Blarg. I already look at the cost of Xbox Live as a bill, just like my utilities or phone bill. And now I'm hearing one analyst say that he expects it to increase? What next? Interest rate hike?
Maybe I'm throwing it out of proportion. But a price hike is in the cards, he says. In the most recent episode of Game Trailers' Bonus Round, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said that "we all know" that the price of Live is going to increase to help MS drive profits.
"You really want to hook every gamer who has a 360, you want them to buy all their games on 360, play everything multiplayer, pay you 50 bucks a year so that, in a couple years, it's a 100 bucks a year," Pachter said on the show.
"And that's going up, we all know that ... it's a profit deal."
Well, sh*t. I didn't know that. Did you guys know that?
[via CVG]
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site
Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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Contest:
9:40 AM on 10.19.2009
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tbh this doesn't surprise me, but I was hoping it wouldn't happen and still hope it won't. :\
And any reaction to the subscriber count wont matter as there is no way they would lose half of their subscribers so they'll definitely make tons more.
maybe finally buy a ps3 instead.
And it will probably have free online.
I'm not surprised by this at all, it's the Amurkin way!
What does surprise me however, is how it's only really the Amurkins that support the 360 so hard, i mean with all the problems, failures and costs, most of the rest of the world has realised that you're better off buying a PS3, yet the Amurkins simply keep buying failbox's? i mean what's that all about? Are you guys still pissy about the whole WW2 thing, don't want to buy an amazing Jap product over a shitty Yank product?
As more and more people get both systems the only way I can see Microsoft being able to compete is either dropping multiplayer into Silver as somebody else suggested, getting more exclusive multiplayer games, or if Sony ever charges for PSN...
So overly dramatic. That $4.10 a month is really something that needs to go on a household budget.
Well, I'm Canadian and I certainly have never heard of this place called "Amurka". But yeah you are correct, XBL doesn't dominate everywhere but PSN certainly isn't ether which actually plays to my point even better... why would MS raise the price on something people can get from PSN for free? (again, debate the quality of one over the other till your blue in the face...but it's not the point) I doubt this will happen.
So, what do you choose Mr Gamer - do you want to pay 50 USD every year, or do you want a free Blu-Ray player, hm?
But seriously this is bullshit.
The prediction should be, does Microsoft feel like they will add more value in the future beyond Netflix, Twitter, Last.fm, Facebook, etc. that will allow them to raise the price? My feeling is that new things will be added to the service that Microsoft will call Platinum level that they can charge more for (server browsers, set-up of dedicated servers, cloud storage, etc.). The price of service as we know it will not increase.
my last 13 months live was £24.99 from ebay :¬)
PS3 staying free will be a big reason for them to stay at the current price.
And if it does double in price it stands to reason that half the subscribers will stop paying so their profits will remain the same but with less subscribers.
Won't happen.
So...what's with the America hate? America isn't that bad a place.
Oooh..you hate America because that's where the Xbox comes from and sells best. Gotcha. Guilty by association and all that. Whatever.
I think Pachter is off on this one; I have a feeling it'll drop to free with Natel's release. Optimistic? Yeah, but it would make sense.
The only thing really limiting MS right now with an average consumer is the Moon Bucks. It was a nice try to get people to think they are spending $8 when they are spending $10, but its not working with having to buy it in bulk. I have had 900 points on my hard drive for half a year and instead of buying games I am weighing out what I can and should buy so I don't have to buy another card. Expanding to Amazon helped this, but it should be removed completely for actual real dollars.
also, people need to get off Pachter's back. He's an industry analyst and so its his job to make guesses (whether right or wrong) on the state of the industry. Its not like he's Aaron Greenberg standing up there saying XBL will get an increase. He stimulates discussion in this industry and that's a good thing.
You'll never hear
me deny the fact that the PS3 is a better piece of hardware (sans rasterizees, of course), but I personally like the exclusives better on the 360 (notice how I said "I like"? That means it's an opinion), and for me, those exclusives (and especially Netflix) are worth $4 a month.
Wow, that was a long sentence.
Microsoft knows they're the only company charging for internet on their console. They're smart enough to rip money out of wherever they can, and smart enough to know that they'd be digging their own grave by raising the price of Live. It won't happen, I can almost guarantee it.
Also, Sexual Chocolate: "Amurka" is the most annoying word I've ever seen. I wish you'd stop saying that, if anything. Microsoft does some really low things but to generalize an entire country for one company is the most bigoted thing I've ever seen you do. And you've done some pretty bigoted things on this site.
I have the same feelings for people in London, it's like the world revolves around your little part of it.
Only yanks are stupid enough to keep buying 360's at such a rate! But that just happens to fit in with my general opinion of your nationality as a whole.
Brits are generally hooligan scumbags.
Yanks are generally fat retards.
It.s a common generalization.
See? A pay to play option. If any dumbfag can think of that in an instant then why the fuck are the people behind games consoles so fucking stupid?
When are generation is in control, it won't be about the money!
Now I want more storage and would have to pay silly money for a better hard drive, the exclusives are few and far between and the hardware is probably going to break down again, and now it is out of warranty.
This would be the straw that broke the cammels back. Xbox live isnt worth anything; its paying to host games over the internet yourself. I accept the current price. If XBL still costs money by next generation than I wont be buying the next xbox, guarenteed.
its like you've got 10 friends and football but no pitch to play on.but the guy down the street got a banging field for you to toss the ball around. what you think he's gonna let you use it just out of the kindness of his heart? NO. now think about it with the idea that you and your friends wanna play there everyday.