Looking forward to being able to check your Facebook and Twitter from the comfort of your couch on an Xbox 360? Better cough up those credit card numbers. Hidden away in the press release announcing the most recent changes to pricing for the Xbox 360 Elite console is confirmation that the Twitter and Facebook applications coming to the Live platform in the fall update will require Gold membership. The information is tucked in a footnote, which reads:
Xbox LIVE Gold Membership will be required for Twitter and Facebook when they are available, and is required for Netflix. Games, media content and Netflix membership are sold separately; a hard drive is required for storage.
By now, it should probably come as no surprise that the features are only available to paying members. Expecting Microsoft to give you something you might actually want for free is on the level of believing in the Tooth Fairy. If you wanted to find a bright spot in it, at least they didn't give the feature to everyone only to lock it up for paying customers a few months later. It's nice to see them adding value to the Gold subscription instead of simply taking it away from Silver users as they've done in the past.
Conrad Zimmerman is Destructoid's News Editor and home to the busiest mustache in the gaming press. An amateur historian and pop culture fanatic, Conrad possesses a nearly limitless wealth of videogame factoids and a passion for the power of games to teach, inspire and entertain. He enjoys reading, writing and turning things which should be fun into work.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 08.27.2009
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:p
Pay to use Facebook? - or you could just type (on that USB/Bluetooth) keyboard "www.facebook.com" into your PS3's browser!
Truly sad... truly... sad... I pity anyone with a xbox.
I have my 360 hooked up to my monitor. It will literally take me a second to switch to my computer.
Sad thing is, I'm sure this will convert at least a few members.
I love my PS3 but the browser is fucking fail. You need to come up with better points. Or just remain silent.
What am I saying? You're an obvious trolling fanboy. Fake laughter and the use of "fuck me Microsoft are funny". Couldn't be more obvious
Also Microsoft IS funny. Microsoft's employees ARE funny. It's one company.
Or I could just have my laptop on the couch with me.
gg MS
I'm not trying to hide that i'm a "trolling Fanboy" - I'm male (bit older than a "boy" but i'll let that slide) I'm a FAN of the Playstation 3 and apparently speaking your mind on fucking internet forums makes you a "troll".
So uh, yeah in your opinion i'm a "trolling fanboy" AKA someone with a an opinion who likes to put his argument across despite other people not agreeing.
Fanboy and troll are fucking lame insults, they mean nothing. Dickhead.
The point is, on a PC / PS3 / MOBILE FUCKING PHONE can veiw facebook and twitter for free, but a 360 (the best value console around, apparently) makes you pay.
It's laughable, hence the "MS make me laugh" - more to the point, anyone who has bought more than 1 360 makes me laugh - EPIC FAIL right there.
What am I saying, this is the company who's managed to get people happy about being able to get rid of their moon dollars by buying avatar clothing. There's either some hypnosis going on here, or they're marketing geniuses.
What did you say about being older than a "boy"? Calling somebody a dickhead on the internet is really mature. Great reply dude. Hats off...
Although I think it's bullshit what Microsoft is doing they haven't raised the price on a Gold Account. Technically more features for the same amount of money.
I could MAYBE understand this if it were a one time fee and if my 360 had no ads in the Dashboard...but they're charging $50 annually and sticking ads in my dashboard! >.<
I would imagine that more people will become Gold members for the integration than will drop their Gold subscription because the Silver's don't have it. Win for Microsoft.
Sure, you can go grab your PC/Mac to use Twitter and Facebook. If that suits your fancy, by all means, do it. If you would like to reap benefits from the work that Microsoft is putting in on their service, expect to pay for it. If you don't want to, then don't pay for it. Ah, I love the smell of capitalism in the morning.
No wonder Americans have been embracing socialistic change in government. You all want everything for free. I suppose when Twitter finds a way to monetize it's service (that's right, they are a huge sinking hole of cash as we speak) there will be crying and gnashing of teeth in the tone of "I'll never use Twitter again if I have to pay for it/look at ads/etc."
You want the real deal, just get the gold account and stop painting it as being some almighty evil. Like I said, you get what you pay for. think about it, these services still have to use bandwidth that gold members pay all for to maintain. The more gold members there are, the better and swifter the service can be for everyone, for servers etc.
Remember, these servers are hosting, gaming, streaming movies and soon podcasts and music, without any lag or cuts. The cost of a gold account is worth it, and I feel i get more overall value, than someone who plays WoW or has PSN.
wow, maybe MS should make a dictionary available on the 360, so that you can truly know the definition and proper context of the word socialism.
And if Twitter/Facebook wanted to make money, they should have charged a fee from the get-go. Why in the world would I pay for someone's useless drivel on their choice of breakfast pastry?
And using these things on the 360 is a pain, since I can't even plug in a keyboard to type. Controller typing = FAIL. I'm an MS fanboy, still on my launch 360 (knock on wood), will gladly pay for Last.FM intergration (whoooo!), but FB/T integration on the 360 is a little too clumsy to expect people to pay for.
idk what you mean there cuz I have had more than excellent connection on PSN, 0 online lag on ALL of my games and movies.
+ No Ads whatsoever
+ Saved 50$ per year (thats 50$ x 3 = $150p/y since owned a PS3)
+ Great experience and great pron... from browser, USB HDD, Bluraiis!
oh yea... I can even access Destructoid/Facebook/Twitter/Playboy/Hulu/Netflix/ANYTHING for free... Don't believe me? check it out:
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/how-to-stream-netflix-movies-to-your-playstation-3/
If you're unable to see the connection between socialistic ideas and getting things for "free" all by yourself, there would be no point in me attempting to explain it to you.
My only point was that a fundamental tenant of capitalism is that if you offer a service for a price, either your current and potential customers purchase the service because they think it is worth the cost, or they don't.
QQing about how Microsoft is the devil because they are adding value to a monetized service instead of giving away the service for everyone to enjoy is a bit juvenile.
I dont pay to use shit like Facebook or Twitter, but hey since I'm Gold and I'll get to use these features, might as well make use of it...
...even though my 360 is hooked up to the monitor that is 5cm away from the monitor that is hooked up to my PC.
Im lazy ;p
(Xbox silver does not have online play, right? I am a happy ps3 user btw..)
No one in their right mind would ever get a gold membership solely for Twitter or Facebook. But Those who do have gold, getting access to Twitter and Facebook from their Xbox is just a cool bonus.
Next!
Add Spotify premium to the 360, and then I'll be ok paying gold.
@Sexualchocolate. You're not really a "man" if you're calling people on the internet "dickhead". Stop being a douche and try to be a better troll.
Of course, this would concern me more if I actually used twitter. Or owned an X-Box 360. That'd be key.