Update 2: It did not last long. In less than 24 hours Microsoft reversed its decision to increase the price of Xbox Live Gold, announcing that it will maintain the annual price point of £ 49.99 / $ 59.99 of the subscription. On top of that, it has now removed the online paywall for free play games, making it compatible with PS Plus.
Good news for Xbox owners, but you have to wonder how this decision came out of the boardroom in the first place.
Update 1: Just a quick update of this story, Microsoft has now confirmed that six months of Xbox Live Gold will cost £ 42.99 in the UK. A 12-month subscription to PS Plus currently costs £ 49.99.
Original story: Let’s hope that Microsoft’s new Xbox Live Gold pricing scheme did not give Sony any ideas, because PlayStation Plus currently looks like a steal compared to the team in Green’s revised pricing structure. If you eliminate Xbox Game Pass from the conversation, we’d argue that Sony’s primary subscriber level has been better than its nearest rival in terms of monthly games for a while – and now it’s available at half the price!
It currently costs $ 59.99 to sign up for PS Plus for 12 months, but after some rumors, Microsoft has revealed that it is now offering $ 59.99 for just $ six months of service. This apparently only applies to new or expired subscribers; the wording is awkward, but it appears that those with a recurring 12-month subscription will continue to pay the previous price point of $ 59.99 for a year.
Of course, there is a much larger discussion about this about how the firm Redmond effectively raises prices to increase the value of its Game Pass Ultimate option. However, it’s worth remembering that a large group of players are only really interested in playing titles like FIFA 21 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and they will now have to pay twice the price to do so with Xbox Live Gold compared to PS Plus.
It’s also worth noting that free-to-play titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone at the time of writing do not require a PS Plus subscription on the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, where Xbox players will have to act. $ 120 to enjoy these titles online unless the firm changes its policy. This is without mentioning additional benefits such as the PS Plus Collection, which really adds to the value of Sony’s service.
Of course, it is quite possible that the Japanese giant is looking at this price increase and thinks that it could get away with a similar increase. We hope not because PS Plus is a good value as it currently is, but we’m not sure we want to pay these Xbox Live Gold prices – especially if Sony does not have a compelling alternative to Game Pass. Finally still.