xbox live aka console/online pc gaming

magick

is it just me or does online pc gaming seem a little more "respectful" then online xbox/ps2 gaming , im not trying to start a flame war aka "xbox is gr888 and pc sux"

but basically what im refering to is the general overall feeling of online play and basic respect of people who are both new and are used to the game

yes u get bad apples on both sides, but that doesnt mean you cut down the tree!

BlitzKrieg

i had an xbox for the last 6 months and despite my every attempt to imbrace it i couldnt get into xbox live.

The system behind the games is great. amazing work in the support and ease of the system. But the games...*sigh*

i picked up numerous diverse games to test it. Halo 2, Crimson skies, Rainbow six 3, star wars battlefront and Splinter cell: pandora tomarrow.

but i couldnt get into it. the console has such a huge potential to bring the sort of games that dont work on a pc to the console yet every game felt like a streamlined variant to the PC market. Dumb downed pc games is how it felt to me.

But that was only half of it. the pc community offers so much more depth and diversity behind its games that xbox games just cannot provide. And i dont mean just mods. Boards.ie started as a quake community look at it today. OVer half the users are gamers yet we have thriving communities on films, sport, porn, politics, music etc. This cannot be in the xbox live community. Sure Microsoft set up chat room features but it is never as free as the internet, it needs to be policed.

sadly after those six months i got bored of dumbed down pc games and i traded my xbox in.

Now i am not flaming the xbox. Amazing piece of kit. but its game sdupport didnt appeal to me. (even though i regret greatly the loss of customizable music tracks on my burnout 3 )

Jammer

i like Ghost Recon 2, PGR2 and Pro Evo online. Slaughter my friends, very enjoyable!

ShiverinEskimo

Both cater for varying needs. You speak fo the lack of games and dumbed down versions etc. I think you fail to see past the FPS genre. Pro Evo is excellent online and must be played with a pad which the xbox happily caters for.

As for the argument based on respect for newbies and stuff. Xbox live's ranking features are there to ensure you are never out of your depth and pitches you against players of similar experience.

Overall the xbox live package is streamlined, user friendly and has its own niche in terms of the varying games it supports. Xbox live is aimed at the living room full of people with a little spare cash - because of that i think anyone should respect the effort..

Aside from this though, i have numerously spoken out against people continually comparing xbox to pc. probably because of the similar architectures and what they are trying to achieve. Did you know that 75% of xbox live users are in fact PC owners : http://www.ferrago.com/story/4454 2nd paragraph, 4 or five lines from the bottom.

Sometimes its ok for these things to co-exist. They are not competing, they are exploiting a common market with varying target audiences.

Balfa

ShiverinEskimo wrote:

75% of xbox live users are in fact PC owners

PC owners are very different to PC gamers. Everyone owns a PC these days. Few of those actually play much games on them.

ShiverinEskimo

Someone playing on xbox live is likely to be at least familiar with or playing on PC online multiplayer. We are talking online multiplayer not just 'owning an xbox for fifa with the lads'. While I have no stats to back that up, I feel its a safe assumption.

monument

It says "he [Jeff Pabst, Microsoft's Business Development Manager for Xbox Live] noted that 75% of current Xbox Live subscribers are also PC gamers who enjoy online gaming", which could simply mean they play a few games (FPS or not, card games or not) on their PCs and enjoy online gaming on Xbox and/or PC.

ShiverinEskimo

Ok then, but me being one of them who plays xbox live more than pc online gaming but still finds it unneccessary to compare and contrast will disagree that pc online gaming is more "respectful" than xbox live.

Why insist on comparison/competition? Why do people feel they have to disassociate xbox live with online gaming? is there a threat?

Dbones

laptop that plays every PC game i own online... or xbox,ps2, gamecube obsolete in 2 years at a price of 200$$ american...

i'll take my laptop thanks.

ShiverinEskimo

Yes, cos laptops are cheap.

AM i really the only one who realises the target market for these things is very different. 250 dollars for online games? or 1200 dollars for online games? i think if i am a broke student without complete pc literacy i just might, might pick the xbox.

Dbones

my laptop is for school being able to play games is a bonus.