The Community is speaking, MS are you listening?
Now a couple weeks ago when the new dashboard update came out, one of the things that MS was touting was the brand spanking new Marketplace blade that was added to the dashboard. The new blade allowed Xbox users to quickly find the newest TV shows, Movies, Themes, Picture Packs, game downloads and more. But with all this content available one thing in particular seemed to have been forgotten or neglected a little bit. And what has been neglected you ask, its anything free. And in this case the users of Xbox Live and the Marketplace are speaking. Here at XBL Radio we have talked about this on our podcast and on our Video Minute and now it seems that the average joe is asking for it too. MS what we want is a quick and easy way to find items that are available for free on the Marketplace. We want a link, or button, that lists all free content, the same way there is one that shows us the top download movies, or newest downloadable content for our games. So what is it going to take? Is it going to take a few hundred people to add there gamertag to this link in your forums? Is it going to take other websites joining in spread the word? Now this can not be to hard to add a shortcut the Marketplace blade, its has to be a whole lot simpler them growing our friends list or adding group chat. So Microsoft if your truly listening to the community, please let us know what your going to do.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I’ll agree with this. I’d love a subsection in the themes and gamerpics section that lists all the free content. The current way to check what free content is available is to visit Major Nelson’s website, and that isn’t intuitive by any means. Simplifying the marketplace section would help us all out.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Of course I want a FREE listing. I’m sure M$ doesn’t want to make it easy to find. They want us to wade through the pay stuff in hopes that we’ll buy something along the way. I disagree with this model totally. The stuff that is there for FREE is FREE because it is to entice you to buy more of the same thing.
I’ve downloaded the FREE HD South Park after I’d already purchased 2 episodes prior to it coming out. I got the FREE Pac-Man cartoon and was quickly reminded how bad 80’s cartoons could be. My kids though it was neat, but I would have never purchased any to begin with. I won’t buy any more, but my kids are asking for more and they would have never known about it if not for the FREE one.
I did download the FREE ‘SkyLand’ episode (the first of a 2 parter) which my kids and I had never seen (in the NickToons area, I think). I had very low expectations for this show, but my kids and I were pleasantly surprised. So much so that I quickly bought ($2) the second half of the 2 parter. One night my daughter was sick and awake late at night. There was nothing on and I didn’t want to go search for a DVD and set it up, so I downloaded ($2) the third episode. She was distracted by the episode and did feel better.
My main complint (and I think most peoples) about the marketplace is that you ‘own’ the TV shows you purchase, but where the hell can you watch it? Only on your 360, or someone else’s with your gamertag signed into live. M$ claims that they are priced with other services, which means iTunes charges $2 for TV shows. The problem with that logic is that if I were to buy a show from iTunes (which I never will) I could take it with me on my video iPod and watch it anywhere, granted on a very small screen, but still…
As far as movie rentals go, I’ll probably pay $6 to see an HD movie on the service ONCE, but I can rent HD DVD’s for less and I can own them for about the same as a standard DVD. It may be a comparable price to what other are charging (frankly, I don’t know) but $6 for a movie download is too much.
Well, back on subject… What the market place needs is a way to organize you own personal searches with the categories you want and don’t want, like FREE, only games I own, NOT EA-hole content, etc. What’s so had about that? I’d be ok with the FREE list, but a customizable search is what we REALLY want! ARE YOU LISTENING MS?
May 24th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
I agree! It will come if we keep on MS. MS has continued to give the community what it wants.
Later
May 24th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
OOOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGG YOU PEOPLE NEED TO GET A LIFE…NOW YOUR COMPLANING ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND FREE STUFF….WOOOOOOOOW I CANT BELIEVE I’M HEARING THIS STUFF….THIS GUY THAT WRITES THESE THINGS IS A BIG SONY FAN AND HE WILL FIND ENYWAY POSIBLE TO COMPLANE ABOUT THE XBOX 360 BUT AS SOON AS IT COMES FOR SOMONE TO COMPLANE ABOUT THE PS3 HES RIGHT THERE TO DEFEND IT WITH HIS 2 CENTS….YOU GUY’S NEED TO WATCH HOW HE DEFENDS SONY AND BASH MICROSOFT….I CANT BELIEVE THIS GROWN MAN IS COMPLANING ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND SOMTHIN FREE….NO SYSTEM IS PERECT…WHY DONT YOU COMPLANE ABOUT A BROWSER LIKE ME…I WANT A DAM BROWSER ON MY 360…WHO CARES ABOUT FINDING THE FREE STUFF I WANT A DAM BROWSER COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT GEEEEEZZZZ
May 24th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
dam the secrets out, I’m a huge sony fan that hates MS. I tried to hid that as much as I could.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Hey I think the caps lock is an indication he dis agrees with you.
I admit a free blade would be cool for us cheepos. However MS wants you to “LOOK” for it so you browse their product line.
However I feel they are giving us a lot of choices and am happy to pay for live, but for those who dont FREE may intice them to ante up the 50 a year. expecially when sony is going to offer it for FREE.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I completely agree. This is a much needed update. I don’ think we should all wait or the next dashboard update for this feature.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
It must be time to rename the podcast. PSNRadio! or maybe Donut Time. I’m not sure which.
I believe the point Steve was trying to make is that MS is claiming to give us, the community, what we want and ask for, but I don’t think anyone really asked for much, if anything in the last updates. There have been some nice features and some garbage ones, but not really what we ASKED for as MS claims. Several ‘asked for’ features have been asked for since launch, i.e. group chat, which was available on the XBox 1 and have been ignored by MS for 1.5 years.
It’s not hate for MS or love for Sony, but just a point that MS isn’t really doing what they claim.
BTW I don’t want a browser. Any console with a browser SUX!
May 25th, 2007 at 12:35 am
WHERE IS THE GOD DAMN ‘FREE STUFF’ BUTTON MICROSOFT??????????
May 25th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Alright…I’m going to come out and say this, but I have to remove my ring first.
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Okay. Microsoft needs to get on the ball. Bottom line, just because Sony’s products are free doesn’t mean jack. Their network service still sucks.
Now…after enjoying my Xbox experience, I expected the Xbox 360 to even better with those features and more.
LISTEN MICROSOFT, stop pulling an EA and give us what we want.
I’m a huge MICROMARK, but this is getting ridiculous.
As far as the free stuff goes, I turned some option on my 360 which automatically downloads free Arcade stuff. I believe they should do the same for videos now that we have this 120GB out.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Yes, it’s true that they need to get back on the ball, but the fact is.. it’s becoming quickly obvious that Microsoft doesn’t care what we, the hardcore want. Granted, casuals would benefit from something like this too, but MS will put it off to the side, saying it won’t be included, because not a big enough percentage would actually use it. Sounds familiar right? like maybe the whole friends list debacle? hmmm. Fact is, as long as Sony isn’t slapping them in the face with new additions to their service, we won’t see any extra important additions, because they are in a comfy position where the PS3 is overpriced, and the Wii is understocked. This means there isn’t a trouble in the competition arena currently. Guaranteed, if things would’ve been different for sony’s online, and functionality to this point, a lot of the things we were looking forward to. Maybe we would finally see selling custom items on marketplace, and all the fancy features MS taunted us with two e3’s ago. So, what does it come down to? If pressure is applied, MS might actually DO something VALUABLE for the community, and not just add a few new pointless blades.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:25 am
silent cypher i couldn’t agree more, word for word.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
merio I don’t want a browser so quite compiling about wanting a browser. If thats the take you are taking by trashing Steve for wanting a way to find free stuff with ease. Justs because you think it irrelevant does not mean Steve has to be a fan boy. By you wanting a browser should i think you are a fan boy of the WII? Fell free to have your on take but try not to trash others for there take. It make you look like a kid.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Bite me tog. You are just the ed mcmahon of podcating. 0