After reading this I decided to turn off my automatic renewal of Gold.
I rarely play multiplayer games because of the well known community experience playing with the general public. I like to play with friends and I have a small friends list, and we all play games at different times.
Nowadays, the only thing I really get out of the my Gold subscription is the better interface for Netflix than my PS3, and the PS3 is apparently getting it's own disc-less application around the same time as the price increase for Gold.
I'm newly married and a new home owner, and my wife and are I trying to pinch every penny in this difficult economy. I'm trying my best to be smart with my game purchases, and I'm increasingly finding it more difficult to find time to play.
With lack of gaming friends, netflix soon in the PS3, watching my spending, and free multiplayer on PS3 I can no longer justify my Gold Subscription let alone a price increase.
My Gold will run out at the end of November, just enough time to enjoy the little bit of Halo: Reach multiplayer I was going to play anyway.
Let me just add... What a pain in the ass just to turn off the Auto Renewal. I went onto the subscription page and clicked on the Auto Renewal, and I had to confirm the turn off through three additional web pages.
1. Click ON on auto renewal. 2. Are you sure? You'll lose access to Netflix, facebook, ESPN, Online multiplayer, etc.... Clicked Next 3. Are you sure? We have these games out or coming out that have multiplayer... Halo Reach, Red Dead, Crackdown 2, Lara Croft, Modern Warfare.... Clicked Next 4. Are you sure? Maybe we can get you to keep your service with a year subscription card, or 3 months, or 1 month?... Clicked Next. 5. Oh... well, we're sorry you decided to leave. Better get your money's worth of Gold before it runs out on you.
Really bad experience Microsoft... I used to get all my games on 360 except for Sony exclusives because I liked Live and achievements more. I'm reversing that now. Halo, Gears and Fable... everything else I'm buying for Playstation now.
"If I'm set to auto-renew on November 14th and I buy the renewal for 40 dollars, does that change my renewal date to the day of purchase or does it go into affect on November 14th? "
Great! They timed this so perfectly with the moment that I stopped giving a fuck about my 360 and primarily started playing PC games. Thanks Microsoft for the encouragement to make the switch!
So what do we get for this increase? Are they cutting back on ads, adding more content? Lowering prices on DLC/videos/games?
I hardly touch my 360 as it is and it's rare that I'm playing a game online when I do. This could be the final push I need to skip the Gold subscription until something comes out that makes it more worthwhile.
" If I'm set to auto-renew on November 14th and I buy the renewal for 40 dollars, does that change my renewal date to the day of purchase or does it go into affect on November 14th? "
It should stack. If you add 1 year now your current subscription would expire on Nov 14, 2011.
Seriously, bad move Microsoft. But they know fools will pay it. What angers me the most is that even with these subscriptions Microsoft still throw adverts in my face and offer little in return. While I had already intended not to resubscribe when my time runs out, this gives me even more reason not to resubscribe.
I pray, that my fellow gamers have sense and take action against this.
" What happens is I switch my account from gold to silver? "
Back in 2008 I tried doing that and they said that it was impossible. If I don't pay, either my account will continue to be suspended or I would have to cancel my account all together. Basically creating a new account. I don't know if it's different now, but that's basically what happened. "
I call BS, I've gone from gold to silver and back a few times with no such hassle. If you go to your account and mark it to not renew, you will automatically go to a silver account. You can then go back to gold at anytime for however long you want, then mark it to not renew again. "
Like I said it was back in 2008. It was probably their way of keeping me on a gold account and it worked. You can call bull shit all you want. I don't use my 360 that much (thanks to red ringing) so I don't know every single feature on Xbox Live.
I have a 12 month pre paid card from amazon I got cheap, and wont be using it until MvC3 comes out.
Kinda sad that they are charging this much for those "features" since lastfm / twitter / facebook pretty much suck on XBL, and you have to pay extra for hulu and netflix.
this really sucks, why do we have to pay for the service and then pay for everything else on live, this is really freaking stupid. I hardly play any xbox games online anymore and i would only get gold for marketplace features, that i would have to pay extra for anyway.
When my subscription is up in March, I don't think I'll be renewing. I don't play much online anyway and I went the first year or two on the 360 with no XBL at all.
I have to resubscribe in late September anyway. $10 doesn't really matter to me, especially since you can always find discounted 12 or 13 month cards on Amazon.
@Jeffsekai: The article was about Microsoft increasing subscription prices, which they are doing. It wasn't about Microsoft making the US pay as much as Canada.
And knock off the pointless, random anti-american attitude. It doesn't help your argument whatsoever.
If there was actually some competition, you realize this wouldn't happen...right? But there is no console out there currently with a decent online matchmaking system other than MS. So why not raise the price? You lose 10% of subscribers (generous), but are raking in 20% more in fees...hmmmmmm...
How many of you complaining also play WoW? Cause that's much cheaper...right?
" @Jeffsekai: The article was about Microsoft increasing subscription prices, which they are doing. It wasn't about Microsoft making the US pay as much as Canada. And knock off the pointless, random anti-american attitude. It doesn't help your argument whatsoever. "
Why? All I ever see if Americans bitching about price increases when Canada has been paying that for ages now for no good reason.
And again, there making the prices the exact same as Canada so I don;t see a problem with this. Seriously fail more America, bitch about the littlest things when you have been getting special treatment for the longest time.
I expect better articles from giantbomb this shit like this. There is zero mention that the prices are now the same..I wonder why? Prolly because that would not get as many clicks.
Who pays retail price ? I always wait for a deal from Amazon. Last time I paid $29.99 for the year. Deals like this will continue regardless of the retail price increase. Maybe next time the deal will be $34.99 instead. That's still pretty cheap in my book.
I'm going to go on a hunch here and say that everyone will end up paying the extra $10. Remember when Activision raised the price on DLC? Yep, that sold a crap load. Take a look at World of Warcraft. Even though there's people out there that thinks it's about time that they stop charging for a game that's 6 years old, they still have over 10 million subscribers.
Oh Americans always so fucking dumb. So you guys are mad because you're now paying what Canada has been paying since the start? despite our $ being the same or higher than yours for the past few years. Not to mention we pay an Extra 10$ on games for no reason.Seriously Americans can you be anymore retarded when it comes to getting made about price. So I say again but lemme refine it. I like how the article fails to mention that all this is doing is making Americans pay the same as Canada in terms of the 12 month. GOTTA GET DEM CLICKS "
a price increase is a price increase. considering that giant bomb is a us based website, and the article is clearly in reference to a price hike for the us, i dont see what your problem is. just because there is now price parity between the us and canada is not in any way relevant.
I don't mind paying the extra money so long as there is a explanation. It feels like this is a "because we can" price hike. It is not as if there are LESS people on xbox live, they are still selling hundreds of thousands of new consoles a month!
@CL60: If you don't get upset about 10 dollars the first time, then it'll go up 10 dollars again, and again and before you know it Xbox Live will cost like a hundred dollars a year.
Microsoft! I love you! You made my decision even easier!
NOOOO, I will not be renewing at all, Major Nelson. Tell your boss, and your boss's boss that they are money hungry pigs that need to die in a fire.
I will be doing my online gaming via PC. I was considering the purchase of a PS3 for sometime now, and I gotta say I would rather buy that at $199 and play online for free when I need to, playing other games not available on 360 or PC, than to pay $70 CAD for online play. I don't even use it enough to warrant the subscription. And I already pay for an internet subscription. Burn in hell.
Who pays full price for XBL Gold? You can get the cards now for like 30% off... will probably be similar for the new price. Comes out to maybe $.50/month or something? Not exactly expensive...
While I'm not disagreeing with you that the price increase sucks and the differences between the services provided by Xbox Live, PSN, and MMO's are minimal, on the very most basic of levels you are paying $180 a year to play one game whereas I can pay $60 a year to play nearly all of my games. Holy kind of looks like a run on sentence Batman!
Oh Americans always so fucking dumb. So you guys are mad because you're now paying what Canada has been paying since the start? despite our $ being the same or higher than yours for the past few years. Not to mention we pay an Extra 10$ on games for no reason.Seriously Americans can you be anymore retarded when it comes to getting made about price. So I say again but lemme refine it. I like how the article fails to mention that all this is doing is making Americans pay the same as Canada in terms of the 12 month. GOTTA GET DEM CLICKS "
a price increase is a price increase. considering that giant bomb is a us based website, and the article is clearly in reference to a price hike for the us, i dont see what your problem is. just because there is now price parity between the us and canada is not in any way relevant.
stupid iceback.
"
Actually is it very relevant.
@BulletStorm said:
" @Jeffsekai: Where the fuck are your Canadian manners dude? Would you kindly not justify crimes against one because you are a victim of such crime? "Aw man, Microsoft's stealing my moneys" "They're already stealing my moneys, so it's okay that they're stealing your moneys" Its an unfair and fucking retarded mindset. "
Again I have no problem paying what I am asked in terms of games and what ever. 10$ is fucking nothing. What pisses me off is when Americans get a price increase and complain like they are the only ones effected not like everyone else has always been paying more than them. Microsoft hasn't been stealing anyones money they be giving Americans free money for no reason and Americans were too dumb to figure it out and thought thats what everyone payed. DURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
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