gekko
08-08-2002, 11:08 AM
gekko's project for today, correcting the stupid folks at OXM on their Xbox Live special. I really wonder how many of these guys are making this stuff up cause someone (Microsoft) makes them. I know a couple of the editors can't be that stupid, but it almost seems like they're avoiding obvious information when writing the articles, so any uninformed Xbox fan becomes another stupid fanboy with no accurate knowledge on other systems.
The Other Other Guys: PS2
The upside: The PS2 modem supports both broadband and narrowband play, and Square and EA like the way that they can set up their own networks and eventually control revenue from online gaming
The downside: To buy the network adapter and the hard drive, you'll have to shell out more than $140 bucks. Plus, peripherals traditionally sell to only the smallest fraction of gamers, which means few games will ever support the peripherals. Plus the onus of operating expensive servers is now on game publishers and makes the number of publishers who can afford to do online significantly lower.
The upside, could that not apply to GC also? However, for GC they have the upside being Nintendo is not ready for it.
The downside, the network adapter is only $40, cheaper than the Xbox Live starter kit, and also will get you a free game in the long run. The HD is not required for anything but FFXI, and that's Square's problem. The fact of the matter is you don't need the HD to play online. That's like saying you can't get online without the Steel Battalion controller. Certain games require it, yes. But can you play other games online without it? Of course. And peripherals usually don't sell? What are you classifying the Xbox Live kit as? The last point is valid, however, companies can use peer-to-peer, which of course has it's own problems, but it's better than nothing.
Exhibit 1: The Voice Communicator
The Rebuttal: Neither of the other consoles even support a keyboard, so unless you want to taunt your players with [PS2 buttons], you've got problems
Actually, both other consoles have a keyboard. Gamecube's keyboard has been shown for a long time. PS2 supports USB keyboards, so buy one, or if you have one from your PC, use that. Hell, PS2 also supports voice chat in SOCOM. Eat it.
Exhibit 2B: Ghost Recon Online Features
Why it's important evidence: To do teamplay right, voice suppoert is a clear requirement.
The rebuttal: Sony has SOCOM, but it's voice support is nowhere near as advanced as Xbox Live, and you'll be hard-pressed to find others with the same setup.
Ghost Recon is old. Been on PC for a long ass time. Why the hell would anyone want to play it again? Just lose keyboard/mouse support. Teamplay was never a huge part of Ghost Recon, not to the extent that it is in SOCOM. SOCOM is only for PS2, and hasn't been out a year. PS2 gets a whole new game, Xbox gets an old PC port with mic support. Give this one to Sony.
Exhibit 9: Microsoft Focuses on Games, Not Entertainment
Would this be a good time to bring up that article with the new $500 Xbox? They are focusing on entertainment, duh.
[quote]Exhibit 10: The Built-in Network Adapter
Why it's important evidence: You don't need to buy a peripheral to play Xbox Live
Rebuttal: You have to pay $40 for an online adapter on the other consoles
Well all that pretty network adapter is good for is system link, until you fork over $50 to buy your "non-peripheral" Xbox Live kit. You still can't play it. And if you want to bring up XBConnect, for one it sucks, and second, then I have to remind people that you can hook a USB modem to your PS2 and play THPS3 without the network adapter, also.
$35 for a modem or BBA on Gamecube, $40 for a network adapter on PS2, $50 for an Xbox Live starter kit. Call them what you want, but no one is getting online until they fork over some cash. Xbox is ready to go online, sure, but that doesn't save me $50.
Exhibit 11: NFL Fever 2003
Rebuttal: Not to be punitive, but no one else really has the first-party sports muscle of Microsoft.
Sports muscle? NFL Fever sucks! It's worse than Madden! I hardly call that sports muscle. Nintendo has a lot more going for them with Wave Race, NBA Courtside 2002, Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis. And don't even get me started on N64 games. Microsoft has nothing!
Exhibit 34: Xbox Live encourages publishers to create subscription-worthy games
J. Allard: And then the last thing you can think about is actually doing subscription stuff. Whether that's an MMP like Galaxies where there's 20 people on staff keeping the universe alive and injecting new conflict and contest. That can warrant a subscription. The other thing is having a real sports league, where there's a fantasy league element and there's licensed league element, and every statistic is up to date. That, I think, could also warrant a subscription
PSO is already planning to charge on top of XBL fee. Now it looks like Galaxies will. $10 + subscriptions to multiple games + download fees, it could turn people away from the online gaming thing fast. And download fees will be mentioned soon.
Exhibit 39: Friends list
2. Next year, you will be able to make voice contact with your friends during games
Looks as if Xbox Live upgrades are already being planned. Cool.
Exhibit 44: Downloadable contest
4. Some downloads will be "premium downloads" and will require a fee that can be handled with the prepaid card (Exhibit 45)
After reading Exhibit 45, it seems many people don't like using credit cards for online purchases. So this way, you can buy a card from the store and then buy your download with it. But WTF is up with paying to download stuff? Either developers should put everything in the game right off the bat, or let us download for free. And if it's a premium download, stick it on the OXM disc. I mean, what if I download this stuff and my Xbox dies and my HD is screwed? Do I need to pay again?
Ok, that's all for this issue. My conclusion is they're not hyping the right stuff. Stat tracking, and stuff like that is sweet as hell. But it seems all they care to tell me is that it has voice chat, and the Xbox Live starter kit, although more expensive than the competitor's modems, is not a peripheral therefore it's better even though it's more expensive.
The Other Other Guys: PS2
The upside: The PS2 modem supports both broadband and narrowband play, and Square and EA like the way that they can set up their own networks and eventually control revenue from online gaming
The downside: To buy the network adapter and the hard drive, you'll have to shell out more than $140 bucks. Plus, peripherals traditionally sell to only the smallest fraction of gamers, which means few games will ever support the peripherals. Plus the onus of operating expensive servers is now on game publishers and makes the number of publishers who can afford to do online significantly lower.
The upside, could that not apply to GC also? However, for GC they have the upside being Nintendo is not ready for it.
The downside, the network adapter is only $40, cheaper than the Xbox Live starter kit, and also will get you a free game in the long run. The HD is not required for anything but FFXI, and that's Square's problem. The fact of the matter is you don't need the HD to play online. That's like saying you can't get online without the Steel Battalion controller. Certain games require it, yes. But can you play other games online without it? Of course. And peripherals usually don't sell? What are you classifying the Xbox Live kit as? The last point is valid, however, companies can use peer-to-peer, which of course has it's own problems, but it's better than nothing.
Exhibit 1: The Voice Communicator
The Rebuttal: Neither of the other consoles even support a keyboard, so unless you want to taunt your players with [PS2 buttons], you've got problems
Actually, both other consoles have a keyboard. Gamecube's keyboard has been shown for a long time. PS2 supports USB keyboards, so buy one, or if you have one from your PC, use that. Hell, PS2 also supports voice chat in SOCOM. Eat it.
Exhibit 2B: Ghost Recon Online Features
Why it's important evidence: To do teamplay right, voice suppoert is a clear requirement.
The rebuttal: Sony has SOCOM, but it's voice support is nowhere near as advanced as Xbox Live, and you'll be hard-pressed to find others with the same setup.
Ghost Recon is old. Been on PC for a long ass time. Why the hell would anyone want to play it again? Just lose keyboard/mouse support. Teamplay was never a huge part of Ghost Recon, not to the extent that it is in SOCOM. SOCOM is only for PS2, and hasn't been out a year. PS2 gets a whole new game, Xbox gets an old PC port with mic support. Give this one to Sony.
Exhibit 9: Microsoft Focuses on Games, Not Entertainment
Would this be a good time to bring up that article with the new $500 Xbox? They are focusing on entertainment, duh.
[quote]Exhibit 10: The Built-in Network Adapter
Why it's important evidence: You don't need to buy a peripheral to play Xbox Live
Rebuttal: You have to pay $40 for an online adapter on the other consoles
Well all that pretty network adapter is good for is system link, until you fork over $50 to buy your "non-peripheral" Xbox Live kit. You still can't play it. And if you want to bring up XBConnect, for one it sucks, and second, then I have to remind people that you can hook a USB modem to your PS2 and play THPS3 without the network adapter, also.
$35 for a modem or BBA on Gamecube, $40 for a network adapter on PS2, $50 for an Xbox Live starter kit. Call them what you want, but no one is getting online until they fork over some cash. Xbox is ready to go online, sure, but that doesn't save me $50.
Exhibit 11: NFL Fever 2003
Rebuttal: Not to be punitive, but no one else really has the first-party sports muscle of Microsoft.
Sports muscle? NFL Fever sucks! It's worse than Madden! I hardly call that sports muscle. Nintendo has a lot more going for them with Wave Race, NBA Courtside 2002, Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis. And don't even get me started on N64 games. Microsoft has nothing!
Exhibit 34: Xbox Live encourages publishers to create subscription-worthy games
J. Allard: And then the last thing you can think about is actually doing subscription stuff. Whether that's an MMP like Galaxies where there's 20 people on staff keeping the universe alive and injecting new conflict and contest. That can warrant a subscription. The other thing is having a real sports league, where there's a fantasy league element and there's licensed league element, and every statistic is up to date. That, I think, could also warrant a subscription
PSO is already planning to charge on top of XBL fee. Now it looks like Galaxies will. $10 + subscriptions to multiple games + download fees, it could turn people away from the online gaming thing fast. And download fees will be mentioned soon.
Exhibit 39: Friends list
2. Next year, you will be able to make voice contact with your friends during games
Looks as if Xbox Live upgrades are already being planned. Cool.
Exhibit 44: Downloadable contest
4. Some downloads will be "premium downloads" and will require a fee that can be handled with the prepaid card (Exhibit 45)
After reading Exhibit 45, it seems many people don't like using credit cards for online purchases. So this way, you can buy a card from the store and then buy your download with it. But WTF is up with paying to download stuff? Either developers should put everything in the game right off the bat, or let us download for free. And if it's a premium download, stick it on the OXM disc. I mean, what if I download this stuff and my Xbox dies and my HD is screwed? Do I need to pay again?
Ok, that's all for this issue. My conclusion is they're not hyping the right stuff. Stat tracking, and stuff like that is sweet as hell. But it seems all they care to tell me is that it has voice chat, and the Xbox Live starter kit, although more expensive than the competitor's modems, is not a peripheral therefore it's better even though it's more expensive.