King of Kong is available on Netflix watch now. :)

Rectangle

@Headlam:

Well I do like the netflix part of watching the same movie up to a group of 8 participants. Movie night remote is fun on a week day working the next morning type stuff.

JakeDunn

@Goron2000:

You have movies?

There are zero movies in the Dutch marketplace outside of the promotional stuff and I think Robbie Williams.

Didn't they say LAST E3 that there would be an European video marketplace? Didn't they also say European is an important not forgotten market?

On the other hand, the Dutch PSN store is even more crickets. Pales in comparison to what offered on the 360.

JakeDunn

@ahmeng: You still need to pay for the Netflix subscription, it's not that good a deal...

I can only hope the quality will be at least comparable to the old DivX Stage6 site, which was pretty good (capable of up to 1080p, but almost always nearer 720p).

Headlam

@DelSource:

At least the 360 has games worth playing to go with the movies.

Cattac

I think streaming low quality movie sucks to watch over big screen HDTV, dunno though but people do watch youtube quality video episodes. It is good for US gold members as to justify the pay for online. Sucks to be elsewhere though. M$ really takes care of their core customers. Good deal!!

ahmeng

UK news please.

RetroBob

Seriously, where is Microsoft's European video marketplace? I like the idea of this service but have almost zero faith that it'll ever happen in Europe..

RagingAvatar

@kadaj24: Not rumored, I guess, dunno how I missed these:
[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]

everybest

Don't X-Boxers' #1 attack on PS3 go something like "it is a games machine, who cares about movies"?

DelSource

I am so glad I gave up cable a year ago. All I want now is IPTV.

Gunloc

Why do I get the feeling "at no additional cost" is a slick way of not mentioning currency, and instead meaning Micro$oft Points...

Kuro

@kadaj24: Hopefully Sony will have an answer to this, as was rumored a while back. Maybe they'll do like a subscription type thing through PSN, and Sony owns a bunch of movie studios so they've got a nice start already :)

everybest

Come on please bring this to Europe, we get absolutely nothing.

Winterbringer

This is a nice feature to the 360 even though, I live in the UK and Netflix.. don't.

JonnyH

Of course, since Netflix is not available outside the US, this deal means little to us non-USians... I was hoping they'd do this kind of deal with Amazon instead, but I never really expected it.

Headlam

Being a PS3 only owner, I wish this was coming to PS3 since I have netflix, but I'm not too disappointed because Netflix's "Watch Instantly" selection is horrible. The TV shows are okay though. It'll get better eventually however.

kadaj24

any news on EU release ms really screwed us on video's and tv. we currently have 120+ movies and no tv shows at all :(

Goron2000

Netflix has added quite a bit to their on demand viewing over the last six months. When you're bored and don't know what to do, sometimes a cheezy B movie is just what you need.

Tyrannical

I'm wondering if it's going to be the terrible "Watch Now!" selection or the full rental selection.

90% of the movies that are in my queue aren't available to watch instantly.

The Jerk

Sadly, this couldn't come even more, too late. Although its a great concept, it sounds like their will not be streaming HD content. They are essentially offering an innovative new service with stone-age quality video/sound. I may check this out but lack of HD really makes this service seem primitive. Anyone else feel the same way?

PrivateJ0ker

@Kuro: The no additional cost is for real if your Netflix account is $8.99 or month a month.

RobotVampire

This is a superb step forward. Many people have said for ages that the HD format battle was a waste of time because downloads are the way forward. I know this is probably not even quite DVD quality but it's the start I've been waiting for. I've got a PS3 for blu ray but the idea of having tens of thousands of videos available instantly is mouth-watering.

Now, just need to wait 5 years for the UK to get this and for BT to roll out their fibre optic network =(

IronsUK

The video qualtiy on this thing can't be any good. below dvd at best. When you stream video off your pc to your tv is not that great as it is, what more over an internet connection. I don't care who puts it out, wheter it's ms or sony, I wouldn't PAY for anything less than hidef.

karateka

@RetroBob: It's Microsoft and the 360, you aren't getting any news for the UK.

Lachoy

I wonder how long it will take for this to come out in Australia... Haha no dont worry about it, I'm sure we'll all be dead long before that happens.

DaftDethMonkey

I'm not sure where the comments regarding it being 'free' are coming from. You can think this is a great service if you'd like, but from what I understand you have to be an existing Netflix subscriber...haven't heard anything about having to be Gold on Live, so I'll assume Silver works, but the fact remains you're paying Netflix, and I'm further assuming that by providing this new path to customers, MS is receiving some form of 'cut'. It's kind of like saying online play is 'free' with a Gold membership.

phloog

plz correct me if i am wrong but movies especially HD require alot of space.

The prize of the 120GB xbox harddisk($180) is equal to the price of a 500 GB PS3 compatible harddisk.

and especially with the new option to run games off the harddisk space will be a major issue

frak-frakistan

@Rectangle:
It was on G4 last night too!

krisb

@karateka: Well why don't you cry about it then? This is a FREE feature offered by Netflix/MS. You neither have to pay for it OR use it if you don't like the video quality. So what if it's below DVD quality? I'd much rather watch low res video on my TV than on my 12 inch laptop screen. Also, the video quality isn't ever going to get worse, only better. So take it for what it is. Or don't.

PollockRoc

@PrivateJ0ker:
Netflix is rolling out HD streaming soon.
Just not immediately, go to their web site and read the blurb.

krisb

@Goron2000:
Does Netflix even deal in the UK?
I've just moved to the states in the past couple of years and I'd never seen it till I moved here so figured that it didn't exist as a service in Britain.
If not, then no. It won't be available.

krisb

@IronsUK: I still say there will always be physical media and if you think downloads are the future when Rogers has made it stand that there be a 60GB and 95GB bandwidth cap, it just won't work. 60GB is 20 movies downloaded, add on to the fact that you need to use your internet too and that becomes much less. It's going to be difficult to set that up. Even at 2MBS people who want a movie "now" are going to have to wait.

It would be nice if they had this for Canadians too, but this a great feature for the Xbox 360.

kylo4

@FlimFlaminus: Exactly, you already paid for your internet service why should you pay again to be able to play online game. That is got to be one of the biggest crime MS is committing against their users but many are blinded and accept it as being normal fees. It just doesn't make sense if your a computer user, that'w why I made up my mind a long time ago to go with PS3. I think Sony will partner with netflix as well...if not now sometime later, but I don't know if I'd be intrested anyway. I think ISP here in the states are moving towards putting a cap on dowloads as well. I hope it doesn't go through of course, but you never know. The days of bittorrent might be over soon unless we protest now. The day when higher speed is the norm and HD can be stream, that's when it will be worth it, but not right now. I just found out that att uverse is available in my area. This might not be enough even, but at least we have more choices and Comcast will have to improve or lower price to compete. I think I might be switching over...have to compare prices first.

karateka

As a couple people have mentioned, there is already a box that does this exact same thing; the Roku costs about $100. This sounds like the exact same library as the Roku. The 10,000 titles seems like a lot, but it is only around 10% of the Netflix library, and mostly older movies at that. I'm sure they are adding movies all the time and will add HD, so its getting better. This is a good addition to the 360's capabilities, but certainly not a sole reason to buy it.

PhaserBait

@theespacepope: I almost bought the Netflix box too. Good thing I didn't, or I'd be furious right now...

But as it is, I'm excited. I love shitty z-grade horror flicks, and Watch Now has those out the wazoo. And I won't have to sit at my computer to watch them anymore. :D

ShaggE

Yeah this is US Only anyhow, so who cares? Meh.

Rajio

What about the UK? Or Europe as a whole? Or Japan?

Just shows how insanely US-centric Microsoft are with X360.

Hahahah, my cats asleep on the Saturn. Idiot.

midobustingloose

at least, they are starting to justify the reason to have gold subscription

mcool93

Well I also suppose that here in EU zone we will not get anything similiar in the near future... Anyway, a great new feature for US Gold subscribers. Having a huge movie library added without any additional cost is really awesome!

Starsky

Everyone can thank me now. This deal only went down because I bought the Roku Netflix box a month ago, which sits next to my 360. You're welcome.

theespacepope

@ahmeng: i've seen the quality of these streamed movies and they're actually pretty good. they are "not quite" high def. but close. obviously the better your download speed, the better the streamed quality.

James, just James

Who would still use the Video Marketplace??
They'll have to cut prices by like half or something.

XbhaskarX

I thought this was great when I first read about it. But then I saw the fine print - Gold Members only. I think it's very LAME that MS is again shafting their silver members. I can only hope that the Sony Implements a partnership with Netflix in the future for this service for free. That is free from Sony not Netflix.

I know I am in the minority, but I absolutely hate XBL and the fees that associate with it. Because I come from a PC gaming background, I didn't appreciate having to pay to play essentially. All MS is doing now is to try to vaidate their gold membership just like they have done by witholding demo downloads for silver members. When on the PC Live, you don't even get the choice to play with friends or your choice of servers. Something that PC gamers have had since day one of internet gaming.

No, I'll continue to use my Roku Box or set up the media exxtender plugin which is FREE and anyone with an XBOX360.

FlimFlaminus

@karateka:

You obviously haven't done your streaming right then. Encode a movie in H.264 at its native progressive dvd resolution, and stream it via TVersity's media server to your 360 and watch it. No noticeable difference between that and the DVD (mainly because TVersity doesn't have to reencode H.264 movies since the 360 can play them natively).

spinal77

It's not the amount, it's the principle. When you accept thing without question, it becomes the norm. Just like the way you have come to accept higher prices.

karateka

Already have the pre-reqs down from both companies. I can already do this through the media center extender and the netflix plugins out there, but it's very shoddy at best. I'll love to have the process streamlined come Chirstmas.

Pornosaur

I feel incredibly sorry for Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. This just puts them one step further into their graves.

chaos242

@karateka:

Its $4.16 a month.

Where I live, a gallon of gas costs more, a value meal at a fast food restaurant costs more, a gallon of milk is over $3, do i need to go on?

Its a very tiny amount to pay every month, IMO, to get much better offerings than they ever put out on PSN.

Really, if you can't afford that, you shouldn't have the money to afford to play games in the first place.

spinal77

Wow people still bitch about paying for xbox live? Its the same damn price it was years ago on the original xbox. If you can't afford 5 buck a month for superior service, just sell your 360 and go back to playing ps2. Idiots.

sniper13x

Luke is clearly not familar with the Netflix instant collection. This isn't a huge announcement. It only sounds so on paper because of the Netflix name. The selection is not what I'd call "popular". I personally love it, but I know most do not.

LittleBigPlaneteer

Well, personally, I'm thrilled. Netflix's streaming service will only get better with time. I use the netflix streaming oon my computer, but it'll be great to be able to watch it on the tv as well.

@DelSource: Yes, people attacked Sony for making a movie watching console. But that was because the emphasis at the time was on showcasing the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, and not as a games console.

@theespacepope: I get that, early adopters almost always take it in the crotch. So thank you!

Islandkiwi

This has no impact on the 360 platform outside of the US.... pretty poor announcement really as they could do with sorting out the current content issues they have first....

Duoae

If Sony doesn't have their own all-you-can-rent for a single fee service, like netflix, then I'll cry.

And stick to watching basic programming and the awesome movies on Telemundo. (Time Cop!!!)

Kanik

Wait a second, people have been doing this since forever.

[lifehacker.com]

NeoStarr

@LittleBigPlaneteer: So why do people have to buy an Xbox Live subscription for this? That seems retarded. Get a PC with TV-out instead. Does Netflix support LINUX clients?

jsf49

lol @ all the silly PS3 fanboys

S3RV0

This, for me, is fricken huge. Being a movie fantatic, a 360 owner and current netflix subscriber, this is gigantic. This pretty much means I will NEVER own a PS3. This is the convergence I've been waiting for.

I'm only disappointed that it doesn't include entire library (hire more digitizers!)

chaos242: Hollywood video and Blockbuster are the spawn of Satan, the closer they get to their grave to closer they get to what they deserve

To the poster that hopes this won't cost Microsoft Points, I sure hope it doesn't because if it does there's a good chance I'll sell my 360 and say Fuck You to MS. I don't mind paying 5 bucks a month for a service I use a lot and enjoy but I'm also getting sick of the nickle & diming that is rampant on Xbox Live. If I pay for XBL and I pay for Netflix, I BETTER damn well not have to pay to download Netflix on XBL.

Josh Gordon
Mania.Com
Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and Beyond

Pink Tiger Jet

@jsf49:

It's the exact same service. But now people get to watch it on their tv which is a nice addition. It's just not a huge announcement because of the selection.

Let's just face it, when the fisst movie they're showing in the list is "All Dogs Go to Heaven" the selection can't be that amazing.

LittleBigPlaneteer

See. Look.

"You can also watch over 10,000 movies and TV episodes instantly on your PC from a separate, smaller library of choices."

[www.netflix.com]

If you have a PC, you can already do this with Netflix. Sounds like the same service.

jsf49

@DelSource: Stop making strawmen.

The Wreckard

Netflix doesn't operate in the UK, but LoveFilm has a very similar streaming service. No reason Microsoft couldn't do a deal with them, but Europe just isn't a priority for them (understandably, given that the UK is the only country where the 360 outsells the PS3). We aren't going to see anything this side of the pond for a long time, if ever.

cdammers

@theone124:

There's nothing wrong with my sound or video quality here when using the service. It's DVD quality, and the sound is just fine. Maybe it's on your side....

LittleBigPlaneteer

This is not nearly as big of a deal as Kotaku is making it out to be because of the reason so many people have brought up already - Netflix doesn't exist outside of the US meaning this will never see the light of day outside North America. Which means it's never going be a massive system seller for them.

edgefusion

@theone124: your connection sucks then. its dvd quality for me. the quality is adjusted for your connection speed.

uberlad

@sniper13x: i think the point is that you shouldn't have to pay for xbox live. you just plunked down and invested a nice chunk of change to own the console... and now they're milking you even more.

uberlad

I'm not a Netflix subscriber, but didn't Netflix use to advertise this all the time as a laptop service? Seems like it might be the same thing, except using a console instead of a computer?

jsf49

Pssst. Sony PS3 users. Psst. This thread is FULL of 360Fanboys. Don't stir them up with logical comments on your platform. It's like...trolling for trouble!

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Has anyone used this streaming feature that Netflix offers via the PC? The sound and video quality is terrible. Hopefully they build a new model for the 360 deal, but I honestly doubt it.

theone124

You Europeans can go cry in your milk. Do you think MS DOESN'T want to sell you stuff?? Blame most of it on your countries' stupid copyright laws and the rest on the movie studios.

MS and Sony are the retailers here (like Target) and they would LOVE to sell you more videos.

hoos30

@karateka:

Seconded. The more sheep that blindly follow Microsoft in paying for simple things that should be free, the more they feel entitled to make the consumer pay ridiculous prices. If this service was free, I would highly consider re-buying a 360, since many of the defects seem to have been taken care of (RRoD and such). But now? Probably not.

For people who already own GOLD, this is a great deal. For someone like me, who only dabbles in online gaming, and really prefers the single player experience (or having friends over for multiplayer), paying $50 a year just isn't worth it. That's basically the cost of a new game. Sony's service isn't perfect, but since I don't pay a dime for it, I am okay with that.

PulpZero

Need Gold? I'm out.

adamonfire

So gonna get Netflix now because of this! This is Awesome!

wtf007

Ok Im sorry for the the confusion but im looking at so many different posts and facts. If you only have Gold for xbl do you need a netflix subscription or do you you need both? If I only have a Gold subscription, will this work for me? There was alot of and/or in there...

DarkHavoc99

@Pink Tiger Jet:

If this is the convergence you've been waiting for, and the reason you'll NEVER buy a PS3 then you are one sad creature. You must absolutely be in love with Netflix's instant collection. This is hardly a big deal with their lack of mainstream movies. There's a few here and there, but not enough to be anyhting groundbreaking. Plus people have been able to do this for a while now.

LittleBigPlaneteer

What's funny is that some of the people I know who subscribe to Netflix do it because Netflix rents Blu-rays at no additional cost. I hear the wait is very long though.

jsf49

Damn, alot of PS3 trolls are just coming out of the woodwork. Well, at least your posting history is consistent. If you're a PS3 owner then go play by yourself and don't concern yourself with this pretty great announcement. If you're not happy with your console then ask your parents to wait in line for a Wii next time to show how much they really love you.

For the rest of us 360 owners, this and and the other announcements are pretty great because it means that Microsoft is continuuing to support and roll out actual features and is committed to getting great games on our console.

You know, Microsoft's morality isn't the greatest but guess what? Neither is any other corporation that has to answer to shareholders. You see, in the real world and not the world your parents lie to you about, corporations have to make profits and grow their business and are not concerned about your welfare. Yes, you will see companies use the "community welfare" line but that's all for PR to raise branding in the eyes of consumers and to not raise the ire of the public. Sony doesn't care about you (rootkits, exploiding batteries, DRE's), Nintendo doesn't care about you, Apple doesn't care about you and now people are beginning to realise that Google and Yahoo don't care about you. Come on, you're not 12 anymore. Remember, corporations are amoral.

Pecunia non olet

Tepoz

Why is this such big news,i think some people are confused or just ignorant due to the news being just announced.First a gold membership alone is not gonna get you access to unlimited movies,you need a netflix account AND a gold membership.Secondly theres no HD...NO HD,and there likely isn't ever going to be due to the fact that M$ is not about to give up the revenue those HD movies bring in,They earned the moniker M$ by nickle and diming us for every little tiny insignifacant thing they can come with.

They charge us for themes that publishers intend to give away for free to buld momentum pre release,like they're gonna let us snag HD films for a small fee to netflix.

xIvSlowDeath420

I imagine that the movies will be streaming and DL'd to a cache on the HDD. For pure convenience sake of an "on-demand" Netflix rather than waiting a couple of days for a disc to get in the mail... this is awesome. movie/audiophiles will complain about the audio and video compression required to stream it, but that's the price you'll pay to have this "right here, right now" service in it's infancy.

Dick.Blake

@jsf49: No, Netflix only supports Windows as it uses Windows DRM to encrypt the streaming video. That's why this is probably going to remain an Xbox exclusive. Last I checked, Windows media files weren't supported by the PS3 without using 3rd Party applications to transcode. I'm sure a plugin will be created to link your existing Netflix account, but as for an official partnership, I just don't see it happening.

pdj79

Has anyone used the Netflix streaming service before? There are about 10 movies on there worth watching, the rest is crap. Hopefully this will help Netflix get more studios on board, because right now it's gimmicky.

daschupa

This is great/meh news. Wow I was initially EXTREMELY excited that this was the NEXT BIG THING, when I realized that these were not going to be HD movies (in fact, less than DVD quality) then I got disappointed. Not a subscriber right now, but if they start adding HD movies then I will definitely check into it heavily.

For now, I'm glad that the old marketplace is still there. But its VERY FRUSTRATING that Sony Pictures movies will never be there. That's why Sony owning a movie studio is such a conflict of interest. It'd be like MS not letting their OS be used on Sony computers. Yet, here we are ...

DARTH_TIGRIS

@jsf49:

I basically have no wait for Blu-Ray. It might depend on the region of the country you live in, but I never have any problems getting movies quickly (DVD or Blue-Ray).

@DarkHavoc99:

You have to have both a GOLD subscription and a Netflix account. Great if you already have both, or have GOLD and are thinking about Netflix... not so much if you don't.

PulpZero

Ok, but how are they limiting or not limiting the number of movies/tv shows we watch per month? Is it the hours of digital viewing we have built into the Netflix subscriptions already? If so, that sucks.

Vabor

Going by all the negative comments by PS3 fanboys, it seems they are turning as green with envy as Master chiefs armour"

Malevolentburrito

"You will find very few if any servers setup by the game developer." - blah!

Tepoz

@PulpZero: Yeah they do :D

Tepoz

Well, the "free" thing has been misrepresented on the PC side for awhile. If you are part of a clan, even though it's not required, you pretty much know you should donate to keep your clan's game servers running. In today's PC gamging world, you have to play on "licensed" game servers for your stats to transfer from game session to game session. You can setup your own game server anytime you want, but any exerience points, performance stats or unlockables will not be carried over to licensed servers.

Clans are paying for the priviledge of hosting licensed servers so their clan can have control of who plays on their servers and for practicing for clan matches. PC gaming clans take this stuff seriously. You are at their mercy. Search through the list of licensed, authorized, or whatever the name is given for persistent stat servers. You will not very few if any servers setup by the game developer. Most times those servers are either packed 24/7 or noone plays on them because the map rotations are boring. About 99% of persistant stat servers are paid for and run by clans.

Now, I don't know one way or another if this system would work for consoles. Then again, neither would you.

Tepoz

Im a new Wii owner and have a netflix account. I tried to use the Watchnow feature on the opera browser, much to my chagrin, it did not work. That would have totally underminded this idea. Damn Wii, why can't you stream certain video files! Oh well, fortunately I have a 360 also.

zombiefrank82

@RuneX21:

The reason you can't find an online match for RR7 is not the PS3's fault, it's the fact that it's almost two years old, and a shitty game at that. No one plays it, therefore no online matches are to be found.

kidgenius

@Tepoz:

Pennies actually smell pretty bad :-p

PulpZero

@PulpZero:

I dont get why everyone says online gameplay is "supposed" to be free. It takes resources to code it, it takes resources to host the matches, it takes resources to retain stats, yet were "supposed" to get it for free? Sorry, while I love free things as much as the next, the world of economics doesnt work if people get things for free that cost something to produce. Its retarded to say we deserve these things for free or that they are supposed to be free based on precident alone. Rather, we should be saying that its nice that they are free on xxx platform or Im happy that its free on xxx, but supposed to be free? Thats just stupid on so many levels.

Personally, Im happy with xbl as my PS3(on my second one now) doesnt connect very well through the PSN. Resistance barely plays at all, MGO DC's all the time, and RR7 wont find a match at all.(and its not my connection, which is a 100MB connection that works perfectly with the wii and 360) Point is, for me atleast, xbla provides a service well worth it, and while I wont be able to use this service as I am in japan, its a nice bonus for those in the states.

RuneX21

Just to make things clear. The download service for Netflix supports only a small selection of the movies you can rent online. Most of the AAA titles can not be watched through the service. For example in my queue of about 76 titles, only 2 can be watched online. So yeah it might be a big name, but I don't see the impact as big as people are making it out to be.

optimusprime

This is great news for XBOX owners. While I'm excited about it, the news is not enough to get me to switch from Blockbuster Online to Netflix.

I have been a Blockbuster online subscriber since 2003 when it started. My deal is sweet. 3 movies out at a time, 2 free rental coupons for game or movie a month, and unlimited movie trade-ins per month for $19.99.

If Netflix enables HD downloads, and get's new movies online the day of release, they will get me to switch services to them. Otherwise Blockbuster is a better deal to me.

xibis

@RuneX21:

I never said Live is supposed to be free, so before you go calling any of my ideas stupid, read them first. If three platforms offer a service for free, and another makes you pay for it, it seems to me like the later SHOULD have their service be free as well. But we live in a free market, and Microsoft is allowed to do whatever they want with their product, regardless or what anyone thinks they should or shouldn't do. They aren't supposed to do anything, and they shouldn't be (save for creating a reliable product). Really, I am more disappointed with the public for blindly accepting that they need to pay for something that has been free for 10+ years on other platforms and not standing up for themselves.

Obviously, I have no idea what your issues with PS3 internet connectivity is, but, personally, I have had no problems with mine. I am not trying to rag on MS. I owned a 360 for a year, and if I didn't have issues with the thing dieing on me (four times in one year was just too much), I would probably still own it. And really, I understand why MS forces you to pay money while you use their servers. But you cannot tell me it's right of them to force people to buy GOLD when all they are doing is streaming off of Netflix. I would much rather pay for a cable (one time, lower than $50 fee) to hook up my laptop to my TV than have to pay $50 a year to get the same service. It's like walking farther and paying more money to get the same damned apples. It doens't make any sense.

PulpZero

Seeing PS3 and Xbox fan boy quibble over semantics is entertaining. The game market is relatively young and still ever changing with advancing technologies. This news is good for both consoles in the fact that the mass media industry has recognized consoles as a viable platform.

If it is successful on the monolithic software company's console I guarantee netflix will pursue Sony.

Zombie999

@PulpZero:
Awwww damn... Thanks for clearing that up I was actually getting excited for a second.

DarkHavoc99

@optimusprime:

Agreed, I think i have maybe 10 out of 100, and most of those are random indie films. There's no big name studios signed up for netflix streaming.

weasl

The Netflix downloadable videos aren't really that great right now. Of course eventually it'll have virtually everything.

Reneg

Let's be serious there, Netflix should be included with the Gold membership. At least you wouldn't feel ripped off unlike online gaming.

Fabrice

I can only hope that Netflix adds more movies onto the downloadable service, there's not much good stuff as of this moment. Still, this is a great thing for Netflix users and Xbox 360 owners, like myself. Looking forward to this!

dead_red_eyes

Here's hoping that Netflix adds HD support b/c all the instant view movies are in standard def. MS said it's free to Live customers but I'd assume that's Live and Netflix subscribers.

DevonTheDude

As a Silver member and current Netflix subscriber, I don't see the appeal of spending an additional $50 just for this. As an added bonus for the Gold members though, it certainly doesn't hurt.

gencid

@Tepoz: Free for the player for the most part. There are plenty of Pub servers for most multiplayer games. Just because a Clan decides to rent a server does not mean, it's not free for the pubbers playing after they have purchased the game. It's not free for the host of a dedicated server - be that an individual or a clan.

As for the experience points etc. You are only talking about specific games such that do that - eg. Battlefied2. Offical servers are generally offered by a publisher such as EA as a way to mooch even more money from clans and hosting companies other than the cost of the games themselves. Many, many, other games do not do that or have experience points tracked locally ala Vegas2 or COD4 (if I recall correctly). Those games don't cost a player any more and are essentially free if you are not hosting a dedicated server from a hosting company. (I know my clan hosts one).

Next your comment about being at the mercy of the host... Well yeah. PC or console platforms are both that way and it isn't going to change. Whether it's an Official Publisher server or random public server, you still are at the admin's mercy. I hear alot more bitching about hosts kicking and being jerks on XBL games than about terrible clan servers on PC's. Which are more easily avoided than by random matchmaking.

I don't know where your perspective about PC gaming is coming from but it's way off for most games I've played and hosted servers for.

That is why I find it so hard to swallow 5.00 a month for something I am so used to getting for free. It seems like I am being held hostage in order to get what I have been getting in the past unless I open my wallet. It's why I dislike XBL so very much and let my subscription end a long while ago.

Back to topic.... Netflix's streaming service is getting better all the time. It's grown quite a bit since it was released and I expect it to continue to do so. Picture quality is very dependent on your connection. Bad connection generally means bad picture. Also don't expect to get good quality when you have multiple applications all trying to use max bandwidth - bittorent, VOIP, other download services that try to grab as much bandwidth from your connection as possible are all going to interfere and bring the quality down.

The movie selection is a mixed bag. Those of you who only go for the latest releases are going to be disappointed with it. It is getting better but most movie publishers have not signed on. I'm guessing that they are not interested in competing with their dvd sales and other contracts with HBO and Showtime and other pay channels for new releases. I'm hoping that will be worked out and more and more new releases will be available to stream.

I own a ROKU box and can definitely tell a difference when I take it to my Girlfirends and when I'm at home - connection speed difference. It's very near DVD quality for me at home but much less so at her place. Yes it's portable and is serialized and tied to your Netflix account and not your IP address. I would imagine that the XBox360 will also be tied the same way as valid player on the account so you will be able to take it and watch movies with it where ever you have an internet connection.

It was a good move by MS but it screws silver memberships. Luckily, there is a way to already do it with the media extender for free. I just hope MS doesn't find a way to shut it down because it costs them revenue from people not wanting to pay for the Gold Membership.

FlimFlaminus

@Zombie999: the game market is like 30 years old. that's 'relatively young'!?

Rajio