish enough to be true.

Chef

and for a short time, XBL was plunged further into hell...

robotleawesome

limited time, very limited games;
I wish they would just let people play like other services do.. =(

QC8472

Lame...
Three games in the entire Xbox library get free online play for a week.
This is not a special deal. This is not a great offer. This is crap. Especially when you consider most people who bought Shadowrun already had a gold subscription, considering it's all about the online play. I'm not even sure it has a single-player mode.

@Scrapple: Shadowrun.
Halo 2.

List over.

Arsenicberyllium

we had weekends?

feartheraven

Well, I guess this'll work as an extended Free Weekend. I don't think anyone can possibly complain about free online though, not even Gold Users (because lets face it, how many cross platform games are there?).

Krondonian

@LittleBigPlaneteer: exactly. so uh, no real victory here.

to be honest, i dont use my gold membership much anyway; if it wasnt for Left 4 Dead coming up id prolly just let it lapse.

TheIrishNinja

It's still only for a limited time according to Microsoft.

LittleBigPlaneteer

@bbaydar:

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that.

Pikadrew

not enough

dadeisvenm

I mean, it's a start. How many games are actually cross-platform, though? This is more of a glitch then a step forward.

InsidiousTuna

I dont get it..
what games? list please

Scrapple

In other words, they screwed up and don't really feel like fixing it, so SURPRISE PROMOTION!

Moonshadow101

But for how long.....

sereal

What do you mean? They had free weekends before.

Rendon

Too bad it's limited to games that most of the public does not play.

LSSJ

Hey, excellent.

InsidiousTuna

In other words, someone screwed up when they changed the Windows code and until they get it fixed, silver gets free play.

bbaydar

About damn time...

topbravo222

@Arsenicberyllium: Actually it would just be Lost Planet Colonies, Shadowrun and Universe at War.

Winterbringer

I'm getting seriously pissed with the stupidity, they have the biggest cash surplus as a whole, microsoft just as a whole not a game division. They should offer free play I am a gold member but won't renew come november becuase I've decided to stick with PC games because I know what I am getting with PC games and not that trash called games for windows.
MS are losing because they are playing a different game and losing the statistics show

SteveeVader

Oh, so only limited. Fuck that then. I'm not buying a 360.

Xandros

The ONLY way I am gonna start purchasing games I want to play online for the 360 is if they make it free like the PC and PS3.

Sh0dan

Honestly, I'd be fine giving the silver people full time access, as long as the gold users actually get ad-free dashboards and early game content.

Norellicus

@wicko:

You missed the poster child of mods.

Counterstrike.

sqlrob

@Glasseater: That's the biggest bunch of crap i've heard all day. The best stuff in life is free. Even with Gaming. There's Thousands of free games online. I don't just mean pirated stuff either. Freeware games are great fun and they don't cost a penny. Why the hell should Microsoft charge people to use their internet connection. Xbox Live does nothing better than Psn which is something people fail to realize. The only advantage Live has is with that revenue they secure a lot more arcade games. Sony does have pretty slim pickings on Psn but everything they have is quality same can't be said for Live arcade. So You keep enjoying spendig that $4 a month or so while i'll enjoy free online gaming on my mac and ps3.

Barf#1

@AcidCrownie:

49.99 + 7% sales tax / 13 months (1 free in each 12mo pack) = $4.11 a month. Thats not even including if you get a better deal on the year, which you can easily find for 40 or less online, with no tax. But the MSRP is 49.99, not 59.99 as others have suggested, if thats what they charge in your area - shop elsewhere, you are being ripped.

@Barf#1:

Thats nice, go back to your hole and enjoy your 12 Mac games, 4 of which anyone even plays online and the PS3 online is just as backwards when compared to Live. The cohesive experience alone is worth the price of admission, but you keep telling yourself that. I am sure those people buying the "Vii" feel they are getting a better bang per buck until they see the competition too. I will continue paying my fee as long as Microsoft delivers a reason for me to do so, and last I seen, with the reliability, server strength, download speeds, events, intuitive structuring, features regularly added and improved, etc. its def. worth it. Oh well, I guess that buying a single hamburger from your choice of restaraunt a month is more important than the quality of your online entertainment, we have different priorities. Over time it will become clear that Sony has to dish out of pocket for both the running of and maintenance of the PSN, as well as out of pocket for any additional features and such to the service. That is what limits it...

OrionnoirO

@Krondonian: Halo 2 and Gears don't have cross platform play.

Foggen

@OrionnoirO: Macs do run Windows.

@Norellicus: Interesting proposition.

@Scott3D: I do wish I could spend my $50 on a game instead of live.

I think that if online play were free, people would spend $50 on a game or on some XBL store content, and while MS would not directly generate $50, people would be more willing to spend money on XBL overall.

tmanflys

@jello44: no matter how you spin the numbers, or how fast you can make the money to pay for it, we're still talking free vs not free. Infinite % price advantage.

I'm getting kind of tired of paying for Xbox Live. I don't use it as much as I used to.

Crawl to China

The only reason I resent paying mine is I can't remember the last time I bothered playing online.

TearsandScreams

Thank you @Crawl to China:

HATERFUEL

@mistersneak: OMG Thank you for speaking my exact ideas and putting them into words for these blind fanboys. I am a 360 owner that refuses to renew my gold subscription for those exact same reasons you listed. I have created countless threads on this subject only for people to continue the "if you cant afford it then why do you have a 360" arguement. This is the reason why i hope SONY'S HOME sevice is a runaway succsess. That way MS will be forced to make it's service free.

HATERFUEL

need to check this out then

JPM979

A darn, I just bought and activated a 12 month Xbox Live code...
Came with this up earlier Microsoft =(

LDawg