: Really, it's more like having a car with an FM radio that will only play
: advertisements and the news unless you pay them, and then it unlocks the
: music channels.

: Right, except I've paid for all the games I'm playing on my Xbox. I have the
: highest, most premium access to those games that is possible.

What are you complaining about here? You can play campaign, and you can play local MP if it has any. Live has always been sold separately.

: Ohh we let you get updates for free" is an absolutely goofy
: "feature."

The updates you have to download for most games are MP (online) related. For example, If I want to play Halo Wars online I must download the updates so I am balanced with everyone else. I can't decline them and get to play with units that are still buffed or nerfed compared to everyone else, that is unfair.

If I'm not able to play that game online because I don't have gold, I don't have to download that update.

If I want to buy the MP maps and modes that were added on I can still do that, but if I ever want to play live I will have to update them.

So, I'm not missing anything I need, especially if I can't get online in the first place.

If I had silver I could still download the Minerva's Den campaign add on for Bioshock 2 and play it, because its a single player add on and thus not affected by online play.

: I'm paying for the Internet and I have a device which
: is hooked up to it; if they restricted access to something as simple as a
: game patch, I'd be furious.

And you'd be right, except your not restricted. So long as you have an internet connection, and patience if that connection is slow, you can get game patches and updates and dlc.

All I'm really hearing out of you is pouting that you have to deal with ads because you have silver. So what? Right now Gold has to deal with it to so on that, we're in the same boat.

I'm sorry, I'm trying to look at this from every perspective and when it comes to Silver account I don't see why they shouldn't have ads either. They don't pay for the service. Gold should be ad free, its paid for. That's the kind of thing that separates the basic service from the premium service.

If you can't play online anyway, and your friends list doesn't matter to you, why have your xbox connected at all then? Or, why not just boot straight to disc and then sign in? Wouldn't that bypass any tile ads altogether? What point is there for you to even go to the dashboard if you're not doing anything with your friends and not going to the marketplace?

I'm not disagreeing with you that ads are annoying- please understand that. I'm disagreeing that you have any merit to complain about it for a basic silver account.