Microsoft would like you to buy Xbox LIVE Gold subscription at $3.34 a month this Black Friday. I got myself a TV, setup my Xbox and realizing that I can’t do much without LIVE, I bought it. Then I realized, Comcast Xfinity won’t work since I don’t have Comcast’s internet. So, fuck you Comcast for that.
I spend my hours of reading and writing with a movie or TV show playing in the background and with Xfinity out of the running, what does XBL Gold get me? Netflix, HBO GO, IE, Skydrive and YouTube. Hulu+ is a pointless service. I don’t know why they haven’t been sold or shut down yet. Back to the point, I paid $40/year for getting 4 services of any use to me. Compare this to Chromecast, I get Chrome streaming in addition to Netflix, HBO GO and YouTube. Which means, I can stream anything from Chrome to my TV. This means, fuck you Comcast, I get ABC, NBC, CBS, Skydrive, and whatever I can open in Chrome.
PS: Xbox LIVE Gold doesn’t even include Xbox Music!
Back in January, I called Xbox LIVE Gold’s paid version a roadblock, this week Cnet did too. And I reiterate, paying for Xbox LIVE Gold makes no economic sense if TV is your thing. Sorry Microsoft, but Google’s $35 HDMI stick is a much better investment and bang for the buck.
For those who feel my argument is missing the “gaming” part of Xbox LIVE, to you I say, I game, seldom. Some NFS, Dance Central, Fifa every once in a while–for none of these, Xbox LIVE gets me anything. If Microsoft wants to own the living room, which they obviously want to, XBL Gold for living room entertainment is a rubbish fee to charge.
