Due to rising costs Microsoft intends on capping how many hours gamers who pay for subscriptions can play on its online service. Gamers can pay for additional hours beyond the set caps.
Microsoft's Xbox unit said:
"We're introducing this model because the cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer. Moving to monthly limits allows us to keep offering the service while continuing to invest in its reliability and performance. We understand that for some players the practical result is a higher cost.
Users with high-end Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, which cost $22.99 per month, will have access to 15 hours of cloud gaming. Game Pass Premium account holders, who pay $14.99 per month, will have 10 hours of cloud-based playtime, while Game Pass Essential, which costs $9.99 a month.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Gaaark on Saturday September 05, @10:08PM (3 children)
...we want more profit, so fuck you.
You too.
And you... yes, you. The guy/girl/whatever that i'm looking at right now. Fuck all of you.
And the horse you rode in.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 05, @10:30PM
Well, obviously it's consensual, and quite addictive it appears.
But since money changes hands, and their Notel Motel charges by the hour, it's prostitution. Is there a federal prohibition against that?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 05, @10:30PM
With that muck fucking it should be the xxx-box.
(Score: 5, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Saturday September 05, @10:56PM
Who charges for rooms by the hour? What did your mother tell you about giving such people money?
Many of them are addicts, can never get enough and will do anything for more money - often at their customers' expense / injury.
Next they'll start telling you "the first one's free..."
There are options out there, you may not see them plying their wares on the main boulevards of the bigger cities, but it's worth the effort to seek out a higher quality relationship.
🌻🌻🌻🌻✌️ [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday September 06, @12:08AM (5 children)
all for the low low price of around $1.00 - $1.50 a miinute.
Count me out.
Being the dumbest idiot in the land and president of the US should be 2 different people.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday September 06, @12:30AM (1 child)
Pretty sure that decimal point moved after I hit 'submit'.
Being the dumbest idiot in the land and president of the US should be 2 different people.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Bentonite on Sunday September 06, @06:43AM
Your numbers are completely off, no matter where the decimal point goes.
For future calculations, I suggest using GNU Units, which makes many calculations quite easy.
The rent cost for $22.99 is $0.026/minute and for $14.99, $0.025/minute
You have: 22.99/15 hr
You want: /min
* 0.025544444
/ 39.147455
You have: 14.99/10 hr
You want: /min
* 0.024983333
Typical m$ - on the most expensive plan, you get less "value" for more (although, SaaSS access to proprietary games is clearly not valuable).
Such pricing is clearly a total scam, as it clearly doesn't cost them nearly that much a minute to offer the disservice does it?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Sunday September 06, @12:48AM (2 children)
I used to play pinball machines at $0.25 per 3 balls... when I visited London in the 1990s they were more like $5 per 3 balls, absolutely insane in my experience and yet- there were still enough people playing them to keep the arcades open.
🌻🌻🌻🌻✌️ [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Bentonite on Sunday September 06, @06:57AM (1 child)
Considering the real inflation rate, it seems that could be equivalent to a price increase of 300% to 500%.
Last time I looked at a pinball machine, 5 years ago, the price was pretty close to $5 USD/3 balls - it seems arcade operators found the highest price suckers are willing to pay and stuck with it (although, prices will go up as soon as inflation makes $5 equal the old $0.25).
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Sunday September 06, @01:35PM
Well, this was 1980-85 US$0.25 vs 1989 London £3
I've seen an interesting bifurcation in US arcade games. There are some restaurants and other public-ish places where they're free to play - top quality same as back in the 90s arcade games - and the machines aren't over-crowded. Then there are other arcades which effectively want to charge a $5 cover just to enter on top of double price beer and triple price pizza while you're in, and then they also sell you limited use cards that they label as "unlimited" for another $20 - yes, Unlimited, for the next 2 hours, with only 1 game play per 5 minutes, most games in the building, except the ones you really want to play, etc. etc. otherwise it's anywhere from 0 to 10 credits per play (Q-Bert is 0 credits, Ms. Pacman is 3, Pinball is 5, Guitar Hero is 7, Japanese imports are 9 and 10...) and the cards are full of games themselves, 10 credits for $10, 20 credits for $15, 50 for $30, 100 for $45, and again there are valid/invalid time windows, etc. etc. etc. none of which is even partially explained by the money taker at the door. Combined with vague "combo" deals that include the cards with overpriced pizza, then let us tell you about our $500 Birthday party package deals that go up to $???? when you factor in what guests may be expected to spend...
🌻🌻🌻🌻✌️ [google.com]