First off I want to say I am a huge Xbox 360 fan. I may be a bigger Sony fan, but I do love me some Microsoft console action. This article is the first of two parts; the second coming next week will look at the relevance issue in respect to the PlayStation 3, so before I get hate mail, I will be tagging each console with my thoughts on their service.
The point of this article is to look at the huge success that is Xbox Live and review it in the context that they are not alone anymore. Digital delivery and integration is everywhere these days and I am not just talking about their rival service, the PlayStation Network. I mean services like Steam on the PC, Apple's iPhone and iPod touch - heck every cellphone has a GUI launcher for their services. Xbox Live is a phenomenal service, but in light of the changes in the industry and customer needs/wants they need to move with the times to stay relevant.
Number 5 - Better, More Consistent XBLA Content is Needed - More exclusive, QUALITY content is needed on the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) service. There may be a ton of content to download on this service, but for every Geometry Wars, Undertow and Ikaruga there are two ScrewJumper, Discs of Tron and Wing Commander Arena style games. Microsoft has not concentrated as heavily and as consistently in this arena as we have seen in the Sony camp. They need to go back to their proven XBLA developers and concentrate on those relationships, eat up more solid properties. It maybe a good idea to also scale back on releases to ensure more quality titles are released and appreciated (read: downloaded) than we see now. The nice thing about the large amount of content is the fact that there are many surefire hits, but you have to sift through a lot of chum to get there.
Number 4 - Clean up Xbox Live Experience - The Xbox Live service during online play is well known to be (mostly) stable, but due to the abundance of headset-equipped, yet socially challenged players, it is also a refuge for haters. Microsoft needs to step up their stance on making the online experience as healthy as possible and that means finding better ways to mute quicker, ban, or send negative feedback. I only needed to hear that someone was (and I paraphrase) 'going to rip off my head and shit down my throat' once before I tired of the Xbox online community. As a result I mute everyone immediately in Halo 3 the moment I start a match; oddly though even if I team with people every new match, mute is deactivated. I know Microsoft has some strong policies and a feedback procedure, and I don't pretend to know how to fix things, but the experience is rarely a good one and needs to be fixed.
Article comments
1 - JLP
I agree with you on all 5 issues. good write up.
2 - Ivan_PSP
If you can't take trash talking you not a gamer online is always like that is more fun and words can't hurt anyone. So stop with the dumb useless complain is not like anyone cares what you think. Oh and who told you Microsoft tracks stats they just provide the server so lets say GTA IV stats on Live and on the PLAYSTATION Network are the same.
3 - Michael Prince
I have no problem being told I suck or someone trash talking me if I am playing them. What bothers me is the instant smack talk that people spout the moment they are anonymous and online. It's as if the moment they get on Live their brain disappears and they can only talk l33t speak and swear. As to stats Microsoft tracks achievements and when you play so people can tell at a glance how good you are by your gamerid, until Home arrives Sony does not have this.
4 - mnemo
Very nice writeup, it's good to see someone tackle the problems without resorting to fanboy talk. I have both consoles, too, but I'm much more attracted to the Xbox (which gets about 95% playtime).
A few remarks: 1. Sony has a minimum on credit card transactions, too, I think it's 5 Euros (in Europe). You cannot add, say, 2 Euros to your account. So if you want to buy 2 SingStar tracks for 1.49 each you need to add 5 Euros to your account, also. Of course this is because of credit card charges, so they want to keep the number of transactions down.
2. The banning of people on Xbox Live is a two-sided sword. If you make it too easy to ban people you might be on the other side where you get banned just because you played well and others had a problem with that because they lost. This already happened to some according to the Xbox Live forums. Snipe the wrong people and you're offline. Not good.
3. The PSN Store has a LOT of crap, too. I bought Rub-a-Duck and Calling All Cars and afterwards wanted my money back. Sure, the load of crappy classic arcade titles on XBLA is overwhelming, but I guess there's a market for those and I even bought one, too. Arguing about taste... Ikaruga on the other hand may be polished, but it's way too difficult. No buy.
4. Another taste matter: I like the XBL Marketplace still more than the PSN Store after it's redesign. You just can't get around having several types of menu "layers" to sort the content and the XBLM is easy to use and has filter via LT/RT for Games, Pictures, Demos and such.
Not really online related: Sony's XMB may be stylish, but IMO it's a piece of crap. Options move around too often and quickly while navigaing and the font size is WAY too small even on large LCD TVs.
Let's see what you have to say about Sony. ;-)
5 - Shonk
where's
Fix the faulty drm on that list
ey
6 - Thegreatcerebral
You are an idiot. Your points are being made by someone who obviously doesn't understand either game marketing or WHY Microsoft has done what they have with XBL.
Let's start with number 5: If you don't know/understand how Microsoft staggers their releases for both the 360 and XBLA then you will never understand. For BIG games they do dictate WHEN they will be released and they like to space them out so that hopefully everyone purchases every game, every game gets a good amount of play before the next big game; rinse and repeat. What is released between is supposed to be nothing but filler. Not only that but remember distribution is almost FREE so they will never stop releasing crap titles.
4) I cannot believe you took a stab at Microsoft for the mute function in HALO when they are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS! There are lots of options to muting people that are non-game specific. You can individually mute people, you can mute anyone who is not your friend, so on and so forth. All of those settings will apply for EVERY GAME and even NON-GAMING things. Or you can just do like I do on occasion and plug in your mic and set it on your lap with the volume turned down and the mic mute turned on... works for everything as well and also gives you the opportunity to chime in every now and then if you feel like participating in the game.
3) I'm ALMOST with you on the MSPoints system. You have to realize WHY they did it which you almost got into... globalization. MS realizes that they want to have a global market and it's easier for them to have a game that is 800 points everywhere than it is to have the same game be 800, 900, 950 etc. for different parts of the world. So they developed the point system which allows them to change the price of points to counteract exchange rates etc. So just because the game is 800 points doesn't mean we all paid $10US for it. Also I think it is dumb that they don't offer incentives to purchase more points. Why not give you 100 free points for purchasing 1200? They do this with the 12+1 Gold Membership cards in the store so why not do something with the points. I used to complain about having to purchase 1200 points so I can get the 800 point game and then having 400 left over when I didn't want anything but with games like Rock Band that are pumping out new songs each week I can always find an excuse to use up points so I'm fine with having 50-60 points hanging around between refills.
2) XBL doesn't need a face lift, it's fine. If you want a face lift download a new theme. What I can say is I don't like the new games management type style. I don't want to navigate 4 menus to get to my XBLA games. Why have they not come up with a way for us to just see games we have purchased ONLY or demos ONLY (XBLA). I used to have auto-download turned on and I have almost every game but own about 10. Also can't the 360 keep a cache of the titles that are installed on the HDD so they don't have to load every single time I go into my games library and then back from the game I was just playing? I'd love to have them fix this instead.
1) Gold Membership does mean something... playing online. There are other things that it does give you but you don't really know that they are only for GOLD members because Microsoft doesn't let you know in the GUI. Usually if you visit major nelson's page then you will see that some stuff is only for gold members. Not only that but they have had quite a few free gamer pictures/themes for people but I don't know if they were only for GOLD or not (madden stuff was the newest and COD4 before that). I agree though that for GOLD members there should be some incentive OTHER than just playing online. The Old Spice challenge was fun and they should do more things like that in the future.
I think that there are more issues that plague the XBL experience (some I mentioned) than the 5 you mentioned here that need to be addressed. I can say that MS needs to crack down more on cheaters (glitchers and lag switchers) than they do to discourage the practice in PUBLIC games (do what the hell you want in private games). How about working on getting dedicated servers for online gaming. I mean what the hell is our $50/yr. paying for? I know I can get a dedicated server for games cheaper than that for the PC; and we're talking 15-30 man slots not 8-12.
Other than that XBL is a great service and if it ain't broke don't fix it. Just because there are some things I think could be tweaked/changed does not mean that it is broke.
As far as the PSN goes... you can't make any assumptions about a network that is not fully matured yet. Not only that but you are also making assumptions that companies will not charge for their DLC just because they want to give it away free on XBL. You cannot make that assumption. The one iffy thing with the PSN is that companies hold the right to charge you for what they want to be it online play or DLC. Not only that but cannot say that those companies (EPIC and Infinity Ward in this example) didn't want to give content away to XBL users because they sold over double the units on that console as opposed to the PS3 and wanted to say thank you. Not only that but you never know what deals they may have with Microsoft as far as maybe they get $$ for being the #1 played game that week or whatnot because remember in the end it keeps people buying Gold memberships which makes people end up wanting to purchase DLC which in turn makes the 360 a more popular console etc. You never know.
7 - MeMyselfAndI
Playing online needs to be free or darn near it. I've been playing games "online" since before there was an ONLINE to be playing games! Circa Doom3D, Circa Duke Nukem 3d: Both via direct dialup into another persons computer. It worked great.
I play on Live when I have time, but between work, side job, family, and other obligations I can't put in much time on live. I'm lucky to just be able to finish story mode in a new game that I pick up. They ought to include a to-be-determined amount of Live online play for free each month. I would rarely exceed it. Every time I have to go on ebay to buy a new 12month Live card I resent the whole experience. At least on ebay I save some money on the price, however I resent the fact that I am paying to be able to play online.
If a user doesn't play online in a given week or a given month then they should not be charged for that week or month. Some ISPs will let you suspend your account so that you don't pay for service when you are on vacation or away for extended periods of time.
The price of xbox live content is out of line with reality. Average mini games (for the masses) should cost around $5. Since I buy my points cards on ebay, I usually get them for around $6 or $6.50...however $5 should be the norm. Bullshit content like themes, pictures, and other crapola should be free. There is no reason that a gamer picture should cost points. When ever I see someone with a paid-for gamer pic online I think "sucker" immediately.
When I first bought the gold membership I expected a lot more than what I got. Discounts on games, music, and movies would be a great place to start!
I would rent movies online through Live if they didn't cost more than my local rental companies. They need to fix their pricing on movie rentals, they are way out of line. If Microshaft offered a Netflix style plan each month for movies with unlimited "rentals" or something like maximum of 2 rentals per day... I would jump on it. Until they bring the price down of single rentals or until they develop some sort of cheap rental plan then I won't be using their service. My local rental stores and netflix are both a lot cheaper.
8 - Michael Prince
@Thegreatcerebral I really appreciate your comments and I agree with you on many points. My overall point to this article is to say that Microsoft has a GREAT service that works well but there is now competition and they have to further evolve.
This was a fantastically written comment (longer then my article?) But I have to question why you started it with 'you are an idiot'? Doesn't that almost prove my point #4? Disagreeing with me is one thing, but calling someone an idiot because you mostly have a differing opinion?
Also if you read through your comment again you agreed with me on #3 and mostly on #2 and #1, #5 you simply told me how big games are released (I am aware of that) but then acknowledged there is a lot of crap.
9 - Michael Prince
MeMyselfAndI
I didn't mention the video store because it is neutered in Canada containing very little content, but I am right there with you. With the blockbusters/netflixes of the world offering no late fees with attractive pricing Microsoft needs to address their time sensitive rental model and be more aware of their pricing...now add 20% to the price and you will see why many canadians don't use the movie store!! =-)
10 - Michael Prince
@mnemo I am surprised you only commented on the minimum purchase amount and didn't comment on how expensive DLC is in Europe! I actually was not aware there was a minimum amount on the PSN because I have only bought games, but at least it is a minimum and past that you can add exactly what you want.
Thanks fro your comments!
11 - Ikaruga
Since there's no mention of Microsofts wonderfully consumer-friendly DRM implementation, I take it you're still on your first 360 ?
Have fun paying for all your DLC all over again when you upgrade to an Elite.
Another fun thing you can try is to pay for a Gold membership with a credit card, then try to revert back to Silver without getting your membership/gamertag *permanently* suspended/cancelled in the process.
The simple truth is Xbox Live is the best reason there is to buy a Playstation 3. The difference in consumer friendliness between the two services is staggering. And yes I learned the hard way.
12 - Master1718
First off, Mike, let me congratulate you on an excellent article. I agree with most of your points, but I would also like to add to the article by sharing some of my thoughts regarding Xbox Live.
I think one of the biggest wastes on the Xbox console is that your achievement points mean nothing whatsoever. There are no rewards by attaining these "achievement unlocked". Microsoft should look at giving incentives for unlocking achievements by incorporating these points with their Microsoft live points, and rewarding the gamer who have spent countless hours trying to unlock as much points as possible within the games they are playing.
Second item that I feel is missing from this list is the inability to find out what happens to the complaints you've sent in about another player. It is rare to see when a player is clearly cheating online, but when it happens, and you submit a player review to Microsoft, that you never hear anything back from Microsoft about the player. Do these complaints about cheating actually do anything? What's the point then if it doesn't?
Just let me know Microsoft...Damn you!
Last but not least on my list is...tat tatata...
Please please please do something about the fact that I have to leave my game anytime I need to get a DLC(Downloadable Content), and hop onto the Xbox Dashboard, also, why can't I download multiple things AT THE SAME TIME?! give me a break, I'm sure there's enough bandwidth there for me to download 2 games at the same time. And why can't I play my game when something is downloading??!?!
gawd...
Anyway, thanks for the article again Mike. Rock on.
13 - Kronusdark
i have to say i agree with the points made i have to say the only things i would like to add are
1. the UI needs to be faster, i would like to (in the middle of a game) be able to quickly send a message to a friend without it taking 5 minutes the sliding animations are too slow too
2. they need a system so you can page someone without inviting them to a chat so you could do something like ping someone when your ready to be invited
3. multiple people in chat rooms sometimes when im playing COD 4 i just want to talk to my friends i would rather not bother everyone in the game when talking about what happened at work that day or something like that
14 - ThisIsAName
Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I don't have a PS3 (or PS2, or PS1), and that I have owned my 360 for about 2 years now.
Anyway, good article, though I would have liked to have seen a comment on the absurd DRM system that the Xbox 360 uses. Your console breaks? Goodbye content, unless you want to jump through an insane amount of hoops, and deal with useless tech support who mostly appear to speak broken English. A process so difficult, time-consuming, and infuriating that it's easier not to bother, and you just put up with the DRM, resenting Microsoft every single time you can't use the content you paid good money for due to Live going down, or the Internet not working.
To be honest, Microsoft does need to step it up. At the moment I pay an annual fee TO USE MY OWN BANDWIDTH to host games (almost all games use star based networks instead of servers). When you think about it, how unbelievable is that? You are actually paying Microsoft to allow you to pay out of your pocket for your own bandwidth to use to host their games!
Where is this fee going? There are updates twice a year. There are no Microsoft-owned dedicated servers, tech support is mostly based in Asia (and is an extremely poor service).
Not to mention that the service is so biased towards those in the US. I haven't got any experience with the PS network I will admit, but I don't recall any massive content imbalances between certain regions and the rest of the world.
Unless Microsoft makes drastic changes, not only am I not going to renew my gold account when it expires, but I will not buy a Microsoft console ever again. Overpriced content and accessories, buggy hardware, online play filled with all kinds of networking issues due to a lack of regional selection/servers (for the most part), and massive contempt for those who don't happen to live in the US, in the form of arbitrary delays and markups on prices.
Don't get me wrong, Sony have made their share of mistakes too (PS2 lasers anyone?), and have their share of PR howlers, but the thing is that they seem to be learning from them. I don't remember them insulting their userbase by trying to claim a ~3% failure rate when the actual rate was 10 times higher anyway.
15 - Matt Paprocki
Master:
"why can't I download multiple things AT THE SAME TIME?! give me a break, I'm sure there's enough bandwidth there for me to download 2 games at the same time. And why can't I play my game when something is downloading??!?!"
You can do both of those. You can have six items in a download cue. You can play any offline game while those downloads happen, but if you hop into any multi-player modes, the bandwith is then used for the game like it should be.
16 - Ken Edwards
I will have to read through all the comments. But Mike I think you missed a big point of contention with XBL: The DRM is not good for the paying customer, period.
17 - Michael Prince
I think I did as well Ken =-), but the comment from Ikaruga is absolutely correct, I have yet to brick my 360 (hoping it happens by november) ;P So I haven't experienced the pain of changing 360's, but by the sounds of it the drm should have been at the top of the list.
18 - Master1718
Matt Paprocki,
Please understand what I am trying to say about Xbox Live...
I am saying that in Xbox live, you can't download multiple things at a time. As in downloading 2 games at the same time, not one after the other.
I am also suggesting that Microsoft should allow this function because they would have enough bandwidth to support multiple downloads from their server.
They also have enough bandwidth, and also the functionality to have the ability to download a game from their servers, and also play a game in Xbox live.
Think of it as your computer. I'm sure you can access the internet when you have MSN, Limewire, and Firefox running at the same time. These are all current PC functions that Xbox Live is missing.
I'm sure you would agree that it would be better if you can do all of these things I listed, here, and what I wrote above.
19 - dRailer
Good article... one more to add to the mix:
Something I'm dying to see is a way to categorize the people on your friends list by priority. My best friends get a high rating and I want to hear whenever they sign on, invite me, or really anything. Others maybe I only hear from them if they directly address me by sending me an invite to a chat or game... but I don't need to know if they signed on. Yet others in the lowest tier... these people don't even need to know if I'm on until I address them.
20 - Mark Kalriess
Great Article Mike,
I totally agree with you with cleaning up Xbox Live experience. When I got my 360 at Christmas I played Call of Duty pretty regularly. But I became so sick of people cursing me out for not knowing the intricate details of the game and "messing" them up. I just wasn't as experienced and the more I encountered this elitism, the less I wanted to invest my time in the game. Oh and all the incredible racism.
I'd also like not to have pay 10 dollars for four maps or one extra mission. Of course I'd also like to go the moon....
21 - Michael Prince
Could it be that Microsoft listened to me and read my article? This list for the spring update may be a rumour, but it is very detailed and addreses a lot of my interface issues:
XBox360 Spring Update
22 - rudy
Also they should make accepting chat invites easier.
: For example doubled tapping both bumpers or something like that so you dont get interrupted while your playing something online.
23 - tony wadsworth
microsoft xbox live activision customer services are trash waste of time they try but sorry trash
24 - tony wadsworth
xbox tech support jokers
25 - XBL
Yes I know that this is an old thread but I wnt to add something.
I think xbox shuld make the download faster or something (im not pretending that I know how to do it) because I find it rediculous that I have to wait 4 hours for a game addon that I have paid for gawd. ;D