MS favours Live Gold for content

By Tom Bramwell Published 27 October, 2006

Gears ad the start of a trend.

The new Gears of War trailer available to Xbox Live Gold customers this week may be a sign of things to come, according to Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb - one of Microsoft's more visible next-gen bloggers.

Speaking on his blog, in answer to questions about the trailer's exclusivity to the Gold service - for which Xbox 360 owners must pay a subscription fee - Hryb says, "This is going to happen more and more (Gold getting things before Silver) so you may want to think about upgrading if you want all the latest and greatest trailers, demos etc."

However, the good news (to some extent) is that he also says the trailer, which has been creating quite a buzz for the already extremely buzzy game, will be made available to Xbox Live Silver users - who don't pay a subscription fee - "probably in about a week".

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (93) Latest comment 6 years ago

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  • towser #1 6 years ago

    As a gold member subscriber I for one welcome this move. All the paupers can wait in line for a couple of weeks. ;-)

  • Nobuo #2 6 years ago

    You have to pay to watch what is essentially an advert now?

  • dog2_99 #3 6 years ago

    might make it quicker for those of us who have paid to download stuff...makes sense!

  • Nige #4 6 years ago

    Yeah, get lost freeloaders! (Or free downloaders)

  • Steroyd #5 6 years ago

    Way to go MS Shun the purpose of XBL Silver.

  • barchetta #6 6 years ago

    Pauper that I am, I browsed over to Gametrailers, downloaded the trailer and watched it in HD on my Mac. Only got an SDTV so an extra bonus in seeing 'true' HD picture too.

    ;-)


    But I don't feel slighted by this move and will in fact be making a Gold purchase over weekend.

  • kmittal82 #7 6 years ago

    Gold and Silver are quite different anyways, I dont see the point in putting "trailers" (which should be free anyways) in the Gold members section of LIVE. If this is to grow, why doesnt MS just pull the plug on Silver Membership alltogether?

  • Machiavel #8 6 years ago

    As a very happy silver member, may I just say:

    "Boo Hoo! We can't see your (freely-available-on-t'internet) adverts!"

    /guffaws

  • Nobuo #9 6 years ago

    I'm so sick of Sony shafting their customers like this! I am boycotting the PS3 and all Sony products as of now!!!

    /Pause

    Oh, Microsoft. Nevermind.

  • ArcMonkey #10 6 years ago

    MS has found a way to make money out of promoting their products!

    respect...

  • Xerx3s #11 6 years ago

    You have to pay to watch what is essentially an advert now?

    Ah, so I take it you never bought brand products/clothes?

    I for one welcome this. If you can't be bothered to cough up 5 cents a day, you can wait for a while. Hope that they will also apply this to the e3 stuff.

    And if you are really unhappy about it, xboxyde usually has it online within 12 hours.

  • toy_brain #12 6 years ago

    Would this be Microsoft attempting to claw as many new Gold subscriptions as possible before Sony's PS3 online service launches?
    I dunno. I doubt it, and if it is, its not a very tempting 'lure', but it does seem odd that MS are deliberately holding stuff back from the vast majority (I assume) of LIVE! users, especially something that is effectively just an advert.
    It actually makes me LESS tempted to get a Gold account, not more.
    Edited by toy_brain at 27/10/06 @ 09:51

  • Vex #13 6 years ago

    I can understand the subscription to play games online, but I am not going to upgrade just to watch video's or play demo's (both are basically a form of advertising to get people to buy their games).

    Bearing in mind there are a couple of games I have bought solely on the strength of the demo's, it is up to them how quickly they want to make those demo's available to me. MS's call.

    Still, probably fairer that those willing to cough up the monthly readies get to see and play stuff first.

  • JonFE #14 6 years ago

    They are not shunning the silver accounts, IMHO. They would, if they had no plans to make it available at all.

    By marking this (or anything else) Gold-only for a week or so, they add extra value to the gold accounts, the ones who pay extra for the service. More "exclusive" content, less bandwidth to share; makes sense to me.

    Consider XBL as a restaurant, where customers who pay more (gold users) get serviced a bit quicker than customers who don't (silver ones).

    Edit: Besides, there's no need to complain over a game trailer, that became available on the internet as soon as it was released. If, on the other hand, it was the Halo3 demo...
    Edited by JonFE at 27/10/06 @ 09:55

  • cooper #15 6 years ago

    This idea of paying for ads is great. Now I'm really starting to consider subscribing to live gold...

  • dog2_99 #16 6 years ago

    But unless i am mistaken, the items will still be on Silver merely subject to a slight delay, around a week or so for an item coming out on Gold and then onto Silver?

  • Tricky #17 6 years ago

    Oh bollocks. Those of us who pay for Gold membership (oh noes - it's a massive £40 a year! /sarcasm) do so because we like to play online. It's not that we're paying for getting trailers/demos first, but it's a nice bonus, nonetheless.

    Of course it's something that Microsoft are doing to tempt Silver members into buying into Gold, but what's wrong with that? It's not like they're forcing you to do it and, like most people have pointed out, there's always ways of finding these things on the net.

    Mind you, when it comes to demos being released to Gold memebers only, that's when it starts becoming a bit more convincing...

  • tiddles #18 6 years ago

    To me this says that they're planning to make online play subscription-free to compete with Sony - repositioning Gold accounts as some kind of premium IGN Insider-like service to try and preserve some of the revenue...

    What's the betting MS announces that online play is now free on the day that PS3 launches?

  • Salvia #19 6 years ago

    Constant revenue streams. That's what it's all about.

  • spidermanalf #20 6 years ago

    Gold is not THAT much if you buy it as a package.

    I have 2 years worth now, year 1 cost 20 quid with PGR 2 and a headset which I sold on for 10 quid! Year 2 I got with the camera. 50 quid for a web cam, a years worth of live a couple of games and a few points.

    I don't know anyone who has bought Gold properly for 35 - 40quid!

  • Turrican #21 6 years ago

    The Gold vs PS3-free service is going to be the big debate of 2007. Unless of course Microsoft make it free...

  • peterfll #22 6 years ago

    Waaait......

    The whole purpose of Silver was to give equal access to demos and trailers which - pardon me - are there to SELL games. This was fabulous and a "step in the right direction" etc. I find that in the face of two potential free online services being launched by Sony and Nintendo, MS are that backward by restricting Silver content even further.

    I know all us Goldies think it'd be nice to feel privelaged, but there are other ways of doing this, like giving us priority bandwidth, free themes, gamer pictures and other free downloadable content such as articles and interviews. Demos and trailers should remain free.

    Such a shame, seeing MS backing away from one of the best things it's brought to the market for this 'new' generation.

    It'll all end in tears - you mark my words.

  • mkreku #23 6 years ago

    Microsoft's greed knows no limits. Why they even have a silver account is beyond me.

  • peterfll #24 6 years ago

    "Microsoft's greed knows no limits. Why they even have a silver account is beyond me. "

    Here we go.......

    Yep, they're really different from Sony and Nintendo, who don't have any shareholders and aren't out to make any money at all.

    Let it go. No seriously - let it go.

  • SeesThroughAll #25 6 years ago

    LOL @ people who might be surprised that MS might want to make some money on the MARKETplace. It's business, it's natural.

  • peterfll #26 6 years ago

    "LOL @ people who might be surprised that MS might want to make some money on the MARKETplace. It's business, it's natural. "

    I have no issue with MS wanting to make money from Live Arcade and downloadable content. Trying to charge for demos and trailers is a step in the wrong direction I think.

  • holloguts #27 6 years ago

    Simple way past it - make a months free gold account, when it runs out, make another free gold account continue as long as needed.

    not difficult really is it.

  • peterfll #28 6 years ago

    Well, getting a free gold account every month is fine to a point, but there's the hassle of taking any friends you've made with you manually, and losing your gamerpoints etc and all your saves for all your games. It's far from ideal.

    I seem to be very vocal this morning on this point?

  • holloguts #29 6 years ago

    Another point, why is there no gow demo available before launch? yet they are trying to give even more hype to this game? This game has been hyped on graphics alone. You can already see lazyness in the graphics department with over use of the same graphics on buildings etc. But I have a feeling this reluctance to release a demo is because this game is all hype and not much of a game. A demo would burst the bubble and result in thousands of lost sales. This has got to be a rental first game. I would imagine there are going to be a lot of people feeling ripped off when they buy this and see that bubble burst.

  • holloguts #30 6 years ago

    'Well, getting a free gold account every month is fine to a point, but there's the hassle of taking any friends you've made with you manually, and losing your gamerpoints etc and all your saves for all your games. It's far from ideal.

    I seem to be very vocal this morning on this point? '

    The idea was to make the gold accounts for viewing/downloading gold items. Keeping the silver account as intended for stats etc.




  • neuroniky #31 6 years ago

    Question... but with a Silver Account do I have access to the leaderboards features in the various game? I'm on 56K so I use the account only for Live Arcade, downloadable content and leaderboards, so if I could do all of this with Silver I would be glad to abandon my gold account for a while...

  • jlaakso #32 6 years ago

    I don't see what's the big deal. Of course subscribers get more goodies than freeloaders.

    They probably could've handled this better PR-wise, but I really don't see a problem here.

    I actually don't expect Live to go free. It's a great service and the upkeep costs must be high. I'd rather pay for good service than pay nothing and hope for the best. (Yes, I remain skeptical about the PS3 online implementation.)

  • Nobuo #33 6 years ago

    "Ah, so I take it you never bought brand products/clothes?

    I for one welcome this. If you can't be bothered to cough up 5 cents a day, you can wait for a while. Hope that they will also apply this to the e3 stuff. "

    I can't wear trailers, and I can't see any other sensible comparison between game adverts and clothes. And besides, no I don't actually buy branded clothes anyway.

    Meh. Everyone's entitled to spend money on what they want, it's just I can't imagine anyone would want to pay for things that by definition should be free. The convention as I understood it was that adverts go away if you're willing to pay cash.

    Woo 5 cents a day = 0.2 cents an hour! See, it gets cheaper the more we reduce the timescale!

  • peterfll #34 6 years ago

    "The idea was to make the gold accounts for viewing/downloading gold items. Keeping the silver account as intended for stats etc. "

    Ah, yes, and of course have accounts for different regions too so you can get downloads that MS restrict.

    On the question of Leaderboards - it depends on the game I think (at least I think this is how it's implemented..) Many games have limited online functions with Silver access; Lumines, PGR3 allows you access to leaderboards, while say Burnout Revenge allows you to download other people's clips etc.

  • Carpathian #35 6 years ago

    If you look at 90% of major gaming sites on the web they have two tier "subs gets it first" accounts. This is no different and it needs to be said again that they are not stopping providing free stuff to silver...just maybe delaying it by a week or whatever.

    1) People who got certain things for free will still get them for free, if a bit later.

    2) People who pay will still get all they had before.

    I can't see how those two points can cause grief to anybody ?

    Odd.

  • Wash #36 6 years ago

    I dont see much of a point to many folks ramblings on here. The article states silver folks will get stuff a week later.

    Isnt that the same as subscribing to magazine rather than paying for it at the shops... u get it earlier?

    whuptido.

  • Mordum #37 6 years ago

    Well, as a Gold subscriber I am happy because A) It might mean downloading demo's, etc will be a bit speedier (untill the content is opened up to Silver subscribers) and B) because it adds another little reason for me having the subscription to the Gold membership.

    Although we're only talking about waiting an extra week or two for Silver members to be able to get their hands on the same content. Is it really such a big deal?

  • Nobuo #38 6 years ago

    "1) People who got certain things for free will still get them for free, if a bit later.

    2) People who pay will still get all they had before.

    I can't see how those two points can cause grief to anybody ?

    Odd."

    Good points, but do you not agree it's a little strange to withhold what are essentially adverts from people who aren't prepared to pay for them? Gold exclusivity for premium items makes sense, but delaying the viewing of ads as an incentive to new customers sounds very wierd IMO, and I don't think it's going to work out for them.

  • mattigan #39 6 years ago

    @last 3 posts before Nobuo

    I concur.
    Edited by mattigan at 27/10/06 @ 11:06

  • cyacomini #40 6 years ago

    IMO - this should apply to demo's first off. That way, paying subscribers would get better download speeds from live!. I'm sick of waiting 2-3 hours to download some of the larger demos, I've an 8mb connection and havent noticed any increase in DL speeds since I went from 1mb.

  • mattigan #41 6 years ago

    The whole outrage at having to pay for adverts confuses me, MS are not making you pay for adverts trailers or demos. that are making you pay for multiplayer, and now rewarding those who took the plunge and decided to pay for the priviledge of multiplayer, and thus fund both Gold and Silver services, with stuff a little earlier than those who have paid nothing.

    What surprises me is that they didn't do this from the outset.
    Edited by mattigan at 27/10/06 @ 11:11

  • -TKF- #42 6 years ago

    Ahh perfect, at least Sony with a free service can show Greedsoft how this is done.


    Pay for a trailer! lol... microtransactions, Microsoft invented it and will milk it for every fucking dime they can..

    Enjoy MS boys!

  • Aurifex. #43 6 years ago

    Shove it where the sun don't shine. Not paying for demos ever.

  • asphaltcowboy #44 6 years ago

    I too fail to see how anyone can get annoyed by this (unless they didn't read it and think that Silver won't actually be getting these demos/trailers!)

  • asphaltcowboy #45 6 years ago

    "Pay for a trailer! lol..."
    "Not paying for demos ever."

    What the f*ck are you two talking about? Did you even read the article?

  • mattigan #46 6 years ago

    Shove it where the sun don't shine. Not paying for demos ever.

    Cool, get it for free in a week then.

  • mattigan #47 6 years ago

    This thread seems to have divided into 2 camps, those who can read (Who seem to be mainly XBox owners), and fucking morons (who seem to be mainly anti MS, and also not able to read).

    Please read the article before posting, as it tends to make you look like a cock when you don't.

  • -TKF- #48 6 years ago

    Asphaltcowboy

    Yeah i read that Microsoft will provide paying customers with commercials before those that wont pay.

    "No problem it will come to those that doesn´t pay for commercials later", a week later now? 2 weeks? then a month, then 12 months later, then never.

    It takes a XBOX defender to actually think this is ok, i could to some extent understand if GOLD!!!!! was required for playable demos (not really).

    But in reality, GOLD!!!!! is just there so that microsoft can milk back the 6 billion dollars they had to pay to get people to buy their shit in the first place.

  • AcidSnake #49 6 years ago

    "at least Sony with a free service can show Greedsoft how this is done"

    The servise isn't out yet...Be patient...
    It might not be as free as you think...
    Especially since that disastrous 94% plunge their profits took...
    Besides, when talking about MS milking it with their microtransactions...Gran Turismo anyone?

  • Wash #50 6 years ago

    @-TFK-

    yes it will be interesting to see how companies like EA take advantage of the total lack of control from sony, when the its up to them what they do with ps3 online users. fun stuff.

  • -TKF- #51 6 years ago

    Acidsnake:

    You talking about the GT5:prologue that will be sold at a reduced price and where you can buy extra content, without having to pay for GOLD!!!! first? I don´t recall a word about commercials being regarded as content though.. GOLD!!!!!

    Sad about the profits, if only Sony could print money like Microsoft "Looks like we lost another billion on the XBOX!", "Damn, change the license rules on Office and make sure no new games runs on DX9"

  • bavelb #52 6 years ago

    Really..its trailers. How much do you care for a trailer for god's sake.

    Anyways, PR-wise it does seem rather silly to postpone your adverts (be it demo's or trailers, they are made available to make people buy your product) to a large chunk of your installed userbase. Doesn't make sense marketingwise of your game on one hand (reaching as many people as possible is key in advertising I'd say) or for Live Gold on the other hand (does anyone actually believe this will draw people over the line to Gold?)

    And for people saying it's a "present" to current Goldmembers, how can keeping something you already had be called a present. Wish I had friends and family who though like that, would be cheap at birthdays and christmas.("Hey, I just stole your neighbours stereo but I'm leaving yours, happy birthday!" ;) )
    Edited by bavelb at 27/10/06 @ 11:42

  • MaxiSleep #53 6 years ago

    Huge huge step in the wrong direction here for microsoft. The Demos and trailers were for me gave a community feal to the 360 which was quite different from other consoles. It in fact felt a little (just a little) like the good old days of the interent, when you could find nice things for free all over the place.

    The fact is that downloads are invonvenient, they take time etc. By delaying access to the silver subscribers by even as little as a week you ensure that there will be lots posted on the web about the demo, this reducing the incentive (curiosity) to download the thing.

    If the Msoft gods are reading - please reconsider.

  • -TKF- #54 6 years ago

    @Wash

    Yeah because Microsoft is in COMPLETE control!

    "1UP: Who sets the pricing structure for Marketplace stuff. For a game like Lumines Live, who decided to push the product this way?

    Greg Canessa: That's actually done by the developer. As a platform, we provide a list of available price tiers. And we work very closely, of course, with the developer. We provide suggestions and it is a consultation between the two companies, but ultimately it is up to the developer to set the price."

    How is your Lumines game pack, microtransactions hell

  • cyacomini #55 6 years ago

    ^^^^^

    here here !!

  • AcidSnake #56 6 years ago

    @tkf:
    As I understood it the same microtransaction dealey would extend to GT5 as well as the prologue...
    My point was that you keep referring to the ps3 online service as free, while that's actually up to the publishers as they won't follow the same strategy as MS where it's all on their servers...
    So, sure, the basic network is free...
    But there might be publishers who will ask for your money to play online or even for the download of trailers/demos...
    And considering that publishers are after money in the first place it would be very plausible...

    On topic I think MS made a mistake here, but by no means a big one...

  • skillian #57 6 years ago

    It's really not much of a big deal, but my take on it is that with PS3 and its "free" online services coming in a few weeks, Microsoft will be doing everything to add value to the Gold subscription.

    Expect to see more bonuses and stuff for paying subscribers in the coming weeks and months. It's just that this one is a little unfortunate as it comes at the expense (however small) of the non-paying users.

  • Moz #58 6 years ago

    At the end of the day the Live! service is a loss leader even with the Gold subscriptions. All Gold does is reduce the losses they make on running the servers.

    A totally free service like Sony's and Nintendo's either means they loose more money or the service is not as good (Smaller server farms, less bandwidth, more lag etc).

    The Gold and Silver has always been about status as well as being able to play online, otherwise why make the user "Status" so clear on their public profile.

    Make content availble sooner to "Gold" member is nothing new. Just have to go to Nintendo own website where they have the V.I.P. section, admitedly you don't have to pay subcription for this but you do have to have bought Nintendo products. Which isn't world different seeing as the £40 gold mem is a nominal amount anyway!

  • skillian #59 6 years ago

    I'd be very surprised if running the servers cost Microsoft more than they make from subscriptions.

    Can't say I know the figures tho (does anyone?).

  • thinktank #60 6 years ago

    Just a quick change of pace b4 Disc ejaculates,

    What do you think of the new GoW add?

  • moggsy #61 6 years ago

    Pays yer £20 a year and trailer goodness a week early is all yours.

    I don't understand the Sony lovers who can afford to pay £425 for a games console but then bork at having to pay £20 for playing games online. Still it's one of the few things you can attack the 360 on I suppose... ;-)

  • -TKF- #62 6 years ago

    @Acid

    I guess you are hinting at FPS games that would cost money to play against others? They wont stand a chance, people would just pick those that are free....

    Or are you talking about WoW styled games?

    The PS3 with a build in Harddrive has the potential to make Sony alot of money, it would be stupid of them to require their user base to pay for access to what is basicly a online shop with a giant Sony sign. Sony is gonna sell everything the possible can on that site, music, movies old games, new games etc etc..
    The trick is to let as many as possible get in the shop....

    Want to access iTunes? pay for the iTunes client and a monthly fee for the 30 secs snips of each track, nah wouldn´t work would it....
    Edited by -TKF- at 27/10/06 @ 12:55

  • jamesbee #63 6 years ago

    I have a gold membership, I couldn't imagine not. If you don't think it's worth it to you, then don't buy one and get a silver. That now means you wait a week longer for demo's and games, then you might have to re-consider if that week is worth the extra cash. Isn't this exactly how many sites such as IGN and Fileplanet etc work?

    They are not asking you to pay to download demo's, they are asking you to pay if you want priority access to them and why not? What does xbox live cost over a year? About 10p a day? Make your choice..

  • Baz_Dude #64 6 years ago

    Good move, maybe the downloads will go faster now :-)

  • Bluetooth #65 6 years ago

    And so it begins...


    Reminds me of ntl - offering cableTV, phone and internet at a massively discounted price - few months later, each package is costing £30 a month, quality is reduced and customer service is shit.

    It's a damn trailer. They should never be "exclusive", time delayed or not. Oh well, fuck you Microsoft. Sony too. And while we're at it, Wii. PC ftw etc.
    Edited by Bluetooth at 27/10/06 @ 13:40

  • Salvia #66 6 years ago

    The article can be seen as a bit vague. Sure the GoW trailer is coming to Silver a week later but will all demos and trailers go to Silver eventually?

  • peterfll #67 6 years ago

    A lot of conjecture on here really. Making Silver users wait one week for one trailer isn't that bad. But MS are hinting this is a "way of things to come". If by that they mean exclusive trailers and demos for Gold subscribers, I just think it's totally short-sighted of them. These things help SELL games which at the end of the day, is where MS et al make their money. Make them available to all, at the same time, is beneficial in terms of sales, right?

    Other missives to throw in:

    - I've noticed that download speeds seem to have really improved recently? I can now download about a 1g on a 8mg line in about 30 minutes. That's a massive improvement from where things started.
    - The intro of the Sony and Nintendo services in this space can only be a good thing for Live. Competition normally is.
    - However, neither of these competitor services are currently available, so those non-Live users can knock it all they want, but your opinion is largely invalid if you're comparing a service you don't use against a service that doesn't exist. Makes you look like your standard fanboy.

    I mean -TFK- what is an "Xbox Defender"?! I mean once you start using such terms it kinda makes you wanna ignore anything else you have to say, even though some of it might be valid. It's good for a laugh if nothing else.
    Edited by peterfll at 27/10/06 @ 13:38

  • AcidSnake #68 6 years ago

    @tkf:
    "They wont stand a chance, people would just pick those that are free"
    If there are any free ones you mean...
    Although the shop will undoubtebly be free to visit, I don't believe the majority of the games will be free to play online, bar maybe the downloaded ones....
    Games of every genre...
    Hell, I'm hoping they won't cost anything, but I'm adopting the 'wait and see' approach before commending Sony on their free network for gaming...

    Extra stuff like trailers and demoes will be free, but so is Silver...Whcih offers the same thing exactly...
    Apart from this one then... :)

  • Bluetooth #69 6 years ago

    Oh, here's the super dooper exclusive trailer only GOLD members get to see!

    [link url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4856046922567230289&q=gears+mad+world&hl=en
    ]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...[/link]

    LETDOWN

  • KillahSouljah #70 6 years ago

    Microsoft: Go on guys, pay us for a gold account.

  • jiveguy #71 6 years ago

    How is this different from a company offering high res video or beta invites to paying customers of sites like ign or fileplanet?

    And when sony start doing this will people just abandon next gen consoles all together and just download _everything_ from bittorrent onto their pc?

    If you are so impatient that you cant wait a week (or an afternoon for lower res streams) for game videos I think you might need to find a different hobby.

  • lefizz #72 6 years ago

    While it might sound a bit dodgey really it all boil down to this, proper gamer who want to play online are gonna have a gold account period. Silver users are 95% casual gamers, if you dont want to play online agaisnt other people it does mark you into a certain demographic, one where wait a week for a trailer isnt an issue.

    While it think it is perhaps a woeful peice of pr on MS behalf i doubt it effects many users

  • Barry619 #73 6 years ago

    I argee that paying to watch a "advert" is rather stupid, but frankly anyone who isn't willing to pay the cost to go gold, which is less than the cost of 1 game per year, for a service that works as well as Live does, and opens up so much in nearly any game you play, is also pretty stupid!

  • lefizz #74 6 years ago

    Yeah and seeing as Edge is going down the shitter these days, use eruogamer instead and spend you money getting a gold account

  • jamesbee #75 6 years ago

    Do all these people really have no desire for online gaming? Interesting...

    I just thought of a downside! I am English but living in Berlin and Germany is known to ban everything! Before I would just switch to a silver UK account and grab the demo/video..

    Can I opt out of being considered German? I promise I will only act out the naughty things I learn in England!

  • Les #76 6 years ago

    Hardly unexpected but it sucks anyway...

    MS strategy: rename the PC to "console" and charge for everything that used to be free.
    Edited by Les at 27/10/06 @ 17:40

  • EggyDeth #77 6 years ago

    I for one welcome our new Gold overlords.

  • captainrentboy #78 6 years ago

    ''Microsoft: Go on guys, pay us for a gold account''
    Bloody hell killahsouljah,that was poor even for you,it's like you can't be bothered to stand up for Sony with your crazy antics any more.Dissapointing.
    Anyway,I pay for live and am perfectly happy to do so,the trailers and demos are lovely but i'm not paying £30 a year for that,I pay it to play people online.I agree that this would be a bad move by MS,removing the incentive that Silver members can get demo and trailers for free what else would they have?A glorified MSN service,fucking whoppeee.

  • urban #79 6 years ago

    haha paying to watch an advert how ridiculous

  • Freek #80 6 years ago

    I think Tycho (Penny Arcade) made an interesting observation, in that this isn't so much about having people upgrade but making Gold customers feel they are getting more value for thier money in the face of a non subscription based online system by Sony.
    But that using an advertisement to inagurate this mentality makes MS look bad.
    Edited by Freek at 27/10/06 @ 20:07

  • Foxclose #81 6 years ago

    Fuck you MSFT!

  • Blanchy #82 6 years ago

    Can't see the problem with this.

    Paying gold members should be given priority when new content comes out so that they can get it quicker.

    Then the silver members can get it a week later once the hype has died down.

  • firm3d #83 6 years ago

    What Microsoft give you for your Gold subscription should be free; we've already bought the console and the games for crying out loud. Especially when the purpose of a trailer is to make you more likely to buy a product, this is essentially charging you to be advertised at ... how can anyone think this is okay?

  • TripleSeven #84 6 years ago

    Smart move. Especially with Sony offering all that for free.

  • doctor__no #85 6 years ago

    The whole cost of running servers bit is rubbish.

    On the PC, gaming is entirely free, same with the Wii, DS, Ps2, PS3 etc.

    Only on XBL due to pay to play.

  • Khab #86 6 years ago

    It's a sensible move, but it really isn't a sensible piece of content to start it with. If they want Gold to seem to have more worth they might not start with giving us free ADS some time before the "rest" get to see them.

    Release a goddam Gears demo and keep it Gold-exclusive 'til launch or something. THAT would make people sign up, I reckon. :)

  • Inflatable #87 6 years ago

    "It would actually matter if Microsoft had anything interesting to offer on Marketplace, but as they don't it doesn't really matter (me being a Silver user by the way, I'd be ashamed to buy the Gold version... honestly).

    It's quite ironic really, the only use I'm getting out my 360 is free demos of crappy games as it serves no other purpose."

    Then why don't you sell it to someone who will enjoy it, and stop whining like a little baby?

  • 2099net #88 6 years ago

    [[ The whole cost of running servers bit is rubbish.
    On the PC, gaming is entirely free, same with the Wii, DS, Ps2, PS3 etc.
    Only on XBL due to pay to play. ]]

    It's not rubbish. Any organised system on the PC charges money. The actual on-line game may be peer-to-peer networking over the internet from the players machines, but all of the back office stuff still needs to be hosted and mentained. On the PC sometimes this is done by generous individuals paying to host a game server themselves. But money is still involved.

    Who keeps the gamertag data - who ensures its always upto date? Who ensures it can always be retrieved or updated quickly? Who does the matchmaking? Who keeps track of each users perferences? Who they block? Who they prefer to play with? Who pays for the physical equipment for this? Who pays for the staff to do this? Who pays for the bandwidth to do this? (And yes, bandwidth is expensive - you host a site serving gigs of bandwidth a day and tell me how much it costs per month).

    You only have to look at EAs performance on XBL to see what happens without a proper managed system. EA only came onto XBL with the condition that they could opt out and run their own servers. And, it started off as a disaster, and they still seem to be a bit iffy now (I'm hearing about problems with Tiger Woods 2007's online mode). EA also, of course, turn off their servers.

    There's a reason that there's phrases as "There's no such thing as a free lunch" and "You get what you pay for". Nine times out of ten they are right.

  • SomaticSense #89 6 years ago

    Wasn't the whole point of having a free Silver subscription option so that people who don't pay the for the Gold one can still get access to stuff like extra game content and trailers and that? Doesn't this whole "Pay for Gold to get exclusive (although not really seeing as how it'll be all over the telly in a few weeks) Gears of War trailer!" thing completely go against this theory?

    As a gold subscriber myself it really shouldn't bother me, but something doesn't sit right about it at all. One of things I disagreed with the Live service on the last Xbox was that you had to pay to get access in order to pay for more game content. Not everybody wants a Live connection play to games online, some also want it to get access to the extra stuff. Now MS seem to be going back to that, possibly leading to leaving Silver account members with the shitty scraps, or having to wait months for the stuff already released on Gold XBL.

    Not as bad as the Sony/Polyphony Gran Turismo HD debacle, but while MS won huge props from me for their current Silver/Gold setup, they now seem to be returning to their old greedy impulses over the whole subject. Not only do people now have to pay stupid amounts in order to get the already ridiculously priced 'Microtransactions', but they have to pay even more to get the privilege to be able to buy them. Disgusting.
    Edited by SomaticSense at 28/10/06 @ 18:14

  • viperfoxbat #90 6 years ago

    A nice way of saying we are black mailing your ass.

  • NthSimulachum #91 6 years ago

    I'm looking forward to when I can't shift in to my Media pane without coughing up 1500 MS points.

    Then I can boot up the PS3 which can access Sony's mystical, magical servers which require no money to run apparently. However, my wallet will then be on fire, flame-trailing nickle-plated discs spurting off in all directions, some entering my face.

    Then the Wii control will give me carpal tunnel syndrome, and Direct X 10 will metastasize in my testicles.

    Fucking next gen...

  • Garulon #92 6 years ago

    "What do you think of the new GoW add? "

    It's bloody awesome. In HD, it's absolutely stunning; the only thing is I've head the Donnie Darko remake of "Mad World" so many times it has no impact for me. :(

  • AOFanboi #93 6 years ago

    <em>freeloaders</em>

    Ooh, I cannot wait to get a PS3 , so I can be just as full of SNOT as you are, and say "cheapskate" to those who have a mere "M$hitbox" and not an expensive piece like Sonys's.

    You are just giving Microsoft more of your money than Silver members do. That's all. No bragging rights over those who choose not to.