Microsoft Increases Xbox Live Gold Prices (engadget.com) 36
Microsoft continues sending not-so-subtle signals that it would really, really like you to drop Xbox Live Gold in favor of Game Pass. From a report: The company has raised prices for new Xbox Live Gold memberships across the board, with the changes becoming more noticeable the longer you're ready to commit. The one- and three-month plans aren't much pricier at $11 and $30 respectively (up $1 and $5), but six months now costs you $60 -- well above the $40 you used to pay. And when there's no longer a 12-month membership, you'll be looking at $120 per year if you insist on Gold. Existing six- and 12-month members will renew at the current price, Microsoft said.
UPDATE: 14 hours Microsoft rescinded this price hike. Their apologetic blog post began "We messed up...."
UPDATE: 14 hours Microsoft rescinded this price hike. Their apologetic blog post began "We messed up...."
That's "different"... (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Usually the longer you subscribe "up front" the more "savings" you get from the company. Charging a longer-term subscriber more is just a bassackwards, obvious money grab. Way to punish your subscribers!
They aren't charging a longer term subscriber more than a short term subscriber.... they've "just" eliminated pretty much all savings from a yearly subscription as they really want you to buy their gamepass ultimate at $180/year instead.
Re: (Score:3)
You still get a break for six-month subscription, but it's not as big of a break as it used to be. It's like the article says, it's to get people to jump onto Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Gold is no longer the most premium service they have to offer.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: That's "different"... (Score:3)
But it is $6 cheaper than 6 months at $11 per month.
Used to save $20 though.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Console gamer issue (Score:1)
Time to move to PC gaming peasants.
Re: (Score:2)
A lot of PC games now will try to sell you a "pass" of some kind or another. So the subscription model is creeping in there too, even on single-player games. Not to mention you still have to put up with the shitty consolized interfaces in most games.
Re: (Score:3)
But on the PC those kinds of offers aren't as influential. You get a lot of stuff with a free Steam account. A place to store your game saves. Some game-related social media to access player created guides and tips. Discounts so dependable in their frequency that unless you're really aching for a title, you can just keep it on your wishlist and check when it goes on sale.
For spending massive amounts of dough. PC MMOs have the console world beat. Even a free-to-play like Path of Exile has people buying premi
Re: (Score:2)
For spending massive amounts of dough. PC MMOs have the console world beat. Even a free-to-play like Path of Exile has people buying premium appearance-only mods and some spending easily $100/year on things that are totally unnecessary for game play.
Oh my sweet summer child, you're so PC centric you don't know that those things are on consoles too, and have been for years, not even counting games like Fortnite. Yes, even Path of Exile.
Re: (Score:2)
those things are on consoles too, and have been for years,
I didn't say it wasn't. It's just that it has a very PC-centric following.
Oh my sweet summer child,
And what the fuck is this phrase? It's weird. And you're weird for using it.
Re: (Score:1)
Your kind of new to this computer nerd thing huh? Seems pretty spot on I think.
Sweet summer child
This saying originates from Game of Thrones, where some seasons last for years on end, as a term for those who have not tasted the hardships of winter. Generally used to refer to someone who is inexperienced or does not know the full extent of something, while they thinking they do.
Re: (Score:2)
Thanks. I'll pack that with the other trash that is rattling around in my balding, greying head.
Re: (Score:1)
Tis what we do :)
I know far more useless crap than I do useful work related shit.
Re: (Score:1)
"But on the PC those kinds of offers aren't as influential. You get a lot of stuff with a free Steam account. A place to store your game saves. Some game-related social media to access player created guides and tips. Discounts so dependable in their frequency that unless you're really aching for a title, you can just keep it on your wishlist and check when it goes on sale."
That's the hill you want to die on? Change the word "PC" with "Console" and it's all still accurate.
Re: (Score:2)
Not to mention you still have to put up with the shitty consolized interfaces in most games.
To be fair, Rockstar dont give a fuck, and will fire any developer that attempts to fix the interface on their pc ports, at least thats what they have done so far. Maybe the future will be different where the CEO of rockstar isnt a raging cock sucker.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, there are plenty of PC games that don't need a high-power gaming rig or anything near it, but if you want to play some of the same titles you would on a console, it's going to
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: seriously? (Score:2)
There are always more moron born every day.
Look! They even got mod points / votes!
Wait until they raid the Capitol equivalent too, like they all do.
Like It Matters (Score:3)
The Gold Memberships are on sale somewhere every other month. If you ever pay more than half price then you're an idiot.
Biggest reason I dumped our consoles.... (Score:3)
They really soured me on gaming on a console when both Sony and MS started the required monthly subscriptions just to make the majority of $60-ish each game titles fully functional.
I know they tried to make the fee seem more attractive by bundling all the "free" bonus games and content, so you'd receive a few each month your subscription was active. But it doesn't change the reality that you can't even really play most games if your membership isn't kept current. (So many games are primarily or exclusively multi-player in nature, and others pull a lot of updated content from the Internet only if you have a valid subscription.)
Raising prices on these is absolutely the wrong way to go, IMO. I guess Microsoft knows its market and is gambling their loyal gamers will just fork over the extra money. But when our PS4 died, I sold it on eBay for repair parts and went back to strictly PC gaming.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: Biggest reason I dumped our consoles.... (Score:2)
No, it os a lousy deal for everyone unless you eat nothing but beef and shrimp and other expensive stuff at the chinese buffet and nothing else, let alone super-cheap noodles or vegetables... which nobody does because it wouldn't taste good.
I guess I'll be dropping all Xbox subscriptions... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I just now turned off recurring billing, so my Xbox Live Gold subscription, which I had been using for the last fifteen years, will expire next month. I never play online games anymore, and the free games are rarely anything I care for. It was barely worthwhile for me at the current price. They've now convinced me to drop the service altogether.
I think I'll do the same for PSPlus, as I've got nothing from that but a glut of downloaded games I'll never play.
Stopped playing online games (Score:2)
Why should I pay $180/yr for a bunch of shit I don't want just so I can play online with obnoxious teenagers calling me the N word every 5 minutes?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Stopped playing online games (Score:2)
Most games are just clones anyway.
Once you've played Doom and System Shock and Quake 3 with the CPMA mod, you've played all shooters, for example.
For each mechanic, you only need to play the first game that did it right.
There just is no point in playing anything after that, unless you literally were to young to play any of those that came before the current one. (And even then, older games are probably more fun.)
The only exception are story-driven games with a good story. And those are quite rare nowadays.
Re: (Score:2)
Yay, localized monopolism! (Score:2)
Pay what WE want, or never see those exclusives with all your friends ever again!
(Yes, 'intellectual property' is a crime (artificial scarcity) with a crime (monopolism) to commit a crime (robbery) by committing a crime (racketeering). And nothing else.)
To hell with them then (Score:2)
There are decades of great games for gamers to play on both PC and console that don't require online access at all. Console makers have convinced their players that this is just the way it's done (charging for online connectivity) and now they have their user base arguing over how much is fair.
Maybe I'm just getting old, but I remember when buying a game meant you got the whole game with no day 1 patches and all of the features as soon as you removed the shrink wrap. Every game with a cool little book, and
No shit (Score:2)
Their apologetic blog post began "We messed up...."
Quite a bit, and not with just this.