So my launch system just died and I purchased 2 new systems to replace it. One for my office and one for my TV room.

Turns out premium content is tied directly to the system you initially DL it to and not your Live account. Really ticks me off. I paid for it and they are adamantly telling me I have to re-buy it.

Trying to communicate with the faceless megacorp is a joke. Call center can't help at all and the email support is always a different person telling me to kiss off.

I have been a fan of this system and continue to be one, but M$ has now officially earned the sarcastic dollar sign from me.

I will never ever pay for their premium content again for any game on any system they make. Obviously should not have in the first place.

Pricks.

That is why I don't pay for downloads. It also tells game markers hey stop giving us free downloads we are willing to pay for it.

That is bad. The premium content should not be tied to the console, but instead to your account. This is one of the things MS does in the PC realm that I do not like. They do the same thing with ebooks. Instead of linking the books you buy to you (the way companies like ereader do it), they tie them into your hardware. A real hassle when you change that hardware.

Makes things much easier on their end, plus they make more money, whats not to like?



Oh wait, you worried about the consumer end? Sheesh, I don't think that was ever brough up in the meetings... Wait for the next gen, it will be better; we swear. Just make sure you buy it early on based on all kind of false promises...

Then you could just take your tag to a buds house and download it again for his xbox. Of course if he goes online to use it with his tag the MS severs could just check real fast and see if he paid for it to use it for his tag.

Of course WTF do I know even if my idea is simple and would work.

Premium Downloads only benefit the original game publisher/developer, uness a small amount goes to MS for hosting and approving it.

I'm sure MS would love everything to be free, but it's up to the publisher.

Of course, they do have that control with their software.

I think it sucks to have stuff tied to the hardware as well, which is why I wouldn't want to buy premium stuff.

Show them what you want with your $, and don't worry about it otherwise.

Well the first game to offer "premium" content for purchase was MechAssault, which is published by ..... Microsoft.

I've never pruchased any preimium content, and probably never will.

note: I thought that I read that Xbox Live Arcade will follow you from xbox to xbox.

I guess I understand that if you can continue to download the same premium content to your account, then you could in theory DL to all your friend's Xboxes as well. Still, this seems a little mean, especially if your machine happens to die.

I've never done any of that premium content and likely never will (though I was tempted with the Long Beach package for PGR2)

I am no programmer but I can't imagine they could not have it tied to gamertag and xbox serial # with a unique code. Once this gamertag accesses the download a new time from a new xbox serial # it's unique code to the new xbox and the old xbox would cease to be able to access these downloads. They would also need to implement a limit...maybe 3 times. I doubt a vast majority of the population has bought 3 xboxes for themselves.

Oh I passed that number years ago... :devilgrin:

They are the only ones charging for premium content as far as I know. PGR2, Links. Others?


Anyway I posted this as a warning to people that even if you trade you system in on a warranty or replacement you are gonna lose it.

If you bought a new system and bought some content and 2 days later your system craps out. You paid for premium content that you will never see again.

It would be extra cool if all the discs I bought were tied to the system. System breaks? All the discs dissolve!

I am still raw awfully raw about $10 worth of downloads.

Pricks.

what died on your system? optical drive? just have your saves and crap transferred or swap out hard drives. Or send the xbox in for repair. Can you copy the premium content to a memory card? Probably not.

I haven't purchased any premium content because I wanted to be sure I could get it for free if my HD died. Although, I dont mind that they tie it to the console. If you bought a music cd and your cd player ate it, the company isn't obligated to give you another. This happened to my roommate, his cd changer ate one of his cds and to get it out we had to pretty much crack the cd in two the cd player had scratched it up pretty good anyway. His cd player works now, but nobody offered to give us a free cd.

How does it work with mp3s? You pay 99 cents to download a song and you can copy it or can't you? What if your hd gets wiped? Do you get to download it for free again?

I think MS should tie the premium content to the console and tie your consoles serial number to your live account... they should also allow you to have up to 3 consoles tied to your account in case you have an extra in a bedroom or if one breaks. That would be a good solution to the problem of having friends unlock the content for you for free through the account and also the problem of your xbox failing and losing content.

Full Spectrum Warrior.

Splinter Cell : Pandora Tomorrow

Well then my advice to all is to let Premium Content die a lonely death. At least until they change their policies.