How Xbox Live assimilates PC gamers

by Parm Mann on 30 July 2008, 14:07

Tags: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

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The best, but not quite perfect

So, is Xbox Live perfect? No, I'm afraid not. As PC gaming is riddled with no end of abuse via the common in-game chat, Xbox Live suffers a similar fate with its voice chat. Fortunately, it can be easily muted.

Then there's also the matter of pricing. Playing online with Xbox Live isn't free, it requires an Xbox Live Gold account which will set you back approximately £40 every 12 months. PC gaming is free, granted, but I personally don't object to paying for Xbox Live. I'd much rather have it for free, but I'm aware that it is the cream of the crop, and I'm happy to subscribe.

Microsoft's console competition, the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, also fall far short of the Xbox Live experience. Nintendo, it seems, isn't even trying. Sony on the other hand continues to improve its service, but it still has a long way to go.

Later this year, Microsoft will be updating the Xbox 360 will an entirely new dashboard that promises to once again revolutionise the connected gaming experience. Xbox Live, in my opinion, is currently the best online gaming platform, and it continues to get better.

Microsoft may have the noisiest and most failure-prone console ever known to man, but it's superior online service still manages to make it shine.

Gamers who still believe that online multiplayer belongs to the PC should, at the very least, consider trying Xbox Live. As a former PC gamer, I never thought I'd see the day where a joypad would replace my keyboard and mouse. However, having joined Xbox Live in 2005, I've never looked back.

So, which former PC gamers out there are up for a game of Halo?


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Posted by jonny4288 - Wed 30 Jul 2008 14:16
well…. i must say i agree with pretty much that whole article. :)

so much so i sold my pc 8-9 months ago, and just use a laptop now for my computing needs.

my 360 has died though :( soon as i switch it on it artifacts and crashes. no 3 red lights either. so cant send it back via warranty.

jon
Posted by chuckskull - Wed 30 Jul 2008 14:28
Got to admit, a lot of this sounds disturbingly familiar since buying a 360 a couple of months back.

The convenience always seems to win out for me and my mates. No IP's to type in while constantly alt-tabbing because you forgot a digit and BF2142 forgot all your fave servers again. No worrying that so and so can play X game because his PC belongs in the natural history museum. No screwing around trying to get everyone on teamspeak/vent or trying to find the push to talk button you keep cursing at yourself to remap to a more memorable key in the heat of a firefight.

I still love PC gaming, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the time I just want to stab my friends in the face with as little mucking about as possible. Live does this well. It still has a lot of catching up to do in a lot of areas(proper server browsers, mods and so on), but it has that “It just works” quality which goes a very long way.
Posted by shaithis - Wed 30 Jul 2008 14:30
“Horses for courses” has always been my motto on this subject.

While racing games and beat-em-ups are great on the 360, both online and offline, I find FPSes to be dire. I hate the controls, I hate having to sit in front of my TV to play them, I hate having to compromise on graphics.

I prefer using the best tool for each individual job :) Although for people on a budget or wanting to keep clutter to a minimum, I guess the 360 will be seen as a 1-stop solution.
Posted by s_kinton - Wed 30 Jul 2008 14:59
Although not a 360 owner, your story sounds exactly like my experience since buying a PS3. I haven't played a single game on my PC since!

The ease at which I can join games, team up with friends, autopatch games etc just totally sold it to me - messing about with patches, finding a good server just makes gaming on a PC a hassle. Not to mention the elentless upgrades and mapping keys.

Sure, PSN is up to the likes of XBL - its slowly moving in the right direction and as it stands was easily capable of ousting the PC.

jonny4288
i sold my pc 8-9 months ago, and just use a laptop now for my computing needs.

This is what I am seriously considering doing now. Just cant justify my quad core, 4Gb, 8800GT machine at the moment. I'm sure my Mrs wouldn't be adverse to seeing it go either :)
Posted by tigerboyce - Wed 30 Jul 2008 15:25
The article sums up my feelings exactly since buying a Xbox 360 just before GTA IV came out.

Initially my plan was to buy the console, complete GTA IV, have some fun with it after completing it and especially with a 1 months free trial for Lice that came with GTA i have been totally hooked ever since.

The console came with GoW and Mass effect, both games which I played after GTA, enjoyed immensely and went on to enjoy Forza 2, Skate, and CoD4. Live is a really great tool and is implemented within the console perfectly.

I have not played a game since on my PC minus a a very rare game of CS:S with friends from uni and some other games at a LAN party i went to with a few friends.

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