XBOX Live Ups its Price Tag

Listening to Little Racist Kids is a Premium Package

The biggest gathering place for incoherent rants

Today the good ol' boys of Microsoft announced that beginning November 1st, the price tag for XBOX Live will shoot up for Gold subscribers. 1-month users will now pay $9.99 instead of $7.99, 3-month users will pay $24.99 instead of $19.99, and annual holders will pay $59.99 instead of $49.99. After doing a little research across the online community, I've noticed that many internet trolls are upset over the inflation and are threatening to keep their beloved XBOX consoles from online usage. Sure no one likes paying more than they have to, but are you really that surprised?

Sometimes frustrating, online games are about the community

XBOX Live has been around for about 8 years now. Since its inception (and not the Chris Nolan kind), the service has flourished into a major revenue stream for Microsoft. With millions of users, the increase in downloadable content, and the implementation of mainstream friendly features like NETFLIX and Facebook, it's surprising that Microsoft hasn't raped our wallets sooner. This is the first time Microsoft is increasing its fees since Live launched, and I people need to stop their whining.

Online gaming is the way we will be playing video games for years to come. In this day and age many game critics will blast a game for not containing some kind of multiplayer facet in its game. It's very difficult these days for a game thrive as a single-player only experience, and very rarely does it happen that its both a critical and commercial success. There are always exceptions to the rule (i.e.Bioshock) but developers are now looking for ways to extend their revenue stream by adding multiplayer components and downloadable content for months, or even years to come. As it is, many triple-A publishers are starting to hire two different development teams for a single title. One team focuses on the single player campaign, while the other concentrates on multiplayer.

Pretty Much

One of my biggest complaints with online play has to be the community. 9 times out of 10, I avoid putting my headset during an online game because I can't stand the shouting expletives and ignorant, egotistical, racist remarks. Sure trash-talking is a part of any competitive video game, but it goes too far. You should hear some of the stuff that is said online. It's not that I'm insulted or anything, it's just impossible to reason with these kinds of people. It's like trying to talk Mel Gibson into not having a drink...it's impossible. 

Despite the incoherent online rants, there is a very good reason to stay a part of the online community, and that's the features. For $59.99 a year, XBOX Live is still worth the price of admission. Besides playing your games online, there are a number of other things to keep you entertained for months on end. Features like NETFLIX, Last.Fm, and the soon to be ESPN are great addition to have on your XBOX console. They add another dimension to your console's usage, defining it as an entertainment console rather than a gaming one. There are buttloads of other features as well such as faceebook, twitter, and Zune, but these are merely cosmetic additions to the interface and don't really add a great deal of depth if you ask me. The point is, you're not just paying for your online games anymore...and that's a good thing.

Sony's sneak attack tactic into your wallet

Another thing, lets try and do the math here folks. With a $59.99 per year price tag, XBOX Live comes out to just $5 a month. Other online gaming service like World of Warcraft have a $15 a month price tag, but people keep on playing. And lets not forget that running an online service takes a considerable amount of money in terms of server maintenance issues alone. I know there are the elitist Playstation afficionados who swear by the PSN network because it's free, but mark my words fellow PS3 owners, our days of free online play aren't going to last very long. Sony is pushing its "Playsation Plus" premium service down gamers throats. Just like with Microsoft, it's only a matter of time before PSN ups its price tag. In the end, I'm just glad my XBOX Live subscription renews this month.

P.S. Here's a good example of why I hate playing online. Enjoy.