Alpha Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 OK, this is hard to run down exactly, because there's a Live Weekend going on right now, which means you can play online for free on Xbox Live. But reader Draco, a Silver level gamer, says that he's been playing cross-platform multiplayer games for free since Wednesday night, which precedes the Live Weekend (which started at midnight Friday.) I checked his Gamercard and, yeah, he played Shadowrun online on Thursday. It seems that ending the gold/silver distinction in Games for Windows Live (effectively making it free) might have had the same effect for those who game on titles that are both PC and 360. A commenter on Xbox Live forums found that Shadowrun online play was free, for example. Reader Draco, who spotted this, says it works for Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition and Universe at War: Earth Assault, too. We'll have to check back after the weekend ends. But bigger picture, could this — don't get your hopes up, but it's gotta be on everyone's mind — mean that Xbox Live may eventually convert to a free model for all multiplayer gaming too? Source: http://kotaku.com/5029541/rumor-xbl-silver...ree-online-playWow, hopefully this rumor will come true! I can really see the sales of XBOX 360's increasing if the online play is free, as it is for the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3. They can use XBOX Live Gold for the rest of the stuff they offer that is more than online play (although I don't really know what that is, since I don't have XBOX Live). With the 360 lacking built in Wi-Fi and their Wi-Fi cards being a $100 a piece, this will definitely cut the price tag of online features for many people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackKnight Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 You're a bit late- a couple of days ago Microsoft confirmed it was a special promotion only for games with cross-platform play and is only effective until the Fall Dashboard update. http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/07/29/si...playtime-throu/ Also Live Gold doesn't offer anything other than online play and 5-day exclusivity of all new downloads. If they ever make online play free, they might as well just abolish Gold and Silver memberships altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_cinder Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 You just touched on exactly why I will never pay for Live, EVER. Why the hell should I pay for multiplayer? I don't on PC, never have, and never will. Live = The Gamespy of Consoles. NOTHING more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackKnight Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I dunno if its my region, my ISP, my connection speeds or my hatred of port forwarding but online games have always been hell for me. Live is the best quality online service I have experienced outside of Battle.net. It's easy to find games, I get good pings and I love it. Maybe if things were different I'd be used to getting this quality of service for free, but I never have. So, for that reason, I endorse Live. It is a bit expensive, but I find it worth a fee. Maybe a smaller fee, but I think it definitely deserves to charge something. And although in theory its the same thing, Live is far and away better than Gamespy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackKnight Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 REMIX Microsoft - We won't ever scrap Xbox Live Gold Fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucandrake Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Damn that's a dirty slash to the hopes of the people D:!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devia Eleven Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Microsoft already has enough money, this is just being greedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 err. no one complains about WoW or whatever charging you 10 to 15 bucks a month for service. in what amounts to a graphical chat room.live is 50 bucks a year, most of us spend more then that on starbucks in a month. 50 bucks a year for mostly stable online play, messaging, voicechat, download services, ect. isn't much at all. imagine the bandwith MS goes through just hosting all those demos and xbla games. not to mention the movies, and tv shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavin19 Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 I just let my Live subscription lapse there last week as I never play online. I never had a problem with the $50 fee though. I can imagine for those who do game heavily online, that it is an extremely small price to pay for a very good service. What have I lost now that my Gold subscription is gone though? I can still grab DLC right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 yeah you just have to wait 5 days after release I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fumanchu Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 i had a gold account when i first signed up,but never bothered playing online with it.i should have though as ive got so much games,that im missing the online play,maybe i should just try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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