Xbox Live VIP?

[AzBat]

Looks like there's a rumor going round from a survey Microsoft did in France about adding another tier to the Xbox Live service above Gold called VIP.

Users get the additional:

1) Online storage for their content
2) Brand new matchmaking option
3) Free invitations to Silver members
4) Better connectivity

Not sure I even like the idea, but if it's true I'll wait till it's official before I judge it.

Source: http://www.hiphopgamershow.com/?p=7360

Tommy McClain

 

[BadTB25]

As long as it doesn't cost more than gold.
Either that or it needs to add a lot more to the service than we already have.

 

[vazel]

Looks like #4 may be dedicated servers. Gold should get that too.

 

[assen]

I'd be willing to pay a bit more for the ability to play with my Silver friends - I've given a Gold subscription as a present once, but I can't do it for everybody

Dedicated servers aren't something Microsoft can provide, it's something that has to be implemented by the developer. Also, many games are peer-to-peer by nature (e.g. RTSes).

Not clear what "another type of matchmaking" means, it's also something to be done in the titles themselves.

The entire Live feature set is focused around what Halo 2, later Halo 3 needed. Maybe this "better connectivity" and "another type of matchmaking" is something coming from ODST

 

[vazel]

Dedicated servers aren't something Microsoft can provide, it's something that has to be implemented by the developer. Also, many games are peer-to-peer by nature (e.g. RTSes).

There is no such thing as some games being p2p(listen server) by nature. Every game benefits from running on a dedicated server. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_server

 

[Brad Grenz]

His point was you'd still have to support peer hosted games for all the people who don't have access to the VIP level. It would mean either developing a whole new multi-mode to take advantage of dedicated servers, in addition to your normal modes, or offering a service with an all but unmeasurable benefit compared to the Gold way of hosting games. Sony games that have dedicated servers were built around the concept of dedicated servers. That dictates what is and what isn't possible for the game. 360 games are universally designed to fit into the constraint of having one of the players' systems act as server. You build the game to fit inside that envelope. Sony, conversely, can build the server to fit the design.

 

[slider]

The online storage thing and the Silver member invites are interesting.

I didn't click the link though; only because I've seen hiphopgamer widely ridiculed. Any other sources?

 

[assen]

Yes, some games are p2p by nature, google for "lockstep RTS networking".

 

[AzBat]

As long as it doesn't cost more than gold.
Either that or it needs to add a lot more to the service than we already have.

But that's the problem. If it doesn't cost more than Gold, then why wouldn't they just add all those features to Gold? Personally, I would prefer that more. MS doesn't really need a new expensive service. I was hoping they would go the other route & make Silver have free multiplayer.

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

The entire Live feature set is focused around what Halo 2, later Halo 3 needed. Maybe this "better connectivity" and "another type of matchmaking" is something coming from ODST

I agree. It sounds like they've taken another feature away from Halo: Bungie Pro. Maybe you won't have to spend the 750 MS for 12-months anymore. It will just come free with the VIP membership?

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

Hey guys please keep it on topic. KZ2 has no place here.

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

The online storage thing and the Silver member invites are interesting.

I didn't click the link though; only because I've seen hiphopgamer widely ridiculed. Any other sources?

Did a little Googling. Looks like everybody is just linking to them.

After some thinking, this might not be another tier on top of Gold. Maybe it's like Bungie Pro? It's just a 750 MS - 1200 MS add-on service that's only available through Marketplace, instead of another subscription level that can be bought with cards?

Tommy McClain

 

[AlNom]

That's pretty vague! Now if only we could get the original survey... Online storage got me thinking about Valve's Steam Cloud. "Better connectivity" sounded something more along the lines of better download speeds off of marketplace, not unlike those download host sites like Rapidshare or other, but that's just another speculation. :s

 

[assen]

That's pretty vague! Now if only we could get the original survey... Online storage got me thinking about Valve's Steam Cloud. "Better connectivity" sounded something more along the lines of better download speeds off of marketplace, not unlike those download host sites like Rapidshare or other, but that's just another speculation. :s

The marketplace download speeds are good enough in my experience - e.g. in comparison to what I see from my PC - that they can't be improved enough to warrant a price increase.

Those type of surveys throw a lot of ideas around, they are not focus testing of literally the same product as would be released.

 

[AlNom]

The marketplace download speeds are good enough in my experience - e.g. in comparison to what I see from my PC - that they can't be improved enough to warrant a price increase.

ha! Indeed... One is more likely to be ISP limited from what I've seen.

Those type of surveys throw a lot of ideas around, they are not focus testing of literally the same product as would be released.

True enough

 

[BadTB25]

Maybe I have a lack of imagination, but other than the ability of being able to invite a Silver member to a Live MP match, I cannot think of what else I want added...a browser??? more AV formats???

On second thought, I like the ability to have on-line storage. As long as you can easily move files back and forth to the online storage. Either that or allow me to install a 3rd party HDD ala PS3.

Also it may be a scheme for MS to utilize the VIP tier to encourage those Silver members to upgrade to a Gold account by giving them a taste of what they are missing.

It reminds me of when they launched the X360, the VIP community was the system evangelist/fanboys that were spreading the word of how great the X360 was. Coincidently, hiphopgamer was one of these.

EDIT: It would be cool if they extended the membership to anyone that was in the Live Beta program back in the day.

 

[Rangers]

I doubt anything will come of this. I remember a long time ago MS supposedly did a survey asking if people would buy a super special ultra good controller with a fixed d-pad too. Nothing ever came of it. Assuming the rumor is even truthful in the first place.

I definitely dont like the idea at all either. Look at all the flack MS takes for $50 a year as is. Beyond that, I just think thats enough to charge. I would be loathe to pay this, they need to be building the best, most premium Gold live for current subscribers, we pay for it already.

This sort of seems like the whole idea behind the Elite Console I suppose. I dont really like the Elite either, but this is worse.

Maybe I have a lack of imagination, but other than the ability of being able to invite a Silver member to a Live MP match, I cannot think of what else I want added...a browser??? more AV formats???

A 360 broswer would be excellent, it's already a pretty good media box (yes I know there are much better ones), a broswer is needed to extend that to the ability to watch youtube, Hulu, and other streaming web content.

I dont see the point of online storag either, other than maybe slightly more cohesive organizing of your stuff. If your HDD is overloaded you can delete content you already have and redownload it whenever you want as is. Basically fulfilling the same function as online storage already.

This VIP thing if it was true/cost extra just smacks of "lets see exactly how much money we can get out of people". Which I guess I dont necessarily have a problem with, but if taken too far it can get obnoxious.

 

[willardjuice]

Looks like #4 may be dedicated servers.

Hmm a Halo game without lag? I don't know if I could adjust my skills to a game without lag...

 

[obonicus]

As to dedicated servers, wouldn't it require every developer to patch it in? 360 has more clout than PS3 this generation but even so Sony hasn't had that much luck getting developers to retroactively add in features. Halo would probably get it, but I'd be willing to bet that Call of Duty 4/5 wouldn't.

 

[vazel]

His point was you'd still have to support peer hosted games for all the people who don't have access to the VIP level. It would mean either developing a whole new multi-mode to take advantage of dedicated servers, in addition to your normal modes, or offering a service with an all but unmeasurable benefit compared to the Gold way of hosting games. Sony games that have dedicated servers were built around the concept of dedicated servers. That dictates what is and what isn't possible for the game. 360 games are universally designed to fit into the constraint of having one of the players' systems act as server. You build the game to fit inside that envelope. Sony, conversely, can build the server to fit the design.

Of course you'd still have to support p2p. In games on the other console with dedicated servers you still have the option of hosting your own listen server. On Xbox Live you'd have the dedicated servers hidden for non-VIP users.