Xbox Live price increase sets a new $10/month floor for online access

Xbox users will soon have to pay at least $10/month for the baseline Xbox Live Gold subscription needed for online play on Xbox consoles. That's a significant increase from the recent floor of $5/month for an annual subscription.

The new pricing, as Microsoft unveiled this morning is as follows (or a "local market equivalent" outside the US):

• One month: $11/month (previously $10/month)
• Three months: $30, $10/month (Previously $25, $8.33/month)
• Six months: $60, $10/month (Previously $40, $6.67/month)

A 12-month, $60 subscription plan was officially removed from Microsoft's online store last July, but annual digital subscriptions at that $5/month rate are still currently available from a variety of retail partners. It's unclear if those offerings will continue, but a new annual subscription option was not mentioned in Microsoft's announcement this morning. Microsoft does note that current 6-month and 12-month subscribers will be able to "renew at the current price" for the time being, though (current members will receive email notices about the new prices, and the new rates won't apply to them for at least 45 days).

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