Archive for: online gaming
- December 16, 2009 8:13 am
Before you freak out and wet yourself, make it known that there is nothing concrete about any of this. It is merely a theoretical assumption and think pot of ideas…
Recently Nikkei Japan asked Sony executive VP Masayuki Chatani about how Sony maintained the cost of running the PSN network — a free online gaming network. Several options were highlighted with the most interesting being “single-payment packaged software” as well as the possibility of monthly fees or per-item charges.
Keep your finger off that freak button a little while longer. Just because monthly or yearly subscriptions are mentioned doesn’t mean the PSN as a whole is going to or even looking at an all out subscription model like Microsoft’s Xbox Live. There are plenty of things that can have a monetary amount attached to them without encompassing the bigger picture. Namely, game updates, extra game content, movies, online storage, and more are but a few of the many ways Sony can begin an influx of cash via the PSN without making everyone pay an entrance fee.
To me it makes sense. Keep the entry gate free and open and charge more for what users want to do. Of course, Sony can’t get too greedy or too stupid with their payment schemes as it will only push people away — something they don’t really want to do know that the PS3 is finally getting some sizable market share. I do think a blanket subscription fee for the PSN would be a bad idea. The PSN’s main talking point is that “FREE” tag slapped on the front. Playstation Home has stalled in development as of late and still hasn’t really caught on big like Sony has hoped. Finally, let’s be real here. Xbox Live is extremely well developed and robust providing (in my opinion) a better online gaming experience. If Sony is thinking of an all out subscription model, the PSN is going to need some more work. At the end of the day however, you can’t beat free. Some people simply won’t or can’t pay.
So I leave with two questions for current and potential PSN users: What would you pay, if anything, for certain features and services on the PSN? Would you even be willing to pay a base subscription fee if Sony enacted one? Leave it below.
Joystiq
- November 24, 2009 5:09 am
If you’re in the heat of the battle within a Halo/Modern Warfare 2/GTA mission on your Xbox and are completely oblivious to any and all threats in the immediate reality surrounding you, a new mandatory warning system coming to New Yorkers will benefit you greatly. The New York Emergency Management Office will soon start issue warning messages via Xbox Live. Messages such as Tornado, flood, thunderstorm, amber alert, etc. will come through the Xbox Live channel into your humble abode alerting the 25 and younger crowd whom are increasingly spending more time away from traditional TV and radio channels that broadcast such emergency information. The move will hopefully spark other agencies and corporations to embrace this whole digital realm of things. Though I hope Microsoft doesn’t allow companies and third parties to go overboard. God forbid Xbox Live becomes overrun with commercials and merchant services. Such a thing would destroy the popular online gaming world. Thankfully I don’t think Microsoft is willing to sell that much of their soul.
So what do you think: Emergency warnings via Xbox Live — Good or bad?
Nexus404
- November 18, 2009 8:00 am
If you own an Xbox 360, chances are you more than likely have an Xbox Live gold account giving you free reign on Xbox Live. Without Live, the 360 is still good machine though significantly less desirable in my opinion. Whether the sinking economy stole your Xbox Live money or you simply haven’t ponied up the $50/year entrance fee because you’re “just not sure” it’s worth it, we can all agree that when someone offers you anything for free, you should generally take it.
For European Xbox owners, starting at 5pm GMT on November 25th and lasting through 5pm GMT November 25th, Xbox Silver members will be able to game in all of the online glory that Xbox Live Gold service allows. For those not in Europe, the dates of free game time will be 12am EST November 20th – 12am EST November 23. Why the date discrepancy? I’m not sure if that’s an error or not? (Anyone care to specify — I’m stuck behind a proxy at the moment unable to really confirm or deny any dates at the moment.)
The move is intended to showcase Live’s new additions of Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and Netflix in hopes that more people become yearly subscribers. Even though it isn’t the first time Microsoft has done this, it’s nice to see they still care. Will you be taking advantage of the free goods? See you on Live…
TechDigest
- November 12, 2009 2:05 pm
Talk about fast development, just yesterday we got word that Microsoft was banning all modded Xboxes from Live services and were speculating as to how long the ban would be in effect and how accused gamers could go about reinstating their account. Today Microsoft told BBC that banned ‘boxes are gone…forever. So much for longevity by modding your system. In order to reinstate your Xbox live account, you’ll have to back it up onto a new, un-modified Xbox unit. Banned hardware will still be able to play offline. But come on, the Xbox platform is made for online gaming. Without it the Xbox just isn’t the same.
As I mentioned yesterday, renting a game, copying it, then spreading it isn’t the greatest or most legal idea. If you were copying it to back up for you own use then fine. Nothing wrong with that. Though the money bags that run our country and copyright system think differently. Still, tinkering with your own personal property is in no way someone elses business.
Microsoft went on to say that “One modified console is one console too many”. That’s the biggest load of BS I’ve ever heard. Backups of legally purchased content are perfectly legal! Because a minority of the population breaks copyright doesn’t mean your break the entire environment for the rest of us. Sadly they are failing to realize there will always be those who break the law for commercial profit. You’ll never stop them. Get over it and stop fucking around with my stuff!
Rants aside, just give it time. I promise you that a couple months from now we’ll have some clever hackers and modders who manage to find away around the ban hammer system. And so it begins, the Microsoft/modded Xbox cat and mouse game. Kind of sounds familiar doesn’t it? *Dreams of fruit and metal bars….*
**Update: As Ars Technica points out, this is a bittersweet moment for Microsoft. They’ve instantly riddled the Live market of modded systems (their wish). But a second much more ominous and mounting problems is that you can’t instantly tell if a unit is hacked or not. Even as we speak, eBay and the second hand market as a whole is flooding with banned Xboxes for sale. Now we’ve got lawsuits just waiting to happen. How so?
Take a retailer like Game Stop, if a customer brings in a modded ‘box, Game Stop isn’t going to know or check for it. They’re just going to plug it in to the TV and check to see if it makes lights and sounds and it’s back to the shelf. I know I’d be pretty pissed if I bought a seemingly legit, used ‘box with intent of saving some dollars and got home only to realize it was hacked (a plus if I have or am acquiring a stash of free/copied games — bad if I ever want to play anything online.)
So in the end we’re right back where we started. A good idea on paper is sizing up to be a major headache for Microsoft and used game console retailers alike. For the sanity of us all, I hope said retailers start hooking up to the internet to make sure it’s a fully usable, used ‘box don’t you?
BBC
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- November 11, 2009 2:22 pm
Microsoft giving the ‘ol ban hammer to Xbox live users for various reasons is nothing new. Though banning over 1,000,000 users because they’re running hacked or modded hardware is certainly a deviation from the norm. The whole problem with modded 360′s is it allows end users to circumnavigate the many layers of DRM in use by the Xbox software. Obviously game developers have a problem with this as games are then easily copied and saved to the device sans payment. Apart from legal worries, having a modded Xbox actually brings about unlimited potential that Microsoft either refuses to build in themselves or is taking too long to do. Just go to any Xbox/gaming enthusiast site and scour the countless threads on Xbox modding. The units are incredibly capable.
Banning one million plus Xbox users because of hacked units is pretty dumb. You’re always going to have people going against the ToS, breaking the rules and the law. Nothing you do can stop it. I wouldn’t discount the fact that Microsoft was probably getting heat from game developers who were and still are upset about hacked ‘boxes have the powers to copy games. If you assume that the hacked units were all Xbox Live Gold members ($50/year), then that’s $50 million per year that Microsoft just cut from their budget. Then again, $50 million is like pocket change to a company as large as Microsoft so I don’t think it was that much of a con.
It’s also important to note that there isn’t a time line as to when these banned accounts can regain access. Anything from 1-day, 1-month, to a “life time” ban have been thrown around the interwebs leading many to panic. Getting a lifetime ban from hands down the best online gaming environment to date isn’t something any Red Bull fueled gamer is going to take lightly. For the sake of many gamers, I sure hope the ban doesn’t span millennia. Putting initial fears aside, banned users are probably looking at at least a couple months of downtime.
Through it all, there has to be a better way of protecting game developers other than simply banning hacked ‘boxes from accessing Live services. Punishing those who simply tinker with their gadgets is no reason to neuter them with a digital kill switch.
What do you think? Is Microsoft’s unleashing of the ban hammer justified or is there a better way to do it?
Cnet
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When you buy something, especially something you really want and/or have saved for, you don’t usually think to yourself, “Yay, I can’t wait to pay for this twice”. Yet Activision seems to think you think that very same thought everyday as the bittersweet announcement of transferable songs from Guitar Hero:World Tour and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits will be able to be transfered to Guitar Hero 5. While the added benefit of importing older purchased songs is a huge plus as it allows you to play one game and not have to constantly switch discs in and out, charging to essentially buy a song twice is hardly the way to go about it. Honestly, even if I had a couple songs I wanted to transfer, I would keep switching discs as opposed to dollars. Know what I mean? I’m just not the type that gravitates towards these sorts of gimmicks. Your turn. Are you going to bite the bullet and re-buy your songs or are you can keep doin’ it old school and switch discs?
Source: Pocket-Lint, Kotaku, Image Source
