Xbox Live Price Increase

[Soapy]

On November 1st 2010, Microsoft will be increasing the price of Xbox Live in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico.

US
Current
1M Gold: $7.99
3M Gold: $19.99
12M Gold: $49.99

Starting Nov 1, 2010
1M Gold: $9.99
3M Gold: $24.99
12M Gold: $59.99

UK
Current
1M Gold: 4.99 GBP

Starting Nov 1, 2010
1M Gold: 5.99 GBP

Canada
Current
1M Gold: $8.99 CAD

Starting Nov 1, 2010
1M Gold: $9.99 CAD

Mexico
Current
12M Gold: 499 Pesos

Starting Nov 1, 2010
12M Gold: 599 Pesos

Gotta offset their Kinect losses somehow!

[Iceman]

Do you have any details on the annual UK prices? I have 2 Live accounts so that kinda sucks!

[Dark_Lord]

Originally Posted by Iceman

Do you have any details on the annual UK prices? I have 2 Live accounts so that kinda sucks!

Unless listed above, there is no change in any other subscription packages.

Again, the only subscription packages impacted are those mentioned above. For instance, the 12m UK Price? Not affected since it is not mentioned above.

MajorNelson.com

[Iceman]

Originally Posted by Dark_Lord

MajorNelson.com

Thanks a lot!

[Soapy]

No, afraid not. I just copied that from Major Nelson's blog.

[Donut]

I am really annoyed with this. Especially since Microsoft only has 4 Game Series's not on the PS3

[Soapy]

What does Microsoft's exclusive games have to do with their Gold membership fee?

[Donut]

Originally Posted by Soapy

What does Microsoft's exclusive games have to do with their Gold membership fee?

Them increasing XBOX Live with having not many games to choose from that you can buy on the PS3 almost makes getting a 360 pointless. It's like if Microsoft keeps increasing with in time the only people that have 360's will be the Halo, Gears & Fable fanatics. The fourth series is Crackdown but I don't think people would really list Fable & Crackdown as the two Game Series's as reasons to own a 360 & both has Online Play. People can take that 65 bucks & buy a PS3 game with that & not to mention all of the annoying advertisements on the Dashboards & none of their servers are not even dedicated. Why increase the price right now when to most it is not worth it ?

[ProjectPat2280]

If i didnt hate the PSN so much, id prob go ahead and trade my 360 in and just get another PS3(i already have one PS3 in my media room for Blu Rays and the occasional PS3 exclusive.)

If the PSN gets cross game chat then i don't see myself really staying with Live unless they are going to start offering more. 60 bux a year isnt worth it if all im getting over the PSN is a slightly smoother experience. I mean 10 bux more isnt that big of a deal, but i just dont see how they can justify a price increase.

[Cth]

Yeah, by far the stupidest decision the company has made this year

EDIT: In terms of PR.. for the company, why not? Pure profit.

[Brainiac 8]

Well, we knew that ESPN, Hulu Plus, and Kinect had to get offset somewhere.

[KALEL114]

Pretty sure you still have to pay $10 for Hulu Plus.

I'm not too surprised they are raising the price of Gold. Gues I need to update my subscription before the new price kicks in.

[StrainedEyes]

Originally Posted by KALEL114

Pretty sure you still have to pay $10 for Hulu Plus.

I'm not too surprised they are raising the price of Gold. Gues I need to update my subscription before the new price kicks in.

Major Nelson recommends that those subscribers who would like to buy a subscription at the current price do so now, before the new pricing structure takes effect. Those who do resubscribe now will be able to purchase a one-year subscription for $39.99, a $20 discount on the new price.

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/micros...ion-cost/2496/

[KALEL114]

This will probably be the last time I buy it. This will take me through Halo Reach and Gears 3. After that I might be done.

[Donut]

Originally Posted by KALEL114

This will probably be the last time I buy it. This will take me through Halo Reach and Gears 3. After that I might be done.

My current Subscription ends in September. But I have waiting to be renewed for 3 Months that I got for $9.99 & then it ends again December. I would rather take that $65 that I would pay for Live & get the PS3 Version of a Game I would play on the 360. The Reach hype for me would definitely die down by December. I grew out of Gears Of War

[jacobed]

Haha I can't believe people are mad at this. Oh no an extra 5-10 bucks. I can understand if they increased it by like 20 or 30 but 5-10 haha that is not a big deal at all. If they didn't announce this half of us probably wouldn't of even noticed the increase.

[Isildur´s Heir]

Originally Posted by jacobed

Haha I can't believe people are mad at this. Oh no an extra 5-10 bucks. I can understand if they increased it by like 20 or 30 but 5-10 haha that is not a big deal at all. If they didn't announce this half of us probably wouldn't of even noticed the increase.

Are you serious?
Xbox Live is not worth the money now, much less when the prices increase.
It´s not about an extra 5 or 10 bucks, but what is fair.
Microsoft just showed once again what we are to them, nothing more than money, living breeding talking money.

I give you one reason for the increase....the ESPN crap.
But the thing is, did they asked if you wanted it?
No.
Microsoft wants to turn the Xbox into a multimedia hub, like it or not; so, you will eat what they throw at you and like it.
And that´s one of the 10000 reasons why Microsoft sucks and the XBox brand has been dying since their biggest asset went away, the console´s heart and soul....Mr Peter Moore.

Now, just for the record, i´m not from any of the countries that will have the raise, but i feel for them, because i know crap when i see it

[ProjectPat2280]

Originally Posted by Isildur´s Heir

Are you serious?
Xbox Live is not worth the money now, much less when the prices increase.
It´s not about an extra 5 or 10 bucks, but what is fair.
Microsoft just showed once again what we are to them, nothing more than money, living breeding talking money.

I give you one reason for the increase....the ESPN crap.
But the thing is, did they asked if you wanted it?
No.
Microsoft wants to turn the Xbox into a multimedia hub, like it or not; so, you will eat what they throw at you and like it.
And that´s one of the 10000 reasons why Microsoft sucks and the XBox brand has been dying since their biggest asset went away, the console´s heart and soul....Mr Peter Moore.

Now, just for the record, i´m not from any of the countries that will have the raise, but i feel for them, because i know crap when i see it

Are you serious? The Xbox brand is dying? Do you pay attention to anything? You went from being a MS happy dude to anti MS in the snap of a finger. Honestly, and this is just my assessment, i think you are so worried about being called a MS fanboy(which you have in the past), you just bash MS at every chance you get.

[hippie_hunter]

Originally Posted by ProjectPat2280

Are you serious? The Xbox brand is dying? Do you pay attention to anything? You went from being a MS happy dude to anti MS in the snap of a finger. Honestly, and this is just my assessment, i think you are so worried about being called a MS fanboy(which you have in the past), you just bash MS at every chance you get.

Personally, I don't think he isn't worried about being called an Xbot, I think he got disheartened by something.

[Isildur´s Heir]

Originally Posted by ProjectPat2280

The Xbox brand is dying? Do you pay attention to anything?

Do you?
Yes, the brand is dying, only a blind can´t see that.
This is not the same as to say that it isn´t selling, because that would be just ignorant from my part, but people are starting to get tired of Microsoft, especially outside the US.
I can tell you right now that, if Microsoft doesn´t change their ways fast, not only will Sony get second place this gen, the Xbox will be a hard selling next gen.

You went from being a MS happy dude to anti MS in the snap of a finger. Honestly, and this is just my assessment, i think you are so worried about being called a MS fanboy(which you have in the past), you just bash MS at every chance you get.

First of all, to call me a MS fanboy was one of the most ridiculous i´ve ever seen in this boards, and i never understood why.
It all started with......(honestly, i don´t remember his/her/it/alien/robot/talking animal username), and then people jumped into the bandwagon.
But, like hippie_hunter, i never once cared (nor will i ever) that people thought or think of me as such.
It´s is the internet, i would be a fricking moron if i cared about what anyone might called me.
No one on the net is a person, but a bunch of ideas and opinions.
I´m not a fanboy about anything, why would i be about a fricking company and console?
I´m a games guy, i care for the games, that´s it.
Now, if you call me a fan...
I was a fan, honestly, i still am, i loved the 360 back in 2007 when i bought it, and i still have the insane dream of Microsoft waking up and see the crap they have been doing, that´s why i argue about it, because i still have a tiny bit of hope and because i bought the console 3 years ago, i choose it insted of the PS3, and now i´ve been thinking that i did the wrong choise, and it´s frustrating and infuriating.

Now, i´ve been upset with Microsoft since those days, now, i just can´t stand them anymore.
From the lack of exclusives, to the lack of first parties, to the timely exclusives and stupid deals, to the overprice DLC, to making people pay for something the majority don´t want (facebook, twitter, last.fm...), to don´t caring for their fanbase outside the US (or even inside the US, they only care for your money) and making them pay the same and lacking almost every feature....the list goes on.
And now this, the price increase.
Sure, i´m not going to be affected by it...yet, but, even so, it sucks.
And one of the reason is the ESPN, i´m sure (it doesn´t take a rocket scientist to arrive to that conclusion), which many people in the Major Nelson blog is saying that they don´t want.
Now, look at Sony....
You have a choise, you only get PSN+ if you want to.
In the Xbox, you pay, and that´s it....you don´t want that feature, too bad, you´ll pay for it anyway.

[The Incredible Hulk]

Originally Posted by Isildur´s Heir

It´s not about an extra 5 or 10 bucks, but what is fair.
Microsoft just showed once again what we are to them, nothing more than money, living breeding talking money.

Congratulations on grasping the basic tenant of Capitalism!

[Kryptonian Warrior]

I really don't see what all the fuss is about. The price of live has been the same since they launched, hasn't it? It was only a matter of time before a price hike would come along. If the demand is there and you know that people will pay for it regardless, why wouldn't you hike the price? That is why people go into business in the first place, is to make a profit. I once worked in the carpet cleaning business for about 10 years, and I noticed as the years go on, we would gain more and more business. So we raised the price of a basic cleaning $15. To an individual that is not much money at all, but when you look at the bigger picture, from a sales perspective, that's potentially a 25% jump in profit. It's not just a Microsoft thing, it's what many retailers/services do. They hike the price because they can, and they know that people will still buy. Sure there will be people that grumble about it, but in the end, those grumblers will still pay for it.

[jacobed]

Oh it's definitely worth the money now. I'm lookin forward to the ESPN, all that facebook and twitter crap though I don't pay attention to any of that. The service is great much better than anything the PSN or Wii offers not saying that they're terrible just less good.

[ProjectPat2280]

Originally Posted by jacobed

Oh it's definitely worth the money now. I'm lookin forward to the ESPN, all that facebook and twitter crap though I don't pay attention to any of that. The service is great much better than anything the PSN or Wii offers not saying that they're terrible just less good.

I agree. The PSn just isnt as 'smooth'. Now is Live 60 dollars better? Thats debatable.

[Timstuff]

Originally Posted by ProjectPat2280

I agree. The PSn just isnt as 'smooth'. Now is Live 60 dollars better? Thats debatable.

IMO, Xbox Live is not worth $60 a year no matter how you slice it. Slightly better integration doesn't make up for the fact that online should be free, and that MS is intentionally witholding a significant portion of the games you buy unless you fork over an extra $60 to them directly. IMO if you buy a game, you should have full access to its contents, without any of this "*Xbox Live subscription required" BS. MS should be moving in the direction of giving Xbox Live Silver members full access to the online features of their games. There is no excuse for why MS's free "service" is so blatantly inferior to Sony's.

Comparing Xbox Live Silver to PSN, PSN > XBL. Comparing PSN Plus to Xbox Live Gold, PSN still > Xbox Live because of all the goodies you get, even if the service isn't as tightly integrated as Xbox Live. MS is dropping the ball, and I think that this demonstrates that outside of the Halo and Gears of War fanbases, their primary focus is going to be on Kinect since they really aren't doing much to improve the experience for core gamers (which includes getting rid of that stupid fee to play your games online).