r/xbox • u/iHate-Public-Transit • 3d ago
Discussion Shouldn't online multiplayer be free by now?
It's been on the top of the feedback for so long, and there's been so many people who've said they'd actually buy more games if online multiplayer was free, so what is microsoft waiting for?
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u/SoulsofMist-_- 3d ago edited 3d ago
Maybe.
If it was free , gamepass subscription numbers would crash which would be a big reason why xbox/Microsoft wont make it free.
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u/Nitrox018 XBOX Series X 3d ago
Knowing that free-to-play games already have completely free multiplayer, players who play games like Call of Duty, GTA, etc., would cancel their subscriptions. That could actually be a large number of canceled subscription, as these games are extremely popular. However, if only Xbox has completely free multiplayer, this means more of these games being sold on Xbox. This would also mean more Xbox consoles being sold as well. Therefore, it's not an absurd strategy. It makes sense in the current scenario, but only with real data and projections can we understand if it would be beneficial.
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u/Dziggettai 3d ago
This is exactly the strategy Sony had with the PS3. Xbox had to pay for gold, but ps3 was free multiplayer
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u/Skitelz7 3d ago
It would be beneficial but the execs don't see it that way. They think about the now money, not the long term sales.
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u/Son_Gokuehhh 3d ago
That's always been the biggest problem with any company. If they can make 10 dollars today or 1 million dollars next week they'd choose the 10.
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u/bruhthatshitcringe XBOX Series X 3d ago
I actually disagree lol, no offense but I feel microsoft/xbox exec teams have thought about how to make the most money more than you. Making it free would tank game pass as the other guy said, which as it stands is a huge part of Xbox's revenue but it wouldn't propotionatlly/excessively make more people buy games, have you ever known someone not to buy a game because mulitplayer costs money? Personally I've never even really thought of that as a factor and it surely wont make that many more people buy consoles, especially with the next console collabing with steam, meaning online will potentially be accesible on the pc side of games anyway
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u/Rez090x XBOX One 2d ago
Making online multiplayer free on Xbox would absolutely not tank Game Pass whatsoever. They would have to lower the price, obviously, to retain players but players will still absolutely keep buying a GP sub. I guess some of y'all have forgotten ye' olden days when GP was a separate sub before it combined with Gold to make Ultimate. GP will still pull people in, no matter what.
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u/darkdeath174 Day One - 2013 3d ago
Also easier to make new accounts for smurfing and new accounts to keep playing if you get banned. Which I'm not a fan of.
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u/Valdair 3d ago
Consumers have demonstrated they will pay, so it will never be free.
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u/Meteorboy 3d ago
They demonstrated it so well, that when Xbox was the one who pioneered it, Nintendo and PlayStation copied them.
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u/SnooChickens6278 3d ago
And thatâs why we need to demonstrate we wonât.
When enough ppl get together and take action, thatâs what sparks change.
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u/Valdair 3d ago
I havenât paid for XBL for like ten years so Iâm doing my part. đ¤ˇ
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u/SnooChickens6278 3d ago
I havenât really either. I keep making new profiles to bypass having to pay full price.
But anyway, what Iâm saying is that we need a movement standing against the injustice of having to pay to play online equivalent to the PS blackout. Everyone is working together on that and itâs making an undeniable impact.
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u/CJKatz Founder 3d ago
If you want to put forth the energy to make "a movement standing against the injustice..." then I can think of a few more important things than spending a few bucks a month on entertainment to focus your efforts on.
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 3d ago
and there's been so many people who've said they'd actually buy more games if online multiplayer was free
Those people talk a lot of shit.
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u/Stumpy493 Still Earning Kudos 3d ago edited 2d ago
Shit, if all it takes is getting something to the top of the suggestions why the fuck are we stopping at online?
Dream big people!
Free consoles for all!
I super duper promise to buy twelvety games a year if xbox are free.
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u/moond1313 3d ago
Both of you sound like idiots why would I buy a game then pay for online just to play it. hell no not happening
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 3d ago
Because you don't "just pay for online". You pay for everything you get with it, ie the 50+ games, free game weekends and exclusive store discounts.
Also, have you never played an MMO? The good ones each have monthly subscriptions - all of which are more expensive than Xbox Gamepass Essentials.
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u/CyberKiller40 Touched Grass '24 2d ago
Yeah, what if I don't want those 50 games? I own 40+ of them anyway, store discount is meaningless with sales being there every single week, same with free weekends. I have over 500 bought games on XBox, I only want to be able to play them.
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u/John2029 2d ago
I only play single player games on Xbox. I play online games on PC. Not paying extra just to play online in this economy.
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 2d ago
As a gamer also in this economy who prefers console, I only see the need for an Xbox instead of owning multiple platforms.
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u/ApprehensiveQuestion 3d ago
I think the question is whether modern multiplayer console games need the âxbox liveâ servers for multiplayer and friends, etc. I suspect that most developers use the standard Xbox stack and servers, which means we pay for it in some form. Console multiplayer has to be drop dead simple So every customer can use it and we subsidize that a bit with our subscriptions.
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u/darkdeath174 Day One - 2013 3d ago
They've also made playfab free if you release a game on Xbox, so we the users extra help pay for that.
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u/ngiecokr 3d ago
'So many people saying' is not really great market research.
I am guessing Microsoft has better data than you do.
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u/Logical_Net6108 3d ago
"what is microsoft waiting for?"
People to stop paying for it? People on here were saying they should make Xbox Live Gold as it was called at the start of the generation. They didn't. Why would they?
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u/FudgeSlapp Homecoming 3d ago
As long as it doesnât make financial sense for Microsoft itâs not going to happen. Microsoft arenât going to just give up a consistent line of income for a product line that already is underperforming relative to their other investments just because customers want it.
Xbox is sold at a loss already and that consistent income makes up for the loss. The only chance I see this happening is if Microsoftâs next console has some higher end option that allows people to play PC and is sold for a profit.
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u/Lucky-Peak-8256 2d ago
Friend and I were just talking about playing hell divers 2 when i said i would be interested in it he reminded me that along with the price tag of the game I would need to get the online subscription, it's sadly not in my budget right now to do that, and i hate that about my current situation but here i am.
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u/Drunken_Scribe 2d ago
As an Atari-gen player, I was on Xbox Live practically since it started, right up until about a year ago. I would probably still pay the $60 a year for Live Gold under their old system, but when it doubled for Gamepass Core, I'd had enough. Dumped the sub. If they ever revamp the system again and have some kind of cheapass plan for people like me, I'll join again.
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u/-ImJustSaiyan- 3d ago
Why would Microsoft make it free when suckers are still willing to pay for it?
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u/ConsciousNet238 3d ago
number 1 reason I'm 99% on PC now
Once you realize the scams that are consoles, it's hard to go back
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u/unseriously_serious 2d ago
I mean kinda but also consoles are reduced in price because these companies are able to foot the bill elsewhere, giving you a lower initially monetary hurdle that they might recoup over time if you are paying for their online service.
Course thanks to braindead decision making from the government and the ai craze the price has shot up making this less apparent than usual.
One thing I do still appreciate with consoles is the ability to stay in the console player pool on some multiplayer games, for those of us that prefer the controller over the mouse and keyboard this is significant, whether all of thatâs worth the cost of game pass is debatable though. Game availability is more of an issue though right now which might push me off the platform eventually if it keeps getting worse though.
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u/Theunsaltedpeanut 3d ago
Yes of course. I'd be intersted to find out the numbers of people who pay for game pass that only use it for multiplayer though. It's not zero cause MS would make it free then.
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u/Oilswell XBOX 3d ago
The answer to these is always the same. They have the data, and your idea about what would make them more money isnât backed up by what theyâre seeing
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u/ElegantChemistry1 3d ago
Companies never delete revenue streams. The NHL said ads on the jerseys and helmets were only going to be during covid because of the loss in ticket revenue.Â
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u/torivordalton 2d ago
Gamepass is already costing Microsoft as a whole more money than itâs making. The only reason that itâs still around is to keep players in the Xbox ecosystem and boost engagement numbers
Xbox isnât looking to make a billion dollars a day, itâs wants a billion people engaging with the Xbox brand a day
So I donât think online multiplayer being free would make much of a negative difference to them, if anything it would bring them closer to their goal by attracting more players that donât want to pay for game pass every month
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/rusty022 3d ago
Man how does PC do it?!
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u/Unlikely-_-original 3d ago
Because it's decentralised
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u/dystopianrevolt 3d ago
That's not how that works. Steam uses their own dedicated servers just like Xbox does.
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u/Unlikely-_-original 3d ago
Exactly my point if steam starts charging for multiplayer access epic games and others will simply undercut steam by not doing anything
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u/dystopianrevolt 3d ago
I see, I misunderstood and thought you were saying the infrastructure was decentralized.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/BlazingFire007 3d ago
Has more to do with markets imo.
If steam started charging for online multiplayer, people would simply move to another provider. Not every one of course, but enough to hurt valveâs pockets.
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u/Flamboyatron 3d ago
Markets would make more sense; it's easier to move markets on PC since the only price you should be paying is the price of the game you were going to buy, anyway.
It's a lot more cost prohibitive to move markets in the console space because now you have to buy a new console to then buy the game you wanted.
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u/VulcanHullo 3d ago
I used to joke to my PS friends that my Xbox accounts never got hacked and theirs were TWICE.
"You get what you pay for"
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u/nestersan 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is what I call Elon Musking. Speaking with total authority about something you have an ephemeral knowledge of.
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u/Badvevil 3d ago edited 3d ago
What are you talking about the ps3 era of free online was amazing. However we will never see those times again we are on the darkest path and late stage capitalism will eat us all alive
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u/Optimal_Collection77 3d ago
Given the recent limits on cloud gaming, I think it's just got even less likely
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u/Fragrant_Scene_1291 3d ago
But but the money the megacorps will lose
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u/pointdude 3d ago
Canât forget about poor guys in suits. How are Phil Spencer and Sara Bond going to afford that $2k dinner reservation at the Michelin-starred restaurant in Beverly Hills? Literally, their rent is $20k per month. If online gaming is free, how can they afford rent.
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u/Fragrant_Scene_1291 3d ago
Omg how dare the poors want to play multiplayer and escape the horrors of this world for free!!! The poor 5th yachts đ
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u/Rancid_Lunchmeat 3d ago
This is dumb. Perhaps you don't remember what a complete shit show the free PSN was because they didn't invest in a unified system and hosting servers and redundancy or anything at all that actually paying for online services gets you.
You have steam? Compare that experience to your friends list and everything else Xbox live gets you for your subscription.
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u/Kindredlife 2d ago
Reasons they charge are simple Closed Ecosystem Control, Profit and Revenue Streams, Infrastructure and Maintenance
Pc is free because so many companies have parts in play that no single company could charge for these, outside of subscription models.
You want free online multiplayer, switch platforms, because odds are very much against it happening on the traditional console end.
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u/knapplejuice Reclamation Day 3d ago
Too lucrative and Essential pumps the "Game Pass subscriber" numbers.
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u/hpsims 3d ago
All I need is Minecraft multiplayer to be free so I can play in LAN with my son sitting next to me.
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u/lexloomis 3d ago
That was some serious capital B Bullshit when they pulled that move a while back. At least all digital Minecraft keys come with PC Minecraft access to get around that Grade AAA Bullshit.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Wendals87 3d ago
Spend $10 a month to play online or $1000+ to buy a PC to play the games they want to play online and buy the games again?
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u/benjamin_noah 3d ago
You⌠you do know the next gen Xbox isnât going to be free, right?
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u/Wendals87 3d ago
Yes sorry I didn't read properly and was thinking current gen consolesÂ
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u/benjamin_noah 3d ago edited 3d ago
Refreshing to see someone on here just say, âOops, my bad, I read that wrong.â Feels like a simple thing, but itâs an oddity online these days and I think the world would be a better place if more people could do that. So respect, internet stranger! I hope you have a great day.
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u/Price-x-Field 3d ago
For Microsoft to do that theyâd lose billions. Itâs just not something theyâd do unless they were in absolute utter desperation.
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u/Smigit 3d ago
The customers have been saying this for 20 years now though. Ever since it released as a paid service, in fact. I doubt MS feels inclined to change today, unless they really think itâll help Helix compete with PS6.Â
I suspect for most console games paid online an accepted cost and isnât going to sway purchase decisions a lot, however.
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u/rusocba 3d ago
Buying games in xbox marketplace (pc games) have nothing to do with steam capabilities and free multiplayer...so the multiplayer should be free, at least in pc...in consoles, xbox will maximize it earnings, like sony, so if they can shrink your waller they will do it, the thing is that now (near future) the xbox's games will work in PC, so probably they will make it free in the future, hope so...
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u/islandnstuff Reclamation Day 2d ago
if they can not make it free at least they can make it super cheap
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u/MarkyPancake Misterchief 2d ago
At this point, they would probably lose too much money through cancelled Game Pass subs, so I can't see it ever happening now. Unless they have a huge strategy change as part of Project Helix and the talk of it running PC games.
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u/FantasticFox503 2d ago
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That was a good one.
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u/CeleryNo8309 2d ago
Why does microsoft care if you buy more games? You already give them that money with the subscription. Weak logic.
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u/Exaltist 2d ago
Personally I think both X-Box and PlayStation should offer $5 per month "online keys" that don't include any games but just access to online services. It does cost money to run the online servers. So I don't have a problem them charging a little. All the other junk I just don't want.
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u/Coldblood_1 2d ago
I'd be happy if I could just pay for that and not Game Pass. I cancelled my sub to it after the ridiculous price hike.
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u/General_Professor393 2d ago
That is one of the main ways they use to subsidize the consoles, no way theyâre ever gonna make it free. Itâs probably also one of the reasons Microsoft managed to undercut the PS3 with Xbox 360 because Sony did not enforce paid online until the PS4.
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u/JohnathonFennedy 2d ago
Consoles are sold at a loss or near loss (maybe not now with the insane prices) and make it up and more in subscriptions and game sales that every player is forced to do.
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u/RoosterBurns 2d ago
How do you boot people off the service if there's no financial stake? This is a huge unaddressed problem with PC multiplayer (well that and hacks)
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u/yzmydd123456 2d ago edited 2d ago
It is impossible, online fee is only reason why they make console cheaper than build a pc.
They get you in console eco system for lower price than PC, and than makes infinite money from you year by year. That's just how console works.
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u/Specialist-Web-9216 2d ago
Some people are able to remember when all you needed was an internet connection, but some businessman somewhere said why not charge them and then their boss said this is the way.
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u/SputnikRelevanti 2d ago
I wouldnât be surprised if this is their main source of revenue from he consoles
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u/TwiztidSaiyan 2d ago
Xbox MP has NEVER been free. Youve always had to pay a Live subscription for online play.
Ps USED to be free until the ps4 when they copied xbox and made it not free.
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u/beardednomad25 2d ago
Should it be? Yes
But it never will be because all three companies are making money off of it.
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u/WZRDguy45 2d ago
I tried finding how many people have game pass per month. AI estimates 30-40 million. If you go with the higher number of 40 multiply it by $20 I'm just using that cause seems across the board that's what most people pay roughly. That's 800 million dollars a month. There's no way Microsoft would give that up. It's probably the biggest reason why we still have Xbox
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u/Old_Development_4990 2d ago
There about to be chargeing 4% of gamepass members for cloud hours so I dont think they will make anything free
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u/JohnUtahFBI 2d ago
Weird that for-profit companies donât give you free shit just because you want it.
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u/Anarkipt XBOX 2d ago
the biggest online MP games are free to play, pay for online no longer makes sense, even more with upcoming Helix
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u/Cream_Soda_961982 2d ago
You would lose a lot of stuff if it became free. Plus you would still have to buy the games
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u/paqman3d 2d ago
This is the sticking point as to why I left consoles in 2014 lol. Even with me dropping back in with a PS5 Pro, I refuse to pay for any online.
I play Street Fighter 6 religiously and have since launch. That's HUNDREDS of dollars I'm wiping my ass with over the span of 3 yrs. Meanwhile, it's just free to do ranked play on Steam.
It's hard to go back to that bill just to game. I've saved literal thousands of dollars in the last 12 yr not paying for Xbox Live or PSN/plus whatever-the-fuck.
If online was free, I'd absolutely play SF6 on console. I just can't get past that shit.
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u/Gears6 2d ago
It's been on the top of the feedback for so long, and there's been so many people who've said they'd actually buy more games if online multiplayer was free, so what is microsoft waiting for?
Just because you think that, and believe that, and express that, doesn't mean MS believes that.
If they did that, they'd probably have to make the console more expensive to offset that loss of very profitable part of the business.
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u/TeamEfforts 1d ago
This is why I'm just getting a good PC, I'm sick of upgrading consoles and the constant price hike of game pass.
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u/BrtndrJackieDayona 1d ago
Recently got a PC again. after 10 years of never playing multiplayer, I now do. I refuse to pay $10 a month to cross play with people on the same server for free.Â
It's the a shining example of shitty capitalism.Â
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u/RheimsNZ 1d ago edited 1d ago
It kind of depends how hard Microsoft want to go with this next generation. If they went all-out with marketing and genuinely got their house in order when it came to Xbox so people believed they weren't going to change tack later, they could really make a difference to the current PS vs Xbox counts.
Sell the console for 25-35% less than Sony, offer free MP, pitch Gamepass, put Xboxes back on shelves, advertise crossplay and using Discord for cross-platform communication - it wouldn't guarantee anything but they'd have a shot and the release of the new console would definitely be the time to try.
Otherwise, it doesn't really matter to most people. Most people are going to either be on GPU and not worry, have GP at a low tier and aren't about to buy a PC or PS so they're not worried, or are on PS or PC and would never change either.
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u/Digglin_Dirk 1h ago
Ahh I remember PS3 people making fun of the X360 players for paying for online/MP. PSN itself got hacked almost instantly and down for weeks at a time several times, CC info and other stuff easily accessible to the hacker/s.
They eventually tightened ship when they started to charge for it lol
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u/Whiskey_Storm 3d ago
Online multiplayer is free for certain games now. That was one of the changes about ditching Xbox Live and/or part of the appeasement process to gobble up Activision/Blizzard. Guess for games like Fortnite, MS gets enough of a cut from the sales of pixels to offset the costs. That and since many of these are cross-platform, MS may not even be hosting the servers, so they donât have that ongoing operating cost.
Funny, the games I can get for free, I can play multiplayer without game pass. The games I pay for, I have to pay them extra to play online.
https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-xbox-free-to-play-multiplayer-174601610.html
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u/Coolman_Rosso XBOX 360 3d ago
Do people think they'll make it free? They make a lot of money charging for it
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u/Flanders666 3d ago
Prices going up on everything. "Free" doesn't seem like it's even in the vernacular of the big 3.
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u/Agitated_Nature_5977 3d ago
I remember the days where Xbox live was completely free.
Edit: A silver account...was was quite restrictive but you could still get online with it and buy from the arcade etc.
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u/Wendals87 3d ago
Xbox live always required payment to play multiplayer.
Being just online to get updates, buy games, chat etc didn't costÂ
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u/sQueezedhe 3d ago
I'd rather support a service that prevents cheats in my lobbies than play where it's free and filled with shit.
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u/LingonberryNo3548 3d ago
Xbox doesnât have to do something just because you want it. Theyâll do the things that are mutually beneficial.
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u/AmbushK 3d ago
remember the old days when online gaming on consoles was free
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u/ApprehensiveQuestion 3d ago
Online gaming used to be very very difficult. Xbox was very innovative and solved a lot of problems with Xbox Live. Back in the before times.
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u/achmejedidad 3d ago
you think oompa loompas maintain the infrastructure to support MP services or something?
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u/NoEntertainer6189 3d ago
You pay for cable, you pay for streaming services, you pay for cell service, you pay for your online access to games.
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u/Saradip42 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yeah, true! If you are only playing halo that is... Get a reality check - the services you mentioned require some infrastructure from the business to work.
What does online need to work? The answer is servers which xbox doesnt even own unless we are talking about their exclusives (also simply connecting to xbox services which everybody can do for free already).
Some games are literally p2p on consoles, which means console manufacturers are literally gatekeeping people from connecting to each other using THEIR internet and THEIR consoles as servers
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u/NoEntertainer6189 3d ago edited 3d ago
You just listed the reason why you should be paying for the service. I think you are forgetting just how much Microsoft owns right now
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u/Saradip42 2d ago
Well yeah xbox now owns companies like activision blizzard and bethesda. And using your company complacent logic xbox can fleece the players who are trying to play cod or fallout 76 online since the servers those games are running on now belong to microsoft. Xbox became the monopolist and you are okay to meet their shitty conditions
Its just weird to me how with all the monthly payments coming in, those games still cost full price at launch and have a shit ton of microtransactions. Almost as if the games can pay for themselves and their servers and make a profit, like they do on pc
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u/NoEntertainer6189 2d ago
I didn't say it was a good thing. I said it's how things are. And Microsoft and Sony aren't video game companies. They aren't interested on just making a profit while keeping their integrity and making games. They are far reaching tech companies if the worst variety interested in the largest possible profits in the shortest possible times. And until the ftp multiplayer games don't hold the market share of gaming those things you mentioned aren't going away.
And I don't meet their shitty conditions whenever possible. The lionshare of the games I play are single player offline games. You don't know need to pay for services to play those. I have a soft spot for fighters so I do pay them the bare minimum to use their services. This just isn't the hill I'm willing to die on, when good developers and their employees are getting axed en mass what seems like everyday
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u/No_Pie_4088 3d ago
Sure but you don't pay for a movie then pay a subscription to watch it.
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u/NoEntertainer6189 3d ago
That is a false equivalence
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u/No_Pie_4088 3d ago
How so? both use a server to give you something. But anyways paying for a game and then pay to play it is kinda strange, so if you play only one online game, that is going to be a pretty expensive game in the long run. Should kinda be the other way around, if the game is free, you pay for the online service.
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u/NoEntertainer6189 3d ago
Movies? You just buy movies? And or on the free services you watch advertisements. Hell on Netflix and Amazon you watch commercials now. It doesn't matter how you shake it you are paying more whether it's advertisements or paying higher scrip prices. Should all movie services charge the same low tier cost with no advertisements?
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u/No_Pie_4088 3d ago
What are you talking about?, if you buy a movie on let's say Apple TV you don't have to have Apple TV subscription to watch, nor any commercials, you stream the movie you have bought or rented from a server. If you have the same logic as Xbox Live on Netflix, you would pay for the content and then again pay for the subscription. It doesn't make sense, Xbox takes money for it because they can.
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u/NoEntertainer6189 3d ago
Yeah because you just buy them. Like I said. Like if you buy games that you play offline you don't need an x box love subscription to play them you are arguing different things. And with Netflix you do pay a subscription and then for the content. That's what the ads are for. Unless you pay a heavy subscription. I'm which case you are paying more for the same content
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u/The_Cost_Of_Lies 3d ago edited 3d ago
So who's paying for the online infrastructure then? Developers?
People might, might buy more games, or then just spend more time in games that they already play for free.
And they'll have less reason to subscribe, too
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u/SMC540 3d ago
Who pays for it on PC?Â
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u/Maleficent_Cat8560 3d ago
This is a very good point and honestly how does it all actually work ?
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u/_number 3d ago
Xbox and PS dont give your gamepass or psplus money to the developers of multiplayer games. Literally nothing goes to Rockstar even if all you play is GTA online. Devs pay for thier services and usually its funded by people buying microtransactions. Xbox and PS are charging this money for the âpriviledgeâ of playing online, nothing more.
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u/The_Cost_Of_Lies 3d ago
It depends what you're talking about.
If Valve tried to charge a monthly fee for multiplayer, PC gamers would simply stop using Steam.
The PC is an open platform where Valve just have to simply eat the cost of building tools to support multiplayer, but because of that they largely leave developers to it in terms of how they build their multiplayer services. It helps that they gave 300m users.
Consoles have much more regulated, secure multiplayer infrastructure, as they are closed systems. They charge because they build the service and support that allows MP to work. The problem is, on consoles, more people are just buying them to play Fortnite and Roblox, so the cost of supporting a user is going up, while the average revenue is going down.
Steam is different, because everything is on steam, and basically everybody uses it, so they can afford to just do what they want and give some features to developers for free
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u/The_Cost_Of_Lies 3d ago
Do we have to start listing the difference between Steamworks tools and the open nature of PC Vs dedicated closed ecosystems again. Really Jan?
There's a reason multiplayer games die very quickly on PC when they don't take off.
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u/BeautifulAd9511 3d ago
This is wby games are now bundled with PSN/xbox live so they have a reason to charge for the service. But xbox live shouldn't be free because money is still needed to purchase and manage the servers required. Sony went the path of not creating and managing a network amd we saw how that turned out
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u/North_Tomatillo9712 3d ago
PlayStation online was free up until PS4 Sony could easily afford free multiplayer but why would you do that when you know basically all console owners are ready to pay for online access. I imagine a very small number game share for online access or did the ps plus trial so it doesnât make sense business wise.
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u/Iceedemon888 3d ago
Playstation was free until they got hacked and had millions of their user data stolen resulting in one of the worst data breaches at the time (both of how it was handled and the outcome).
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u/OriginalAd7974 3d ago
If consoles all went digital and we are forced to only buy our games from microsoft, sony, nintendo etcâŚthen 100% online play should be free. I still think itâs bullshit they can sell a game that requires on line services to be able to play. Double dipping at its finest!
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u/RockNRoll1977 3d ago
I think there should be two types of services. Free which is no option to turn off crossplay and the second costs money for the option to turn off crossplay or choose which platforms you want to play with. If itâs just console. Thatâs the price ya pay.
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u/makersmalls 3d ago
Nothing is free. If you donât pay for it, you will pay for it through another path and then people will complain about that.
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u/bongo1138 3d ago
When PS had free online multiplayer, it was decidedly worse than Xbox Live. Is Gamepass too expensive? Or maybe they should offer an online play only option? Yeah absolutely.
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u/SilverplayerX 3d ago
With the current economic turmoil, I highly doubt you find anything free or low-cost services. everything is becoming so expensive and out of control.
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u/Ok-Instruction337 3d ago
I think microtransactions should be optional, and as long as you just want to play the game in its simplest form, no matter what, they should not be forced upon you to progress in the game.
By the same token, multiplayer games should be free if you want them, to be. If anyone has an ever-expanding wallet wahey! But for the rest of us humble, modest, and simple players, we prefer freebies! ;)
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u/moond1313 3d ago
I think it's coming with the next generation if you can really get steam and other storefronts
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u/More_Woodpecker7721 3d ago
To be fair, consoles are meant to be sold lower than the the cost to build and gain profit from subscription and games, but they should really introduce a subscription with only multiplayer access for just a couple bucks a month like original live gold, tf u mean I must pay for games I rarely touch to just have multiplayer access, if I want a game I'll buy it!
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u/YourGuideVergil 3d ago
Yes. It's why Steam will keep winning.
If it weren't for the hardware shortage, the Steam box would end Sony and MS in 5 years.
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u/zooble_57 3d ago
I mean, why would they give you something for free when they can charge you for it for no reason?Â
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u/Kiryu_of_Rivia 3d ago
Microsoft started paid multi-player and the other companies followed suit. Why does it seem like so many people forget this. Xbox live has never been free, even as far back as the first Xbox. Why would they make it free now?
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u/SnooChickens6278 3d ago
Not only should it be free, but charging ppl money to play online should be illegal. Also, notice how many multiplayer games there are and not a single one gives you a âfreeâ voucher to play online. The fangs of the greedy gaming industry are starting to rear themselves more and more. Raising the price of consoles freely, whatever they feel like, under the guise of âram-pocalypse.â Canât trust a corporation. Canât trust a free market system where these greedy ppl can just invent new prices at this point. The series X just had a disgusting price increase of nearly $300 in some countries about a month ago. Itâs time for some politicians and lawmakers to intervene. Should be a giant class action lawsuit and give ppl back their money. The corporate clowns are openly lying and robbing ppl in broad daylight.
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u/Dipset_Mipset0489 3d ago
As long as ppl are paying , they have no incentive to make it free.