Xbox Live gold members get (even) more benefits

I don't play much Xbox Live, so I have no idea what this game is about, but the graphics remind me of Y's for the TurboGrafx CD. LOL, I'm old!

(Credit: GameSpot)

Xbox Live Gold-level members aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Honestly, I'm surprised Silver-level members even exist if they can't even play games online. So, color me somewhat surprised that Microsoft will be offering even more incentive for Gold members to keep paying their $49 per year.

According to Ars Technica, the company is now offering weekly sales on gaming content for Gold-level members only. First up will be the game "Braid." Usually available for 1,200 gamer points, or $15, it will now cost Gold-level members 800 points, or $10.

According to the article, Microsoft says upcoming weekly sales will include the "hottest arcade titles, game add-ons, Xbox originals, and other great content."

Gold-level members get to play Xbox games online, and get early free demos and trailers, as well as video chat, photo sharing, and messaging with friends.

[Anonymous Hero]

I'm surpised that people willing to pay $50 a year to play online still exist. It was easy to get tricked into that BS in 2001, but we'll see how long that'll last in the new economy.

[PacGamer]

Paying $50 a year forces you to play as often as you can, Many do not take advantage of that and end up wasting their money. Well, I'll just sit here with my nice Wii and play online for free. And occasionally dish out some cash for a virtual console game.

[camster91]

I agree I think its to much money to pay. I buy 48 hour trials and activate them when i want to play with my friends which i only do on the weekends most the time. $8 worth of trials lasts me about 6 months.

[CrashPad63]

You gotta love the jealous fanbois! Well there are 8+ million of us who know a value when we see it. 50.00 for a year of entertainment... Thats 14 cents per day. Wow!

[OleMiss1996]

Tell all the fans of WoW that $50/year is "too much." While I love free, I am afraid you get what you pay for or in Sony's case, what you don't pay for. There are also SO many ways to get a better price than $50, but the messenger bundle (with PGR4, a keyboard, and a year of Gold), or get a 13 month pack... I pay for my cell phone, my DirectTV, my home alarm service, you know ... things I value. By charging Microsoft can afford to improve the network, add features, and so on... Sony sees their service as overhead, and tries to cut cost/features... Microsoft sees it as a paid service, and they keep adding features... like Netflix...

Also, look at all the grief CoD4 users on the PS3 suffer(ed). That is the best overall game ever, and Sony has had a lot of problems with their network. It plays great on the XBL. And the speed of PS3 firmware updates? slooooow. Has to be a cutback due to being free. Microsoft updates are MUCH faster.

I have all three systems, the free Wii network? Worthless... Sony's PSN? Slow, not super great, and it is too easy for users to create 2nd/3rd/4th accounts do things that would get them banned/blocked on XBL.

Again, comapred to cable TV or World of Warcraft, I say XBL is a bargin! I do think Microsoft should release a free (for Gold) WoW like game... make it fun and simple... use my new xbox character... that would be really cool...

[jeremywilliams]

except for the part where you can get 13 month cards for below retail price ($30) so an overall cost of:

8.2 cents per day
57 cents per week
$2.50 per month.

I don't care if you lost your job, if you're in good enough shape to still HAVE your XBOX, you can afford 8 cents a day.

Or, if you're so mad about it, go get a PS3 (or a PC that can be graphically competitive with the consoles) so that you can play free online..... that's definitely fiscally responsible.

[Anonymous Hero]

People who pay for MMORPGs are idiots who need help. And the Netflix thing is just free bait while Netfilx is gaining steam. It'll become a paid extra as soon as it picks up with other partners.

[tonedeth]

Umm, as long as there are people with Xbox360's who have internet access, there will be people who pay $50 a month to play online. It really is a great service, and at less than $4.20 a month, is cheaper than what most MMORPG's charge for their services. And if you can find deals online, it comes even cheaper.

[FireyIce01]

I disagree, as will all the PC, PS3 and Wii owners out there that can play all kinds of online games without such a fee. WoW and Xbox live are the only places we really see a lot of people spending money for online gaming. (mind you there are other MMORPGs, but WoW is really all anybody talks about)

[tonedeth]

Umm, as long as there are people with Xbox360's who have internet access, there will be people who pay $50 a month to play online. It really is a great service, and at less than $4.20 a month, is cheaper than what most MMORPG's charge for their services. And if you can find deals online, it comes even cheaper.

[dynesh]

The Wii is the worst online system every, besides the gamecube. I'd pay 150$ a year rather than play Wii's piece of crap online system.

50$ for what I get on Live is worth it, I think. The biggest complaint I have with MS is the stupid money/MS points system, and I think they are insulting us by continuing that sham. But the online service is fantastic.

[carlg113]

I've had xbox live back since the original xbox days and it's been totally worth it. Of course back then it blew my free ps2 online experience out of the water.

I haven't played online with my wii at all but i mostly use it with friends anyways.

Has the ps3 online system gotten on par with the 360? Back in the day the ease of connecting with friends and voice chat sold me on xbox live. If sony has closed the gap microsoft better start lowering prices.

[Kendokill]

How do you mean on par? Ease of connection or some other features? I've used voice chat and even have video chat on my ps3...for free. With the blu-ray capabilities, etc., I just don't see the value here of going with the 360. Eventually, you'll end up paying the same amount of money you could have used to buy a ps3 just to stay online with the 360. Value wise, I'm just trying to make some sense of this here. I hear the online content is pretty good in the 360 store, but I've purchased some pretty good games in the ps3 online store, and most were purchased on sale for only $5-$10.

Btw, this is no knock on the 360. I realize the capabilities, just wanting to discuss. Thanks.

[jeremywilliams]

voice chat independent of game? You can chat on the 360 with up to 7 people, even if they are all playing completely different games, and easily switch between that channel and the channel of the people that are playing in-game with you. And yes, connections are much more reliable. There are 17 Million ACTIVE XBL users (signed in in the last 6 months). PS3 numbers are about THE SAME, even as a FREE service. XBL users aren't going anywhere.

[DominusDeus]

$50 a year equates to 13.7 cents per day. I don't think the current economy is going to hurt Xbox Live Gold memberships.

[-fjtorres-]

Gold members also get access to Netflix.
Silver members get full access to marketplace (games and add-ons, movies, TV shows, etc), XNA Community games, text chat, and free game videos and demos.
Plenty of free value there.
As for gold:
The $50 a year is list price. Even at that price, it works out to less than $1 a week.
The 13 month cards are often available on sale for as low as $30. If you know what you're doing you'll get that money back just by buying a few of the discounted games under the new perk.

Still, that relatively modest sum serves a purpose as it keeps the unruly pimply-faced teenagers (slightly) under control. On a free system, penalties for misbehavior are non-existent.
Under LIVE, getting booted means a lost of cash. Not much but enough to get at least some of the minors to rethink their ways.

Anybody who finds a buck-a-week onerous shouldn't really be considering owning a gaming console anyway. Of course, there's always cheapskates who want everything free but that is exactly the kind of customer you don't want so I'm sure MS is happy to cede them to the opposition.

[FireyIce01]

Why is it that the hundreds of dollars paid for the console, and accessories and games isn't enough?

[LeggoDiego]

I had Xbox live for 2 years. The second only because they billed me without telling me or sending me an e-mail until it was done. For me Xbox did not offer me more then my computer or ps3 had. I find it silly paying 50 dollars extra and then paying more for the actual movie. The computer and ps3 only charge me for the movie I want to purchase. I believe that most people are usually trying to justify paying more for what should naturally come free. Kind of like water, but some feel the water is better in the plastic bottle for $3.00.

[Dylan_Wisor]

I thought you needed to have an existing Netflix account to use it on Live? Could be wrong though, I had Netflix before the update came out.

LeggoDiego, every single Xbox Live customer gets emails right before the billing period is about to renew. I got five or six in the month leading up to it that explicitly told me that my account would be charged if I did not cancel before XX/XX/XX. You're either lying or really need to get your inbox under control. Might I recommend reading Lifehacker?

[Cosmo8U]

So "Color Me" obviously isn't aware of the economic downturn and many Xbox owners, myself included could use the $50.00 for a better purpose than to play games online.

[jeremywilliams]

if you can't afford 8 cents per day (since the cards can be bought from places like Walmart for $30 now), then maybe you should consider selling the XBOX.

[Dylan_Wisor]

Braid is an excellent game.

[LeggoDiego]

"Gold-level members get to play Xbox games online, get early free demos and trailers as well as video chat, photo sharing and messaging with friends."

Kinda, like on a computer or ps3 or Wii, but you get to pay 50.00 with microsoft for it. The funny thing is all the other 3 systems can browse the web too.

[myles taylor]

What benefits? I'm a Gold member and the only benefits I really see are the Netflix thing.

You act like there are tons of new benefits, not the "benefit" of downloading one game for $5 cheaper?

[jeremywilliams]

the whole MULTIPLAYER part??? Chat, etc??? duh.

[zanetrance]

As carlg113 had said, XBL totally blew away all of my free online experiences away. It was like the time I swapped from Dial-Up to Broadband. XBL is always offering amazing shiznit in teh market place, along with free demos and such. The community is great, and the new sync with Netflix is uber leetness.

[Spartan_458]

Dude, it ends up being about $4 a month. You spend more on toilet paper in a month.

[FireyIce01]

Which isn't the point. The point is, they're charging for a service that people can get for free elsewhere, and then touting all the benefits, when really, there isn't any. If you want to play on XBL, you pay the fee, if you don't, you get a PS3 or PC, and play online for free. I would say the same of the wii, but it doesn't really compare to the xbox or ps consoles...

[jeremywilliams]

the thing is is that its apples to oranges. Its like saying, i could wash my car for free or pay $15 for someone else to wash it. Sure the end result was the same, but the overall experience was less strenuous for me.

Basically, the PS3 gets you online, but the Quality of Service is just not the same. Party Chat, demos, faster updates, better/more connections in games.

[QMT]

Silver exists only because it's the mandatory minimum.
If I want those last bits of Fable 2, actually want to use the "bonus content" in $70 "premium" versions of games, or want to access any of the above when my Xbox explodes, I -need- Silver.

[roachbrain]

MS charges for the counsel, HD wires, wireless connections, wireless controls, hard drive, and Xbox live. But they save you a few dollars on crap you probably wouldn?t download anyways. WOW were can I singe up.

Funny thing is the people buying into all this crap are the same people complaining that PS3 is too expensive.

You people do realize that to even come close to the value of the PS3 you would have to buy the elite which comes to the same cost without blue ray or free online, right?

I don?t hate Xbox I hate the money hungry people behind it exploiting people at such a bad time economically. To sell you a defective unit that probably won?t last past three months and then force you to pay for extra crap.

Capitalist at there best-

[jeremywilliams]

elite comes with cables, wireless controller, hard drive (120 GB)... what are you talking about?

my launch XBOX is still running... the internet tends to explode problems and make them seem bigger, because only the mad people are heard from.

[roachbrain]

"You people do realize that to even come close to the value of the PS3 you would have to buy the elite which comes to the same cost without blue ray or free online, right?"

the exceptions on the elite made in that statement was on there lack of blue ray and free online service. If you read first then you would know what i'm talking about.

Hell yes i'm angry. Spend so much on a POS that worked 3 months at a time. Sent off to fix 4 time. Yeah your one of the lucky ones but then give me your unit or shut up. As long as there is crap being sold there should be people warning other people about it.

[badmojo42]

$50 a year during this economic crisis is much better than spending that money at the bar. My friends and I have been playing a lot more online instead of going out and wasting money in the pubs. seriously its just $50 a year!!!! think about how easy you spend that much on music, coffee or anything else without thinking twice about it???

[jeremywilliams]

ya, if im not on XBL, im going to the Moves at $25 or more per trip.

[yzzlthtz]

1 year, $50, 2 years, $100, 3 years, $150, 4 years, $200.....
that's 3 new games and 1 used or discounted....
just saying.