Xbox Live Subscription Prices Going Up - News

Sony is looking better and greater every moment and every day.. coming from an Xbox360 owner. I mean wft! what is MICROSOFT thinking, do they think they will attract the casual with this decision? $300 kinect/xbox360 + $60 gold + $130 Hdd= casual friendly?

If you think about it, Xbox 360 games don't come with online multi-player ready when Sony's Ps3 games come fully loaded with online gameplay by default..

I think is time for us Xbox 360 holders and specially me to start voting for free online game-play by buying a new Ps3 console, this will show Microsoft what will be the hottest item this Christmas...

Vote Sony .. Vote for Sony!

I hate how MS is increasing the price of Xbox Live due to added features. What if I don't want to watch ESPN on my 360, or other various features? I just want to play my games online and watch Netflix. Some of us don't use every single feature on Live.

$60 isn't horrible, but every little increase is more money that's getting stolen from your wallet. I just don't like where the gaming industry is going with all this. I guess I'll have to snatch up some $50 cards before November 1st hits.

Umm, are those people posting $60 is cheap here 'real' people or bots employed by M$? Cause I just came from Kotaku, and all the people there are SPEWING FIRE here and there.

PC gamers have been paying for online games for 15 years, on MMO's like
Warcraft etc: ... server maintenance costs money, especially if you've got a
game like Halo 3 which came out in September 2008. and still draws 8
million gamers per week....I went on to GRAW 2 multi-player last week
which came out 42 months ago, and there's still people playing it.
the reason why Xbox Live works, it because people pay for it.

@Aracheneus - so you will buy a PS3 if they start charging? The best things in life come for free :)

The only way Microsoft will listen to complaints is if players cancel their subscription right now and hit them before they hit the players. Sadly X box is so needed for everyone it seems and not many will do this, including me. Not canceling my subscription for a whole $5 a month instead of the previous $4.17 a month. PlayStation I think needs to start charging, if they make a better network I may switch to my PS3 for online gaming.

Xbox360 sales just dropped 10k! (just kidding ^_^). Not really nice to launch a new model and to stab new owners in the back right after... They didn't say anything about EUR prices, does that mean the euro area escapes the rise?

I'll find discount prices cause I'm not payin $60 screw that

Hmmmmmm doesn't mention Australia. Maybe we'll avoid getting the shaft this time.

Did someone just call Leo-J a MS fanboy? Yeap we've seen it all now here slowmo.

I've seen it all when someone accuses leo-j of being a Microsoft fanboy, Mega LOL

it doesnt sound like a lot now but added up it does get pricey, i know people who have had the 360 since it came out, always had a live subscription, and at 50$ a year thats already 200$, if the next gen happens in say another four years thatl be an additional 240. for me its not that its alot its just that i could do so much more with 440$, u know like maybe a few car payments, help with a mortgage payment, a new TV.

but gotta admit if ppl will pay for it then more power to ya Microsoft.

Most awesome thing to happen this gen! Isn't it just fabulous!

All your money are belong to us! ARRRRRR!

Yours Sincerely

Commander Ballmer

As much as this sucks, inflation is inflation. Just look at film ticket prices. This happens all the time and theres not much we can do about it.

@leo-j

Has Microsoft paid you to say "great decision" to a price increase? yeah, that means you will have to pay more money. The loyalty you must have towards Microsoft is incredible. If Sony started charging for online play, then all the PS3 fanboys would fight it till the end. But, not you or many other Microsoft fanboys, you dont fight it, but instead you welcome the price increase. I have to admit, Microsoft must have worked some kind of hypnotizing magic on you becuase honestly, I cant imagine saying. "oh, my electricity bill went up for the month...great decision!" or "my rent just doubled...great decision!" Seriously leo-j what is wrong with you?

Dont do it people!!! Be aggressive consumers. Think back to the day when you could play games online for free and also download free map packs. You may say its "only ten dollars," but the problem is that your leading the industry down a dark road, where in the future EVERYONE will have to pay online fees. Today is a historic moment, but not one to be proud of. Im not going to look back 20 years from now giving thanks to Microsoft for starting to charge gamers to play online, rather, I will curse them for ruining the gaming industy! Becuase not only will this lead to other consoles charging for online play, but game developers will start charging pay-to-play. So ON TOP of the internet you paying and ON TOP of the fee you pay for Xbox, you will ALSO PAY the developer more money because they want a piece of the profits Microsoft is making off Live while using their games. Shame on Microsoft. and Shame on all you Lemmings that will pay this fee. With Sarcasm I say, thank you for leading the game industry down this awful road, and the truth is, the majority of you who are leading us arent even true gamers considering all you play is COD or Halo. Thank you for supporting a company that wants nothing more than to rip you off. If any of you actually LIKE free online gaming and you want to continue playing games online for free, then DONT support Live, especially with this price increase. RUN AWAY!!! Buy a computer, PS3, or Wii. I dont care.

great decision!

@ssj12 They've added a lot of stuff like ESPN and such.

Personally I'd like a subscription rate for people who play less than 5 hours a week. There could be a Platinum XBL at $59.99 for unlimited gameplay and services and a limited Gold XBL subscription for people like me who don't play that much but still want to play from time to time for say $19.99. Silver would still be free. The only paid service I use besides the occasional game of Halo Firefight with my brothers is Netflix and that could be like small additional fee for silver and gold users and standard with Platinum.

MS would never do that, but that's what I'd like.

I want to know why they are increasing the price though. Its not like server maintenance costs could increase that much, and I doubt electricity costs went up that much. If they did they really should just put solar panels on top of the building to reduce electrical needs.

Ouch... I guess a billion bucks was not enough.

Nobody forces you to pay anything. If you think it is XBox live is worth the price, you will pay for it. You should not pay them in full anyway since they are tons of deal flying around (e.g., Amazon). $60 a year is cheap if you compare it with how much cable, gas, mobile phone plan, and so on cost this day.

its just a business decision, they are raising the prices bcus they can, most companies wouldnt raise a price but i guess that just means consumers should look extra carefully for discounts on subscriptions, there are always good deals on video games and most of the time u can just buy stuff online and say unlike retail, this is a price hike on retail and so the best thing to do is if u enjoy it but it online and try to save for now on.

If people like it, and they want it, then they'll pay for it. The law of commerce is to charge as much as you can get away with for a product. If you don't then you aren't maximising profits and thus you aren't providing maximum return for shareholders. MS has obviously calculated that they gain more by having those who keep their Gold subscriptions going pay a higher fee than they lose in having some people give it up. If that's the case then MS would not be acting in it's interests by holding on to the current price.

Here the irony from the majority of 360 supporters here. We all can agree that the 360 slim is selling very well because it offers better hardware value for the "same" price (comparing the current $300 slim model to the previous Elite). But now Microsoft is raising the price of Live Gold. Is it still worth it? For come of course, yes. But raising the price WILL turn some away from the service. Don't be surprised. It's reasonable, and you have NO ONE to blame but Microsoft regardless of reactions. Deal with it.

@halil23 I guess you'll never understand plan common English, therefore I won't be wasting any more time responding to your snide remarks. Sorry I could help get the stick out! sigh sigh

Yeah, that's a double sigh. Now, how about you go where your games are and I'll go where mine are? That way everyone can enjoy their games how they want. You know, out of respect for each others personal preferences? Hardcore Sony fans tend to have a problem with others differing opinion though so I'll understand if you continue. sigh

@halil23
I don't really get what you're fighting for. If people don't mind paying for a service they like good for them, no need to bash. I don't mean to offend you but you are looking like one of those kids that are so insecure that need others to confirm that they, indeed, have the 'coolest pen' or w/e the case may be.

PS3 FTW?

@halil23 well here is the thing.. MS is neither my favourite company nor i hate Sony...i just chose Xbox 360 because i like more the exclusives it has.. it is matter of choice and taste for me....also i am very open-minded you on the other hand i have a feeling that you just try to find reasons to flame MS and Xbox 360 because you are a fanboy of Sony...so i am wondering who has to open his mind and just have fun with his console and stop flaming other consoles?????

GO MS GO!

Well not that much of a change if you buy it from Newegg or the like. I had the feeling this would happen soon so I have 2 1 year gold subscription codes waiting for me as soon as this one ends.
I don't really get what people are fighting for, if you don't like something don't buy it, no one's gonna kill you if you don't.

What's being added to justify the price hike? You'd think that Sony charging for their premium service would have the opposite effect.

This is bad news, but the GREAT news for me is that I'm converting to the family pack for $99 for four memberships. Hey, if you have four good buddies on live, sign up as a group and save a TON of cash. Anyway, I was membered up until 2013 anyway, with those special offers to get 12-month cards for $34.99.

@halil23 common English comprehension buddy!

@halil23 why are you trolling here man??? you don’t have Xbox 360(your profile shows that)..You are a freaking PStrollboy...now go stick to your precious ps3 and let some people to actually have a true opinion about their favourite console...
PS: now if you go and put Xbox 360 titles to your profile just to show that you have Xbox titles then i feel sorry about you man....

@GuiltySpartan77

...I have enjoyed every bit of content i've gotten through PS+...and i've nearly gotten all of my subscription cost available to content...things I can see available to me that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten...and this is only a few months in, so now everything else that I recieve until my re-joining of PS+ next year...sure feels free to me, because I've already gotten more content back than I've paid for, and will continue to for the next 12 or so months...I understand that i've already paid and shouldn't be calling them free, but it feels like I'm Actually getting my money's worth out of it, and since the content grows and changes...it ends up being better for me, it seems....in comparison to simply paying more...for online play as an example....something that I pay for in the cost of the game, and then continue to pay for Again in the cost of the console to play it on....I pass, at least mine's optional...and I don't see Sony charging for online play ever, though they won't always have to keep demos and certain things free, online play, I don't see them charging for.

$59.99 a year (about 4.99 a month) at an approximate $0.833 increase for over 6 million users is $4,998,000 a month...or $59,976,000 a year MORE than they made before. They currently make $299,940,000 which will become $359,940,000. Keep on giving them more...you know they need it.

how does PS+ give you free games when you really are paying for them so i wouldn't call it free you just kid yourself that it is free because if it was free they wouldn't charge 49.99 per year for the crappy content you get with ps+

Sucks but I guess I'll still pay for it. I prefer my PS3 for SP but MP wise XBL is still just better.

@halil23, figure of speech comprehension buddy!

@ disolitude

$49.99 is $4.16 a month

$59.99 is $4.99 a month

That's only a $0.83 per month increase not $2. Just thought you should know since everyone is overreacting.

Anyway, who pays full price when Amazon always has it for $10 to $15 cheaper?

LOL MICROSOFT IS SO DAMN GREEDY. i payed xbox live for 2 years($100+tax) and i'm not paying for it anymore now that i have a ps3 with free online that's just as good. i'm not buying anymore 360 games it's all ps3 from here on out.

@halil23

"Oh God it kain_kusnawhat! "you go where the games are" WOW since when does everyone play your games!?!
Btw, littlebigplanet and uncharted 2 says hi to your games with their game of the year awards all over them!!"

Umm, you went where your games are so why can't others go where their games are? If someone likes Uncharted it's PS3 for them and if someone likes Halo it's Xbox 360 for them. Why do you care about the gaming taste of others? It doesn't effect your ability to play what you want.

@halil23

The problem with me is that I make quite a bit of money and want the best online network and service.

It does not phase me what so ever if it went up by less than 2 dollars per month...

Unless one is on a REALLY tight budget, why would anyone care about this if they like XBL and what it offers?

And if 2 dollars per month really makes the difference to you, what the hell are you doing playing videogames in the first place? Go better your financial situation.

I shall now throw away my Xbox because the price for a year went up 10$. There's no other place I can buy cards besides directly from Microsoft. Xbox Live sucks now.

I've never paid more than $39 for a year of Gold XBL and with this price adjustment I doubt I'll pay more than $49 for a year of Gold XBL. Why pay full price when it's always on sale somewhere? And please don't tell me PSN is free because it doesn't have Halo or Gears of War. You go where the games are you want to play, simple as that. If PSN cost money and I had to choose which to pay for go with XBL. PSN isn't bad but XBL is better.

It's funny that so many Sony fans are so outraged about this. It's not like it's that much money. If you have a decent job it's a drop in the bucket to play exclusive kick ass games hassle free.

Sure it would be nice if it was free. But I say to you PSN fans, enjoy it while it lasts because Sony won't offer an ever increasing expense for free forever. Plus isn't going to do it for them and mark my words, regardless of what Sony says now you'll be paying for online play next generation if not sooner.

Well microsoft I think i'll be playing all live multiplats on ps3 now because I have the option. Its to bad they won't care because so many people only own the 360.

Well microsoft I think i'll be playing all live multiplats on ps3 now because I have the option. Its to bad they won't care because so many people only own the 360.

@toMsons7551

You need to go back to high school and know how supply and demand works to understand why xbox 360 isn't 200 dollars yet.

Actually take a few business courses as well while you're there as you seem to think things should be free in this world.

What are they thinking..

I find the "fanboys of the 360 funny, but for this reason. You're giving reasons why Live is "worth it" when Live doesn't even offer you anything for free. It isn't like PS+ that gives you free games and content, no. Live you have to pay for all that stuff on top of it, and yet people are trying to reason why they shouldn't be pissed off. I know VGC hates the word fanboy, but it's what it's because they are blind to a bad thing because of company loyalty. How long can we keep that up before you have to let them go and judge them by what they offer.

PlayStation Plus ($50) > 360's Live ($60)

I won't be renewing my Live Gold subscription, and I am thinking about selling my 360 all together. I just hate Microsoft as a whole, not just on the console grounds. They don't deserve peoples loyalty on the console front. Still selling old technology for $299.99, when i should be 200 bucks only by now. People don't really get how greedy Microsoft's philosophy is.

And if you are a "360 fanboy", please wake up and notice what Microsoft has been doing for years to you (and me). If you don't care about wasting your money, than more power to you. Enjoy Live, but I for one am sick of it. You can talk about inflation all you want, but those server company's didn't raise their prices (if MS uses an outer source), so why should Microsoft get it as an excuse. Companies cannot afford making everything more expensive because the userbase/supporters are used to a price point with comfort, going up ruins this.

I wonder what made them raise prices. If anything, they should go lower because the amount of Live users they have paying. And it's not like Sony where they offer content for free that they have to pay to developers and such (a portion).


@VGC, don't ban me for the word "fanboys". I don't know what else to say, and brainwashed seems to harsh. Just trying to get the point across not to have brand loyalty to any company, but only to yourself..

@Metallicube

At least they had the courtesy to announce this 2 months ahead of time. People can go find those occasional 39.99 deals on newegg till Nov1 and stock up.

Gee thanks, MS. Cause you know, we all just LOOOVE paying more money!

@nintari
Actually it launched in 2002 if you want to count Xbox 1.

I was counting since xbox 360's since that's when we got the updated service.

There is a rule of thumb where I am from and its...if you don't like something, don't pay for it...but don't be a baby and whine about it either.

with all the good service they have they should charge more! $89.99 for a yr.

@disolitude

XBL launched in 2003, not 2005 and since then, as far as online multiplayer goes, it hasn't improved ONE DAMN BIT. Yeah, sure, there's now netflix,twitter,last fm and other non game related bullshit but as far as playing the games you buy online, nothing is different. Back when I use to play RTCW on XBL, the service was EXACTLY the same.

All I care about is playing games online. I'm not a 12 year old girl. I don't need facebook. I just want to play video games online and so, paying MORE money for the same damn thing, which was too expensive in the first place, just doesn't make sense.

I'm out...and for good too. I gamed on PS1 and then PS2 before I bought into Xbox and Xbox 360 and now I'm going back.

Lol, its funny seeing mostly sony supporter up in arms about this...this site has become a place where a lot of gamers seem very concern about people who own consoles that they don't.

Seriously though, its a miracle they haven't raised the prices sooner. They've added so much shit since 2005 when it launched, and inflation alone makes a 50 dollar service in 2005 equal to 56 dollars in 2010.

no problem
is only a couple of dollars more

@Mr Puggsly

huh? This is about M$, not Sony. Did I compare Sony and Microsoft? No. Then what did you say?

And back into Sony's arms I fall. I'll never go back to a MS console again.

Im hoping that going off what is listed, the yearly subscription in the UK isnt increasing which works for me, but still.
F*** you Microsoft, this is not the way to increase your userbase. Atm Im seriously considering switching to the Playstation fold next gen

Unfortunately I have been cutting back on my gaming expenses so once my current subscription ends then I won't be renewing :(. I have PSN, which remains free, for now, for my Call of Duty multiplayer fix. Sorry Microsoft but I just can't keep affording it.

Wow what a bunch of greedy assholes. Sony has kept their promise of remaining free and MS is raising their price.

Anybody who says PSN sucks is either a 360 fanboy or a jackass. Its not as good as XBL but it by no means sucks. Once they add cross-game chat it'll basically be on par with live for $60 less per year.

Well its a good thing I am paid up for the next couple years. Bought 3 cards at $30 a pop about 6 months ago, still have one left cause there is a maximum. But I should be good till 2013

Honestly i'm fine with this, still only about 5 a month, heck i paid 15 a month for wow for 3 years.

@ zzamaro
Would you prefer they be more like Sony? How much did they make this gen by the way?

$60 is still pretty reasonable. That's just $5 a month.

XBL is still the best online gaming service; I dont see a problem with these price increases as I have never payed full price for gold ever in my life.

F U Microsoft, too bad PSN sucks so hard. Pachter was right. We're ALL GONNA DIE!!!

WHAT THE ****? Anyway, this is awesome, shows how greedy M$ is...

Good job M$!

they should go DOWN not UP, i don't even see the reason of it being payed sub in the first place.