The Problem Of Free: Why Charging For Xbox Live Is Good

Xbox-360A common complaint about Xbox Live is that Microsoft is charging for something that you get for free on any other platform (PC, PS3, Wii). For many people free is their favorite four-letter word, and it is just a price you cannot beat. The inability to charge for online services of any sort (read: not just gaming) is a major problem though. This isn’t just about games, here’s why. Read more

Filed In: Gaming, Microsoft, Online Gaming, Xbox
August 6, 2008

Microsoft: Open Update For All

Windows-UpdateI recently had an issue updating Google Gears to be compatible with Firefox 3.0.1. The Firefox updater didn’t find any updates and if I installed Gears again it was still at the same incompatible version. It was only after I uninstalled it and installed it again that it finally worked. This made me realize something, updating software on your computer should be a lot easier than it is right now and Microsoft should be the one to do it.

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Filed In: Adobe, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Windows, Xbox Live
July 29, 2008

Xbox 360 Almost Gets Installs Right: Using Discs Is So Xbox 360 1.0

Xbox-360 One of the interesting aspects of the recently announced “New Xbox Experience” is that gamers will now be able to install/copy their games onto the hard drive. This will be a welcome feature for many people, and I really commend Microsoft on making installs optional (as they should be), however they just missed the mark on making it perfect. The lowdown on it all and how they can make it better after the jump.

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Filed In: Console, Gaming, Microsoft, PS3, Xbox, Xbox Live
July 18, 2008

E3 Game On: Playstation, Wii, And The Xbox 360

e3 With the E3 Media and Business Summit in full swing this week, I thought I’d throw my $.02 in on the announcements by the big three gaming companies: Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. One of them was making some noise, the others, not so much. Read more

Filed In: Console, Gaming, Microsoft, Nintendo, PS3, Tech News, Wii, Xbox, Xbox Live
July 17, 2008

Soapbox: WoW Stats, Netflix and Media Center, and Apple

imageSoapbox is a regular feature where I sound off on various tech topics/products that I’m interested in (or hate). This is just my $.02, so consider yourself warned. This week’s subjects are World of Warcraft, Netflix and Microsoft, and Apple’s marketing are all on the hot seat. Read more

Filed In: Apple, Digital Media, Gaming, Microsoft, Online Gaming, Online PC Gaming, PC Gaming, Video and TV
July 9, 2008

© 2010 J. Paul Ellis