Paying for online access on consoles

[Beau Knows]

It's a service that they provide and it brings a value to the table, that point has been made, and you can disagree with it, but that's why they can charge for it and why people pay it.

They'll pay for it because they have no other option if they want to play Xbox games online. Consoles are a walled garden, nobody is allowed to compete with Xbox Live on their system. On PC Steam can't get away with charging for online play because players will find somewhere else to play online instead.

 

[aleshemsky83]

It's a service that they provide and it brings a value to the table, that point has been made, and you can disagree with it, but that's why they can charge for it and why people pay it.

The comparison once again is if they locked Netflix behind ps plus or Xbox live. Is that adding value? From one perspective yes, but only by taking away value from free users.

I agree with hawksfan that it should be bundled next gen with gamepass and ps now.

 

[bleedblue1223]

The comparison once again is if they locked Netflix behind ps plus or Xbox live. Is that adding value? From one perspective yes, but only by taking away value from free users.

I agree with hawksfan that it should be bundled next gen with gamepass and ps now.

Not really, with Netflix they are just the hardware where an app can run, Xbox servers really aren't processing that load.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Not really, with Netflix they are just the hardware where an app can run, Xbox servers really aren't processing that load.

Xbox servers don't for a lot of games. For peer to peer games like darks souls, for honor, etc, the host player is the server, so the comparison is not as far off as you think. That's why in some games if a player's connection is bad everyone's game stutters. Only thing they do on their end is matchmaking, which takes little effort.

 

[x Tame Impala]

matchmaking, which takes little effort.

Source please. Otherwise it sounds like you’re just talking out of your ass

 

[aleshemsky83]

Source please. Otherwise it sounds like you’re just talking out of your ass

Well first, I have faith that you read my comment properly and understand that I'm talking about peer to peer online, so with that said here is wikipedia:

Game server - Wikipedia

------
Peer-to-Peer

In the client/server model outlined elsewhere in this article, clients receive processed data from the server and display it without much thought. In the alternative "peer-to-peer" model there is no server: each "peer" instead receives the raw input streams of each other player and determines the results itself.[4]

The only thing that xbox (and its not even xbox its almost always the publisher like EA or Ubisoft) does is provide lobbys and matchmaking. Does Xbox have servers they provide (edit: I looked it up they do), probably, but thats not really that clear so I dont know, I just know there was a big stink when For Honor was going peer-2-peer, and if xbox servers were there to be used i dont know why they wouldnt.

Now for non-peer to peer games, thats another subject. But a huge amount of games are peer to peer. Fighting, sports, and racing games are often peer to peer.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Peer to Peer or host typically sucks for multiplayer! I'm sure Xbox is providing servers for 1st party games, Gears, Halo, Forza...ect but I don't know. Back when Gears was host that was terrible for everyone else, a significant advantage for the host.

 

[John Price]

don't see the issue with it. I mean at first I was pretty pissed but this has been going on for years.

 

[Beau Knows]

Peer to Peer or host typically sucks for multiplayer! I'm sure Xbox is providing servers for 1st party games, Gears, Halo, Forza...ect but I don't know. Back when Gears was host that was terrible for everyone else, a significant advantage for the host.

But back then Gears also required Xbox Live to play online, so the idea that they charge an online fee because they offer dedicated servers isn't true. And you get access to the sames servers on PC, with no fees.

 

[chicagoskycam]

But back then Gears also required Xbox Live to play online, so the idea that they charge an online fee because they offer dedicated servers isn't true. And you get access to the sames servers on PC, with no fees.

true but we didn't have a choice otherwise. I think it was Gears 3 when they went off of host, my god was host advantage brutal in Gears 2 and 1.

 

[x Tame Impala]

true but we didn't have a choice otherwise. I think it was Gears 3 when they went off of host, my god was host advantage brutal in Gears 2 and 1.

It was super bad in Halo 2 as well. “Host BR” was basically a cheat code

 

[heatnikki]

I use vpn to get access to the blocked content. I read about one reliable service here https://veepn.com/vpn-features/double-vpn. It works great so now I can play games without any restrictions.

 

[aleshemsky83]

The comparison once again is if they locked Netflix behind ps plus or Xbox live. Is that adding value? From one perspective yes, but only by taking away value from free users.

I agree with hawksfan that it should be bundled next gen with gamepass and ps now.

Rumors of exactly this happening for xbox, it will either be bundled with gamepass or be completely free. Apparently Xbox Live Gold 1 years subscriptions are no longer for sale.

Xbox is at the absolute minimum likely to follow Playstations lead and make F2P games have free online with halo infinite going F2P multiplayer.

 

[Warden of the North]

don't see the issue with it. I mean at first I was pretty pissed but this has been going on for years.

Ahhh, the ol' "This is way it's always been, better not change it" reasoning.

My point is that I could see it costing money in its infancy, but nowadays online connectivity should be a given.

I find it particularly absurd when it comes to standard Game Pass (not ultimate). A lot of games on Game Pass require XBL.

 

[aleshemsky83]

...

I guess the question is, what are you paying for? It'd be like if they locked Netflix behind PS plus. ...

...

I don't consider that providing value though, especially when a ton of games have peer to peer online with little or no cost or effort on Sony's behalf. It'd be like locking the Netflix or Disney+ app behind ps plus and rationalizing it as adding value to ps plus.

...

The comparison once again is if they locked Netflix behind ps plus or Xbox live. Is that adding value? From one perspective yes, but only by taking away value from free users.
...

Not really, with Netflix they are just the hardware where an app can run, Xbox servers really aren't processing that load.

I hate to bump this dead thread, but I remembered I kept making this comparison thinking how absolutely idiotic it would be, now I just found out that Netflix and other streaming apps (and basically all apps) only became free to access without xbox live gold in June 2014, 8 months into the xbox Ones lifespan.

Xbox owners now have free access to HBO, Netflix and other apps as Microsoft pulls down paywall

Good lord what a scam that was.