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Microsoft announces Xbox Live cross-network (PSN and other networks) play

S

smashballTaz

Member
It's great on paper, but isn't it basically down to Sony / Ninteno / whoever to request access to play a game cross-platform now? I can't really see them going for that much, obviously each big company would rather keep their online ecosystem to themselves..
 
J

jelly

Member
Trup1aya said:
Explain the logic...

Xbox users are perfectly fine with paying for Xbox live in order to play COD, Battlefield, Battlefront, Rainbow 6, GTAV, Destiny, the Division, Minecraft, NBA 2k, Madden, and FIFA etc, while their PC counterparts offer free MP.

But the moment a handful of 1st party games (which on MS' own console are less popular than the aforementioned games) go to PC, suddenly the fee becomes unfair?

It's not about 'fairness' it's about business. MS collects a fee on consoles in exchange for offering a service. Obviously, consumers view it as a decent deal, because it has been succesful. The free market accepted it.

MS would love to collect a similar fee on PC, but the market has already rejected it. They have to use a different business model in order to find success in that market.

People who don't like the fee on consoles could always vote with their wallets...
Click to expand...

It's more about magnifying Xbox Live, the issue with console paywall and PC has always been there but the new PC Xbox Live is showing the platform as a identical feature set so questioning it is much easier. Yes, people have paid for console multiplayer but should we never argue against it ever again especially when the PC and console lines are being blurred, with one set of users paying and the other not. I admit it's still early days but to not even bring the issue up is completely idiotic.
 
Z

Zutroy

Member
I don't think anyone should expect the ability to send invites cross platform anytime soon if this does come to fruition. That's probably a step too far for Sony/MS.

I imagine this would just be a case of that you could play with a random player on any platform during matchmaking, and perhaps devs might setup some sort of rivalry playlists for fun i.e. Playstation vs Xbox matches.

It's cool that it's happening, but I don't really see the megaton that a lot of people seem to think this is.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Dash_Riprock said:
I would have thought everything that happened before and after E3 2013 would have exposed the pro-MS bias of the gaming media.
Click to expand...

Come off it. There's no grand pro-Microsoft media agenda. Basically, most outlets don't want to piss off any of the big 3 (for good reason) but Microsoft cops plenty of flack.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
the XBox Live thing is going to be real interesting for MS going forward. The more the aim to blur the line between Xbox and PC, and just make Xbox a software platform, the dumber it's going to look to charge for online play on one and not the other.
 
F

family_guy

Member
Trup1aya said:
Explain the logic...

Xbox users are perfectly fine with paying for Xbox live in order to play COD, Battlefield, Battlefront, Rainbow 6, GTAV, Destiny, the Division, Minecraft, NBA 2k, Madden, and FIFA etc, while their PC counterparts offer free MP.

But the moment a handful of 1st party games (which on MS' own console are less popular than the aforementioned games) go to PC, suddenly the fee becomes unfair?

It's not about 'fairness' it's about business. MS collects a fee on consoles in exchange for offering a service. Obviously, consumers view it as a decent deal, because it has been succesful. The free market accepted it.

MS would love to collect a similar fee on PC, but the market has already rejected it. They have to use a different business model in order to find success in that market.

People who don't like the fee on consoles could always vote with their wallets...
Click to expand...


Please. No one thinks paid online services are a good deal. They pay for it because they have no other option on consoles. If Steam started charging for such services there would be a shitstorm, but guess what? Consumers would eventually pay for it if they had no other options.
 
D

Dash_Riprock

Member
Poimandres said:
Come off it. There's no grand pro-Microsoft media agenda. Basically, most outlets don't want to piss off any of the big 3 (for good reason) but Microsoft cops plenty of flack.
Click to expand...

Now maybe, didn't use to be the case.

And some of the most hardcore MS-Defenders are gone now (Sessler).
 
A

Arklite

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
the XBox Live thing is going to be real interesting for MS going forward. The more the aim to blur the line between Xbox and PC, and just make Xbox a software platform, the dumber it's going to look to charge for online play on one and not the other.
Click to expand...

If Sony didn't charge for online I think they would look very stupid, but with a long established Live base and a the current console norm, I don't see them catching much flak this gen even with the Windows push.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Arklite said:
If Sony didn't charge for online I think they would look very stupid, but with a long established Live base and a the current console norm, I don't see them catching much flak this gen even with the Windows push.
Click to expand...

It's not in comparison to Sony that it would look dumb, it's in comparison to other platforms that run Windows/Xbox software. Again, if their aim is to blur the line between the two it's going to get harder and harder to justify charging on one and not the other. Sony has nothing to do with this.
 
W

WarWolf

Member
Arkeband said:
A new console crowd might be the injection of new life into FFXIV that it needs.
Click to expand...

This quote makes it sound like FFXIV isn't coming to Xbox.

"Of course, it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players."

This would make it required to have an Xbox only server and I don't think SE wants that.
 
A

Arklite

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
It's not in comparison to Sony that it would look dumb, it's in comparison to other platforms that run Windows/Xbox software. Again, if their aim is to blur the line between the two it's going to get harder and harder to justify charging on one and not the other. Sony has nothing to do with this.
Click to expand...

It does in the console space, which is where the Live has direct competition and exists with downloadable benfits. I understand what you're saying, I just don't see it being an issue yet, mostly because I don't see stuff like the Windows/Xbox store being big enough to have people complaining yet, which I could be completely wrong about.
 
Z

Zeta Oni

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
It's not in comparison to Sony that it would look dumb, it's in comparison to other platforms that run Windows/Xbox software. Again, if their aim is to blur the line between the two it's going to get harder and harder to justify charging on one and not the other. Sony has nothing to do with this.
Click to expand...

Except they do.

Your average customer isnt gonna be privy to this "blurred line" stuff. They are gonna see that the immediate competitor does the same and pony up, or choose a console the doesn't have that issue (which, wont be the option that happens alot).

Maybe here on the forums, there will be some "outrage".

Everyone else? Nah, xbox is still xbox and W10 is another name for PC.
 
T

Trup1aya

Member
jelly said:
It's more about magnifying Xbox Live, the issue with console paywall and PC has always been there but the new PC Xbox Live is showing the platform as a identical feature set so questioning it is much easier. Yes, people have paid for console multiplayer but should we never argue against it ever again especially when the PC and console lines are being blurred, with one set of users paying and the other not. I admit it's still early days but to not even bring the issue up is completely idiotic.
Click to expand...

The 'issue' has not changed one iota with this announcement. Since the inception of Xbox live, console players have been paying and PC players have not.

People who play on consoles are knowingly buying into a walled garden, and with that purchase, they inherit the pros and cons of that decision.

In an open environment like PC, there is too much competition to justify charging for MP. It's been tried and it doesn't work.

What's 'idiotic' is the idea that because something doesn't work in one marketplace, a company should voluntarily cut off their revenues in another marketplace. That's just not how business works.

People who are unhappy with the fee can vote with their wallets switch to PC gaming if they like.

Also, the lines are not blurred. Cross-network play doesn't change the fact that everything on consoles is blessed by the platform holder, and on PC anything goes. As long as this is true, expect platform holders to capitalize. That's what they are in business for.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Dash_Riprock said:
Now maybe, didn't use to be the case.

And some of the most hardcore MS-Defenders are gone now (Sessler).
Click to expand...

There are people who wear their bias on their sleeve, and some questionable outlets (Polygon...) but I've seen people try and put forward an anti-Sony, anti-Microsoft and anti-Nintendo agenda when people are saying things they don't like.

The Xbox One reveal was a strange time, but usually when it comes to a newly revealed product cautious optimism is common enough. It's the same reason why previews are rarely overly negative... you give the benefit of the doubt that issues may be cleared up, or something that doesn't seem to make sense will be illuminated.
 
T

Toki767

Member
Arkeband said:
A new console crowd might be the injection of new life into FFXIV that it needs.
Click to expand...
Let's not get crazy now. The number of people who have an Xbox One that want to play the game are probably in the hundreds or thousands, not millions.

Have to wonder if it's even worth the cost to port to it over something like the NX.
 
A

Arklite

Member
WarWolf said:
This quote makes it sound like FFXIV isn't coming to Xbox.

"Of course, it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players."

This would make it required to have an Xbox only server and I don't think SE wants that.
Click to expand...

That's definitely something they'd have to clarify. This is all fluff if they're going to impose limits like that, so hopefully they don't.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Zeta Oni said:
Except they do.

Your average customer isnt gonna be privy to this "blurred line" stuff. They are gonna see that the immediate competitor does the same and pony up, or choose a console the doesn't have that issue (which, wont be the option that happens alot).

Maybe here on the forums, there will be some "outrage".

Everyone else? Nah, xbox is still xbox and W10 is another name for PC.
Click to expand...

I don't even necessarily mean just in the consumers eyes. If the next "xbox" is really just a windows machine, how will MS internally differentiate between the two platforms, when their aim seems to be to not have two platforms? Obviously we are years away from that probably happening, but it will be something interesting to see going forward.
 
K

Kayant

Member
Zeta Oni said:
Except they do.

Your average customer isnt gonna be privy to this "blurred line" stuff. They are gonna see that the immediate competitor does the same and pony up, or choose a console the doesn't have that issue (which, wont be the option that happens alot).

Maybe here on the forums, there will be some "outrage".

Everyone else? Nah, xbox is still xbox and W10 is another name for PC.
Click to expand...

Your average customer will also probably not know of these news :p
 
L

Lebneney

Banned
Awesome.

When someone asks me what defined this generation, I'm not going to say remasters, I'm going to say CROSS CONSOLE PLAY!
 
JetBlackPanda

JetBlackPanda

Member
Gabotron ES said:
This is HUGE, a day to remember.
Click to expand...

image.php


Microsoft is truly the savior we deserve.
 
H

Herp Derpington

Member
family_guy said:
Please. No one thinks paid online services are a good deal. They pay for it because they have no other option on consoles. If Steam started charging for such services there would be a shitstorm, but guess what? Consumers would eventually pay for it if they had no other options.
Click to expand...

I think the more apt comparison would be to use Steam Boxes. Even then it's not a really valid argument. Valve contributes nothing to the making of my PC and offers me no discount so they have no justification in charging any sort of fee for use of their services. Microsoft and Sony on the other hand do and while it can be argued that they really don't need to charge a fee (as Sony showed with the PS3) there exists at least a weak argument that because these boxes are more and more complex the desire to recoup costs associated with them exists and these yearly fees enable this.

I honestly think it's a bunch of bullshit myself and it's just there to justify the "experience" and add to the bottom line. Besides like you pointed out they charge because you have no choice especially now with Sony hoping on board the pay wall wagon. I personally hope their venture into making Live an experience on PC forces them to abandon their charge of the service on the Xbox, along with Sony. I'm afraid though how else they'll try to monetize the experience. Ads everywhere? Not that we don't already have them but could you imagine logging into your console and seeing something like the Yahoo home page? *shivers*
 
N

notaskwid

Member
Toki767 said:
Let's not get crazy now. The number of people who have an Xbox One that want to play the game are probably in the hundreds or thousands, not millions.

Have to wonder if it's even worth the cost to port to it over something like the NX.
Click to expand...
For a moment I read hundreds of thousands lol.
 
LlamaJohnson

LlamaJohnson

Member
Trup1aya said:
The 'issue' has not changed one iota with this announcement. Since the inception of Xbox live, console players have been paying and PC players have not.

People who play on consoles are knowingly buying into a walled garden, and with that purchase, they inherit the pros and cons of that decision.

In an open environment like PC, there is too much competition to justify charging for MP. It's been tried and it doesn't work.

What's 'idiotic' is the idea that because something doesn't work in one marketplace, a company should voluntarily cut off their revenues in another marketplace. That's just not how business works.

People who are unhappy with the fee can vote with their wallets switch to PC gaming if they like.

Also, the lines are not blurred. Cross-network play doesn't change the fact that everything on consoles is blessed by the platform holder, and on PC anything goes. As long as this is true, expect platform holders to capitalize. That's what they are in business for.
Click to expand...

100% agree with this. I have purchased Xbox Live without interruption since its inception. I know what it is, how PC gamers don't have to pay, and accept that. I accept it now that Sony has it and PC users still don't, just like I accepted it when Sony's was free. If you don't like it, you can save that money and buy a PC.
 
A

Arkeband

Banned
Toki767 said:
Let's not get crazy now. The number of people who have an Xbox One that want to play the game are probably in the hundreds or thousands, not millions.

Have to wonder if it's even worth the cost to port to it over something like the NX.
Click to expand...

How many X1 players are playing ESO? It would probably cannibalize some of those. There's a lack of MMO's on both platforms.
 
Z

Zeta Oni

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
I don't even necessarily mean just in the consumers eyes. If the next "xbox" is really just a windows machine, how will MS internally differentiate between the two platforms, when their aim seems to be to not have two platforms? Obviously we are years away from that probably happening, but it will be something interesting to see going forward.
Click to expand...

This is assuming they market it like that.

Honestly, they will probably still market the next xbox as a console, even if it does end up being a windows machine. Anything extra it can do as a result of being a windows machine will just be sold to customers as a "bonus feature" or something.
Kayant said:
Your average customer will also probably not know of these news :p
Click to expand...

Actually, yeah, your right.
 
J

Justified

Member
This is a good look by MS. And they are doing it right coming straight out and saying it (unlike the "parity clause")

Whats boggling my mind are the comments saying "Hopefully Sony follows/allow it also"

Im like
readImage


You mean like they have been for years??
 
J

Jeff6851

Member
TehGoomba said:
Don't see why Sony wouldn't allow this. It's perfect for them actually, a lot of people will buy an XB1 to play with their friends on CoD or FIFA or w/e. Now they'd have the chance to play with their friends still, and have the better console experience. Could lead to a ton of new sales.
Click to expand...

I think the point was to keep people from going to PS4 to play with friends.
 
X

Xenoblade

Member
You mean I don't need to buy an Xbox One to play with my Xbox friends now? These guys just keep shooting themselves in the foot. First the announcement that xbox exlcusive games are coming to PC, and now this.
 
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{insert code here}

Member
Excellent news and long overdue really. I hope the entire development community jumps onboard and starts offering full cross platform support on their games. I can't see Sony refusing to allow their PSN players to play against/with XBL players since they already allow cross platform play with PC players on Rocket League and Street Fighter.
 
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