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Is Xbox Live Arcade free?
- Thread starter Wario64
- Start date
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
According to XBN:
-Xbox Live Arcade will be distrubuted freely via discs at this moment. The distribution method includes: retailers, Starter Kits.
-Every aspect of Xbox Live Arcade will be Live Aware and when you log in you'll automatically download the latest list of games along with their associated screenshots and descriptions.
-From the main menu you'll be able to try and buy any of the games. Every game will include a free demo.
-Not every game is online enabled but a lot of them will have that feature. Those that are online will use the standard per-game matcmaking method of traditional Xbox Live games.
-Xbox Live Arcade will be distrubuted freely via discs at this moment. The distribution method includes: retailers, Starter Kits.
-Every aspect of Xbox Live Arcade will be Live Aware and when you log in you'll automatically download the latest list of games along with their associated screenshots and descriptions.
-From the main menu you'll be able to try and buy any of the games. Every game will include a free demo.
-Not every game is online enabled but a lot of them will have that feature. Those that are online will use the standard per-game matcmaking method of traditional Xbox Live games.
According to Jesiatha and the latest XBN, these discs are going to be free and they'll be available everywhere. Think AOL, but only in game stores, game mags, etc.
The content, however, is not free. Free to try, but if you want the full version or online play, etc. , you'll have to pony up the money.
The thing that sucks about XBL Arcade is that it doesn't load to the dashboard. So every time you want to play it, you'll have to put in the disc.
The content, however, is not free. Free to try, but if you want the full version or online play, etc. , you'll have to pony up the money.
The thing that sucks about XBL Arcade is that it doesn't load to the dashboard. So every time you want to play it, you'll have to put in the disc.
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
There has been no mention of any exact pricing structures for the games.Wario64 said:
It's my personal guess that they will probably be sold very cheaply ($1 or $2?) individually or purchased in a pack (like 5 games for $10?). I'm not sure about the more modern titles such as Hamsterball, Marble Blast, Zuma, and the rest of the puzzle games. They could be expensive by themselves (meaning like $5 - $10 for a single game.
Wario64 said:
Nothing less than $5. I'm guessing that most of the games will be sold in packs... arcade pack, classic pack, etc., but there are also a few titles that could be sold per game. Hamsterball seems like a game that could be sold alone... it's not a classic game or a cheesy card game, but something developers had to work a little harder at.
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
Makes sense to me but there must be a very good reason for Microsoft to not host it on a server for Live subscribers. From a consumer standpoint, having this available to download for free off Xbox Live (along with the retailer disc option) would be a bigger selling point then heading down to a store and picking up a freebie disc. You might even have quite a few sales from the lazy crowd who think "let me try this out, it's free and available right now."LAMBO said:
It might be a hefty download and possibly when you "install" the Xbox Live Arcade from the disc you actually copy over the entire client and all the preview videos/demos/games as to limit the time waiting online downloading it. Hell Microsoft could be limiting downloads to save server costs and simply have you download a key to unlock the contents of the game (which you've already copied over from the disc) on your machine.
The immediate benefit of this for Microsoft is not having to pay the heavy server fees associated with hosting a big and popular file. Instead of Microsoft having to pay to have a service available for consumers to try out and download they avoid that altogether by having said service available to pick up for free at retailers. Downloading all the demos available (since each game has their own demo) would definitely clog up the bandwith. I'd imagine it'd be cheaper to replicate a hundred thousand discs and give it out to stores as free promotional material.
I'm just thinking of theoretical situations, don't take what I said literally or too seriously.
LuckyBrand
Banned
i really hope SEGA puts some classics on there..
Scoobert said:
Content is constantly evolving, so games really will be downloaded. The purpose of the free disc is to get people interested. Like I said, think AOL. MS doesn't want to limit themselves to the existing XBL userbase. The Arcade discs will be on the counter for Mom to look at and grab when she gets Johnny his game. IIRC, it also includes a 3 month free trial to XBL.
It's a gap filler to bridge the hardcore and the casual gamer. Hell, sometimes it's fun to just take a break from an hour or two of Counter Strike to play something lighter like Dig Dug.
Like I said before... my one big issue is that the GUI does not reside on the dashboard. I don't want to have to pop in a game disc just to play some Hearts or Spades.
LuckyBrand
Banned
lets hope the newest xbox live features are all standard on xenon live, plus some..
if they packed in a camera instead of backward compatability in xenon, i'd like that better..
than we'd get some awesome new features in games that used cameras because everyone would have one.
if they packed in a camera instead of backward compatability in xenon, i'd like that better..
than we'd get some awesome new features in games that used cameras because everyone would have one.
The launcher will be available in a number of places. If nothing else, you should be able to order a copy directly from MS for some nominal fee (probably $5 for shipping / disc costs) with one full game included. It should also be available more widely in some other methods.
All games will have a free demo, full versions will probably range from $10-$15, but prices aren't finalized yet.
All games will have a free demo, full versions will probably range from $10-$15, but prices aren't finalized yet.
Mr. Lemming
Member
Is there a rough estimate of when Arcade will be available?
More comments:
Availability is "holiday". I would guess sometime in November, but December is possible.
Discs can come with games on them (full versions or demos), but the vast majority of content will be downloaded onto your hard drive via Live. The initial launcher disc is probably shipping with only one game, but by the time the disc gets to consumers there should be a handful up on Live servers.
We (the Arcade team) agree that this is a huge issue. Unfortunately, we won't be on the dashboard of the Xbox
Availability is "holiday". I would guess sometime in November, but December is possible.
Discs can come with games on them (full versions or demos), but the vast majority of content will be downloaded onto your hard drive via Live. The initial launcher disc is probably shipping with only one game, but by the time the disc gets to consumers there should be a handful up on Live servers.
We (the Arcade team) agree that this is a huge issue. Unfortunately, we won't be on the dashboard of the Xbox
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
Can I access you through the Live menu or am I going to have to pop in a disc whenever I want to play your goodness?Jesiatha said:We (the Arcade team) agree that this is a huge issue. Unfortunately, we won't be on the dashboard of the Xbox
TekunoRobby said:
Pop in the disc
We fought this as much as we could, and know that it makes for a poor experience. Unfortunately, the Xbox team decides what goes in the dashboard, not us. My understanding is that dashboard updates are fairly major efforts (which is why it has only happened twice or so).
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
That's incredibly kind of you to address us in a public forum about the situation. I just want to thank you for taking the time and understanding our needs and complaints in regards to your product.
Don't worry, popping in the disc won't be a hassle considering the quality you're providing us.
Don't worry, popping in the disc won't be a hassle considering the quality you're providing us.
T-1000_Model3
Banned
LuckyBrand said:
Definirely. I want Zaxxon,Power Drift,Super Hang On,After Burner 1 and 2,Sub Rock,and a Outrun compilation for starters.