Items tagged with Xbox Live Gold
In one of the quickest reversals we've seen in the tech industry in recent years, Microsoft has already backtracked from its ill-advised and ill-timed decision to raise prices on its Xbox Live Gold subscription service. As we reported yesterday, the 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month subscriptions all received price hikes, with the latter being pushed to $59.99 (effectively making a year of Xbox Live Gold cost $120). Now, Microsoft is apologizing for its blunder, after realizing that raising prices during the middle of a pandemic (even though people are flocking increasingly to games) is not exactly a great PR move. "We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and...
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In the coming weeks, Microsoft will reportedly be increasing the prices of its Xbox Live Gold subscription, much to the ire of people everywhere. Microsoft cites no change in price over the years, but customers view this as a way to shove people toward Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription. Whatever the reason, if you are an Xbox gamer, your online access price may go up soon. Over the next month, Xbox Live gamers will be receiving notice that Microsoft will adjust their membership pricing. The one-month subscription is getting a $1 bump to $10.99, and the three-month subscription is getting a $5 a month bump to $29.99. If you are an existing six- or twelve-month subscriber, you will not notice...
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Please be true...please be true...please be true. What am I blabbering on about? I'm hoping the persistent rumor that Microsoft is going to abandon its Xbox Live Gold program is true, though only if that if means there will no longer be a subscription fee to play games in multiplayer mode, when the Xbox Series X arrives. Could it actually happen? Let's examine the evidence so far. As we wrote about last week, the Microsoft Store is no longer selling 12-month subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold. They can only be purchased in one-month or three-month increments. Purchasing a three-month subscription means it would expire in October (assuming it is redeemed right away), a month or so before the Xbox...
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Paying an extra fee to play video games online with current-generation game consoles is nothing new. There is now speculation that Microsoft may be getting ready to ditch Xbox Live Gold with the launch of the Xbox Series X game console. We're certainly taking these rumors with a grain of salt, but what can't be denied is that you can no longer purchase a year of Xbox Live Gold via the Microsoft Store. There is some residual inventory remaining at third-party retailers allowing gamers to get their hands on a year's worth of Xbox Live Gold. As it stands now, gamers can only purchase one month and three-month subscriptions of Live Gold via the Microsoft Store. Some incredibly wild speculation...
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Microsoft has long had its Xbox Live service that you must have to play Xbox game online In 2017, it launched another service called Xbox Game Pass that gave gamers access to a slew of streaming game titles for one price, including some brand new games. A new rumor is going around that claims Microsoft is set to combine Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass at one cheaper rate for gamers. The rumor comes from WalkingCat via Twitter, who has a track record of being correct on these things. The leaker claims that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be the name of the new service and that it will cost $14.99 per month. If you bought those services separately, they would set you back $19.98 per month combined. Combining...
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Gamers and tech enthusiasts have had their fair share of sales this summer from Amazon Prime Day to the Steam Summer Sale to the Google Store Summer Sale. If your bank account is still in decent shape, here is one more sale to entice you. Microsoft is offering deals on over 700 Xbox One and PC games, consoles, and subscriptions in its Ultimate Game Sale. The biggest draws of the Microsoft Ultimate Game Sale are the discounts on Xbox One games. Gamers can get up to 65% off while Xbox Live Gold members also save an additional 10% off the already discounted prices. There are many games on sale, but here are some of the best deals: Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition: $23.99 or $19.99 for Gold...
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If you prefer the all-you-can-eat buffet approach to digital media consumption, Microsoft has a new gaming service that just might be right up your alley. The new subscription service, which is called Xbox Game Pass, will give you access to over 100 games at a cost of $9.99 per month. In essence, this is quite similar in concept to the Netflix model, albeit for games. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer says that Xbox One and backwards compatible Xbox 360 games will be included in that 100-game tally, although we hope that there are more of the former instead of the latter. A number of popular publishers have signed up for the service including Capcom, 2K, Microsoft Studios, and SEGA. Some of the games...
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If you’re heavily invested in Microsoft’s cloud services ecosystem, you’ll be glad to hear that the company’s popular Work & Play Bundle has returned once again to the Microsoft Store. As before, the Work & Play Bundle includes a year’s subscription to Office 365 Home, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Music Pass, and Skype Unlimited World + WiFi. Individual pricing for each service (for a year’s subscription) is listed as follows: Xbox Live Gold: $59.99Office 365 Home: $99.99Xbox Music Pass: $99.90Skype Unlimited World + WiFi: $153.89 (first month is free) At the current price of $149, Microsoft is giving customers a discount of $264.77 versus buying each service individually. That’s a mighty fine...
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Well, that didn’t take long. In early November, Microsoft rolled out its new “Work & Play Bundle” that combines a year’s worth of Office 365 Home, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Music Pass, and Skype Unlimited World + WiFi. Microsoft priced the bundle at $199, which at the time seemed like a sweet deal. Today, however, Microsoft is making the deal even sweeter thanks to a $50 price cut to $149 for the holidays. Purchased separately, here’s the breakdown of the costs for each service: Xbox Live Gold: $59.99 Office 365 Home: $99.99 Xbox Music Pass: $119.88 Skype Unlimited World + WiFi: $167.88 So Microsoft is giving users roughly $450 worth of online subscription services for $149. At $199, you...
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Stuck inside this weekend because of the snow and/or cold weather? Or simply looking for something to occupy your time? Good news, at least for you folks who own an Xbox One console and are subscribed to Xbox Live Gold -- the Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive developed by Insomniac Games and published by Microsoft Studios will be free to play for 24 hours this weekend. Microsoft made the announcement on its Major Nelson portal, saying that the 24-hour time period begins on Saturday, November 22nd at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (9:01 PM tonight). "This is the full game; players will earn achievements and be able to save how far they progress during that 24 hour span. If you decide to purchase the...
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You've got to hand it to Microsoft -- the company is willing to find novel ways of promoting its products. The company is now offering anyone who buys a year of Office 365 ($99.95 annual rate) a free year of Xbox Live Gold. That's worth $60 a year -- a not-inconsiderable value relative to the cost of Office itself. According to Microsoft, the offer runs from now until October, and signing up for it is quite straightforward (you can investigate the relevant terms here, if you're so inclined). With the Xbox One dropping later this year, it's a decent way to subsidize the additional cost of the Xbox Live Gold subscription if you're interested in checking out the console but don't already pay for...
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It's been a busy week for Microsoft. The Redmond software giant rolled out its much anticipated Xbox Live Dashboard update with a brand new look and fancy new features like voice controlled navigation, and it also launched an iOS app as well as an app for Windows Phone 7 users. And to kick things off, Microsoft is letting all Xbox Live Silver members enjoy the benefits of a Gold membership free for the weekend. Obviously there's more than good will at play here. Sure, Microsoft's getting in the spirit of the gift giving season, but the real motivator is to give non-Gold members a glimpse of the new Dashboard and feature-set in hopes that they'll be tempted to pony up for an ongoing subscription....
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