(Rumor) XBL "VIP Membership"

bigdaddybruce44

bigdaddybruce44

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http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-2539-RUMOR--New-Xbox-LIVE-

I seriously hope this isn't true. I have Gold paid up until next summer. I'm not shelling out anymore money. Though, I will admit, the online storage space does sound nice.
According to a post over at Hip Hop Game Show, they talk about the possibility of a new Xbox LIVE membership option, the VIP Membership.

"According too a customers survey done in France, Microsoft is considering a new level of Xbox Live called the VIP service. Now with this upgraded version, users will be able to get online storage for their content, a brand new matchmaking option, a option that allows the user too send free invitations to silver members, and better connectivity. It’s no denying that Xbox Live’s gold members are reaping the awards that Microsoft has provided them and with this optional addition it can’t do anything but expand on this already great feature."

Would you be willing to shell out more than Xbox LIVE's Gold price for more features?
Click to expand...
 
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Depends on how much it is, and if it actually delivers on its promises. They did the survey in France, maybe it's only for that region? I really don't care about online storage space. I have a 120GB hard drive (2, in fact) so that really makes no difference to me.

This is a big IF...even though I think XBL is worth every penny.
 
It would have to be damn cheap. I too have the 120gb drive, but cloud storage for my save games and gamertag sounds pretty intriguing.

Hell the cloud thing would be awesome for Rock Band DLC. You could go to a friends house, log in on his machine and have access to your whole catalog in addition to his and 2 other band mates song libraries with zero work involved.
 
fuck that. If they do this, i'll gladly switch over to PSN once i get my PS3 later this year. It's bad enough they charge us to play online...
 
wtf does "better connectivity" mean? Aren't all games hosted by the user? how are they going to make that better? Also If the idea of having your gamertag and saves with you when you go over friends house, why not just get a cheap 512mb memory card.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']fuck that. If they do this, i'll gladly switch over to PSN once i get my PS3 later this year. It's bad enough they charge us to play online...[/QUOTE]

What sense does that make? As long as they dont take away anything from the Gold package this is just paying a little more to get a little more. If you are happy with Gold then no need.

And the fact that the VIP says it could allow them to invite Silver (ie FREE) accounts to play online with them is a great idea as well. I really see no negative about this rumor at all. Not unless they pull most of the Gold options and make you be a VIP to get them. Nothing about this rumor indicates that would happen though.
 
[quote name='musha666']And the fact that the VIP says it could allow them to invite Silver (ie FREE) accounts to play online with them is a great idea as well. I really see no negative about this rumor at all. Not unless they pull most of the Gold options and make you be a VIP to get them. Nothing about this rumor indicates that would happen though.[/quote]

But their past actions have shown they will aggressively make the more expensive membership more attractive by taking things away from other members. This is why they started making certain content or deals only available to Gold members. That is all I am concerned about. I've already bought into their system, which is annoying to begin with. If they now try to make Gold members the new second-class citizens, that would just really piss me off.
 
As i said, it's bullshit that we have to pay to play online, but why should 'VIP' get better connectivity? Aren't we already paying for that technically as Gold members?
 
I hope they do it and then make demos VIP exclusive for 2 weeks before Gold members get them, then take away other things from gold. Microsoft is out of control charging for p2p gaming, perhaps this will lead to the backlash they long since deserve? Nah, they'll get away with it scott free and xbox users will praise them for asking more money for stuff that used to be free.

Ive been a Gold user since 06 btw...
 
I don't really want to set up an account to read what they are doing. So could someone post what the page says about it? Or atleast give some info.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']fuck that. If they do this, i'll gladly switch over to PSN once i get my PS3 later this year. It's bad enough they charge us to play online...[/QUOTE]

Have fun playing all of those awesome games on the PS3. And seriously, PSN is absolutely atrocious.
 
[quote name='munch']Have fun playing all of those awesome games on the PS3. And seriously, PSN is absolutely atrocious.[/quote]

Not for nothing, but what is this? 2007? PSN is fine, and the PS3 has a ton of games...most of the same ones that are popular on the 360.
 
Microsoft should have had online storage from day one. What would it have cost to give even a GB or whatever of storage space? You get this with many free services (Gmail, Skydrive, etc).

That would have allowed the system to play and save games without ANY memory device. It means your account would really be portable - you could access saves & content from a friends house (with your account). By doing this, they could have competed on the low end (Arcade systems), cheaper - sooner and given a lot more flexibility.
 
Meh, I don't care, I'll stick with good old silver thanks. :)

Although it is a pain in the ass that Silver Membership bans you from so much, even talking to a group of people. If they do create VIP Membership, then they better give some Gold Features to Silver.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']Not for nothing, but what is this? 2007? PSN is fine, and the PS3 has a ton of games...most of the same ones that are popular on the 360.[/quote]

I think he meant to talk about playing said games on PSN. I agree with him, playing games online with the PS3 might be "free" but you get what you pay for: a bare bones service.

As for the better connectivity thing, I read that as having access to dedicated servers, instead of player hosted games. If that is the case, I would probably buy it. I just look at it as how much XBL saves me money by prolonging the life of my video games, thus preventing me from constantly spending money on newer games.
 
How is the PSN that much different from XBL? I constantly see people say this, and I simply don't see it. I've been using both systems for quite some time, and the experiences are about the same. You go online, you play games, you send messages, you can buy stuff from the store. It has all the features you need. I'd much rather pay $0 for a year and get what I get from the PSN than pay $30 or $40 or $50 and get a few extra fluff features from XBL. The only thing that really sets the XBox and XBL apart for me right now is free acess to the Netflix instant streaming, but according to job postings from NF, they are bringing this service to "other gaming platforms," so it would appear that the PS3 would be next.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']How is the PSN that much different from XBL? I constantly see people say this, and I simply don't see it. I've been using both systems for quite some time, and the experiences are about the same. You go online, you play games, you send messages, you can buy stuff from the store. It has all the features you need. I'd much rather pay $0 for a year and get what I get from the PSN than pay $30 or $40 or $50 and get a few extra fluff features from XBL.[/quote]
I concur. All i want is voice chat and the Abilene to play online with friends.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']As i said, it's bullshit that we have to pay to play online, but why should 'VIP' get better connectivity? Aren't we already paying for that technically as Gold members?[/quote]


Are you kidding? They charge a flat annual fee for unlimited online gaming that amounts to a little less than $1 per week. In days gone by, before the internet, arcades were the multiplayer experience of choice and we would have blown way more than $1 a week at an arcade.

You want free online gaming? That's what PCs are for.

The better connectivity thing I agree with you 100% on though. I honestly think it will be moot though since the ISP plays as big a part in connectivity as anything.
 
The more I think about this, the more I think it is going to happen. Anyone notice how recently there were a lot of stores selling XBL gold cards at lower than usual prices? Even stores like bestbuy were participating. Combine this with the fact that E3 is right around the corner, I can see this happening.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Are you kidding? They charge a flat annual fee for unlimited online gaming that amounts to a little less than $1 per week. In days gone by, before the internet, arcades were the multiplayer experience of choice and we would have blown way more than $1 a week at an arcade[/quote]

True, true. In the long run, it is pennies a day. But here's the way I see it. The $50 that they normally charge for a 12+1 card could and should be better spent on a game or a controller. There is a competing service that is absolutely free. Whether or not one likes the feel or the extra features of the PSN, the reality is, we can do just about everything with it that you can do with XBL. There really is no reason why we should be spending anything for XBL.

[quote name='help1']The more I think about this, the more I think it is going to happen. Anyone notice how recently there were a lot of stores selling XBL gold cards at lower than usual prices? Even stores like bestbuy were participating. Combine this with the fact that E3 is right around the corner, I can see this happening.[/quote]

Indeed. I was going to mention that in the OP, but it skipped my mind. If this ended up being the $50 a year service and drove Gold down to $25 or $30 on regularly, it wouldn't be too bad.
 
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Go play a few hours of Killzone 2 with a friend, and you'll be DYING for Xbox Live. It's ri-goddamn-diculous that you can't stay in a party, stay on the same team, chat, or invite friends.

People who bitch about Xbox Live being $50 should just stop gaming altogether. It literally is a drop in the bucket of your annual income, and it makes online gaming SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE.
 
It doesn't really matter that $50 is a "drop in the bucket." A lot of things are a "drop in the bucket," and they all add up until the bucket is overflowing.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']There is a competing service that is absolutely free.[/quote]


It isnt really a competing service considering Microsoft makes more money off of one gold member than Sony does off of their entire claimed 20 million (or whatever the number is) PSN user base. You also have to add in how stupid easy it is to use Xbox Live compared to PSN. There are games *cough* killzone *cough* that I got rid of because I felt like it was a damn chore just getting into an online multiplayer game.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Are you kidding? They charge a flat annual fee for unlimited online gaming that amounts to a little less than $1 per week. In days gone by, before the internet, arcades were the multiplayer experience of choice and we would have blown way more than $1 a week at an arcade.

You want free online gaming? That's what PCs are for.

The better connectivity thing I agree with you 100% on though. I honestly think it will be moot though since the ISP plays as big a part in connectivity as anything.[/quote]

Heck, on PC, most of the "free to play" Games felt like crappy, non-unified, messy services to me, anywho. I guess it wasn't a big deal for PC-heads, but I HATED Multiplayer on PC, and NEVER was able to get past the mass annoyance of the setups that each game had, to have any fun with it.

And then the games that WHERE worth playing... all made you pay 8-15 bucks a month to play them. Much more than Live, and all for one game.

Then when Dreamcast with PSO came along, and it was free, I constantly wondered "how are these people providing all this, just off the cost on a retail game?"... then PSO eventually went Pay-to-Play, and it still felt reasonable, because the monthly cost for that game was much cheaper than the 2 or 3 games a month I might buy without it.

And then came Xbox LIVE... flat fee for ALL my games to be played online, plus Voice Chat that kept me from having to use the phone? I never questioned it's worth. Even though I rarely used live back in those days, since there where not as many games I care about for it. (Just Mech Assault and DOAU).

:baby::shame: ANYWAY... all that to say... Live is CHEAP as it is now, and I'd kinda hope that if they make a new VIP service, that maybe they'd even lower the cost of Gold, and make new VIP take it's price place. Don't take away any features, either! This could be the equivalent of a console price drop, just focused on a service, rather than hardware.

I don't see a real desire for serverside content saving in this case. I could imagine the corrupted save files, the long wait to play games because a weighty save is server-side on a slow connection... and the increased complain that "We don't OWN Digital content... It's not even saved on physical storage, GEEZE!"

I do think that if MS was to release a premium service, we'd probably all get a week/month of it for free, to entice us towards it, and then be returned to regular gold after that trial.

Unless MS makes some REALLY stupid decisions with this idea, I don't believe it could turn out negative, if true. However, that is entirely possible...
 
I honestly have probably spent over $50 in my phone bill from having to call/text my friends 20 times during a night of Killzone 2.

XBL >>>>>>>>>>>>> PSN
 
I don't think I've paid over $20 a year, aside from my initial year, which I bought before I found CAG. From 2004 to 2009, I've probably spent about $120 total, maybe less.

They'd really have to add a lot to the service to make me consider upgrading it. I hardly even play online these days...
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']How is the PSN that much different from XBL? I constantly see people say this, and I simply don't see it. I've been using both systems for quite some time, and the experiences are about the same. You go online, you play games, you send messages, you can buy stuff from the store. [/quote]

I don't see it either. It's not like I have to turn a crank to play PS3 games online. I think people are just stuck in 2006. I haven't gotten to play Killzone 2 yet, but I wouldn't doubt if it had a few problems. The PSN does need work, but it's not like XBL and PSN are night and day.

[quote name='GuilewasNK']Are you kidding? They charge a flat annual fee for unlimited online gaming that amounts to a little less than $1 per week.

[/quote]

If they had $1 a week cards, that would be great. Then I wouldn't have that much of a problem with it. I know with CAG you can get XBL for like 20-30 bucks, but in the CAG world that's 2-3 games right there. I just feel ripped off when I buy the subscription.
 
I think this would be a BAD move for MS. They already have so many people dedicated because of the LIVE that they have now.
 
For the record hiphopgamershow is not a reputable site at all, it is one guy blabbing about about whatever he wants and making up info as he goes...this guy said Gran Turismo on PSP is coming out this year! COME ON! His article is complete and utter BS, but for some reason his page gets looked at for either pure comedy or for the stupid people that actually believes a word this jackass says.

Sorry for the rant, but I am sick of seeing his articles on n4g.com
 
[quote name='Mugen']"According to a post over at Hip Hop Game Show"LOL![/quote]


Yeah, that's the first thing I thought to. The Hip-Hop Gamers website being the "source" is hardly credible at all....

and why would they run a survey in France of all-places? Makes no sense to me.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Are you kidding? They charge a flat annual fee for unlimited online gaming that amounts to a little less than $1 per week. In days gone by, before the internet, arcades were the multiplayer experience of choice and we would have blown way more than $1 a week at an arcade.

You want free online gaming? That's what PCs are for.

The better connectivity thing I agree with you 100% on though. I honestly think it will be moot though since the ISP plays as big a part in connectivity as anything.[/quote]
But what i pay for XBL i could put towards a game or two (possibly three with a nice sale)...
 
[quote name='Blackout']I don't see it either. It's not like I have to turn a crank to play PS3 games online. I think people are just stuck in 2006. I haven't gotten to play Killzone 2 yet, but I wouldn't doubt if it had a few problems. The PSN does need work, but it's not like XBL and PSN are night and day.[/quote]

Exactly. That hit the nail on the head. People make it sound like playing games online with the PS3 is a chore. It's not. Not for nothing, but I have played three games....Resistance, MGS4, and Resistance 2....heavily on the PS3. I mean, a lot. Oddly enough, no issues. I've never once said to myself, "Wow, I wish this was on the 360, so I could be on Live." Maybe it's a product of playing a lot of games on the PC or online with the PS2, but nothing about the PSN makes me throw my arms up in despair.

Is the PSN not nearly as streamlined as XBL? Absolutely. I would never, ever claim otherwise. But sorry, I don't wanna pay $30, $40, or $50 a year for a tad more convenience. I'll gladly go to one more menu or just ask my friend what game he is playing in if the service is free and offers the same, basic options.
 
My 2 cents:
I pay about 25 for a 13 month card, and that's far worth it to me.
I hated playing on PSN. It's far from total crap, though.

On PSN, I felt as though I was playing with bots, since no one seems to have a mic, and a lot of the times, I was kicked off or disconnected for no reason.

Not only that, but I love using the ability to talk to friends in other games in a huge party, listen to music streamed from my PC, and all of that, which I cannot do on the PSN. Maybe I was just spoiled.

So, while XBL isn't for everyone who wants to pay, I don't mind paying about 25-30 bucks for over a year of convenient, smooth, and fun service, that I didn't quite get on the PSN.
Not to mention, winning free prizes, contests, early demos/dlc, exclusive DLC, playing with fame and devs, and also other featured content is nice.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start a "console war" or even a service war, I'm just stating my opinions why I much prefer XBL or PSN.

But being that PSN is free, it's a great service for what it does. ;)
 
Anyone else remember Xbox Live Diamond? I think I still may have my discount card with my gamertag around here somewhere.

I'd bet they'll incorporate that rather poor discount program into this if they do go through with it.
 
Having no mic in every box is a god-send. If you've played on live long enough, you know how many 12-13 year old kids are on screaming at you that you suck, you're gay, that you're a n****r, and other wonderful terms. In fact, the chances of playing a game online with xbox live and NOT running into these types of people are insanely low. I hate playing on live due to this crap. Ive never, not even once, experienced that on the PSN and ive had a PS3 since shortly after launch.
 
Oh yeah, I remember that.
I think they should have just kept Diamond and added to it to make it more desirable for a small upgrade fee and stop there for good.
Hopefully though, this is just a rumor, and MS won't keep coming out with dumb schemes to get more cash.
 
[quote name='blitz6speed']Having no mic in every box is a god-send. If you've played on live long enough, you know how many 12-13 year old kids are on screaming at you that you suck, you're gay, that you're a n****r, and other wonderful terms. In fact, the chances of playing a game online with xbox live and NOT running into these types of people are insanely low. I hate playing on live due to this crap. Ive never, not even once, experienced that on the PSN and ive had a PS3 since shortly after launch.[/quote]
I heard crap talking in PSN when people actually DID talk, so it's everywhere. And yeah, maybe mics that aren't in the PS3 box is a good idea, but whoever wants one, on either system, can easily buy one cheap if need be, so there's no big deal.
Yeah, there's tons of idiots on live, but usually, I don't mind. I can simply ignore them, or have fun with them if I want. I end up meeting a lot more cool people versus retarded people and just end up getting an elite friend list and playing strictly with friends. There goes that problem.

I'd rather feel like I'm playing with people, whether annoying or not, but that's my personal preference.
 
[quote name='SAB-CA']
I do think that if MS was to release a premium service, we'd probably all get a week/month of it for free, to entice us towards it, and then be returned to regular gold after that trial.

[/quote]


Ummm.... we already have a premium service, it's called XBOX Live Gold. Not sure if you have ever heard of it. :roll: If this is even remotely true, the better connectivity part just pisses me off. It's just another way to milk us. Hopefully this is not true, they will loose a customer if this happens.
 
[quote name='blitz6speed']Having no mic in every box is a god-send. If you've played on live long enough, you know how many 12-13 year old kids are on screaming at you that you suck, you're gay, that you're a n****r, and other wonderful terms. In fact, the chances of playing a game online with xbox live and NOT running into these types of people are insanely low. I hate playing on live due to this crap. Ive never, not even once, experienced that on the PSN and ive had a PS3 since shortly after launch.[/quote]

I've definitely experienced it a little on the PSN, but not nearly as much. Most of the time, I don't even plug my headset in while playing XBL. The other day, though, I was trying to get my idiot teammate in RE5 VS to actually stay with me, so I plugged it in. Later on, I was playing another match, and some little kid was just humming...humming a song...all game. It seems like almost everytime I plug the 360 headset in, someone gets muted.
 
[quote name='blitz6speed']Having no mic in every box is a god-send. If you've played on live long enough, you know how many 12-13 year old kids are on screaming at you that you suck, you're gay, that you're a n****r, and other wonderful terms. In fact, the chances of playing a game online with xbox live and NOT running into these types of people are insanely low. I hate playing on live due to this crap. Ive never, not even once, experienced that on the PSN and ive had a PS3 since shortly after launch.[/quote]


Lies. I get that shit on PSN all the time. Sony made a service specifically for it - it's called Home. Also, there is this nice little mute feature on Xbox Live that you can use on the annoying people.
 
I can't believe you guys are threatening to stop your Live service if MS introduces a better plan. They aren't forcing you to do it or making you pay more or less for anything.
That's retarded. Start crying if it does become an announcement and if they start taking gold features away, but you're all just speculating now for no reason.
 
Thats why I said if this is true. I already have to pay 50 bucks so people can lag everywhere on my my favorite games. IDK about you, but it kinda ruins the fucking experience.
 
If you've ever played MGO as in-depth as I have, you know damn well PSN is not perfect. I would gladly pay $50/year for PSN if it was on the same level as XBL.
 
[quote name='craigbezzle']If you've ever played MGO as in-depth as I have, you know damn well PSN is not perfect. I would gladly pay $50/year for PSN if it was on the same level as XBL.[/quote]

I don't think one person in this thread once said the PSN is perfect. But I played MGO for at least an hour a day for about a month straight when it came out. Never once thought my experience would be any different on the 360.
 
The idiots who say Killzone 2's online is broken are fucking retarded and are proabably a particapant in their states mental health program.

Seriously, how hard is it to turn on Killzone 2, go to "Warzone" or whatever it's called then "Join Game"? Oh and there's nothing wrong with the voice chat, the only reason you'd call someone on a phone was if you were cheating, which means you're a dick and no one cares what you think anyways.

Also XBLG is wayyyy too much money. $7 a month adds up to almost $80 a year, that's ridiculous. I know you can get it for cheap on cag, but I'd rather spend $50 on a new game than just the ability to play games. This is why i'll be buying all my future third party games on PS3.
 
As far as MGO goes, that game had a terrible online service. I barely played due to it. With PSN though, it really depends on the game with how good the online is. A game like COD4 works just as well on PSN as it does on Live. (and yes, I've played both.)


I rarely play online though, which is why I'd never ever pay to play online. Main reason I never payed for Live when I had my 360.
 
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