View Full Version : 4 Play For The Price Of 2 With The Xbox Live Gold Family Plan
Microsoft gears up for the launch of family-friendly Kinect this fall with the Xbox Live Gold Family subscription plan, delivering four Xbox Live Gold memberships for the price of two, plus a host of new features and family-exclusive content. This is why I need kids. Starting in November, Microsoft's new Xbox Live Gold Family Pack will change the way families pay for and play with Xbox Live. Instead of signing up for an account for each member of the family or relying on guest accounts, the new plan gives a household four memberships to assign for $99 a year.
Along with the standard benefits of a Live Gold membership, the family plan also introduces new features, like the ability for one account to purchase and dole out Microsoft points to the rest, activity monitoring reports available through Xbox.com, and exclusive family content and discounts. The plan will also introduce the Family Center, a one-stop destination for family and account settings, accessible from the main Xbox dashboard.
The new plan should put an end to the dreaded gamerscore sharing many siblings have to endure, while providing a fun new way to ostracize the fifth member of your household.
http://kotaku.com/5569782/four-play-for-the-price-of-two-with-the-xbox-live-gold-family-plan
That's an awful lot of money.
I don't think Microsoft themselves actually realise the market value of a live subscription. They only get close to it with their "special offers"
That's an awful lot of money.
I don't think Microsoft themselves actually realise the market value of a live subscription. They only get close to it with their "special offers"
It is, but look at this way.
That is the US price.
1 Live sub is $50 2 Live subs is $100.
But now it is going to be 4 subs for $100 which would have normally cost $200
To guess when it come to the UK it will be £80. It's not bad saying as I pay for 2 live subs a year in my house the Mrs and mine.
When the 2 kids are older this would be perfect meaning they would lay for free whilst we are just paying our normal sub.
Yes MS could do more deals but if you look at the last 6 months alone of deal of the week their has been a lot of savings on DLC and arcade games. I have saves a packet on them.
Obviously depending one the price this could be perfect. Although only 3 accounts would be being used, it'd still mean 3 for the price of 2. (That'd be me, my dad and my brother, I'm still in the process of getting my mum to play the 360...)
It's a great thing if you do have 2 gold accounts already in the household, as it does mean you get 2 free. I would probably go for it but my account doesnt go for renewal til 2012 :p
well, the way I look at it from a single user pespective:
I don't care about my gamer score at all (visiting friends etc) and mine cost me £26 or so. Now, unless you have 2 or more Xboxes (2 is possible, but more is extremely uncommon) you're paying a whole bunch for an online rep that doesn't really matter.
The only time this can make sense, is when more than 2 people are harcore gamers and play online at the same time, or need to pay a premium for parental controls. I just can't see it being workable apart from affluent families with more money than sense.
well, the way I look at it from a single user pespective:
I don't care about my gamer score at all (visiting friends etc) and mine cost me £26 or so. Now, unless you have 2 or more Xboxes (2 is possible, but more is extremely uncommon) you're paying a whole bunch for an online rep that doesn't really matter.
The only time this can make sense, is when more than 2 people are harcore gamers and play online at the same time, or need to pay a premium for parental controls. I just can't see it being workable apart from affluent families with more money than sense.
I have 2 360's
I have 2 Gold accounts in my house
I have two sons who want to play online (with my supervision)
They both have their own gamertags ( I don't let them share a gamertag as they love unlocking their own achievements and avatar rewards)
You don't have to be hardcore to play online :P
It's not about more money than sense. If my two sons were to go online at the moment the SRP for that would be £160. Yes I could get us all online for about £105 if i looked around.
With this I could get all 4 of us online for around £80 which is saving me money.
it is great for family as it would save money.
It is no good for single people though.
yeah, that's fair enough; I just think that setup is probably rare though.
Wonder if it's possible to use it between 4 friends :chin:
yeah, that's fair enough; I just think that setup is probably rare though.
Wonder if it's possible to use it between 4 friends :chin:
It's not that rare. Family's have been calling for something like this for years across on the XB forum.
It's being made for households when the kinect launches and families get their hands on it, 4 gold profiles for the 2 and half children house, it will be useful for the face recognition feature with kinect and help families with the parental controls.
It's not for the hardcore obviously, I mean it's called the Family plan. I'm surprised they didn't do this sooner, it's going to be a hit for people in dorm rooms.
It's not that rare. Family's have been calling for something like this for years across on the XB forum.
That's pretty stupid, why not allow more than one account per console? :blink: Meaning, the gold subscription would be locked to the console so you and Karen would have to pay just one subscription (if you shared the same console).
Well you can have as many gold accounts on the same console as you want but each user must pay the subscription. You activate the gamertag not the console.
It's a DRM issue, PSNplus will be the same.
That's pretty stupid, why not allow more than one account per console? :blink: Meaning, the gold subscription would be locked to the console so you and Karen would have to pay just one subscription (if you shared the same console).
You can have as many gold accounts on one console.
I often play with my friends whilst the Karen plays with hers on the other 360.
More info New Xbox LIVE Gold Family Subscription Plan Delivers More Value and Family Fun
LONDON – 23 June 2010 - Xbox 360 makes family time, quality time. Only Xbox LIVE delivers a world of games, movies, social entertainment and starting this November, live sports, allowing you to share them with the people you care about, around the world.
This November, the new Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack will offer up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for only £69.00. Now as you prepare for the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360, which makes YOU the controller, consider giving your family premium Gold experience and access to the biggest names in entertainment.
Perfect for families, the Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack will also offer access to additional conveniences and services including the new Family Center, accessible on the Xbox dashboard and Xbox.com for easier family management, access to activity monitoring reports, and the ability to purchase and give Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members.
An Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack includes:
Up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships.
Family Center – a single, easy to use, destination for Family Settings and account management, accessible on the Xbox dashboard and on Xbox.com.
The primary account member has the ability to purchase and dispense Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members.
Activity monitoring reports viewable on Xbox.com to help encourage discussions about safer more balanced gaming and entertainment habits.
Simplified billing that applies all purchase charges to the primary account holder’s billing account and the ability to authorise purchases, helping to manage the family’s entertainment budget.
Exclusive family content and discounts.
The industry-leading, built-in Xbox 360 Family Settings are also being taken to the next level this November. It's Microsoft's goal to provide parents and caregivers with tools and resources to manage their children's gaming and entertainment experiences, and these features are available to all Xbox LIVE members:
Family Programming that removes all mature games, movies, and content from the dashboard, based on BBFC ratings and the TV Parental Guidelines system. Family Programming is password protected, and easy to turn on and off for each member. (Compatible with international ratings systems.)
Title exceptions – the ability to allow your family members to play specific games above the console’s designated BBFC rating if you deem appropriate. (Compatible with international ratings systems.)
Intelligent default settings for child, teen, and adult profiles. Xbox will automatically assign default privacy and activity settings for each member that can later be individually customised.
Family Settings are displayed prominently in the MyXbox channel. Current tools include the Family Timer, which allows you to control the amount of time - either daily or weekly - your children may use the console.
Whether you want to play your favourite games, stream movies and music from Zune, Xbox 360 brings the best family-friendly entertainment straight to your living room.
£69 that's £11 cheaper than I estimated for up to 4 gold accounts.
Also It means I can control my 2 sons account from mine with out the need of checking his account.
But when playing online it would only be under my supervision on games that I know are suitable for their ages.
draconacticus
23-06-10, 14:01
This thread's title is comedy gold.