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Adinnieken said:

I don't believe Microsoft will ever make online gaming free.  The cost of providing such services is just too much, especially with the redundant architecture that Microsoft has built up.

So the question is, what would Microsoft have to include in an annual subscription to make an Xbox LIVE Gold membership an unquestionable value?

  • Subscription to (1) premium service (Netflix, Hulu, etc)? 
  • Unlimited Xbox LIVE Music streaming (Xbox Music Pass required for additional features)?
  • 10 Free Skype Minutes per month (requires Kinect)?
  • Free access to Xbox TV base service, including channel guide (Xbox TV premium service required for DVR functionality and access to premium channels)?
  • Available across all Xbox LIVE connected devices?

 

The amount they make off advertising dwarfs the subscription fee.
They don't need to be charging it, especially when at MAX, they are only making 150m a month on it. Their marketing costs for devs and show ads and placement run in the hundreds of thousands for just a few weeks.