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Xbox Live Goes Online
abhikhurana writes "
Internetnews is reporting that Microsoft has launched Xbox Live
broadband gaming service. To access Microsoft's service, Xbox gamers
have to buy a $49.99 starter kit, which includes 12 month's worth of
access to the Xbox Live service and a headset kit for voice
communications. Microsoft said that about 16 games with online play
capabilities will be available by the end of the year.
So has anyone already tried it? If so, what do you think about it?"
Microsoft appears to have been keeping the Xbox afloat for some time now despite a less than stellar performance. Does anyone else think that Xbox Live is what they're betting the farm on?
I mean, being able to play Xbox games online is really neat... but the little Fritz chip they solder into the back of your head really itches...
let's just hope they don't pull an advertising stunt like the last on in NY.. we all know what happened with that one :)
As with all good ideas involving technology they hardly reach outside of the US, Japan or europe.
In Australia the X-Box is doing okay, still lagging behind the PS2 though. Such a service may never reach our shores, it's a shame because there would be a market here for it.
I guess it would depend if the market was big enough for Microsoft.
Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
I have been playing since the beta and I have found that the service is really good and fun. Moto Gp is a fun game on Live, but MechAssault is a whole different world of fun. XBL runs pretty nicely because of all the broadband users. A much better experience that some online gaming on the PC.
$49.99 fee -$5.00 estimated headset value =$44.99 or ~$3.75/month
.. here in Sweden, Microsoft is more or less giving these machines away at about 2000SEK (about 180-190 USD) with two games, DVD remote control and a DVD movie. As I understand it, they aren't making any money of the actual Xbox unit but instead they are selling the games quite expensive.
I bought one and am a happy user so far. I would prefer a PS2 but they where too expensive.
-- http://z80.org - all opinions, all the time --
Unreal Championship
NFL 2K3
NBA 2K3
NFL Fever 2003
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Whacked!
To be quite honest, nothing earth shattering here. I guess I was hoping for something that would set their service on fire; but, like the rest of the games in their library, there isn't any one game that is fantastic except maybe MechAssault which Gamespot rated a 9.0. Personally, I was really hoping for a coop-able network Halo.
As an aside, it is important to note that companies aren't required to go with Xbox Live as Electronic Arts chose to support their own servers and ditch Microsoft.
Bryan R.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
Ok why in the world isn't halo one of the games included in the service, or is it? If you ask me the xbox website is rather cryptic: "look for these new games" ---feel free to correct me, im just talking here.
I've been wondering why there havn't been more options to use voice in online computer games... or has that changed in the past year or so?
In any event, I think the option of voice communication will bring a whole new dimension to online gaming. It'll be intresting to see how it all plays out.
It would also be pretty cool to see games like starcraft use voice recognition rather then complex keyboard commands do things.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Or do you need to get, say, a cable modem or whatever. The most annoying thing about getting consoles online is that you always needed to use a spesific ISP or whatever, even though I've always had an always on ethernet connection to the 'net (well, since I've been in the doorms, anyway)
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
If you have a modchip you are banned permanently and it seems so called "legitimate" users are being banned as well in the midst of microsoft's "anti-cheating" efforts.
I picked up my XBox live kit Thursday, and although I haven't been playing it constantly since then, I really enjoyed the experience. The only live capable game I have at the moment is Mech Assault, which is a great game, but I was hoping for a couple more play modes, including Co-Op.
I think the idea behind the service is a great one. MS specifically defined the network performance to which the games must conform to make sure that lag was minimized (haven't had a single bit of lag yet) and that the voice worked without interfering with the game. The voice feature itself works as you'd expect. Voices are very clear, and the sounds of the other players only comes through on your headset, so the sounds for the game itself are not affected.
One feature I did find interesting was the ability to have more than one user on the local XBox, and still use the Live. Using this, a friend can play with you (split-screen or what have you) against the other Live players.
All in all, I thought the service was extremely well done. I hope this helps Microsoft come a little closer to breaking even with XBox. Not that they need money, but I enjoy my XBox, and I don't want to see it disappear.
GR will do nice , as most players will have played cs....Whacked, I have no idea about actually.
Whacked! is supposed to be a multiplayer gameshow that allows the online player to pick a persona (including a woman who runs around naked-but-censored the entire show) and then compete in various contests. If you are at all into Nintendo games, think Mario Party, but for adults. It scored poorly, though, with only a 5.6 from Gamespot (who, I believe, is a truly impartial reviewer).
Bryan R.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
$44.99 or ~$3.75/month
The median American family with Internet access has dial-up at $20/mo. Xbox Live requires cable or DSL at $40/mo. To that $4/mo month we must add the estimated $20/mo for an upgrade from dial-up to (e.g.) MSN broadband. So if the median American family with Internet access buys Xbox Live for the kids, it'll cost $24/mo or $288/year.
I don't know about you, but the fact that Xbox Live doesn't work with dial-up prevents me from considering buying it.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I mean... is it because it's Microsoft? Take a minute with me and let's imagine something.
Imagine if a company called Penguin Soft created a console that is very similar to what Xbox is. The console is entirely based on Linux. Exact same specs like the Xbox but run Linux instead. Would you still hate it? I don't think so... you would be praising it as the best invention ever! A huge Linux success!
Xbox is very cool... regardless of the fact that Microsoft made it. And I KNOW if it was a linux based console, you'd all love it in an instant.
Very sad... if only people were fair and mature...
But every time I played it, I heard this eerie almost inperceptible voice...
.Net is Good -- Linux is Bad"
"Buy Microsoft --
The voice just repeats itself over and over! Very strange huh? I think it was Bill himself.
-20-
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
The GUI is really just a kid's system, as well as a system for those who are not computer literate. GUI functionality on a desktop system is just a cheap hack, not a viable basis for an industry.
I got an XBox back in December as a gift. I was very happy with games like Halo and Max Payne but little else for XBox was very good. Friday however, I bought XBox live with Ghost Recon and Mech Assault. I am happy now that I didn't sell my XBox like I was tempted to last summer. Ghost Recon was an outstanding game to begin with on PC but now that I have a video card that can do it justice it look INCREDIBLE. I liked the logical layout of controls too. Mech Assault was more of the same. The controls are over simplified compaired to PC Mech games but that doesn't detract from the game. In fact I found that it made it even better. Mech Assault is by far the best of all the XBox Live games. The only negative things I can say about XBox Live is the setup. I find it stupid that they only support a few different gateway routers. Mine is not supported. I was lucky that the XBox website had a good workaround for my particular router (Netgear RT314). It's also stupid that XBox live doesn't support Visa or MasterCard DEBIT cards. I mean, WTF, it's a goddamn credit/debit card and you can't support it. That was very short sighted. Lastly, I didn't see a function to boot players from a game. That is needed IMO because in Ghost Recon, when beginning an XBox Live mission, everyone has to show themselves as READY before the game can begin. One person not showing as ready will keep the game from starting. So if he's AFK or just being a dick, we are all SOL. They need to fix that.
There is nothing inherently safe about liberty. That's why so many people died protecting it.
Frankly, I'm somewhat glad that MS has forced broadband in this product. There's nothing worse than paying the $40 a month for broadband, mostly for gaming, just to get on some awesome CS server where within minutes a bunch of losers with dialup come on and ruin the game for everyone.
By at least setting the bar to broadband they have excluded some gamers, but they will have improved performance for everyone left.
It was really good during the beta phase, playing Moto GP online = great. Unfortunately, when it launched, it started having some problems. Some of the lag was pretty tough.
Still, my major gripe with XBox Live is that there is no option to use a keyboard for the conversations, you're stuck with the headset.
The real issue with this service is that they haven't set the yearly rate yet. Next year this service could be 20 dollars a month if MS so desired...we don't know. The other sad point is that they aren't stopping 3rd parties from charging over and above the normal Live fee for their games. Example: Sega has announced they will charge for PSO on Live...so this could get really pricy!
Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
Been beta testing EverQuest Online Adventures, its been fun thus far. Don't have an Xbox, I'd be interested in its online setup. Do you have to use MSN? Doubt that will happen, at least for the time being...
For comparison though, it was $39.99 for the PS2's Network adapter and a card for a free game to play on-line. Included is the usual demo's, but the big thing is no need to pay any yearly fee's, although that will probably come with some games (or some form of monthly access...).
With the Xbox, will this happen? Or is that a one time yearly fee with content from various games free online? Maybe you will have to pay individual companies a monthly fee seperately from MSFT's tax? Will it only work with Xbox live? If you decide you want to head out alone will you be able to? they have sunk so much money into the Xbox and intend to do more, but they will at one time or another actually want to make as big a profit as possible.
StarTux
I would pay to play online for this. I know it is hard to put away the anti-microsoft bias for just a few minutes, but really - think about what your getting here. Games free of cheating and any sufficent lag - if it works as well in effect as it does on paper. .
1) an Action Sports game would not lag awfully bad. Everyone on this network must have a broadband connection. No 56kers lagging down the server
2) Too low of a resolution? Have you ever heard of HDTV? I know that is a bit of an investiment, but for those who have it, i cant imagine it would be too grainy to play an RTS.
3) Have you tryed Halo? How about Time Splitters 2? I was skeptical weather or not I could stand to play a FPS on a console, but the controller works. For me, it just seemed natural, even after playing on a key/mouse combination for quite some time.
500 Dollars? Thats a little more then you would spend on a Xbox. 200 for the box, 50 for the service and 50 for a game. Whats that..300? Might make a more reasonable Xmas present for a high school student then a Computer.
Maybe the Xbox is a kids system, though I dont see where you get that impression from. Just because it is a console? And it is hardly a system for the computer illiterate - I have my computers for when i want to play on them, but I have my Xbox for gaming. When i want to go out, buy a game, and pop it in the Xbox and play online I can. No need to worry about drivers, compatibilty, or anything else of the sort.
I never liked consoles much, and I know that computers have there advantages, but im beggining to like my Xbox more and more as I play it.
Lag so badly? I have yet to experience any lag.
Yes for $500 you can put together a PC that plays online games but the problem is that very few online PC games have voice chat enabled by default. It makes a big difference.
Amazing how many people posted and god modded up without even replying to the post at all, but just M$ bashing.
Well, after playing MechAssault for about 10 hours, I can say it ROCKS. I've been a gamer a LONG time (1984 or so), and I've played online since qtest, but I have to say MechAssault is over the top fun. The graphics toast my GeForce 4 Ti 4200, the talking to the other players feature is amazing (finally some REAL socializing in a game), and I have yet to see any lag whatsoever.
The only minor problem is joining games, it takes a few tries to get in (if your doing it manually), but that's fine as it's assuring you actually have the right connection speeds to the server in question.
There's also the great feature where you scores are permanately on the scoreboard (kills/deaths in each gametype) so you can compare with friends.
Two thumbs up for the Xbox Live! team!!!
I've been playing online with the xbox for a while now.
My only complaint are games have not been optimized for online play... This will change with the advant of Xbox live, I just hope someone gets a reverse engineered public service going soon. I wouldn't doubt MS has added some provisions to delay this kind of activity.
In any event, its just been neat to play with, but I've seen nothing stellar on Xbox that really would keep me coming back to the system. (Note, I do not own one, simply play around with a friends).
"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra
I for one think Xbox live is great. MotoGP and Whacked are both shit games to be fair, but XBL makes them great. You'll flame me I know, but it is just like MS says, the voice makes all the difference. Still no lag, no troubles, no glitches. Just pure gaming. Now We just need to wait till the good games are released this friday. Give it a chance, my flat mate has been converted to the dark side.
--- The one with all my ramblings http://www.veebs.com
My friend got a chance to play on it, and he said it's pretty nice. He's about the most hard core gamer I know, so I'll take his word for it.
All circuits busy.
Here in NYC I went to 4 different stores to see if they had xbox live. Each store I went to said they were sold it. Looks like MS is doing something correct with xbox live.
I don't know how the reaction was everywhere else, but here at least it doesn't seem to be a smash hit.
As for me, I preordered Metroid Prime.
They offer the 12 month deal at the local store for $80 Canadian Pesos, but what they don't tell you, is that even though you've paid for a whole year, you still need to give a credit card number before you can use it. How many 14 year-olds have a credit card? How many parents trust giving their credit card to their children? Heck, how many people are still paranoid about giving their credit card over the net? I can understand after 12 months asking for a card, but why do they need to do it up front when the person has already payed for the service?
I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.
So, are there any games that are worth playing online on the billybox? Halo is certainly responsible for half the billybox sales so far (i.e. that half of the Halo fans they didn't piss off when they scraped the PC, Mac and Linux versions), but what title will pull the live system?
Remember: Consoles are nothing without the games. Contrary to general purpose computers, there isn't really anything else you could use it for, so if the box has no games, it has no sales.
So far, I haven't seen anything that is not either available on other platforms, or well below average. Where's the exclusive killer title?
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
It's a bug. Some devices are getting a bad response from the Kerberos authentication server. I also thought at the beginning it was a ban (I have a mod'd XBox), but it doesn't appear to be. A lot of people with "legit" boxes are getting the same response while some people with modified XBoxes are working fine.
Note, they do seem to be bloking mod chips, not BANNING them. If you go on with a mod chip you can't connect to Live. If you disable it you can get on fine. This is a seperate issue than the connectivity issue many beta users are now having, including me.
The PS2 service is free, and games companies provide and manage their own servers.
The XBox service is (probably ) $10/month after your free year runs out. Microsoft runs and maintains all the servers.
All XBox titles need to confirm to Microsoft's standards, including support for Instant Message, and voice headset. This increases the amount of development effort required to launch an XBox Live game versus a PS2 online game.
The PS2 supports a USB keyboard for online chat. The XBox does not support a keyboard, counting on their required headset support to be enough.
Which is the better service? I am putting my money on Microsoft as providing an overall better service.
With the PS2 there are no guarantees of what your experience will be from game to game. Different games will have different interfaces and capabilities. They'll have different hosting infrustructures, with different levels of server reliability.
With the XBox you will get consistency. You'll get a gaming ID that your online friends can use to find you regardless of what game you're playing. You'll get about the same level of reliability accross servers and similar ping times. Having access to online features that work consistently accross all games (instant message, voice headset) will help people feel a sense of consistency that will let them focus on the game and not on the interface.
Keep in mind as geeks we aren't as sensitive to interface consistency as muggles..er non geeks. Most non geeks don't like figuring out how to do something with each new title.
I'm not convinced that XBox is going to become the market leader, in fact if Sony has brains they will crush the XBox with the PS3 and include all the best features of XBox Live in the PS3's network play. However, unless Sony makes changes to how they run things, for now the XBox live service looks like a better service (and the better service doesn't always win).
---
I support spreading santorum
When Live works it's great. I'm VERY happy with it. The voice communication works very well and some of the games are lots of fun.
But, there seems to be an issue at launch. Most people thought they banned mod chip users, but that doesn't seem to be the case. This problem is affecting many mod users and some legit users. It appears to be a problem if you were a beta user, like me. Some XBoxes are not getting authenticated by the Kerberos server when you try and connect to Live.
Some people with mod chips that weren't beta testers are working fine, IF they disable the mod. With the mod enabled they can't connect, but if they disable it they can get on fine. The people with the problem can't connect at all, however. So far MS hasn't admitted the problem but from some testing it seems obvious.
It's that simple. Even if MS produced some kind of patch that was stored on the local X-Box hard drive, the vast majority of users would still be unable to play halo online because they wouldn't be able to meet the bandwidth requirements. Each player generates something like 100K/s of traffic keeping track of all manner of detail. Even with the gateway that was developed outside of MS, gameplay is terrible.
So with three or more players in a single game of halo, most cable modems or DSL lines would choke and die.
-- Minds are like parachutes... they work best when open.
Wow, it only took three days for this story to reach the frontpage and Live was launched the 15th?
;). It's already done a decent job when the developers get things right (MotoGp an excellent example) and I see no reason why it simply won't get better.
Anyway, it has been an overall good experience so far and definitley has the potential to do to console gaming what broadband did to PC gaming. Games are smooth and it's they're fairly easy to connect to.
That said, they need to work on their Live to Game interface a bit more. Right now, the game developer can do anything that want with it and that's a bad thing, because games like Mech Assault don't get it right. Administration features (such as finding friends, kicking players) are sporatic at best, leaving one to play "Hunt the option" from game to came. Conformity is their friend here, not vise-versa.
On the whole though, it's fun. If they can nail down the few bugs, it should make for an excellent gaming experience (and they will, you should see their forums light up with complaints
You need a FREE iPod Nano
And you should also know that Microsoft isn't marketing towards kids. The Xbox was, from the day of it's inception, targeted at more mature gamers who have cash to spend. Most mature gamers HAVE a credit card. Here's a clue for you:
Goto a bank. Open an account up. Have them issue you a debit card. Use card for XBox Live. If you're underage, have your freakin parents do it for you, but if you can't accomplish these very simple steps without bitching and moaning, maybe you shouldn't be online.
And why should they set up for a mail in payment system? I know for a fact from my time at Amazon.com that accounts receivable is a pain in the a55. Checks bounce. Information on Money orders can easily be forged. My favorite was "John Smith" ordering 15 books on how to cultivate and grow weed. People are actually stupid enough to send cash through the mail. Not just cash, foreign currency. Are you seriously going to want to wait for you check, MO to arrive and clear before you play online? Did you bitch because Everquest does the same d*mn thing, as does every MMORPG? You expect them to take mail-in payments as well?
You need a FREE iPod Nano
I got Mech Assault and played the early part of the weekend: it's a good game, but it really just made me want to play the superior MechWarrior4 or 3 version.
MechAssault seems less like giant robots running around than I would have hoped for: it plays too fast, and there really isn't a strategic method of playing (well, except "shoot everything that moves").
Had a fun game where a 11 year old cursed up a storm (and he sucked, too): everyone ganged up on him the moment he respawned. It was a good game, where we actually used some strategy: the "kill the annoying kid so he'll shut up" strategy.
Overall, though, the games for the Xbox in general are underwhelming, with the online versions having the same problem: there's one or two good ones, and a lot of eh ones.
Microsoft needs some good breakout games that aren't just rehashes of superior PC games. But as they can spend millions creating/subsudizing such games, I don't doubt that MS will eventually come up with some.
Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
And got OWNED by some twelve year old who enabled Clippy and clicked the button "Show Me How..."
Absolutely this would be a real useful feature and could quickly gain strength. The problem for MS is that PS2 is much better positioned to take advantage of this if/ when it takes off.
It's the Network effect at play.
There are 30mu+ PS2's out there vs for 3.5Mu+- Xbox. Sony have sold more than 1Mu adapters for the PS2 in the last few month, and if they wanted they could team up with a company like IDT and be offering a "Longdistance telephony game" in a few months.
Help fight continental drift.
The other advantage Sony has is the PS2 network adaptor also has a modem, since not that many people have broadband. Its a shame that MS didn't look at the history of online gaming services, because from what I hear they are depending heavily on Xbox live for the games unit. I guess they never heard of the Imagination network, the Total Entertainment Network, Mplayer, and others that are out of business too. I guess they also didn't realize that Sony is kicking their ass in the console market and making the xBox online play cost more than the ps2, is not going to help their chances of gaining market share.
Granted, Whacked tries to be a party game, but there is only one primary objective in the game-- Beat the other player down to accomplish different goals. Sorry, but that's closer to a FPS (third person shooter?) than andy mario party game I've ever played... And that's it's ultimate failing... Like it tries to be a FPS and a party game, but in doing so desends in mediorcity. Not saying it can't be fun, but it's not worth anywhere near $50.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Get rid of you lame 300+ ping losers
I find "separate but equal" more fair than completely shutting out dial-up users. Just give 'em their own set of servers to play on.
Will I retire or break 10K?
They've already patched NFL2K3 via Live. It had some Live annoyances and bugs that had to be fixed to make the game really playable.
I just hope we don't end up in patch hell like PC games.
This dimension has been around for quite a while. Most FPS and RTS games include some form of voice communication these days.
I've found that if you have a good crew of players on a server it can really add to the community feel of the game. On the other hand, it makes it really easy for one person to be an annoying pain. Nothing more fun annoying than logging on for a little saturday night mayhem to realize that there's a couple stone/drunk people on the server making a racket.
The one thing I've been dissapointed with when it comes to voice chat systems is that they never seem to get used to their potential. Especially in the more realistic FPS games (counterstrike, tom clancy games, etc), it could be really cool to be doing coordinated tactics with the voice communications. Unfortunately it seems that only a few people really take it to that level.
What will be interesting to see with Xbox live though is how the groups are managed on their servers. With a PC game, the host is usually just another PC owner, or some group run server. Good server operators will keep cheaters and other irritants off the server. I'm curious to see how this will play out with XBox live since, AFAIK, Microsoft is doing all the hosting.
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Now a game card I could stomache, I just don't see any reason for them to set up an entire accounts recieveable department.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Yes for $500 you can put together a PC that plays online games but the problem is that very few online PC games have voice chat enabled by default. It makes a big difference.
On a PC all you have to do is run another program in the background. Battlecom, RogerWilco, TeamSound, probably others. Take your pick.
On a game console you can't just download a free program and run it in the background. On a PC you can.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
In reading your comment, something occurred to me.
The only live capable game I have at the moment is Mech Assault, which is a great game, but I was hoping for a couple more play modes, including Co-Op.
One of the most popular FPS shooters is still Half Life because of the Counterstrike mod. Gamers took a basic game and changed it completely to become the kind of game that they wanted. With an XBox, this isn't going to happen because Microsoft has to keep tight control over the game licensing. If they don't they can't make back all the money they lose on selling the boxes. Furthermore, to even begin writing games you have to buy their SDK which is very expensive for an amateur developer.
This was one of the promises of the Indrema game console that was making me really look forward to its release which will now never happen.
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And exactly how many people use Battlecom, RogerWilco, TeamSound, etc.? And how many servers support them? From my experience, not many. That's the problem.
I think it's great the PS2 and XBox now have their online gaming abilities. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, and I think there's definitely room for both.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
I have been playing unreal chamionship since it was released yesterday. The game is every bit as fun as the pc version (unreal tournament 2003) and include some cool xbox only features:
- ability to either talk smack or cordinate an attack via voice
- widescreen mode for those with big tvs
- 480p mode (HDTV)
As a side note, there are currently (as of 9am PST) ~21000 distinct people who have played at least one match of unreal championship. That works out (so far this weekend) to between 7 and 8 people per minutes purchasing, signing into xbox live and playing unreal championship.
PS. If you think you can take me on, look for 'bunny of death'. WOOT!
XBox still doesn't stand a chance if this is what we can expect from Nintendo. I saw a commercial for Metroid: Prime yesterday, and it actually made me want to do something I haven't done since the SNES came out -- buy a console.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
I have the service, and I'm also a PC gamer.
1. I have noticed NO lag yet, and I've played it at peak internet traffic hours. This service was built with only broadband in mind and has been optimized for it. If you get the chance to try this out, after about an hour of jumping on different servers etc you'll realize this is a non-issue.
2. Consoles aren't for RTS games. If that's what you're going after, then obviously you stick with a computer. I don't know too many gamers that just play nothing but RTS', though. The resolution is also a bit of a non-issue. Even though I know my games are only playing at 6 by 4, it still looks great. Again, it's just one of those things where you have to play with it yourself to realize how little it really matters.
3. True, I have a LOT more precision with a mouse and keyboard, but the two-analog-stick system works fairly well. Trust me, it doesn't take any of the fun out of Halo or Unreal Champhionship.
An XBox costs $200. The Live setup costs $50. If you wanted to get Mechassault AND UC it'd be another $100. Toss in another $25 for an extra controller. 375 bucks.
What you get for that is (so far) a lag-free playing environment, the ability to bring over a couple of friends and form teams for CTF or Mechassault or whatever and play with all of them in the same room using one live account against another team of whoever somewhere else in the world. This is a BLAST.
Which XBox games have you played on Live that brought you to the conclusion that it sucks?
XBox live isn't like playing multiplayer games over the internet. It's a hell of a lot easier and faster. The headset works MUCH better than I thought it would, and it does bring in a new dimension to the whole experience.
I very much doubt that you've ever tried out this system.
Now we just have to wait for someone to port Klez or ILOVEYOU. Then the fun begins :)
Tim Dorr
Owner/Manger
A Small Orange
OMG.
It's pretty damn incredible, all...
I started playing at 12 AM last night and stopped to take a restroom break and realised that it was 6AM!!!!
Needless to say, its incredible.
For the past two days, I've probably played my Xbox more than I have since I bought it this past May. The Xbox Live! setup is simply incredible. I haven't had so much fun playing console games in years. It's funny, I play PC games online all the time, yet I don't think I've ever heard the voice of any people whom I've played against.
Amazingly, there seems to be no apparent lag with the service thus far! I have my Xbox connected through my Linksys BEFW11S4 v.2. wireless router, and so far, so good. One odd thing though, in Whacked, I only seem to be getting 2-3 bars for my connection (and that's when all the computers are off). Now, even with all the computers on, it doesn't seem to change. Perhaps this is due to either poor service on the part of Rogers Hi-Speed, or perhaps it's a matter of distance, as a lot of people whom I've played with are in the United States.
In addition, there's this whole concern with Microsoft detecting and banning Xbox's with modchips installed. Apparently, you can disable your modchip (with a switch) and still be able to play, but if you went online with the modchip enabled, they ban your Xbox (likely its unique serial number). I agree that Microsoft has a 'right' to protect its service, but a more strongly-worded warning would have been nice.
BYEBYE XBox ... Its funny that they dont tell people this when they sell the product. Wonder if they could get sued for something like that.
Those fee's do not cover monthly fees that a lot of games will be charging also.. Gamers should expect to be paying upwards of $50 a month to play just 2-3 games on the XBox live. Have fun!
This is IN ADDITION to the XBox Live fee. Games like Phantasy Star Online will cost an ADDITIONAL $10/month .. When XBox live goes to a monthly fee, it will also be around $13 .. So you can expect to be paying around $50/ Month just to play 2-3 games.. Microsoft is totally doomed. Hell, who the hell would want to pay a monthly fee NOW after paying even just $50 for XBox Live? I sure wouldnt! Microsoft is so screwed.
Nintendo does have quite a bit more floorspace now tho.. And over at EB they have almost totally coverted to a Nintendo store.. No matter how good your tech is, the games are what counts in the end. Like you, I preordered Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion. Tues can't come quick enough.
And that my friend, is why the PortBox is doomed.
SWO is a SONY product, you'll be seeing it on the PS2 most likely, right new to EQO for the PS2. But Phantasy Star and other like games WILL be a seperate fee. Like the GC version, the XBox version will cost $10/month.
Your system is slower than a 800mhz celeron?? Please. If you're into games, your PC is def over 1 Ghz, and for a few hundred bucks, you can get a 2.5Ghz processor now.. Nice try bucko.
I think Microsoft has messed this up. HALO 2 should have been the lead game for XBox Live , just as HALO was the lead for the box.
I hear rumours of having to wait till next November... well I guess that'll be when I get Xbox live as well then....
Sorry Bill. None of the other games I've played have ever appealed to me. I've played MechAssault in demos and it just doesn't appeal. Ghost Recon, no thanks.
Winton
This pretty much sums up what's wrong with online play.
Solve it, and yes, you've got a Killer App.
...Also, I didn't know Buggalo could fly.
I don't MEAN to be a bitch here... but if the shoe fits...
Anyway... exactly who made you arbiter of "what console gaming is supposed to be about"?
I'm not a supporter of M$ or the Xbox (although I have to honestly admit it is a nice console and some of the games are pretty damned good, but that's beside the point), but your statement is a bit presumptuous on your part. As with most activities, console gaming is what console gamers want or make it to be. There is no 'Big Book of Console Gaming' with a set of rules for what is and is not console gaming.
Having said that, FWIW I'm a Mac user and I prefer Gamecube. I say that in anticipation of some paranoid troll saying I'm some M$ stooge.
- I am made of meat.
Mini-review:
THE SERVICE:
Signup: The first time you put a live DVD in your system, it installs some new OS-level software to allow you to connect to the service. Then comes the tedious process of entering name, address, credit card #, and other vitals through an onscreen keyboard. Surfing around the buttons grows tedious quickly, and this process can take as long as 10 minutes. While others have reported issues with gateway routers and debit cards, I had no problem connecting through my Watchguard SOHO/tc NAT box, or using my visa check card.
Downloadable Content: All the online games I've played so far have been able to check for downloadable content. Microsoft has the option of charging for the download, which could lead to some serious imbalances in play (either pay $10 for the super ultra rocket launcher, or get your ass handed to you in deathmatch from now on) later. According to the buzz on the street, the first year or so of downloadable content should be free, but after that Microsoft plans to start introducing fees for certain downloads.
Mod-chip lockout: Users of modchips are indeed locked out of using the live service, and for that, I'm very grateful, although this sentiment will probably get me modded down. Mod chips let people run tweaked, unsigned code. This opens the door for cheaters. If anyone remembers dreamcast PSO, you'll know how bad cheaters can ruin a game. The closed system MS has precludes any cheating except for exploits that may already be in the game, and I'm just fine with that.
Hardware: The package ships with a CD of game demos and a headset. The headset is obviously designed without those who wear glasses in mind, and is a behind-the-head band on which a microphone mono speaker can be hung for either ear. This plugs into a module that plugs in turn into the top memory card slot on the controller. The module has a volume slider and a mute button. Fortunately, the jack on the headset is compatible with standard cell-phone handsfree kits, and I was able to plug one in as a replacement for the headset without any trouble. Voices are crisp and clear, and others seem to hear the smack I talk just fine.
Games: The pack-in demos are Whacked and MotoGP. I'm confused by Microsoft's blind insistence on ignoring their killer app. Halo for this release. Are they worried about being flooded by their own success?
Whatever the reason, the demos are a mixed bag. MotoGP is unquestionably the best motorcycle racing game ever made, with seperate analog controls for acceleration, steering, and seperate analog front & rear brake controls. It's visually stunning and the game runs 16-player races without lag, letting you verbally communicate with the 3 players closest to your position.
It's also motorcycle racing, which is as interesting to me as watching paint dry. YMMV. Those who enjoy the game and also own the full version can unlock all the tracks and custom riders for online play.
Whacked is garbage. Silly "sick and twisted" cartoon characters with big cheap weapons collect stars and smash each other. You can talk smack with the whole arena, but it doesn't hold my interest in the slightest.
Better are the release games for the service. Unreal Championship is a faithful and beautiful reproduction of much of UT2k3's features, tweaked out for the system. Multiple voice channels for each team (there are also neutral channels for fraternizing with the enemy) let you form squads while you're playing, and bombing run, ctf, double-dom, deathmatch, and team dm are all present and accounted for. The resolution is low but the anti-aliasing is high, and the game runs at a constant speed. An interesting note is the ability to run your xbox with UC as a dedicated server should you so desire.
MechAssault is a fun, but unbalanced, deathmatch game. Giant stompy robots blowing each other up is what you get, exactly as promised. The battletech faithful will be put off by the lack of location-specific damage (no more blowing off legs and quick headshot victories), but the resulting action game is fun and the battles can get hectic, with exploding players chain-reacting others into a giant fireball o' doom.
Community: The community features are, overall, wonderful. Buddylisting a player is as easy as hitting pause and selecting his name from a menu. It's possible to send a game request to a player who's not even playing the same title you are. A popup appears on the screen, and if the player accepts, then all he has to do is put in the appropriate game disc, and he'll be joined to your game automatically.
Also interesting are the systemwide rankings for each game. Stats are tracked for all players on all games, and you can see your rank against the systemwide leaderboard from the main menu of most games any time you'd like.
MotoGP is the best at community, with pre- and post-game lobbies, and a dropdown on the HUD that appears to tell you who's currently talking. MechAssault, on the other hand, really drops the ball, with no post-game lobby, making starting a new game with the same players as the last difficult, if not impossible. Instead, players are dumped back to the main multiplayer menu, and have to rejoin a new server. Hopefully all future releases will follow MotoGP's lead, and the kinks in the launch games will be patched over by downloads.
Misc: It's interesting to note MS is already patching titles. There was a bug in Sega's NFL2k3 that allowed someone who was losing the game to pause it indefinitely, and then wait out their would-be victor, since quitting is counted on the ranking boards as a loss. The game has since been patched to include a 90-second pause timeout, at which point the pausing player is automatically dumped from the game and takes the loss on HIS record.
Overall: Not without its flaws, but the overall concepts and workflow are marvelous, and the game play is fast and lag-free. I'm very happy with the service, and will gladly pay $50 a year for it when it comes time to pay up again. I'm a little wary of for-pay downloadable content, and the online features need to be standardized across games. There's a lot of A-list titles in the lineup, but none that break away from the pack and appear as a killer app. Halo 2 will probably sell a lot of kits, but as it stands it'll probably only appeal to the hardcore, and current X-Box owners.
Even Jesus hates listening to Creed.
All games are hosted at someone's XBox...just like Q3 or BF1942. I host all the games that I play to reduce lag.
just curious here, but have you actually done any bandwidth monitoring to test this theory? my understanding is that while you can "host" a game all you are really doing is being the caretaker so to speak of the room and the actual hosting really is done by the MS server.
I'm on 128 kb capped cable and haven't heard any complaints at all about 16 player games of MotoGP I have hosted that i know for a fact i dont have the upload capacity to support
I know it is hard to put away the anti-microsoft bias for just a few minutes, but really - think about what your getting here.
:)
I don't have to put away my anti-microsoft bias at all.
Online adapters for the gamecube and playstation are already available.
Moreover, as it is, the playstation adapter has one game available that makes me drool violently (Tribes Arial Assault.. especially since, as a mac user who loves Tribes, i spent two years waiting for the mac port of Tribes 2 and never actually got it) and one game available that i would consider buying (Frequency), and i haven't looked at all the PS2 games currently available. The gamecube adapter, i'm not really certain if any games are available for it yet (are they?) but the one game that is at the least *coming* (Phantasy Star Online) makes me drool violently.
The x-box adapter, meanwhile, has one game that i would consider buying (Ghost recon) and i've looked at everything available. So i can see where yeah, the x-box adapter would be a really good deal if you are the kind of person who likes Mechwarrior and Sports games.. but this does not apply to me.
I don't have to put away my anti-microsoft bias to get this. I can get about this exact same thing from non-microsoft sources, and i like what the non-microsoft sources are offering better, (although i do consider the telephony feature of the x-box extremely extremely neat and the only real microsoft innovation i can think of in recent memory.. i'd rather type to communicate).
Anyway, i'm getting a gamecube for christmas, and perhaps i can convince my brother to buy the internet adapter and Tribes for his PS2 when i visit my parents over christmas.. i can't think of anything in the x-box world that i'm missing that's worth having. i'm happy
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
And how many servers support them?
Huh? You run any of the chat programs and connect to each other. What does it have to do with servers?
And exactly how many people use Battlecom, RogerWilco, TeamSound, etc.?
I dunno, but my friends have it, and I occationally mention it to people I play with.
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- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
You've heard of TCP/IP, I hope?
The original post didn't use the word Microsoft anywhere, it compared consoles to PCs as gaming platforms.
Cost: For high resolutions a PC is still much cheaper than an Xbox+HDTV for gaming, with no additional monthly charges for being online. The PC also has a lot more uses including multimedia.
Resolution: PCs and PC game resolutions are increasing monthly and HDTV won't for a long time. Even old games are being upgraded, the last HalfLife patch or two bumped its max to 1600x1200. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this midrange PC resolution still well beyond the range of current hi def TVs (or at least any that don't cost like a small car)?
Lag: It's not uncommon for game servers to have a minimum ping requirement and some will automically boot laggers. In any case, as regular gamers know, broadband can have as high or higher ping than modem players. It all depends on network latencies and distance to the server. Kicking out the modem users is no guarantee that some players won't lag the server.
Cheats: Granted, at least not yet. I don't expect it will take too long.
No need to worry about drivers, compatibilty, or anything else of the sort.
In years of gaming I have never had to upgrade a driver to make a new game work. Ever.
It certainly does. It fills arenas with pre-pubescent dorks singing, playing the radio, hurling racial slurs and generally ruining the game. HalfLife rolled this in a while ago. I disabled it two days later.
Sega has stated that a keyboard adaptor will ship with Phantasy Star Online for the XBox.
Nintendo are aiming at a different market to Microsoft. They've generally courted younger players whereas Microsoft are quite deliberately going for older players here.
MotoGP. Definately not a US centric game. Added bonus: it is actually fun and works well online. What a concept!
Has anyone with a PS2 playing with a 56k modem or ISDN had a good experience playing online? Cause it just doesnt seem like they would, seeing as how it causes ping times between 350 - 500 ms and thats just not acceptable for any kind of action game. perhaps a card game? or a sports game, ala Madden or Tony Hawk
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However, this ignorance of online culture is not the main reasion Live is going to fail. Live will fail because Microsoft have also chosen to ignore console culture. Ask any twelve year old what multiplay gaming on a console means to them and they will say having your mates around for a quick bash of tekken 4. People are not going to spend god awful amounts of money to get owned by poeple they have never met. People who play consoles are not the type of people who will go online to play video games, PERIOD (sega proved this with the dreamcast). At best you are looking at someone porting evercrack for the masses and Sony are already well ahead in that game. The fundamental mistake Microsoft have always made with the XBOX has been considering it to be just another computer. Someone need to tell them that they are as different as a skateboard is from a Automobile. Console people != PC People. PC culture (which they have chosen to ignore anyway) != Console Culture.
The final nail in the coffin of Live is the prior need of a broadband connection pretty much insuring you are marketing to people who have a computer already, why wont they simply play counterstrike.
XBOX LIVE is just a half arsed gimmick that aint going to safe the XBOX. What MS need to do is provide some innovation in games, not attempt to throw money at it or go around telling everyone that it represents a new paradigm shift for console services, but I guess, considering it cames from Microsoft, it was doomed from day one then. IMHO.
btw is it just me but aren't there too many XBOX stories on slashdot, I mean this horse looks to be pretty dead to me.
Pianist : Some jerk whos taught themselves how to type in rhythm
Apparently the Xbox has a standard Cat 5 ethernet jack on it, and by default it simply requests a DHCP lease, though there are configuration options for other systems. At least, that's what I've been told, since I deal in high speed internet services, and have already had several customers who are getting said internet access solely for their Xbox's.. most of them don't even HAVE PC's.
"Champagne for my real friends - and real pain for my sham friends!" http://ericblade.postalboard.com/
Im sorry to burst your bubble, but a $200 console can't play any of the xbox games at a frame locked 60 fps. Top end ($400+) video cards finally match the bandwidth that the XBox has for video memory. Remember that the XBox uses video memory for everything.
It's a kids systems that does stuff better than dads computer.
I work for the xbox Live! support team, if someone has a problem connecting to the service, they call me. So far I have not recieved a call from a customer wanting to cancel their account for the service sucking.
Looks to be doing good from the inside so far.
"When I look back, my life is not a foreign country, it's more like a library book returned long ago." - ????
The real killer app is called "Ever Crack", I mean "Ever Quest", too bad it's owned by Sony :)
Seriously, if EverQuest could be ported to XBOX or PS2, people would flock in droves since the game might actually have a chance of being stable, fast, and hacker resistant.
This would be the killer app... It might even revive the tech economy.
Xbox live has events for updates as well. I know you will be able to download new maps, skins, levels, mods and addons for MA and UC.. i would imagine it works with any game live compatible.
xboxlive is dope!
There's this thing called TCP/IP. Maybe you've heard of it?
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PGP Key ID 0xCB8FF658
the XBox doesn't contain a modem, it just has a regular twisted-pair ethernet interface which connects directly to your broadband modem via a cat5 cable. the XBox just talks IP which is bridged/routed by your modem.
Fuck joo and your M$ sup0rting buddys!!!!1 whhy dot you jusT giv3 all you fukin money to bIll gats. yOu ComuniSt? o h and joo suckit YEAH HAHA.
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