The rumor that the NeXBox will be a subscription based cable box seems more and more true when you think about it.
Not a bad idea in itself, as this is certainly where the industry is heading down the line. But with the internet in its current form, it will leave a lot of people out. It seems to me that Microsoft will focus their energy on the markets that are already pro-Xbox. Like the UK and the US. If they play their cards well, they may end up keeping those locked away from Sony once again.
Still, I'm not too thrilled by this if it turns out to be true. I like to be given a choice. And while the infrastructure of Live is very good, having to pay my console for as long as I want to use it, and the potential that it will be rendered completely unusable once its generation has run its course really bothers me. I like to go back to my older consoles from time to time. But if the NexBox works like that, I don't think I'll be able to use it in 10 years. Like I do with my older consoles.
