As of November 1, users of Xbox Live Gold will be paying more for the online service. The price of Gold in the U.S. is going from $7.99 a month to $9.99 a month. Three-month buys will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and if you buy your Xbox Live by the year, you'll be paying $59.99 instead of $49.99 annually. "Since launching Xbox Live in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same. We’re confident that when the new pricing takes effect, an Xbox Live Gold membership will continue to offer the best value in the industry," Posts Major Nelson on Xbox Live's official blog, before reminding you to re-up your subscription now, to avoid the new, higher rates. Analyst Jesse Divnich from EEDAR said his company doesn't believe the $10 price increase will "fully affect current Xbox Live Gold subscribers until late 2011 and beyond, as Microsoft will likely run numerous promotions allowing users to renew at cheaper rates.” “EEDAR believes the fee increase will do little to impact the positive momentum of the Xbox 360," Divnich said in a statement. “When originally launched in 2002, a Gold subscription cost the same as an AAA video game, $49.99. When taking into account for inflation ($50 in 2002 is roughly $60 in 2010) and the additional services available to Gold subscribers in 2010, such as ESPN, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm and Video Kinect, a $10 price increase still represents an incredible value to consumers.” What do you think, though? Will the price-bump cause you to cancel your subscription? Or do you think it's a fair amount to pay? More...
