PixlBit

I don't know how I feel about this...  I am glad to hear that they finally changed the streaming requirements, but I already have all of those other benefits in a different service.  Also, that service is $10 cheaper/year. 

I wonder what service that might be. 

Is it PS+ and do you have any cookies?

No cookies for you!

Who the hell are you? Major Nelson? Ok, can I at least demo the cookies and share them with friends?

It's about time it happened.  Why pay for XBL to get Netflix, Youtube, and all those other services.  I still may get XBL just to get the free games.  If MS pulls what Sony does with "free" games on PS+, I don't want it.  

Looks like Sony has been killing it with their free games.  M$ could learn a thing or 2 about these positive business practices. 

They are. I see this as a direct response to what Sony is doing. Thanks Sony!

It's all good for gamers. :)

As I wrote in another reply having the services like Netflix, Youtube, etc. should have been free from the start. This console was touted as the all in one entertainment box...but most of that was behind the XBox Gold Wall. 

As for the other parts like Deals with Gold, I feel that the current model is fine with the deals of the week, and other random games hitting 50-70% off, but I don't think they should touch the 2 free games a month. It was nice having these freebies without the strings of having to keep the service like PS+. 

The following are the opinions of one moth and are not intended to influence those of a small Lego Super Hero named Chris or those of the Pixlbit community in general.

Yes but their two free games a month have mostly been ancient games that sell for 5 bucks in the bargain bin and have been played already by the people who wanted to. If they are going to keep that part of the service it needs a serious overhaul.

Who the heck gives a rats about getting a copy of Rainbow 6: Vegas 7 years after the fact. At least if I had a physical copy I could use it for a coaster or make a mobile out of it. :)

I'd rather get to play a game for free that only came out last year and if I decide to cancel PSN+ in 3 or 4 years let it go away. If I really love it that much I'll probably be able to find it dirt cheap somewhere anyway.

As for their all-in-one entertainment center. It's not very original. They had those in the 60's and they looked like this.

It tried to be all things to all people while being big and ugly and not doing any one thing particulary well. 

This isn't even directed exclusively at the XB1. I don't care if my PS3 plays CDs, Blu Rays and Digital TV and Movies I only use it to play games. The more varied crap you use a device for, the quicker it breaks. 

Anyway. just my 2 cents

Oh man, that entertainment center is cool! I bet a turntable pops out of the top and plays your awesome vinyl collection too. . . and it's furniture! I'll plop a lamp and a vase on it to impress the guests. Stylish!

Yep, and it's got a radio in there too. Some of them even had 8 track players if I remember correctly.

Your comment about playing vinyl on that cheap plastic turntable made me shudder. LOL

What?! A radio. . . and 8 track too?! <thwump> . . . I'm ok. I'm ok. . . I just fainted.

My Grandparents had one of those, but theirs had a record player one side and a radio on the other. You flipped the tops of the speakers and there they are.

I do agree that the game choices are old but for folks like myself who are late adopters to the 360 (I don't have a XB1) those are new games to us (I never touched them on the PS3). I think the point of those games is that it's geared toward the consumer who doesn't play games, or the folks who play with games on their phones/tablets. They lure people into buying their product for the media uses, and then throw in some games to either get people to buy more games, and/or make them feel that their money isn't wasted on Gold. 

I'm digging your .2 cents. Usually from what I've seen some folks can turn this into a "My console is better than yours" fanboy war. 

That's the one I was looking for when I found that picture. That one kind of looks like it might open up but the lines aren't distinct. :)

I see what you're saying.  This is just my take on it.  The problem I have with Sony's PS+ "free" games is the word free.  It really annoys me.  The games are not free.  I'm  paying for the games because I'm paying for the service.  When the service is gone, so are "my" games.  We don't own them.  I watch a crap load of movies through Netflix and yet I hadn't seen one person say, "Look at all the free movies I own through Netflix!"  MS's games may be old, but I own them (as much as you can own something digital).  They are actually free and free saves me 5 bucks I can spend toward something else (preferably phyiscal).  

I just wish people would call PS+ "free" games what they really are....  Rentals.  Other than that, I have little problem with it.  I would rather have the free old games, myself.  Many of them I don't own yet.  I don't want MS to be too much like Sony.  What's the point in that. 

I agree that the word free on it's own doesn't work but I see them as free to play which they are. My 50 bucks a year gets me more than 50 in discounts on games I do get to keep so monthly games don't really cost me a penny.

I don't know of any rental service that lets you keep as many rentals as you want for multiple years either. 

I have Netflix and Hulu Plus.  I have movies and television shows queued for over 5 years.  As long as the service is functional, so will the movies.  Some of them left and come back, but most of them stayed.  I can only assume the same for PS+.  Once the service is gone or you stop paying for it, then it's gone.  Digital Rentals.  The same as with Netflix and they are very successful.  

You may be paying the 50 bucks a year for the discounts, but that's not how Sony and other gamers promote the service.  How many times have you seen "Free games on PS+" in a news article or blog?  The service is sold more on the games than the discounts.  That's just the way it has become.  

My fear is that people are getting too comfortable with this service and we will begin to get most of our videogames this way.  Pay to play instead of pay & own to play.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, but there are many developers and publishers out there that don't want us to own our games anymore.  MS may have lost with XB1 for now, but their next console or maybe the console after that will be digital only, I'm afraid. 

I agree with you about PS+.  That's why I don't use it.  Plus most of the free games I don't have as much interest in anyway, nor do I have time to play them all. :)

"Free" has increasingly become a weasel word in gaming. As an example, take "free to play", which is the dominant platform on mobiles and a big reason why I hate telephone/tablet gaming. You can play a base game for free, but in order to make it halfway enjoyable to play, you have to give the publisher easy access to your bank account. Basically, either wait several hours for something important to be created for you or pay money to speed up the process.

I have PS+, and I generally don't go for the "free" games myself. I have PS+ because it's required for online play on the PS4. I do occasionally take advantage of the discounts, but I'd rather pay up front and have unlimited access to the game for as long as I want it rather than have to keep feeding the machine. I was okay with that business model in 1984, but this is 2014 and I'm not okay with it.

It's a good move from Microsoft. Now there is not much to separate them from Sony. This is making get HYPED for E3 this year. It makes me wonder what Sony and Nintendo will do to respond to this. If this is what Microsoft will do before E3 they have to have something even bigger for E3. It's an exciting time to be a gamer.

Well, that's good I guess. Still doesn't sway me towards getting an Xbox though.

I have noticed that the sales offered for gold members has been weak as of late. Not that many 67% off titles anymore. nor are they offering many games for sale from XBLA. instead it's mostly disc based digital titles. all that keeps me coming back to XBLA is the games with gold offerings, moreso upon hearing that Xbox One owners don't get the same perk as us 360 gamers do.