its a slap in the face because not only can MS charge for what should be free( according to some people), but they can increase the fee for it and people will still pay. Of course that is because its such a great service (at least in my opinion, worth every penny even after the increase.

It's still not a slap in the face..., it would be a slap in the face to Sony if MS makes XBL free.

And honestly, I think MS has to charge for XBL to be profitable with it, because AFAIK Sony isn't profitable with the PSN overall (including PSN purchases, etc). But I could be wrong about that...

When you look at all the revinue it brings in, and at the financials of the ps3 I think it can be considerd a slap in the face, just a little. I am almost a 100% sure that sony will charge something for online next gen. I kind of think the live increase this gen was more paving the way for ms next gen to be honest though.

My PC says hello.

 To some extent, the wii is being backhand by Balmer and Co as well. First of all Microsoft has more money than nintendo and sony. MS DOES NOT NEED to charge for online, but they do. I once asked my uncle why a dog licks his balls, his response "because he can." Same thing goes for MS. Yes, xbox live offers unparralleled, unmatched, and unrivaled features. But is it really worth $50-60 a year? Well, it doesn't matter what I think because MS IS GONNA DO WHAT THEY WANT. And let me tell you right now, MS is NOT scared of sony or nintendo. PROOF: They have the balls to INCREASE the price of something their competition is GIVING AWAY FOR FREE. Brazenly, MS rolls ahead with price increases in an economic depression. Patcher said a few years back that if the PSN takes off, xbox live will go free. Faced with increased competition, the opposite has happened. Microsoft is saying to ninty and sony, we don't care what you give away or do with your online networks, we aren't scared of losing customers to you, and we will do what we want. Why??? Because they can

Before anyone tries to get cute and say "well actually it's a slap in the face to xbox owners" I will politely tell you that you are wrong.  Why??  Because xbox liver is the best, most integrated online COMMUNITY!!  And the enormous amount of people playing online prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt.