Origin PC Now Offers In-Game Tech Support
Here's an interesting way to offer technical support for PC gamers.
Origin PC has rolled out what it calls Nexus, the first-ever in-game PC support platform that's now only available on Origin PC systems.
Powered by the popular social networking tool Xfire, the Nexus client allows customers to chat with technical support in real-time without having to leave the game. The drawback is that players can only get help within business hours (9:30am to 5:30pm EST), so don't expect any help with framerate tweaking in the middle of the night.
"Having issues launching a game? Need help updating your graphic card drivers? Nexus makes it convenient to chat live with our support team who can quickly help answer any technical questions and provide the expert support you need," Origin PC boasts.
Given the chat client's Xfire roots, users will also be able to chat with friends within the Xfire community, take screenshots, record gameplay, broadcast live and much more. The service is also free to all Origin PC customers, both prior and current.
"If you're playing a game that is supported by Nexus, you can summon the client by using the default key combination, Scroll Lock + X, to instantly bring up the client during gameplay," the company explains. "You may also change the default key combination for in-game by going to 'tools' in the menu bar of the client and clicking options."
While this is a novel idea to gain and retain PC gaming customers, what isn't clear is how long the service will remain free (unless it's buried in fine print somewhere). Will this in-game support be available once the gaming rig's warranty has expired? Or will it continue as long as the company can confirm the original order?
For more information about Origin PC's Nexus platform, head here. Also included is a video tutorial which explains how the Nexus client works, and a list of games that are compatible with the Xfire/Nexus client.
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UPDATE: Origin PC sent along this statement: "Origin Nexus support, including our 24/7 Phone and or Email Support, are all completely free for the lifetime of the PC, even if the customer is in or out of warranty. We do this because we are committed to providing our Customers the best level of support in our industry."
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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A Bad Day Will bots operate the tech support? My dad always hated the tech support bot chats because of their unreliable text-to-machine and machine-to-text language.Reply -
bison88 Interesting idea. But oh man will I feel sorry for the tech support.Reply
Gamer: "Hold on a minute while I frag this guy!"
*five minutes later*
Gamer: "Oh ***." SCROLL LOCK + X
Gamer: "So about my problem I'm having."
Tech Support: "Yes.....sir?" -
A Bad Day They could always disconnect. Many tech support companies have some sort of a policy where the issue must be resolved within so many minutes, and if it goes overtime, then "lose connection".Reply -
JJ1217 I dunno, their tech support currently is rather bad. I remember seeing an image on Battlelog in which the support asked a guy to delete Program Files. another image also of support asking to delete System 32 as well.Reply
Origin is nice, except its instrusive, and often doesn't work. (I had to wait two weeks to play Battlefield 3 after buying it to play it because it would constantly fail to download registry files). -
9:30am to 5:30pm ESTReply
Great business model. Work only when everybody is off at school or work so there's nothing to do. -
fuzzion fuckthejewsReply
I find your name hilarious and give u an upvote , but how have you not been banned yet ? -
atikkur every time i read the origin news titles, i got confused wheter it's EA's origin service or Origin PC beautiqueReply -
reviewer888 EA is throwing everything they can at Origin just to get it noticed and say we have this and steam doesn't.Reply
I think this is a last ditch effort though, they'll realize nothing is working and nobody is on Origin and nobody buys EA games anymore.
When production costs are greater than their sales, EA will come back to earth. -
matt_b reviewer888EA is throwing everything they can at Origin just to get it noticed and say we have this and steam doesn't.I think this is a last ditch effort though, they'll realize nothing is working and nobody is on Origin and nobody buys EA games anymore.When production costs are greater than their sales, EA will come back to earth.Unless I missed something, this is Origin PC, not Origin the gaming client.Reply