The Gamer Conversations – Online

We’re back with part 2 of this little series of mine, The Gamer Conversations. Right now, it’s just me and my friend, Gabrielle, but I’m hoping to talk to other people in the future. As this is currently only me and my friend, I’d like to reiterate that these comments are purely observation and opinion.

A few weeks back, I got an email from Xbox telling me I had a month of Gold membership left and to renew it. As I’m getting evermore aggravated with 360, I told Gabrielle about it. The following ensued (As with last time, my replies are in bold, while hers are in quotes. I’m still trying to figure out a format):

Dear [GamerTag removed for obvious reasons],

Blah blah blah screw you. I really am tired of this bullshit.

“Fucking Live.”

Bullshit rip-off.

“Exactly. It’s just eating up all your money. People are all like ‘Well, it’s worth it…'”

OMG…

“HOW? WHERE? Show me where it’s worth it.”

IT IS NOT!

“It’s not! Because I get the SAME THING from Sony that 360 people are paying for. For free.”

YES!! …Well minus Twitter

“360 people want to bitch about ‘connectivity issues’ that are completely unfounded today. Sure things were shaky starting out…”

But Facebook? Free.

“Exactly! Automatically updates my trophies in a status update?! That’s made me a trophy whore lately!”

XD

Online multiplayer? FREE! Messages? FUCKING FREE!

“That tripped me out — when I found out Silver folk couldn’t send messages.”

I was hot about it.

“Like… That’s the most basic thing there is!”

Exactly!

“And you’re telling me the lower-tier folk can’t even send a message to a friend? That’s gouging like a motherfucker. Why does Silver even exist then? At the very lowest, you’re paying $50 a year, at the highest, close to $100. An average of $80 a year, more or less for the people who buy four 3-month cards”

From my console article: Later this year (or early next year, I’m not sure), 360 is getting Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm, but they will not be available for free (”Silver”) members, save for a trial period. Not to mention, when you’re Silver, you can’t even send messages to your friends. The fact that Microsoft is seemingly ostracizing their Silver users doesn’t bode well for neither Microsoft nor its gamers, because sooner or later, gamers are going to say “I have to pay to send messages? Fuck you. I’m switching [to PS3].” Another problem for 360 users is the console’s notorious failure/RRoD (Red Ring of Death) rate, which is an alarming 54.2%, as opposed to 10.6% for the PS3, and 6.8% for the Wii.

“Yep. I’ve seen the [PS3’s] Yellow Light of Death 1 time. Once in the three years the console has been out.”

One whose PS3?

“Some dude who was trading it in for a new one. It was one of the backwards-compatible 80GB models.”

“Meanwhile, I’ve had 3 E-74 or whatever they are in the last month.”

OH GOD! E-74… That is a bitch.

“Yeah. Mirror’s Edge froze up while I was playing it to test it out, and when I forced a restart, it just popped up that error message on the spot.”

I got mine (E-74) November of ’08.

“I think [E-74] is more of a bitch than the RRoD”

Oh yes, yes it is.

“The RRoD is kind of a party-stopper. But I’ve had machines that E-74 and then seem to forget that they did and play for another month before they do it again.”

Funny thing is I got my first 360, January 2008. 10 months later, bam! E-74. Sent in for repairs 10 fucking months after I bought it!

“*Shakes head*”

That’s sad.

“It is.”

My time is coming up [for my 360 to crap out again]. Watch this, I’ll get an E-74 at the final boss in Tales of Vesperia (ToV).

“Awwww…”

My luck, I will. Which if we do get ToV PS3, is fine.

“We’d better.”

Next time i get my [release] lists, I’m gonna look at 360. If I see there’s not shit coming out, bye-bye 360.?

“There isn’t. Only exclusives I see are Splinter Cell, Alan Wake and Halo Reach. And Natal stuff.”

Blah, horror movie blah, blah, and hmm… (I’m not interested in Splinter Cell, Alan Wake or Halo Reach, but Proje?ct Natal does look intereseting.)