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Comcast Targets 'Hardcore' Gamers
The same 'hardcore' gamers that watch G4TV?

The major broadband providers generally pay good lip-service to gamers, but frequently don't offer much. Gaming portals are all the rage, but often the primary goal is to generate ad-revenue from casual gamers while pretending to cater to the hobby's "hardcore."

Last June, Verizon bucked the trend a little when they unveiled their support for Playlinc, a gamer-centric portal and free game server hosting outfit the company promised would "change the face of on-line gaming forever." Verizon also launched their Verizon Game Network website, which features news, blogs, forums and other features for "online gaming aficionados."

Not to be outdone, Comcast today announced they'd be opening up the previously subscriber only GameInvasion.net gaming portal, aimed at "hardcore gaming enthusiasts," to the general public. The "hardcore" likely get their gaming information fix elsewhere, but the service does offer some indie content and gaming news. Keeping in mind what Comcast did to TechTV, are real gamers actually interested in this new portal?
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MysticGogeta
The Robot Devil
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Katy, TX

1 edit

1 recommendation

MysticGogeta

Premium Member

No

I think this answers it very well

Nerdtalker
Working Hard, Or Hardly Working?
MVM
join:2003-02-18
San Jose, CA

Nerdtalker

MVM

Re: No

I consider myself a "hardk0r3" gamer, and I don't intend to use anything else.

However, I'm usually not upset about more free stuff. Hardcore gamers also want more upstream bandwidth, while we're after this market segment...

Speedy8
Premium Member
join:2002-08-22
Alliance, OH

Speedy8

Premium Member

Re: No

I agree. Other than lower latency not much would surpass upload speed on hardcore gamers' wishlists.

Jehu
Premium Member
join:2002-09-13
MA

Jehu to MysticGogeta

Premium Member

to MysticGogeta
negative.
99664227 (banned)
Heavily MODerated
join:2002-11-21
USA

99664227 (banned)

Member

.

No.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Is Any Portal Useful?

Does anyone actually use any of the other portals on which ISPs like to waste money? Of course not.

Why would Comcast think a "gaming portal" would receive a more favorable response?

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

Cheese

Premium Member

Re: Is Any Portal Useful?

said by pnh102:

Does anyone actually use any of the other portals on which ISPs like to waste money? Of course not.

Why would Comcast think a "gaming portal" would receive a more favorable response?
Because they are Comcast? The BMW of the Internet! HAHAHA!
spotters
join:2006-05-05
Waterloo, ON

spotters to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
At least they invest in their service. Take Rogers in Canada. They have removed free webspace (moved to geocities), combined email with Yahoo, introduced caps, introduced throttled bittorrent , removed free newsgroups, introduced higher prices, (and on the flip side, raised speeds 2 mbps for middle of the line customers) pretty much in this order. The fact that they dropped all these services and still raised prices infuriates me.

I probably wouldn't use this service, but the fact that ISP's try new ideas at least shows me where my money is going.

DonLibes

join:2003-01-19

DonLibes

Re: Is Any Portal Useful?

said by spotters:

At least they invest in their service....I probably wouldn't use this service, but the fact that ISP's try new ideas at least shows me where my money is going.
No one's saying they don't invest in their service. The question is whether they spend subscriber's money in a way that benefits subscribers.

Mactron
el Camino Real
Premium Member
join:2001-12-16
PRK

Mactron

Premium Member

Never again...

"Keeping in mind what Comcast did to TechTV, are real gamers actually interested in this new portal?"

That and their generally lousy and expensive TV and HSI services here.
I'll never have anything do with Comkrap ever again.

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

1 recommendation

DaveDude

Member

Re: Never again...

said by Mactron:

"Keeping in mind what Comcast did to TechTV, are real gamers actually interested in this new portal?"

That and their generally lousy and expensive TV and HSI services here.
I'll never have anything do with Comkrap ever again.
I pretty much removed G4 from my viewing when they ended Techtv. I watched TechTv all the time.

dr3yec
join:2002-12-19
00000

dr3yec

Member

Re: Never again...

Yes sir , it has never been the same since techtv. I tried watching after that. But now it is full of bad shows. With bad hosts. G4TV has been dead for sometime.

kyramilan
join:2006-11-26
Pensacola, FL

1 recommendation

kyramilan to DaveDude

Member

to DaveDude
said by DaveDude:

said by Mactron:

"Keeping in mind what Comcast did to TechTV, are real gamers actually interested in this new portal?"

That and their generally lousy and expensive TV and HSI services here.
I'll never have anything do with Comkrap ever again.
I pretty much removed G4 from my viewing when they ended Techtv. I watched TechTv all the time.
You must really need a girlfriend if TechTV was exciting.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

1 edit

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

We want the hardcore gamers......

....as long as they don't use too much bandwidth.
daslog
join:2002-04-10
Milford, NH

daslog

Member

yep

If they added impromptu BF2 server hosting for free I'd be interested. I would also consider using it if they hosted every patch for every game as it came out for fast downloading (which they have to provide the bandwidthe for anyway). Kinda of like Fileplanet, but for subscribers only.

Other than that? I'll pass.
retsam6
join:2004-09-02
Red Bank, NJ

retsam6

Member

Re: yep

this is what i was thinking. they really need to start listeing to the people here.

ThirdShifter
Premium Member
join:2002-03-16
Wethersfield, CT

ThirdShifter

Premium Member

Yess!! YESS!

this is what i was waiting for my whole life!

Comcast you guys read my mind. Oh my. Let go call my mother.

jessegr
join:2005-03-05
Ottawa, ON

jessegr

Member

Re: Yess!! YESS!

g4 is now like 50% xplay. AOTS isnt that bad tho.

SoonerorLAter
@usfca.edu

SoonerorLAter

Anon

portals... hrmm...

gaming portals ... unless they improve latency don't think hardcore gamers will jump in

Tomek
Premium Member
join:2002-01-30
Valley Stream, NY

Tomek

Premium Member

Who needs portals?

Every hardcore gamer has their own sites, clans that they go to get their interest. All gamers are really interested are servers, FAST servers. After all that's all they do is play games, not stare at Comcast portal looking at Wii ads.
capkingy
join:2003-06-06
North Kingstown, RI

capkingy

Member

G4 sucks.

Comcast did a great dis service when they killed off tech tv for the crap that they put on now. G4 sucks and this new portal will suck. Hard core gamers will want games that take advantage of their new dual core computers and not simple javascript or adobe flash games.

Agreed
@cmich.edu

Agreed

Anon

Re: G4 sucks.

Second that

tsu9
join:2001-08-17
Wheeling, IL

tsu9

Member

Ugh.

Save your money, Comcast. This is a guaranteed flop (hint: portals are doomed to fail miserably).

texans20
Premium Member
join:2002-09-28
Texas!

texans20

Premium Member

I Like G4

It wasn't as good as Tech TV (I miss the Screen Savers) but it's still decent. I do like XPlay. Also, they do reruns of Arrested Development, and Star Trek TNG.

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Whether we're gamers or not . . .

I'm certain that Comcast will spam our email inboxes announcing this new "portal".

gameboyz2
@maine.edu

gameboyz2

Anon

playlinc

...is no good, the voip sucks, it crashes, no one uses it. Go into one of the playlinc rooms and you will be the only one there.
JerryTongue
join:2003-04-01
Auburn, WA

JerryTongue

Member

Re: playlinc

Like they know what a hardcore gamer is and what games they play and what to open for what games. What about XBox live? PS3? and other consoles.Nope but then again they aren't the true hardcore gamers now are they?

Archie2
@bellsouth.net

Archie2

Anon

Re: playlinc

ummm....PlayLinc supports XBox and PlayStation. Not many people there yet cause its only a few weeks old.
GhostDoggy
join:2005-05-11
Duluth, GA

GhostDoggy

Member

Idiots.

The only way they are going to make online gamers happy is by providing extremely low latency through the Comcrast network and with no loss of data. Somehow I do not see that happening anytime before the third coming of Christ.

EnzonE
join:2000-03-23
Indiana, PA

EnzonE

Member

Inquired on this with a Comcast Analyst

As a Comcast subscriber I wondered why it wouldn't allow me to log in to that site; she mentioned that I would need to pay an extra $10 to be on the 8Mbps Tier (I saw on the article it also said something that those on that tier with still enjoy free membership to the IGN Founder's Club). The chat session was over before I had a chance to ask when it would be open to the public; and if the public would also have to have 8Mbps? Since they didn't acknowledge it on my original request; guess we'll see nothing to hold my breath on I'm sure!

Joel D
@comcast.net

Joel D

Anon

It's actually kind of good...

OK, so I checked it out just to see what is was all about...and the video play is really good. I watched about 6 videos that streamed much faster than gamespot which is what I read.

Hmmm-- thought it was going to be isp crap, but I have to admit I was wrong.
True Gamers
join:2006-12-22
Roswell, GA

True Gamers

Member

PlayLinc is truely awesome!

Playlinc from Verizon is truly a great portal. It has not yet caught on being relatively new. However, it beats X-fire and any portal hands down, if you are only smart enough to give it a try.

I'm a big X fire user but this thing has most all xfire has and then some- everything I can possibly need for single play, team players etc.

Name it and they have it and I have had no issues with it, worth complaining about. They even give away hardcore gaming machines from Alienware. What a cool GUI btw

This thing can only go up from here and all for free too!

As one who is a big time free service advocate. I give 2 thumbs up for Playlinc. www.playlinc.com