Microsoft will be increasing the monthly cost of their Xbox Live Gold Service. Starting November 1st, users will see their monthly bills go from £4.99 per month to £5.99. Similar price increases will be applied to North America.

But don’t worry if you are an annual subscriber as MCV claims that there will be no price increase for those who pay for their Xbox Live memberships annually.

With the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii all offering free online gaming it’s getting harder and harder to justify stumping up the cash to play what essentially amounts to just Gears of War 2 and Halo 3 online. I have long since taken my COD gaming over to the PS3 and my general rule of thumb now is that I make sure I buy the Playstation 3 version of any multi-format game that has an attractive online component.

I started to grow weary of Microsoft’s attitude towards Xbox Live when it was revealed that the only reason the BBC iPlayer was not available on the service was because Microsoft wanted to be able to charge us for it even though it is free for Wii and Playstation 3 owners.

My Gold Membership run out about two months ago and I can honestly say that so far I haven’t missed it at all though I expect that to change when Halo: Reach is released.

Anyway, I’ll allow Major Nelson to explain the price hike…

“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.”

Photo courtesy of www.slashgamer.com

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