Microsoft is ending live service for original XBox games

[Famidrive-16]

http://gamerscoreblog.com/press/arch.../05/gh789.aspx

Dear Xbox LIVE Members,



On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.



Seven years ago we laid out our vision for the connected console when we launched Xbox LIVE. We believed then that the power of the Internet to connect people would revolutionize living room entertainment. It started with amazing multiplayer games, and we’ve since seen that bet pay off again and again with the launches of Xbox 360, Marketplace, Netflix and powerful social features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. None of this would have been possible without the success of LIVE as a multiplayer gaming network.



There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2” has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on Xbox 360.



Your Xbox LIVE community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process.



We’ll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE. I believe we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we have in store with “Project Natal” and LIVE. The LIVE community is the driving force behind everything we do, and it’s because of the community that ground-breaking experiences on Xbox continue to be possible.



See you on LIVE,



Marc Whitten

Gamertag - Notwen

www.twitter.com/notwen

[Oobgarm]

I'm surprised it lasted this long, honestly.

[bunnybum]

Wow, talk about bad timing. I just started collecting for the Xbox a couple of months ago But hey, maybe the prices will drop even lower now

[megasdkirby]

I just hope everything that was tu "buy" is now "free", like Halo 2 Maps.

[YoshiM]

I could see shutting down access to actual hardware, but including Xbox Originals? I hope for the sake of those that still get their OG X on that Microsoft rewords the Originals games so that it states that they are no longer online capable.

[Zoltor]

Well that just made my decision easy(to get a 360 or not). There are a ton of things wrong with this: First XBOX Live is a single network, so It's pointless to drop support for older game's internet connection, if anything, microsoft will lose money by doing that, as paying a monthly sum for a service that Isn't complete, Isn't worth paying on a regular basis. On top of that, seeing how XBOX/360 games alike are pretty much primarily focused on online play, peaple should be "very" reluctant to buiy 360 games now(what's gonna happen when Microsoft comes out with the XBOX 740 or something, are they gonna drop 360 support), and also what the hell was the point of making the 360 backwards compatible, if they were gonna pull this crap, talk about a bad move.

PS. Also all DLC for XBOX game need to be free as well, if they're gonna basically dump the XBOX library in the trash.

[megasdkirby]

Well, it seems games like Phantasy Star Online will never play unless the person has a copy of the Xbox gamer tag...

[sfchakan]

Someone call the waaahmbulance. It's been 7 years for most games, 5 years for Halo 2. That's a good run.

[PentiumMMX]

I agree that they should make all DLC for original Xbox games free before they pull the plug. If they do, than this will be the time for me to finally buy another copy of PGR2 and get both it's expansion packs before it's too late.

[Hep038]

Although it is disappointing (crimson skies), it really is not that much of a shock. I see this announcement spawning a lot of micro$oft bitch threads even though I do not see any other system offering the same type of service.

I am guessing they have seen a large decline on xbox1 games being played on live and made a business decision to divert the resorption elsewhere.

Be real. If you had not bough a 360 yet, you more than likely were not going to get one. And the fact they do not support Xbox 1 games online online has even less with you not getting a 360.

[Breetai]

...it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.

Man, I reading BS like this just makes me want to barf. Why do companies outright lie like this and not expect the people reading it to read between the lines?

[Icarus Moonsight]

Many of us are familiar with Open the Zoo, but this is so Close the Zoo. Bummer, "Moose outside should have told you" I guess, but obvious and inevitable... Speaking of which;

[Flippy8490]

You would think with today's technology and the size of the Microsoft corporation that they could implement technology that differentiated between a virtual "Live" service for Xbox 1 games, and the fully-featured 360 Live. Dropping support for something that is still being used by millions is FUCKING STUPID. No matter what angle you look at it from. Look at the PS2. PS3 has been out for quite a while now and PS2 STILL is selling (though less now)

[norkusa]

Man, I reading BS like this just makes me want to barf. Why do companies outright lie like this and not expect the people reading it to read between the lines?

I agree but I remember reading something a few months ago about how the current 50 friend limit on XBL couldn't be changed because of Halo 2. Now that they're taking it offline, they can finally increase the friends list limit. I guess that's what they were trying to say by that.

Are any EA games still playable on Live? They use dedicated servers, so you should still be able to play those if XBL is down, right?

[FayeC86]

I agree but I remember reading something a few months ago about how the current 50 friend limit on XBL couldn't be changed because of Halo 2. Now that they're taking it offline, they can finally increase the friends list limit. I guess that's what they were trying to say by that.

Exactly what I was thinking of. Im hoping that will only be the first of many limitations removed by this change.

As for me personally, the only original xbox game I still play online is Halo2, and XBConnect and other services work fine for stuff like that.

[sfchakan]

Dropping support for something that is still being used by millions is FUCKING STUPID.

I keep seeing this everywhere, but without citations. Are millions of people still playing original Xbox games over Live? My bet is it's closer to 1,000-10,000 gamers holding back features that many of the same gamers will be able to take advantage of on their 360s.

[Oobgarm]

PS3 has been out for quite a while now and PS2 STILL is selling (though less now)

The original Xbox has been off the market for some time, while PS2 is still available. That might have something to do with it.

[Robocop2]

I'm surprised it lasted this long, honestly.

I have to agree with this. While not exciting news it was eventual given that XBL is essentially a captive network. The same thing will happen with any similar online service over time.

[Trumpman]

This happens on PC all the time - it's a fact of online gaming. As many have said, 5-7 years is a good run.

[Breetai]

I agree but I remember reading something a few months ago about how the current 50 friend limit on XBL couldn't be changed because of Halo 2. Now that they're taking it offline, they can finally increase the friends list limit. I guess that's what they were trying to say by that.

Well... shows what I know. This is where I'm supposed to say something about red rings and death to all unbelievers, but I feel too defeated to go on with that.