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Microsoft stops asking HBO Go, Netflix customers to pay twice
Microsoft announced this morning it will no longer keep Netflix, Hulu and other streaming apps behind the company's Xbox Live Gold paywall. "Coming in June, anyone with an Xbox will be able to access popular entertainment experiences – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership," the company stated on Xbox.com. "This includes great gaming apps like Machinima, Twitch and Upload, popular video services like Netflix, Univision Deportes, GoPro, Red Bull TV and HBO GO, sports experiences like the NFL app for Xbox One, MLB.TV, NBA Game Time, NHL Game Center and more." This announcement was bundled with word of an Xbox One console available in June without a Kinect. A year later and the Xbox One-80 reversal is still going strong from the console's vision a year ago, as the company shifts executives and puts the focus of Xbox One back on games. Sony's PlayStation consoles and Nintendo's Wii U have never charged a premium for access to streaming services. [Image: Microsoft]
XBL's Deals with Gold discounts Killer Instinct, Fez
This week's Deals with Gold lineup on Xbox Live spotlights Double Helix's Killer Instinct alongside a handful of standout Xbox Live Arcade releases, offering discounts of up to 80 percent off of featured games. Starting today, Killer Instinct's Combo Breaker Pack is priced at $14.99, giving Xbox One owners the chance to unlock all eight Season One characters for 25 percent off of the DLC's regular price. Fable Anniversary is also 25 percent off this week, while Activision's Transformers War For Cybertron and Transformers Fall Of Cybertron get their prices slashed by 75 percent. This week's discounted Xbox Live Arcade games include Pool Nation, Scourge: Outbreak, Fez, and Sacred Citadel. All sale prices are valid through May 12. [Image: Microsoft]
Xbox Live Gold members get deals on NBA 2K14, NFS Rivals this week
Xbox Live Gold members can save some cash on NBA 2K14 and Need for Speed Rivals this week thanks to a series subscriber-exclusive price drops on Games on Demand downloads and associated add-on content. The Xbox One version of NBA 2K14 is $10 off this week, while the Xbox 360 edition gets a steeper discount, dropping it to $29.99. NBA 2K14's add-on content on the Xbox 360 is also half-off, discounting the Platinum Jewelry, Blue Diamond Jewelry, Gold Jewelry, and Spanish Commentary packs through the end of the week. Xbox 360 owners have another chance to pick up the Games on Demand version of Need for Speed: Rivals for $29.99, matching a digital price drop from earlier this year. This week's sale prices are effective through April 29. [Image: 2K Games]
Deadlight now free for Xbox Live Gold members
As promised, the Tequila Works-developed survival game, Deadlight, is the latest freebie for Xbox Live Gold members. The Xbox 360 game – regularly priced at $15 – will remain free until April 30. In her review of Deadlight, Joystiq's Jess Conditt said the game "shines in its detailed world-building," though its gameplay "fails to live up to the standard" set by the game's "glorious" art direction. The Xbox Live Games with Gold program offers two free titles per month to Live subscribers. Earlier this month users were offered a free copy of Hitman: Absolution. Unlike the program's PlayStation counterpart, players can continue to enjoy any games they have downloaded if their Live subscription lapses. [Image: Tequila Works]
WWE 2K14, Amazing Spider-Man and DLC discounted on Xbox Live this week
This week's Xbox Live sales include two games and their associated DLC packs. Starting now through Tuesday, April 8, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can pick up WWE 2K14 for 25 percent off ($29.99 / £29.99 / 44.99 euros) and The Amazing Spider-Man at 66 percent off ($13.59 / £10.19 / 13.59 euros). Downloadable add-ons for WWE 2K14 are half-off this week as well, including the game's online pass ($4.99 / £3.99 / 4.99 euros) and season pass ($9.99 / £7.99 / 9.99 euros), the latter granting access to all of the game's DLC except for Undertaker's "American Badass" character and the Ultimate Warrior, each on sale for $0.99 / £0.64 / 0.94 euros. For The Amazing Spider-Man, each of the game's four DLC packs are 66 percent off, including the Stan Lee Adventure Pack ($1.35 / £0.91 / 1.28 euros) and the Oscorp Search and Destroy Pack ($1.01 / £0.67 / 0.96 euros). [Image: 2K Sports]
Microsoft quietly drops subsidized $99 Xbox 360
Microsoft discontinued its subsidized $99 Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle in July 2013, the console manufacturer confirmed with the Wall Street Journal. The low-cost console was introduced in May 2012 and required a two-year Xbox Live commitment of buyers at a rate of $14.99 per month. The bundle worked out to be roughly $60 more than the closest option, a $299 4GB Xbox 360 console paired with two years of Xbox Live Gold as separate purchases. "This program was intended to be a pilot experiment from the start, and Microsoft routinely adjusts the mix of offers available to its customers and this change was simply standard business practice," Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said. He added that the subsidized Xbox 360 option was for "squeezing the last 10 to 15 percent out of the potential market." [Image: Microsoft]
WWE Network app struts down console, mobile ramps today
The WWE Network app is now available on PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360. Announced in January, the subscription-based service gives viewers access to over a thousand hours of wrestling on-demand video content spanning the WWE's lengthy history, including archived WCW and ECW events. Subscribers also gain access to future WWE programming, including all 12 of the brand's monthly pay-per-view events such as SummerSlam and WrestleMania. In addition to the home consoles, the app also launched on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and Roku today. Those looking to spring for the $9.99 per month subscription to watch the Attitude Era all over again will need to commit to six months with the service at minimum. Xbox 360 owners are also required to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription to use the WWE Network app. Xbox One owners will gain access to the app this summer alongside other devices. The app was developed in partnership with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the professional baseball league's creator of the MLB.TV service and the upcoming return of the RBI Baseball series. [Image: WWE]
PSA: World of Tanks out now on Xbox 360
Wargaming's free-to-play tactical multiplayer combat game World of Tanks is now up for grabs for Xbox Live Gold subscribers on the Xbox 360, with a seven-day timed trial available for XBL Silver members. Previously released for PC platforms, World of Tanks offers a selection of team-based tank warfare scenarios across seven playable maps. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition boasts a new control scheme suited for twin-stick controllers, along with a new HDTV-optimized UI that should aid veteran players transitioning from PC to console. Through the end of the month, first-time players can purchase two Founder's Packs at a discounted rate using in-game currency, expanding their arsenal with premium tanks, extra ammunition, and other bonus equipment. A bonus Russian T-127 light premium tank is available for players who purchase both Founder's Packs. [Image: Wargaming]
Xbox Live Gold goes free this weekend
Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold subscription service is free to access on Xbox 360 consoles this weekend, making Xbox entertainment apps and online multiplayer gameplay available for all Xbox Live members in the United States and Canada. While the free weekend coincides with the upcoming beta launch of Titanfall, the offer does not extend to Xbox One consoles; beta testers will need a paid Xbox Live Gold membership to participate. As an alternative, the free weekend marks a solid opportunity to check out Wargaming's free-to-play online multiplayer game World of Tanks, which launched this week. The free weekend begins at 12:01 a.m. PST tomorrow, and extends through 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday. [Image: Microsoft]
World of Tanks to blast Xbox 360 on February 12
The Xbox 360 version of World of Tanks will launch February 12, Wargaming announced. The game will retain its free-to-play-with-premium-purchases structure, but will require an Xbox Live Gold membership. Those with a free Xbox Live account will have access to a trial version of the game for seven days. The tactical, team-based online war game will include over 100 tanks from the Unites States, Germany and United Kingdom. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition entered beta in August 2013. The game first launched on PC in North America in April 2011 following its 2010 release in Russia. [Image: Wargaming.net]
Toy Soldiers: Cold War, Dead Island free for Xbox Live Gold members in February
Microsoft's Major Nelson has announced next month's lineup of free games for Xbox Live Gold members, revealing that subscribers can expect to receive free copies of Toy Soldiers: Cold War and Dead Island in February. Signal Studios' Xbox Live Arcade strategy game Toy Soldiers: Cold War includes a series of tower defense-styled battles featuring miniature foot soldiers and combat vehicles. Dead Island, a 2011 retail release from Techland, is a first-person action game that challenges players to survive a zombie invasion at an island resort, with help from friends via online cooperative play. As with previous Games With Gold program releases, both Dead Island and Toy Soldiers: Cold War are free for users to keep once they are downloaded, even after associated Xbox Live Gold memberships expire. New games are added to the service on the 1st and 16th of each month.
Get one year of Xbox Live Gold for $40 at Amazon, Best Buy
If you're in the market for a year of Xbox Live Gold, Best Buy and Amazon are selling subscription cards on the cheap. You can get a year for $40 – $20 off the usual asking price. Purchasing through Amazon will net a code that you can immediately plug into your Xbox 360 or Xbox One, while going the Best Buy route means you'll have to wait for a physical card to be mailed off. Or you could simply walk into your local Best Buy and pick one up, granted supplies aren't limited. There's no telling how long subscriptions will be on sale for, so interested parties will want to pounce sooner rather than later. Xbox Live Gold is necessary for most premium apps, such as Netflix, on Xbox Live as well as for online multiplayer gaming. Having a Gold subscription also guarantees you free games each month. In January, Microsoft hooked up subscribers with free downloads of Sleeping Dogs and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
The Elder Scrolls Online won't require PS Plus, will require Xbox Live Gold
The Elder Scrolls Online will not require a PlayStation Plus membership to play on PS4, ZeniMax Online Studios Game Director Matt Firor wrote in a PlayStation Blog update. Bethesda confirmed to Joystiq that the subscription-based MMORPG will require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox One, however. Bethesda was in talks with Microsoft to allow Xbox One owners to play the game online without the Live subscription in August. That was after Firor revealed the developer's decision to go with a monthly subscription for the game instead of moving to a free-to-play format. The Elder Scrolls Online will cost players $14.99 per month when it launches April 4 for PC and Mac with next-gen console versions following in June. The game was recently handed a Mature rating by the ESRB, to which Bethesda said it is "unwilling to change the game's content to achieve a different rating."
Happy Wars removes Gold restriction for some free-to-play cheerful warring
Happy Wars developer Toylogic issued the eleventh update for the game today, allowing all Xbox 360 owners to play it regardless of their Xbox Live subscription level. As the platform's first free-to-play game, it was previously locked to those with a Gold level subscription. Instead, unpaid Xbox Live users can play every facet of the game save for multiplayer, missions and the treasure map sections, which remain locked to Gold subscribers. The update also adds a new game mode called Bounty Hunters, in which players earn bounties by defeating enemies, Big Towers and conquering other towers, adding to their team's total. The mode is available today until January 29. The title update also fixed issues that prevented progress in the Castle Defense mode, adjusted the item leveling system and changed the game's training mode into "Skirmish Mode." Happy Wars first launched in October 2012 and exceeded six million downloads one year later.
January Games with Gold: Sleeping Dogs, Lara Croft guarding the light
Microsoft is kicking off the new year with two more free games for Xbox Live Gold members via the Games with Gold program. First up is the kung fu-heavy crime game, Sleeping Dogs, which will be available from January 1 through January 15. Closing out the month will be the excellent puzzle action game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which will be free from January 15 through January 31.
World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition open beta this weekend
A worldwide open beta has been initiated for World of Tanks on Xbox 360. Anyone with an Xbox Live account can jump into the beta right now on through this weekend, up until the virtual tanks are directed back to the garage on December 15. If you don't have an Xbox Live Gold subscription, participating in the beta will net you a seven-day trial period. Those who have already claimed their free seven-day trial can re-up for another seven days as part of this weekend's beta test. Wargaming.net's World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition was announced back in June at E3. The free-to-play online multiplayer combat game pits players against each other in mid-20th century tanks. World of Tanks will not feature cross-platform play between Xbox 360 and PC, and players will have to register separate accounts in order to play on their platform of choice.
Amazon sale: Xbox One launch games for $49, a year of Gold for $40
Amazon is running a special Xbox promotion right now until December 6 (or until supplies last) where patrons can grab a game at a reduced price and a year of Xbox Live for $20 off. Xbox One launch games Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts are all marked down to $49. Choosing one of these games will then yield a year of Xbox Live Gold for $40 – $20 off the usual asking price. The Xbox One launched last week and we've been covering it like crazy. Our Xbox One launch hub is home to all of our reviews for the games listed above, plus launch news and everything else dealing with the Xbox One. We also did the same thing for the PS4, which launched two weeks back on November 15, so be sure to check out our PS4 launch hub too.
Xbox Live Gold members to get free Xbox One games monthly in 2014
Microsoft announced today that Xbox Live Gold members will receive free access to select Xbox One games on a monthly basis starting in 2014. The announcement expands Microsoft's current Games With Gold program, which gives XBL Gold subscribers free copies of featured Xbox Live Arcade and Games on Demand titles monthly. Originally launched as a limited-time promotion, Games With Gold has since been extended indefinitely as an "ongoing benefit" for Xbox Live Gold members. No further details regarding the program's Xbox One expansion were announced, though Microsoft notes that more information will be available in 2014.
November adds Iron Brigade, World of Keflings to free Xbox Live Gold games
The next additions to Games With Gold promotion have been revealed as eclectic tower defense shooter Iron Brigade, and the whimsical city-building game World of Keflings. According to Xbox spokesman Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, World of Keflings will make its Xbox Live debut on November 1. While normally the game features a $10 price tag, anyone with an Xbox Live Gold subscription will be able to download it for free until the end of November. Iron Brigade joins World of Keflings on November 16, and will likewise be a free download for the remainder of that month. As with all Games With Gold additions, once you've download either of these games, they're yours to keep - unless you delete them from your hard drive. If this occurs while the game is still a part of the Games With Gold promotion you can simple re-download the data, but if you wait until after the promo has expired your game is gone forever. These two additions mark the second to last month of Microsoft's promotion. As the Games With Gold FAQ notes, "two free game downloads will be available monthly, starting on the 1st and the 16th of every month from July through December 2013."
Buy a 12-month Xbox Live subscription on Amazon, get a $20 XBL gift card
Looking to get a head start on next month's Xbox One launch and save some cash while you're at it? Starting this week, Amazon is giving away a $20 Xbox Live gift card with every purchase of an Xbox Live Gold 12-month membership. Amazon is also taking $20 off of the MSRP of Xbox Live Gold one-year memberships for buyers who purchase an Xbox One or Xbox 360 hardware bundle, stacking extra savings on top of the gift card offer. Note, however, that the gift card promotion is only available for Gold memberships purchased through Amazon itself, and not from third-party sellers. The promotion runs from October 27 through November 9.
