X-box 360 Live

[Braen]

I have heard many good things about this but never actually spent any time on the original X-Box Live or the 360 version.

From the presentation that Microsoft gave the future looks great for X-Box 360 Live. My question is this to all that have been playing with it the last few months:

How is the performance, quality, availibility of games and future features in your eyes? Is it a lot of hype with nothing really of substance, or is it a major feature that Nintendo and Sony have to really work at to compete with?

I would really like honest opinons on this as i am thinking about buying an X-Box 360 but am deciding either to get it soon or later because the game selections right now are kind of limited but the Live service sounds like it could make up for it.

[Jubee]

XBox Live is seriously the greatest thing to ever happen to console game. Between downloading demo's, videos, arcade games (including Smash f'n TV for Nintendo.) You can use voice chat to talk to people on your friends list that aren't even playing the same game as you.

There is very little lag involved. Hardcore Halo players can tell when they have "host" or not, but it's not bad. Voice chat comes through in real time with no noticable delay. Pretty much every game is either playable online or atleast has downloadable content. Most new games being released atleast have playable co-op over Live, which is the best idea ever. I get to play through GRAW with a friend and I don't even have to drive 30 minutes to get to his house? Awesome.

While Nintendo and Sony will most likely always be competitive, they are seriously hurting from not having a Live equal. It was a no brainer to buy my $400 360, I'm considering a Wii (if it does indeed launch at $200), and there's no way in hell I'm spending $600 on a PS3 that doesn't have an online base. During the last generation, if a game was launched for multiple systems, I would buy it for XBox 100% of the time for the far inferior Live 1.0. It's only gotten better.

This entire post comes off as very fan-boi-ish, but I can't imagine going back to consoles without an online backbone. It definately influenced my purchases and will continue to do so.

Edit: Ninja edit'd a typo after somebody already quoted me. Frowny face.

[DMyst]

Originally Posted by Jubee

XBox Live is seriously the greatest thing to ever happen to console game. Between downloading demo's, videos, arcade games (including Smash f'n TV for Nintendo.) You can use voice chat to talk to people on your friends list that aren't even playing the same game as you.

Their is very little lag involved. Hardcore Halo players can tell when they have "host" or not, but it's not bad. Voice chat comes through in real time with no noticable delay. Pretty much every game is either playable online or atleast has downloadable content. Most new games being released atleast have playable co-op over Live, which is the best idea ever. I get to play through GRAW with a friend and I don't even have to drive 30 minutes to get to his house? Awesome.

While Nintendo and Sony will most likely always be competitive, they are seriously hurting from not having a Live equal. It was a no brainer to buy my $400 360, I'm considering a Wii (if it does indeed launch at $200), and there's no way in hell I'm spending $600 on a PS3 that doesn't have an online base. During the last generation, if a game was launched for multiple systems, I would buy it for XBox 100% of the time for the far inferior Live 1.0. It's only gotten better.

This entire post comes off as very fan-boi-ish, but I can't imagine going back to consoles without an online backbone. It definately influenced my purchases and will continue to do so.

Couldn't have said it better.

I personally have never felt any lag while on Live.

[Slick Willey]

Jubee summed it up perfectly. That said, while the Live service is great, it won't make up for any lack of game selection. That's something that is continuing to come along, however, and will just get better in time -- unless of course you are one of those guys that thinks the only good games are made by Japanese developers that feature females with faces of 12-year old girls and the bodies of grown women that have had "work" done. I doubt the Xbox will ever have a ton of those kind of games

Seriously, the two features I have REALLY enjoyed the most with the new Xbox Live service is the Live Arcade games you can download (for a modest cost $3-$5) and the demos. I LOVE having demos available for download for free so I can try the games out before they hit the shelves.

[kcxiv]

I used to own fools on espn 2k5 online. Xbox live feature is great. I dont have a 360 yet, soi cannot comment on how live is there, but for the regular xbox it was awesome.

I am a sports gamer though, so only really played sports on live, Played a lil Halo2, but i suck at FPS'ers.

[Cadrid]

From what I heard at E3, the PS3 will have a "Live" service. Not only that, but it won't have a monthly charge, either.

Personally, I could care less about the 360 and the PS3. Consoles may get more powerful, but the past 2-3 generations have all been so bland in terms of innovation that I simply don't care about yet another Playstation/X-Box/Gamecube.

The Wii, however, has me very much interested. The interesting and fun ways they could use the remote, the possible peripherals, being (almost excessively) backwards compatable... It's something new and fun and unique. Definately going to be buying one, whether it's $200 or $500.

[Silv]

Yes, Sony is developing a 'free' online component. But given that it is free, how good can it be? All those servers cost money, and unless Sony plans on filling it with tons of ads or running a relatively crappy service, I don't see how it is oging to work.

I also doubt Sony's 1.0 online platform will be anywhere near as mature as Xbox 360's.

Look at how Sony copied Achievements -- Sony has no real creative potential and merely copies.

[Slick Willey]

On a related note:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151874.html

More improvements on the way, and it will be regularly updated and expanded.

[Gilson]

I'm a little bummed at the lack of additional game content available for download. That was one of the things that I remember hearing about as a major selling point for Live. I think Oblivion is the only game that has downloadable content, and Burnout Revenge has some additional cars. Hopefully they'll add some more interesting stuff to download.

[Slick Willey]

Originally Posted by Gilson

I'm a little bummed at the lack of additional game content available for download. That was one of the things that I remember hearing about as a major selling point for Live. I think Oblivion is the only game that has downloadable content, and Burnout Revenge has some additional cars. Hopefully they'll add some more interesting stuff to download.

I think they just added new Call of Duty 2 maps, might want to check that out though because I'm not sure if they are available right now.

[Nazbuk]

Xbox 360 live reminds me of what would happen if MSN Messenger and a console system colided together at the atomic level. I really like setting your friends up on there who also have a 360 so you can see how well you're doing in the games you play.

The arcade is cool and right now I'm working on a mod that allows me to play old NES roms from my PC on the 360. I'll let you know how that works. =)

It's a good serivce. I think the Wii will have more content available on its service, but only time will tell.

The PS3 could have gold bricks coming out of an online shit port but because of the 600 bucks I will never know.

The whole blue ray disk thing screams of Beta max vs the VHS. I think they're going to lose. So if I buy one I'll not just getting an overpriced game console but I'll get a Laser Disk player as well. =P

[Luthair]

Originally Posted by Silv

Yes, Sony is developing a 'free' online component. But given that it is free, how good can it be? All those servers cost money, and unless Sony plans on filling it with tons of ads or running a relatively crappy service, I don't see how it is oging to work.

I also doubt Sony's 1.0 online platform will be anywhere near as mature as Xbox 360's.

Look at how Sony copied Achievements -- Sony has no real creative potential and merely copies.

Not hosting games significantly cuts down on the number of servers required, Live is a matchmaking service (think Battle.net) with voice chat. As for downloading content thats available to everyone and is either paid for by a company (ie, movie trailers), MS+Publisher (game demo/trailer) or is paid for by the user (games).

I'd like to see Sony make an okay matchmaking service for free as it would (likely) force Microsoft to make parts of Xbox-Live free.

[Khorum]

Originally Posted by Cadrid

From what I heard at E3, the PS3 will have a "Live" service. Not only that, but it won't have a monthly charge, either.

I have my doubts about a 'free' live-alike service for the PS3. With live's VOIP services, matchmaking and content services, it's hard to imagine anyone recouping network costs with only advertising.

Plus this is Sony, whose own marketspeak went on to suggest that a $600 console might be 'too cheap' with their blu-ray technology (which is nothing more than Sony's reliving the betamax wars)--and users should be on their knees begging Sony to take their sister's virginity in gratitude. The $600 tag is apparently too low for the console's 'value'. The same Sony which is contemplating forever banning a secondary market for their games because that would also diminish their games' 'value'.

If they _do_ come out with a truly free online service (which they only proposed to do because of Final Fantasy XI's popular PlayOnline service---not from some perceived Microsoft threat) I suspect it would an anemic and unenthusiastic gesture instead of a feature-rich loss-leader designed to win sales. Sony just doesn't do loss-leaders, closest you'll get is a free controller if you're lucky---whereas microsoft has no plans of generating any profit from the XBox hardware for 2 more generations, and cheerfully sells xbox 1's at a 100% manufacturing loss just to flood the market.

[DMyst]

Originally Posted by Nazbuk

Xbox 360 live reminds me of what would happen if MSN Messenger and a console system colided together at the atomic level. I really like setting your friends up on there who also have a 360 so you can see how well you're doing in the games you play.

The arcade is cool and right now I'm working on a mod that allows me to play old NES roms from my PC on the 360. I'll let you know how that works. =)

It's a good serivce. I think the Wii will have more content available on its service, but only time will tell.

The PS3 could have gold bricks coming out of an online shit port but because of the 600 bucks I will never know.

The whole blue ray disk thing screams of Beta max vs the VHS. I think they're going to lose. So if I buy one I'll not just getting an overpriced game console but I'll get a Laser Disk player as well. =P

Sorry to derail the subject a bit but...

I never was able to connect to my PC with my xbox 360. They always ask me to download the .Net Framework first. I looked every where and i can't seem to find it for free.

Am i missing something?

[Kezmer]

Xbox Live Uno FTW !