Xbox Live to cost £12 more per year

17. Like Sky when you have a large enough and addicted enough user base you can increase your prices whenever you like.

Shame on MS for taking advantage of vulnerable users!

16. I own both PS3 & 360, but don't like the setup for PSN's online structure at all so all multiplatform games, especially if they are online are bought for the 360. MS missed out on a golden opportunity as I think they should have reduced LIVE by $10/year to improve goodwill with their customers who stuck be em during the whole RROD fiasco. I will pay, since most of my gaming is on the 360, plus I am not a PC gamer. There is no point to even respond to many who say they can game on this or that for free. I can't use those for the 360, & $10 to me isn't much. For those who just want scream about something don't pay, it's really that simple. It cost someone for these services. Just got the email that my cable is also going up, my electric charge is going up. What can you do it's just the way things go.

15. If you like home, then you truly are a sony fanboy. Every core gamer hates home, it just takes up hard-drive space. Although I still have it installed and check it out every few months for some reason.

Your point about PSN being so much bigger than xboxlive means nothing either. Psn accounts include ps3, psp and ps2. Don't forget most people have multiple accounts for use with the japanese and US stores, so one ps3 owner can have three accounts and the same goes for the psp. I have three myself, one for each of sonys three systems. Also bigger of course does'nt mean better.

I've never had connection issues on xboxlive, unlike psn, especially Battlefield bad company.

Like I said Psn does the job, but this story is about xboxlive and has nothing got to do with Psn.

14. @milkymoo I have both (well I stopped paying XboxLive fees about 10 months ago, and the Xbox rarely gets switched on anymore). But PSN is just as good as XboxLive, if not better. Sure Xbox live as that dumb party chat thing. PSN has much more, iPlayer, Vidzone, Home and more. It's also MUCH faster. I frequently got slowdowns on Xbox Live's P2P network, when someone slow connected to the game, that simply does not happen on PSN. (or if it does, it does not happen to me).

PSN is also MUCH bigger than Xbox Live. (50m PSN accounts across PS3/PSP all of them fully online enabled. 30m Xbox Live accounts, 54% of them Gold. making 15m Xbox Live online accounts.)

13. "Sony have been toying with the idea of charging for PSN on and off for months now. "

No they haven't.. They introduced PS+ a couple of months back, they also stated that what PS3 offers today (i.e. free online gaming, matchmaking and stuff) will always bee free on PSN.

The PS+ is a subscription service thats about CONTENT (not about CONNECTION charges like XboxLive). PS+ Offers automatic updates and some other console firmware features, it also offers free full-game trials and 4 free games a month (over £200 of value a year). It's also entirely optional and does not force others to pay like a the Xbox Live Virus.

http://uk.playstation.com/playstationplus

12. The annual UK subscription is staying at £39.99. Of course you can get it a lot cheaper by shopping around.

Anyone who says psn is better than xboxlive is a deluded fanboy. Psn is fine, but its truly a poor mans xboxlive.

If microsoft do increase the cost eventually, then to hell with xboxlive. I'll buy all my multiplatform, multiplayer games for ps3 from then on.

11. I used to use XBLive but moved over to the PS3. The networks do seem faster on PSN - or maybe it just feels that way. The price rise as I understand it will be accross all payment methods not soley on monthly payments. I use PSN because it is free - the PSN+ is not compulsory and if Sony made it so would look at it then and dependent on what the buyback for memebership is, but at the moment the lure of ewrly demos and a few mini games doesn't swing it for me.

XBLive has always been overpriced for what it delivers in real terms - if demo's are your thing then great but in reality as with PSN you pays your money etc.

10. @si_smith - the point I was making is that I'll only start saving money after investing a load to change my gaming setup. Since only PS3 fans laughing at our expense or people that use xbox live are likely to read the article, so your suggestion wasn't particularly appropriate.

There are a lot of cretins on xbox live, but based upon your reaction to my previous message I'm sure there are plenty of undesirables on the PSN too, but let's not degenerate to personal insults.

Sony have been toying with the idea of charging for PSN on and off for months now. After seeing MS up their charges Sony might feel they can introduce a lower cost subscription now there is a greater margin between its current position (nothing) and MS over-priced fee.

9. @tfawcett

£70 A year you save, idiot. You also get faster and better gaming network, less cretins on it, and better games too...

8. Presumably this is being timed to match the release of WinMo 7 with it's Xbox connectivity options. Those servers will need to be paid for somehow; may as well sting those who are never going to use WinMo 7 to ensure it's a success.

7. Good point @si_smith, I'll buy a PS3 and a load of games to save myself £1 per month. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself.

6. LOL Brainwashed games..

PS3 owners get better and free online gaming with dedicated servers for PS3 exclusives. There is PS+ that gives you £200 worth of games and other stuff for £40/year subscription...

5. I paid £28 for my LIVE membership from this site

http://electronicfirst.com/cheap-xbox-live-codes/12-month-gold-membership-subscription/

And i agree MS need to add way more content/services if they are going to up the price.

Stop being tight arses MS and give us something back please

4. Hugely misleading article. It's only £1 a month extra if you you choose to pay monthly, which no-one does. That means it'll be £72 per year, up from £60, which was still way more expensive than the £35 any sane person pays for a 12 month upfront subscription.

3. Microsoft need to add a lot more value to its subs then eg. I player, ITV player, OD. no excuses Microsoft.

2. Argh! Why use "reach out" when "ask" will do?!

You are not begging for food or offering a "reach around" as I`ve advised my American co-workers who use that phrase... :)

1. No chance, for what nothing has changed we arn't being given free games in return the online play still isn't as slick as it should be.