PS3 only for me right now.

Shoki

Shoki

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So after receiving the semi insulting "Can Gold Turn To Silver" email.

Your Xbox LIVE® Gold membership will expire on 2008-02-13. No respawn. Once it’s gone, you’ll keep your friends list, gamer profile and gamerscore as a Silver member. But you’ll miss out on all the co-op action and getting early access to Marketplace content
Click to expand...

I figured that since my card had expired I would just let my account expire and go to silver. Since I wasn't going to pay to play online I decided that I would sell my multi player games off.

Mid March I decided to go on to xbox live to see what kind of access a silver member gets and to my surprise my account was still Gold. I checked my account and it said that my Gold account expires 2009-02-13 so I am like how the hell did I pay for another year?

Worried that Microsoft somehow got a hold of different method of payment I decided to call and find out what had happened. The customer service person informed me that my account was delinquent. I asked how can my account be delinquent if you can not charge my card? When I told him about the email warning me that my account would expire he told me sorry but the only way for me to stop the reoccurring charges was to call.

At this point I decided that I don't play my 360 because it runs really loud and I am worried it is going to red-ring. I can't play it online unless I am willing to pay a fee. After the email and delinquent credit charge I say screw it.

I packed it all up nice and tidy and took it back to Costco. Now I am the proud owner of a $550 cash card. No worries I took the cash card to Costco on-line and bought a new camera and a gps.

If there is some compelling content for the 360, they stop charging for on-line, and they redesign the hardware significantly I can always pick another one up.

Till then PS3 only! :)
 
I don't think $50 for a year is bad at all, especially when they give you the option to just go to the store to buy a code.
 
Well, actually, those who previously had a credit card tied to their old XBL gamertag (meaning from the original Xbox) are the ones who run into these problems, which is why I suggests not even try to recover old Xbox gamertag and just create a new one for 360. A friend of mine who sometimes posts here, tried to revert his gamertag (which was originally auto-charge via CC or whatever) to Silver and then get back on Gold, but MS told him he could never get back on Gold again. It's a long story.

Anyway, you should be fine with just a PS3.

[quote name='Lsgun1']I don't think $50 for a year is bad at all, especially when they give you the option to just go to the store to buy a code.[/QUOTE]If you are like me who rarely plays online and is usually strapped for cash, I just can't pay $50 a year continuously.
 
I'm confused...so say I wanted to go to silver, and cancel my membership. I could then never upgrade back to gold? That makes no sense.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']I'm confused...so say I wanted to go to silver, and cancel my membership. I could then never upgrade back to gold? That makes no sense.[/quote]

No, you're misreading.

I was in the same boat as the OP.

If you want to go silver from gold, you HAVE to cancel if you have a CC on your acct or you go delinquint and are suspended until you pay that off.

I paid my debt (one month) and they bumped me back to silver, I eventually went back to gold after getting a subscription card.
 
Anytime you want to cancel anything you need to call or write. You don't just let things 'expire'. It's MS's way of saying 'your subscription is due. Many companies do this so it's nothing new. I own all consoles and think MS's LIVE service is worth the small price tag. I myself experienced similar since I had my old expired CC on file and they tried charging it. I ended up putting my new CC and was back on LIVE within minutes. Obviously I'ld love it if it were free.
 
[quote name='Lsgun1']I don't think $50 for a year is bad at all, especially when they give you the option to just go to the store to buy a code.[/quote]

I'm in the same boat as TMK. I would rarely play online, but needed LIVE anyway just so I could play with friends on the off chance I wanted to do so. $50 was too much for me, a main reason I sold my 360.
 
To me 50 bucks for live isnt as good. I mean i dont play games necessarily everdyay so that means im just giving away my money. the gold and silver situations to piss me off more over teh fact that if you pay a certain amount you get certain features, why not just settle on the gold and make everyone happy.
 
I think $50 is pretty outrageous in general. But then again I don't pay for mmos either. I mean all it really nets you is p2p matchmaking (no dedicated servers) and a buddy list. The only reason they can pull this off is b/c they have lockdown on the console. I guess as a pc gamer first, it's pretty ridiculous since you have services like xfire and what not and pc ded servers beat the pants off of anything live can really offer.
 
Remember, even Gamespy on the PC back in the days when it was mainly a matchmaking service, just like Live only cost $20 for lifetime use.

Live is a closed system with plenty of ad space and revenue. Sure there's other features like achievement tracking and matchmaking, but honestly those don't take up too much bandwidth. The whole service could be ad driven.

Remember that you're not paying to use Xbox servers when you play online, someone's console and connection is still hosting the game, all that $50 gets you is matchmaking and achievement tracking, and the ability to play online with friends.
 
I just keep trying to induce the RRoD on my console because you get a complimentary one month XBL card...and as it takes about three weeks to send it in and get it back, you get a free week of Live every time you send it in. So Live's free for me. :D
 
Why are you guys still paying $50 for XBL? I understand the whole Sony is free argument but you can get a year of XBL for around $30 (and even lower) if you look hard enough. Maybe if you guys had more friends, you'd play online more and $30 a year would be worth it.

To the OP, you made a good choice by going PS3 since you don't play multi player games. Then again, if you don't like to play multi-player games, I don't understand why you'd have a 360.

This thread just seems like a place where PS3 owners can pat themselves on the back and look down their noses. I thought we got over all this crap last year.
 
[quote name='depascal22']This thread just seems like a place where PS3 owners can pat themselves on the back and look down their noses.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Same Guy, Same Post']Maybe if you guys had more friends, you'd play online more and $30 a year would be worth it.[/quote]

;)
 
[quote name='depascal22']Why are you guys still paying $50 for XBL? I understand the whole Sony is free argument but you can get a year of XBL for around $30 (and even lower) if you look hard enough. Maybe if you guys had more friends, you'd play online more and $30 a year would be worth it. .[/QUOTE]Excuse me but my PSN friends list is maxed out (at 50) and a wonderful group of people. I enjoy playing games with them online and it's all free. :) The majority of my list is actually online playing a game too. I once had 30 people (all not Folding@Home) playing games.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']I told people... paying for online is pure mess...[/quote]

Yes, that $30 a year for a bulky friend's list of nearly constantly active people playing all the same games I do is a real fiasco compared to the tranquility of my PS3 friends list ... where I've seen only one person online since September (who wasn't just folding@home).

[quote name='Shoki']

At this point I decided that I don't play my 360 because it runs really loud and I am worried it is going to red-ring. [/quote]

Really? You're that bothered by the slight sound of a fan? Do you not use a pc? And what other things do you not use just to avoid potentially negative outcomes? Do you not drive because you're afraid you'll crash?

[quote name='depascal22']
This thread just seems like a place where PS3 owners can pat themselves on the back and look down their noses. I thought we got over all this crap last year.[/quote]

Bingo
 
ps3 / 360 networks aside, but why should you be forced to pay for a friend list to start with or matchmaking. It seems inherent in any mp experience.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']I told people... paying for online is pure mess...[/quote]

Yes, that $30 a year for a bulky friend's list of nearly constantly active people playing all the same games I do is a real fiasco compared to the tranquility of my PS3 friends list ... where I've seen only one person online since September (who wasn't just folding@home).

[quote name='Shoki']

At this point I decided that I don't play my 360 because it runs really loud and I am worried it is going to red-ring. [/quote]

Really? You're that bothered by the slight sound of a fan? Do you not use a pc? And what other things do you not use just to avoid potentially negative outcomes? Do you not drive because you're afraid you'll crash?

[quote name='depascal22']
This thread just seems like a place where PS3 owners can pat themselves on the back and look down their noses. I thought we got over all this crap last year.[/quote]

Bingo
 
[quote name='Maklershed']
Really? You're that bothered by the slight sound of a fan? Do you not use a pc? And what other things do you not use just to avoid potentially negative outcomes? Do you not drive because you're afraid you'll crash?[/QUOTE]The sound bothers me too (it's part of the reason I buy multi-platform games for PS3 usually); however, I use to do the same last gen by not buying or rarely playing CD based games for my PS2 since they played loud. I hated playing scratched up DC games since they sounded pretty loud. A console making a loud noise really irritates me, but that's because I like peace and quiet everywhere (people being loud outside, loud music, and just about anything loud bugs me.
 
[quote name='Maklershed']Really? You're that bothered by the slight sound of a fan? Do you not use a pc? And what other things do you not use just to avoid potentially negative outcomes? Do you not drive because you're afraid you'll crash?[/quote]
My ex-Xbox was a loud hot piece of crap. I would have sold the thing off or gave it away but I would have felt guilty sticking somebody with something I know was about to fail. I am happy to have the money back. I can spend it on quality products. My PC is nice and quiet... just like my sweet sweet PS3 wonderbox.
 
[quote name='hone']I think $50 is pretty outrageous in general. But then again I don't pay for mmos either. I mean all it really nets you is p2p matchmaking (no dedicated servers) and a buddy list. The only reason they can pull this off is b/c they have lockdown on the console. I guess as a pc gamer first, it's pretty ridiculous since you have services like xfire and what not and pc ded servers beat the pants off of anything live can really offer.[/quote]

x2

i agree
 
[quote name='Maklershed']
Really? You're that bothered by the slight sound of a fan?
[/QUOTE]

Yes! I am bothered by it. My PS3 is far better for watching hd movies. The 360 doesn't bother me when gaming but it really, really sucks when watching a movie. Hence why I am looking for a standalone player.
 
50 dollars for live?! come on, you are cheap ass gamers!

who the hell in here has paid full price for anything (including Xbox live) my last 12+1 month card I paid 35 shipped, which comes out to $2.69 per month. I am MORE than willing to pay that for the features and ease of use Xbox live offers. I've been playing Smash bros. Brawl on the Wii, and it just pain me at how awful Nintendo's on-line service is (if you want to call it that)

I haven't used the Playstation network, but from everything I've read, its not as good as live (although I can't verify this personally)

regardless, I really don't see the big deal. if it was 100 bucks a year, or more I could see complaining about it. but with a slight amount of effort, you can get subscriptions for very little money.
 
[quote name='Shoki']

If there is some compelling content for the 360, they stop charging for on-line, and they redesign the hardware significantly I can always pick another one up.

Till then PS3 only! :)[/QUOTE]

I kinda agree with this. I really want a 360 redesign. It is truly a peice of crap when placed next to my PS3. However; my 360 has Mass Effect, Bioshock and Halo3. Its pretty hard to get rid of it when you really like these exclusives. Actually the library in general is excellent. I have been, however, catching up on a whole generation of PS2 games since picking up my PS3. I know everyone can't afford both but thats what I roll with. Both are so flawed. I would say the PS3 has the brightest future though. Of course; this is all IMO.
 
[quote name='Drnick']50 dollars for live?! come on, you are cheap ass gamers!

who the hell in here has paid full price for anything (including Xbox live) my last 12+1 month card I paid 35 shipped, which comes out to $2.69 per month. I am MORE than willing to pay that for the features and ease of use Xbox live offers. I've been playing Smash bros. Brawl on the Wii, and it just pain me at how awful Nintendo's on-line service is (if you want to call it that)

I haven't used the Playstation network, but from everything I've read, its not as good as live (although I can't verify this personally)

regardless, I really don't see the big deal. if it was 100 bucks a year, or more I could see complaining about it. but with a slight amount of effort, you can get subscriptions for very little money.[/quote]

I think it's the whole idea of paying at all. What "features" do you talk about that haven't been mentioned before besides a buddy list + p2p match making? I guess I haven't paid to play online games since 1997. I think it's an integral part of any mp game that it's included. Of course mmos are not included, but that's why I don't play them.
 
$30 for a year of live is money well spent IMHO. I own both, and the Xbox interface is far better than Sony's current offering. Sony's service is free, but you get what you pay for.
 
[quote name='jughead']I kinda agree with this. I really want a 360 redesign. It is truly a peice of crap when placed next to my PS3. However; my 360 has Mass Effect, Bioshock and Halo3. Its pretty hard to get rid of it when you really like these exclusives. Actually the library in general is excellent. I have been, however, catching up on a whole generation of PS2 games since picking up my PS3. I know everyone can't afford both but thats what I roll with. Both are so flawed. I would say the PS3 has the brightest future though. Of course; this is all IMO.[/QUOTE]

Aren't those 3 games on PC?
 
[quote name='Maklershed']What I want is a PS3 that can play Xbox games, has Xbox Live, and uses the 360 controller. That would be perfect. :lol:[/quote]

:)

A lesson can be learned from the OP though, never ever ever attach your credit card to you Xbox account. You'll have better luck finding out whats really going on at Area 51 than you will trying to get it taken off again.
 
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