
Newell calls on Microsoft to open up Xbox Live - evo_9
http://www.next-gen.biz/news/newell-calls-microsoft-open-xbox-live
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roc
> _"Hopefully that will help Microsoft see that's a good strategy for making
> customers happy, that the barbarians won't tear down the walls of Xbox and
> turn it into some chaotic wasteland."_

When Microsoft relaxed the XBox Live rules for Activision and EA, both of
those companies wasted no time in adding aggravation for their customers and
removing functionality. So while Valve may behave themselves, opening the door
altogether would almost certainly be a net negative for gamers.

I'd much rather Microsoft create an XBL standard for microtransactions, cross-
platform chat and cloud saves.

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Fizzer
I can understand why Microsoft would not want Steamworks integration.

Steamworks is a direct competitor to Xbox Live -- achievements, friends list,
chatting with friends, update delivery, etc. By allowing Steamworks on Xbox,
it dilutes their own service and would confuse some customers ("Why do I have
two friends lists?", "Why do I have two profiles?")

That being said, I really do want Xbox live to open up more. I think it's
ridiculous that most Xbox games can't talk openly to the internet -- this
prevents me from making an Xbox port of my game.

~~~
scott_s
I had similar thoughts. I figure Sony opened up PSN because they have less
leverage. Microsoft is in a position where they can dictate terms, Sony is
not.

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pkamb
All I know is that I buy a _ton_ of cheap $2-10 games when they're on sale on
Steam. I don't buy any games on Xbox Live due to the lack of good sales and
their convoluted MS Points system. I don't understand why they don't follow
Valve's example.

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scott_s
_"Right now, there's a huge amount of updates and free content that we've been
able to deliver to people who have The Orange Box that we haven't been able to
deliver to the Xbox because of the restrictions that have been placed on us on
Xbox Live._

Didn't Valve make a choice not to release that content through Xbox Live? Yes,
it would have involved more time and effort to go through another system, but
it was still a choice Valve made, no? Or does Microsoft prevent free DLC?

~~~
kevingadd
In general Microsoft doesn't allow free DLC. You can ship bug fixes and
there's a tiny amount of title update space you can shove content into, but
large amounts of content are meant to be deployed through paid DLC. In part,
this is because MS pays for the bandwidth, but it's also because many of the
vendors who use their platform would get angry since it would destroy the
level playing field they've got going right now.

Part of the reason Sony gives you more freedom and control is that they do way
less than Microsoft does. They charge you for bandwidth for the services they
do offer (like demo downloads from the store), and you have to do a lot more
of the work in terms of netcode and servers. Microsoft also runs XBox Live
games/services behind a VPN while PSN stuff runs out on the open internet, so
a PS3 game can hit a regular HTTP server but a 360 game can't.

~~~
ATB
> "In general Microsoft doesn't allow free DLC. You can ship bug fixes and
> there's a tiny amount of title update space you can shove content into, but
> large amounts of content are meant to be deployed through paid DLC"

That is incorrect - there are free Game Add-Ons (DLC) on Xbox LIVE for a
number of games. There are also free Arcade (XBLA) games, by the way.

Here are some examples:

\- Some Halo 3 maps/map packs

\- Free tracks for Rock Band (several versions)

\- Left 4 Dead Survival Pack

\- Deadliest Warrior DLC

\- Fable 3 free weapons/outfits

.. and a lot more. Disclaimer: I work there.

~~~
kevingadd
That is surprising to me, because I've personally heard developers complain
that they weren't allowed to release free DLC. I apologize for the
misinformation... I guess policies have changed?

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iam
Isn't it already opened up? EA games let you login to Origin Online, Ubisoft
games let you log into Ubisoft...

I don't think this really does much for customers except make it harder to
fully enjoy the game. "Sign into our network for a free exclusive item/map!" -
no thanks.

Maybe he's talking about restrictions about releasing free content on Xbox
Live (you're supposed to charge for pretty much anything)?

