Xbox Live Hits One Million Users

Thanks to Reuters for its news story revealing Microsoft's Xbox Live online service has reached one million users, additionally noting that "...more than 100 game titles can be played over Xbox Live, and it expects to see about 150 titles by the end of this year." The story also reports on some comparisons: "Microsoft said in a statement that it reached the 1 million mark for Xbox Live users three times faster than other subscription services, such as Time Warner Inc.'s AOL and TiVo Inc." This impending milestone was previously mentioned in an interview with Microsoft's Andre Vrignaud last month.

Comments

To MS

[SilentChris]

Congratulations. No, seriously. Mainstreaming online gaming is anything but a small feat. I have Xbox Live (along with PS2 online and play PC games online) and aside from Blizzard games, Xbox Live commands my most online gaming attention.

P.S. Don't screw this up.

I wonder

[LennyDotCom]

How many of those accounts were paid for and not included free with an xbox promotion Like the 3 1 year accounts that my family is using and won't be renewed when they expire.

Re:I wonder

[Captain Splendid]

Good point, bu this is about more than just money, it's about building an online community, and by all accounts they've done that very well. As Gabe from Penny-Arcade points out, it's a lot more user-friendly than Sony or Nintendo's offerings.

Microsoft should definitely get the credit for doing the job right in the area that's going to matter most for console gaming: online play.

Re:I wonder

[bigman2003]

While there are certainly some morons, assholes and annoyances on Live, I think the percentage is actually a lot lower than with on-line PC games.

Why?

Because your gamertag stays with you- and the gamers run the servers.

On a PC, if I want to be a jerk, I can run around like an ass, and piss people off. Tomorrow, I can come on with a different name, and attempt to be serious.

On Live, people will start to know you as an ass, and avoid you. Changing your gamertag is difficult (unless of course they ask you to change it!)

Also- most games on the PC are played on central servers. With Xbox Live, the games are hosted by one of the people playing the game. (Certain games like Rainbow Six 3 allow 'dedicated' servers, but that is a different story) So, the host has the ability to kick someone who is being a total ass.

I know that when I host a game I try to have fun, and let people play the way they want to play. But, if someone starts killing their own team-mates, or making racist remarks, or TRYING to annoy other people, they'll be gone in a second.

Hey, 9 year old kids can't help it, they're annoying- but it's not their fault, so what the hell, let them play. But some jerk out there who wants to scream into his mike the whole time, or call people stupid n&G^#r or something like that...that shit ends quick.

From your post, it seems as though you've never played on Live. It *IS* different from playing on a PC- in most ways, a lot better. Give it a try before you just assume that it sucks.

Re:not free then not going to pay

[bigman2003]

That's fine, and I'm not going to argue with you, and say you're dumb, or anything like that.

But, over the past 2 years I bought about 40 Xbox games. Most of them I've traded in, or given away after being finished with them.

The only exceptions are Xbox Live games.

Crimson Skies, Rainbow Six, Top Spin, Mechassualt...these are games that I can keep putting in to my Xbox, because there is always something new (different opponents). I'll probably hang onto these games until the next Xbox comes out, because it's just fun to play against other people.

Each of the games I mentioned (and other Live games that I can't think of right now) have had their playing hours tripled, quadrupled, or increase 10-20 times because of Live.

So is it worth $50 a year to take Crimson Skies from a 10-15 hour game, to a 150 hour game?

Yes...it is for me. And don't forget downloadable content. Splinter Cell, Armed & Dangerous, and many others have downloadable missions that make the original game much more valuable.

So, if you don't think that $4.17/month is worth it, that's okay. But for me, that $4.17 constitutes about half of my gaming (on Live). So I think it's a great value.