Just downloaded the new dashboard... not impressed

[HammR25]

I just got my Kinect setup today at lunch and I'd have to say they've still got a lot of work to do with this stuff. They need to get the voice commands working with a lot more "apps". Right now I just find it annoying. I loaded a DVD into the 360 and started playing it. The voice commands wouldn't work while it was playing (the movie wasn't loud either). I voice commands aren't supported when watching a dvd. Voice commands aren't supported when you're trying to listen to music on a connected PC or the 360 hard drive. I assume the voice commands work while a person is in the Zune app but I haven't tried that since it costs money to play those movies. I don't have a Netflix subscription either. Voice commands also do not work with Windows Media Center.

 

When a person knows where something is in the menu, using a controller will still be a lot quicker than voice commands and they're guaranteed to actually work. The only thing it was quicker on was Bing search and that was pretty cool when it got the words right. I think it probably does better with known phrases than a single word.

[Hydro Thunder]

And also, yes I'm a bit of a cheapskate BUT....

Do I _seriously_ have to have a gold f'ing account to use the YouTube app? I have NO desire whatever to play with / against people online, so I've never "gone gold" as I am CONSTANTLY encouraged to do. Then they start making "silver" members wait an additional week for demos. Then they make it so that silver members can't take advantage of special deals like sale of the week or whatever. All fine, but annoying.

But they seriously aren't going to let me take advantage of the YouTube app if I don't pay them $60?? Beyond asinine.

[NE146]

$60?? Beyond asinine.

 

Whatever man, it's friggin ~$3.50 a month. That's less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks for one day. No but seriously, even at it's max price (which NO ONE pays) it comes out to five dollars monthly, which is very reasonable. Not asinine.

 

No one else cares if someone else doesn't want to pay, but that's the price of their online premium service and it is what it is. If it was $60 for 3 months then of course that's something else. But griping about the cost at this point in time is like.. "huh"?

 

Because the fact is, compared to other services like Netflix, Usenet, Hulu, etc., it's CHEAP. .

[Austin]

But they seriously aren't going to let me take advantage of the YouTube app if I don't pay them $60?? Beyond asinine.

 

It sucks, but that's how it works. You can't use Netflix without Gold either, even if you are already paying your Netflix bill.

[HammR25]

And also, yes I'm a bit of a cheapskate BUT....

Do I _seriously_ have to have a gold f'ing account to use the YouTube app? I have NO desire whatever to play with / against people online, so I've never "gone gold" as I am CONSTANTLY encouraged to do. Then they start making "silver" members wait an additional week for demos. Then they make it so that silver members can't take advantage of special deals like sale of the week or whatever. All fine, but annoying.

But they seriously aren't going to let me take advantage of the YouTube app if I don't pay them $60?? Beyond asinine.

It's definitely crappy, kinda like Sony makes everyone download and install a firmware update that only gives features to people who are renting Playstation Plus.

[onlysublime]

seriously, the Xbox is the most social system around. that's worth the price of admission. any system that let's you just hang out with your friends and play games is a good thing. the party chat feature alone is worth the cost of Xbox Live Gold. Sometimes I'll boot up the Xbox just to talk to people. No gaming involved. It's weird to see people just sit at the dash and talk but it happens all the time. I can totally imagine seeing a party filled with Atarians, just shooting the breeze and reminiscing about so and so game.

 

I'm not a competitive person. I don't go online to play to get the most kills. I just want to chill with my friends while playing a game. If I wanted to play by myself or play in a virtual room filled by a bunch of strangers, I would stick to my legacy systems or play on the PS3 or Wii. On the PS3, people either don't chat or are cursing expletives while you play. With the party chat feature, you never have to tolerate that anymore. You control who you want to listen to, who can listen to you, you can mute on an individual basis or on a global scale. No more dealing with 12 year old kids acting like 12 year old kids. Just listen and chat with your friends.

 

sure, you guys can gripe that you have to have Gold to do this or to do that. Gold isn't a bullet point kind of thing. It's a lifestyle. I could be trying out a demo and then while I'm playing it, I tell my friends in the party to go check out this cool new game and the whole group goes and downloads it. My friend tells me he just watched a cool vid in youtube and we go to youtube to watch it together. We can have a party and someone drops in, and everyone says hi. It's like being back in college where it's so easy to meet new people and just chill. No barriers. Just have fun.

 

I spend more money driving to work daily than I do on Xbox Live Gold in a month. My $3/month for Gold brought me a lot more entertainment value than $50 of basic cable TV could do. To listen to you guys, you sound like the grandparents who sit around the table reminiscing and missing the days of $1/gallon gas.

[JamesD]

I can do youtube, Netflix, huluplus, Pandora, Blockbuster on Demand, Vudu, espn, weather, etc... all for free on both my TV and my Blu-Ray player. Why the hell should I pay Microsoft to do that?

[onlysublime]

I can do youtube, Netflix, huluplus, Pandora, Blockbuster on Demand, Vudu, espn, weather, etc... all for free on both my TV and my Blu-Ray player. Why the hell should I pay Microsoft to do that?

 

no one's stopping you.

[moycon]

I can do youtube, Netflix, huluplus, Pandora, Blockbuster on Demand, Vudu, espn, weather, etc... all for free on both my TV and my Blu-Ray player. Why the hell should I pay Microsoft to do that?

 

I can do the same... I think everyone on the planet that has a modern TV or internet connected Blu Ray player can. Think of it as a perk. Fact is, there is a lot more to Live than anything you just mentioned. When you actually take it all into consideration, the < $5 a month is worth it to most people. You probably spend more at McDonalds on any given day only to crap out what you just paid for an hour later and don't think twice about it. Why would you do that when you could eat tree bark and drink out of a stream, and accomplish the same thing for free? LOL Go figure.

[JamesD]

I can do the same... I think everyone on the planet that has a modern TV or internet connected Blu Ray player can. Think of it as a perk. Fact is, there is a lot more to Live than anything you just mentioned.<snip>

Yup... and most of it only requires a FREE account... or have you had a gold account so long you forgot that?

The only thing I can't get for free is the multi-player over Live and I think I used that a couple times in two years of Gold.

<edit>

BTW, I haven't eaten at McDonalds in over a month.

Edited December 15, 2011 by JamesD

[Hydro Thunder]

And just for perspective's sake, the guys saying "It's only <$5 per month..." Well, you could also say it's $180 for 3 years, I mean, you can play the numbers around however you wish. I find it very offensive as a person who's got no interest in... what did onlysublime say....

"the party chat feature alone is worth the cost of Xbox Live Gold. Sometimes I'll boot up the Xbox just to talk to people. No gaming involved."

Well, that's fine, but not only do I have no wish to engage in "party chat features" (I'll do my talking on a computer on forums like this, thanks), but I'm not going to pay for a "no gaming involved" membership on a game console.

But hey, apparently I'm a cheapskate, so be it. I do only tend to buy a new game or two per year, and then I get it used for neighborhood of $40 tops. I buy lots of XBLA and XBLIG games, but for a consumer like me $50 or whatever per year for Gold is crazy. but if you buy ten new $60 games a year, perhaps it's just a drop in the bucket.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Curious Sofa

[NE146]

Xbox Live is cheap. So it's a non-issue.

 

If you don't want to pay the 11 cents/day to buy it, then don't. No one cares really.

 

They have a service they're offering for sale to make themselves money and it is what it is. If it was $20 / month THEN we can argue about the value. But as is.. no. It's definitely a reasonable price.

[NE146]

And just for perspective's sake, the guys saying "It's only <$5 per month..." Well, you could also say it's $180 for 3 years, I mean, you can play the numbers around however you wish.

 

Of course you can. So then how much is ANY service over 3 years? Netflix at it's cheapest level is like $8/month. So you could say it's $288 for 3 years. Internet access alone is way more than I want to think about for 3 years as well. Also, I pay $11/month for Usenet access.. that's nearly $400 for 3 years!

Edited December 15, 2011 by NE146

[cimerians]

The amount of pay per month is besides the point. It doesnt matter if its a dollar a month. They are STILL taking money from you to stick ads in your face and tell you that its "premium" service for "playing online". Its completely retarded. I sure as hell am not renewing GOLD.

[JamesD]

Xbox Live is cheap. So it's a non-issue.

 

If you don't want to pay the 11 cents/day to buy it, then don't. No one cares really.

 

They have a service they're offering for sale to make themselves money and it is what it is. If it was $20 / month THEN we can argue about the value. But as is.. no. It's definitely a reasonable price.

If no one really cares then why do you ALWAYS post in support of gold every time someone complains about the cost?

[JamesD]

And just for perspective's sake, the guys saying "It's only <$5 per month..." Well, you could also say it's $180 for 3 years, I mean, you can play the numbers around however you wish.

 

Of course you can. So then how much is ANY service over 3 years? Netflix at it's cheapest level is like $8/month. So you could say it's $288 for 3 years. Internet access alone is way more than I want to think about for 3 years as well. Also, I pay $11/month for Usenet access.. that's nearly $400 for 3 years!

I can also say $8/month is cheaper than going to 1 movie a month at the theater.

[JamesD]

And just for perspective's sake, the guys saying "It's only <$5 per month..." Well, you could also say it's $180 for 3 years, I mean, you can play the numbers around however you wish. I find it very offensive as a person who's got no interest in... what did onlysublime say....

"the party chat feature alone is worth the cost of Xbox Live Gold. Sometimes I'll boot up the Xbox just to talk to people. No gaming involved."

Well, that's fine, but not only do I have no wish to engage in "party chat features" (I'll do my talking on a computer on forums like this, thanks), but I'm not going to pay for a "no gaming involved" membership on a game console.

But hey, apparently I'm a cheapskate, so be it. I do only tend to buy a new game or two per year, and then I get it used for neighborhood of $40 tops. I buy lots of XBLA and XBLIG games, but for a consumer like me $50 or whatever per year for Gold is crazy. but if you buy ten new $60 games a year, perhaps it's just a drop in the bucket.

Party chat is probably the only feature I'd like. I could talk to my brother and nephew... if my brother had broadband where he lives.

[NE146]

Xbox Live is cheap. So it's a non-issue.

 

If you don't want to pay the 11 cents/day to buy it, then don't. No one cares really.

 

They have a service they're offering for sale to make themselves money and it is what it is. If it was $20 / month THEN we can argue about the value. But as is.. no. It's definitely a reasonable price.

If no one really cares then why do you ALWAYS post in support of gold every time someone complains about the cost?

 

Oh come on, it's two different things.

 

No one cares if you, or anyone else buys Xbox Live or not.. anymore than they'd care if you bought that Mars candy bar for 75 cents.

 

But that doesn't mean we can't discuss whether Mars candy bars are good, and/or worth it or not.

[JamesD]

Have I mentioned the advertisements are totally out of control on this now interface?

[Metal Ghost]

So.....um, I'm finding that Bing voice-commands are working much better for me now. I love this new dashboard.

 

And my numbers game....$4.99 is cheaper than $5.00 per month. So try to refute that one! LOL

[onlysublime]

So.....um, I'm finding that Bing voice-commands are working much better for me now. I love this new dashboard.

 

And my numbers game....$4.99 is cheaper than $5.00 per month. So try to refute that one! LOL

 

dude, you need to beat my Pac Man scores! get on it!

[Metal Ghost]

So.....um, I'm finding that Bing voice-commands are working much better for me now. I love this new dashboard.

 

And my numbers game....$4.99 is cheaper than $5.00 per month. So try to refute that one! LOL

 

dude, you need to beat my Pac Man scores! get on it!

 

$hit....you beat it already? Are are we talking a different mode or something? I'll need to check it out tonight and retaliate. I'm not very hopeful....I was lucky to get that high of a score in the first place!

 

Ok, how to tie this digression back to the thread topic....um, Bing search from the new dashboard gets me to my Pac Man games very quickly. Top-notch feature!

[onlysublime]

And just for perspective's sake, the guys saying "It's only <$5 per month..." Well, you could also say it's $180 for 3 years, I mean, you can play the numbers around however you wish. I find it very offensive as a person who's got no interest in... what did onlysublime say....

"the party chat feature alone is worth the cost of Xbox Live Gold. Sometimes I'll boot up the Xbox just to talk to people. No gaming involved."

Well, that's fine, but not only do I have no wish to engage in "party chat features" (I'll do my talking on a computer on forums like this, thanks), but I'm not going to pay for a "no gaming involved" membership on a game console.

But hey, apparently I'm a cheapskate, so be it. I do only tend to buy a new game or two per year, and then I get it used for neighborhood of $40 tops. I buy lots of XBLA and XBLIG games, but for a consumer like me $50 or whatever per year for Gold is crazy. but if you buy ten new $60 games a year, perhaps it's just a drop in the bucket.

 

why are you complaining about something that you don't have to pay for or don't even need? like I said, Xbox Live Free is more than enough for people like you.

 

There are plenty of awesome games out there for dirt cheap to play. I just picked up Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for $2 at Gamestop. The impetus was the DLC sale that Ubisoft had a couple weeks ago. All the DLC plus the main game for under $10 and this was a top-reviewed game from back in the day. I also picked up GRAW2 as well with all the DLC so if anyone wants to play either of those 2, let me know! The whole idea of 12-16 player co-op is just awesome! I tried some of the co-op missions by myself and it's mighty hard to take down an army with only 1 person. My friend joined in which made it easier but the more the merrier!

 

If you want to be cheap, be cheap! Game on!

[moycon]

Well, that's fine, but not only do I have no wish to engage in "party chat features"

 

The only thing I can't get for free is the multi-player over Live and I think I used that a couple times in two years of Gold.

 

 

Yep sounds like neither of you have much of an interest in anything Live Gold has to offer. Your points been well made. Good thing no one forces anyone to subscribe.

 

I'm still digging the new dash. Got my Kinect hooked up and I think it's a lot of fun. Controlling the dash just by talking is a real...hoot.

The dash is considerably better than the last in my opinion. Still wouldn't mind the option to switch between dashes. I'd love to pull up the old blades dash for shits and grins.

[Hydro Thunder]

Well, that's fine, but not only do I have no wish to engage in "party chat features"

 

The only thing I can't get for free is the multi-player over Live and I think I used that a couple times in two years of Gold.

 

 

Yep sounds like neither of you have much of an interest in anything Live Gold has to offer. Your points been well made. Good thing no one forces anyone to subscribe.

 

I'm still digging the new dash. Got my Kinect hooked up and I think it's a lot of fun. Controlling the dash just by talking is a real...hoot.

The dash is considerably better than the last in my opinion. Still wouldn't mind the option to switch between dashes. I'd love to pull up the old blades dash for shits and grins.

 

Well, maybe that's the point of contention. No, no one is holding us at gunpoint and forcing us to subscribe. But they are sure trying their damnedest to force it, with all of the constant dashboard messages and linking of minor features that _would sure be nice if they were free to Silver members_ as gold only. My whole point for complaining currently is how they went about releasing the YouTube app. They basically had it on the front page, saying download me, no restrictions listed. So I did, then launched, then it let me know I've got to "Go Gold" to run the app I just downloaded.

 

But we've established that I'm a cheapskate, and that obviously, if I want the harassment messages to go away, and to not have to wait to download demos, and to have YouTube on my 360, and to be able to send Xbox Live messages from my PC, I should just cough up the dough for a discount Gold card (or put it on my Xmas list). I still contend that the level of harassment and such to get me to go gold are significant enough for me to complain about, that's all. And maybe I'm being a whiny bee-hatch and ought shut my trap. So be it, trap shut, complaint lodged (and re-lodged, ad nauseum).

 

And a side note, I don't think the new dash was what was crashing my 360; I happened to re-download Game Room, which I used to love dearly and which basically got me back into retro gaming. Now it is a toxic, broken application which _will_ crash and freeze your 360 if you download it... _even when not playing it_. Just having it downloaded will somehow cause other apps to freeze and crash. It's _real_ bad news.

So, back to un-complaint status about the new dashboard from me.