Live Price hikes: epic fail or no big deal?

http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/111/1116845p1.html

As the unwashed masses already know by now (and probaly has had many threads made about this very topic, so maybe thisll be locked. I dont know) Microsoft has rising the rates on its XBOX Live service. Originaly 49.99 a year, it is now going to be 59.99 a year, the price of a new HD console game.

Now, some people are probaly going to be pissed and cry foul, but really, is a 10 dollar increase THAT big of a deal? I still believea year of live is worth the price of a full game if they make it worth your while, which knowing MS they probaly will. However, I do think this move is surprising since PS has introduced its own subsciption model. I think MS is going to step up its offerings now that it raised the rates. If they dont, THEN I will call this epic fail. Will MS maybe lose a few subscribers because of this? yeah probaly, but there will still be plenty of people that will gladly pay it to continue getting what they get and fututre updates to the platform. Hell, iw ould argue that Live does more to imporve itself then PSN does. hell, they still dont have cross game chat.

So what say you guys, are you going to not going to renew once yours is up or will you continue to subscribe?

Like I've said before, if you guys are getting games for $5 a month sign me up.

It's not a big deal as they could've got away with a price-hike years ago and we've been paying the same price since live launched.

wasn't it only 49.99 if you bought a year at a time? Isn't it around 7.99 monthly? That would equal around $95 if you paid by month which a lot of people do. So is this just the yearly plan? or is the montly going up too?

Either way it's a slipperly slope.

You xbox owners have only shown ms that they can get away with anything.

-Shoddy hardware...ms says : "oh who cares, we can cut as many costs as we want. throw halo and some rare games in there and they will buy." ...

-No wifi for 4 years and proprietary over priced hard drives... MS says : "we can get away with it so why not milk'em for what its worth.

-live fee going up... MS says : "yeah they'll buy it. they are hooked on our halos... lets make some more off them, its been long enough we'll cough it up to inflation." (not actually ms quotes, just a little joking around..lol).

$50 was fail to begin with. $60 is a new type of fail. 1st degree fail.

Like I've said before, if you guys are getting games for $5 a month sign me up.

It's not a big deal as they could've got away with a price-hike years ago and we've been paying the same price since live launched.

JStroud88

lol years ago they would not even think it. this is the company lacking leadership

There's a sticky for this.

fail

even bigger fail for them not explaining it, it's like they got bored or something

wasn't it only 49.99 if you bought a year at a time? Isn't it around 7.99 monthly? That would equal around $95 if you paid by month which a lot of people do. So is this just the yearly plan? or is the montly going up too?

Either way it's a slipperly slope.

You xbox owners have only shown ms that they can get away with anything.

-Shoddy hardware...ms says : "oh who cares, we can cut as many costs as we want. throw halo and some rare games in there and they will buy." ...

-No wifi for 4 years and proprietary over priced hard drives... MS says : "we can get away with it so why not milk'em for what its worth.

-live fee going up... MS says : "yeah they'll buy it. they are hooked on our halos... lets make some more off them, its been long enough we'll cough it up to inflation." (not actually ms quotes, just a little joking around..lol).

Midnightshade29

Well, it probaly helped that they have continuely given their userbase killer game and agrugably the most diverse overal librarey. Oh, and better multiplats, thats a good thing to have also.

[QUOTE="JStroud88"]

Like I've said before, if you guys are getting games for $5 a month sign me up.

It's not a big deal as they could've got away with a price-hike years ago and we've been paying the same price since live launched.

Blaze-Agent

lol years ago they would not even think it. this is the company lacking leadership

Smart business =/= lacking leadership. I understand people will always be unhappy anytime the price on anything goes up, (video games, movies, cars, etc) but the fact is you're paying for a quality service and for about .88 cents a month extra people will continue to pay it.

It was not a bad decision by a long-shot.

There is a sticky on this subject...

If console gamers want to pay for it then it's no big deal.

MASSIVE fail, especially when Steam is much better and is free. PSN also deserves a mention.rcignoni

Live is a grade above PSN though, even with Plus.

I'll go with both. For me it's not a big deal because I got Gold till 2013 free thanks to a MS promotion, I always say that, lol. But to others it is an epic fail because the $60 a year might be too much for them. I still think online play should be free though.

See, I would probaly think this was way worse IG PSN was actualy offering stuff that gave live a run for its money. People like to think that just because its free it makes it better. PSN is a grade down from Live, even if you have PSN Plus. Its nowhere as seemless, it dosent offer as many features, and its over all just a better pakage then PSN. And honestly, SONY dosent seem all that concern on making it as good as live, atleast not anytime soon. Theyve been dragging their ass's on Cross game chat, theyve have slower DL speeds, they dont have a party syestem, they dont have features like Last FM, Twitter, and a Acceptable Face book integration. You have to use a disc for Netlficks streaming (yes, a app si coming soon, but still COMING SOON. thats the problem), its easier to view messages on live,a nd its just overal better. Free does not amke something better im afraid. If that was the case, then Guild Wars would kick the crap out of WOW

I'll go with both. For me it's not a big deal because I got Gold till 2013 free thanks to a MS promotion, I always say that, lol. But to others it is an epic fail because the $60 a year might be too much for them. I still think online play should be free though.

gago-gago

IF it was free, then it wouldnt be as good as itis now. People fail to realize this.

It's not a big deal at all. I don't mind paying $10 extra, though I do wish the price would've stayed the same (duh :P). Better go buy another gold card soon and renew while it's still $50.

gamers will cry and then support it. MS knows this :(Fuhgeddabouditt

Epic Fail for one reason: They aren't announcing any new features along with this price hike.

What new features are they integrating to justify the price hike? Windows Mobile 7 integration? Who gives cares about that? Maybe 1% of the user base. If they say the new ESPN integration, they should have announced a price hike at E3 along with the ESPN announcement.

Since I'm not getting any new features I want, MS should pay my monthly Netflix subscription because I only use it for streaming anyways. Netflix should come over a Silver subscription anyways because I'm paying Netflix for that already.

I'm finding my love for the Xbox harder and harder to justify this past year. While there's not one single big thing that's going to push me over to Playstation, adding together lots and lots of little things--like increasing the price of XBL, lack of love for the "hardcore" gamer lately, focusing too much on Kinect junk, letting first-party developers go and purposely closing down other first-party developers (that is to say, a lack of compelling first-party exclusives), and general dip sh!ttery--is going to make me convert soon. When I consider all that in addition to being able to Netflix and Blu-ray without paying an extra fee for the Sony console, I keep asking myself why I stay with my Xbox. For my Gamerscore?

Epic Fail for one reason: They aren't announcing any new features along with this price hike.

What new features are they integrating to justify the price hike? Windows Mobile 7 integration? Who gives cares about that? Maybe 1% of the user base. If they say the new ESPN integration, they should have announced a price hike at E3 along with the ESPN announcement.

Since I'm not getting any new features I want, MS should pay my monthly Netflix subscription because I only use it for streaming anyways. Netflix should come over a Silver subscription anyways because I'm paying Netflix for that already.

I'm finding my love for the Xbox harder and harder to justify this past year. While there's not one single big thing that's going to push me over to Playstation, adding together lots and lots of little things--like increasing the price of XBL, lack of love for the "hardcore" gamer lately, focusing too much on Kinect junk, letting first-party developers go and purposely closing down other first-party developers (that is to say, a lack of compelling first-party exclusives), and general dip sh!ttery--is going to make me convert soon. When I consider all that in addition to being able to Netflix and Blu-ray without paying an extra fee for the Sony console, I keep asking myself why I stay with my Xbox. For my Gamerscore?

Aural_Assault

Dude, MS has done great at improving Live on a reagulr basis. Theyve added more then PSN has this gen, and theyre more consistent at it then SONY is. you really think theyre just going to stop?