Cost of Xbox Live subscription increase starting Nov. 1, 2010

[Solidus]

In a time when consumer spending is down, shouldn't Microsoft lower the XBL subscription prices, instead of increasing them?

In any case, I'm still planning to purchase a 360 before Halo: Reach comes out.

 

[Grange Wallis]

If you buy a bunch of 3 x 12mth sub cards and claim them all at once will that give you 36 months of Gold?

 

[EVILFACE]

$10 over the course of a year is nothing.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

$10 over the course of a year is nothing.

it's not even $2 a month

 

[Shropt]

If you buy a bunch of 3 x 12mth sub cards and claim them all at once will that give you 36 months of Gold?

Yes, yes it will.

 

[Chimera 1]

That's kind of surprising. But then you have to wonder, if Microsoft thinks the service needs to cost more to run, then how is the online service for PS3 going?

Actually the PSN now does have a premium service. Most people only have the free service but they are slowly rolling out a premium service. I found online gaming over PSN a hassle. Mics not working, lag, difficult connecting with friends etc. I have XBL simply because it is convenient. The system updates don't take hours to download and install like PSN and I can connect with friends and talk to them very easily. To me this is worth the extra price. Now I do feel the PS3 is a superior system but it just lacks the ease of use online as the 360. I personally love both systems but I just use them to their strengths, 360 for online play and PS3 for solo play.

 

[dunedain]

As long as the price doesn't go up in Europe I'm okay with it.

 

[jimjimmyjones85]

What happened to that family plan they had announced ?

 

[mfoga]

$10 over the course of a year is nothing.

There you go with logic again.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

In a time when consumer spending is down, shouldn't Microsoft lower the XBL subscription prices, instead of increasing them?

You think they would find a way to drop the prices after all these years of service. Instead they throw in more useless stuff so they can jack up the prices.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

I've been paying roughly $38 for 13 months of Live thanks to Amazon. I'll have to load up before the price increase.

I just read that Amazon will be limiting purchases to one card at a time.

 

[BadMoon]

Actually the PSN now does have a premium service. Most people only have the free service but they are slowly rolling out a premium service. I found online gaming over PSN a hassle. Mics not working, lag, difficult connecting with friends etc. I have XBL simply because it is convenient. The system updates don't take hours to download and install like PSN and I can connect with friends and talk to them very easily. To me this is worth the extra price. Now I do feel the PS3 is a superior system but it just lacks the ease of use online as the 360. I personally love both systems but I just use them to their strengths, 360 for online play and PS3 for solo play.

 

[THX-182]

My annual Live subscription renews in October so I'll at least get one more year at the cheaper price.

 

[dominishin]

This and their ridiculous $130 250gb HDD among other criminally priced accessories... M$ really knows how to take people's money.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

I never have problems with PSN. My mic works all the time and I've never had lag issues that couldn't be fixed by backing out of the game and getting into another lobby. I love LIVE, and have been a subscriber since day one with Castle Wolfenstein getting me addicted, but just can't justify the price anymore.

I guess I'm just annoyed with it. The $60 is nothing in the context of things, but I can't shake it out of the back of my mind that I'm paying for online play. Paying for online play -- to be more precise, for a unified chat lobby -- is annoying and a rip-off. The argument that it's because of all the improvements they've made that it's worth $60... well, no. Maybe it's worth that for the full package or whatever, but if I just want to be able to play online, and not all the extraneous crap, then it's not worth it. Hell, when they were the only system with Netflix I might've been able to justify it because that's what I used 90% of the time, but now that all the consoles have it and the PS3 becoming discless like the 360 that's something else I can do elsewhere for less.

What concerns me more is that I guarantee PSN+ is just Sony testing the waters for the PS4 down the road. Then they will announce a pricing structure very similar to Microsoft's.

 

[jimjimmyjones85]

Wow, it goes from $4.16/mo to $5.00/mo and everyone freaks out. Crazy.

 

[Fritz]

Wow, it goes from $4.16/mo to $5.00/mo and everyone freaks out. Crazy.

...or 14 cents/day to 16 cents/day.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

Pretty much. It's rough out there. I don't have the time or money to pay for many games anymore so the LIVE subscription equates to replacing 1 game for me. If I had to renew this month I would have to decide which I want more Halo: Reach, or LIVE so that I can play online.

 

[THX-182]

Wow, it goes from $4.16/mo to $5.00/mo and everyone freaks out. Crazy.

...or 14 cents/day to 16 cents/day.

But you don't pay that month to month. You pay it all at once. I hate these arguments when you break them down like that. It isn't broken down like that when you pay for it.

 

[Fritz]

But you don't pay that month to month. You pay it all at once. I hate these arguments when you break them down like that. It isn't broken down like that when you pay for it.

Then I guess I shouldn't tell you it's less than 1 cent per hour.