Butch
05-08-2003, 01:15 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-tech-microsoft-xboxlive.html
May 8, 2003
Microsoft Introduces New Pricing for Xbox Live
By REUTERS
Filed at 4:04 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Thursday introduced a more flexible pricing plan for its Xbox Live online video game service, including a planned free trial period, and raised the price on the basic starter kit.
Microsoft, which is expected to roll out a number of new audio and video services related to Xbox Live at next week's Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, said subscribers will have the option of a $5.99 monthly fee in North America as of this fall.
A one-year renewal or new subscription will be $49.99, while the Starter Kit, which includes a headset for voice communications and some bundled game products, will sell for $69.99, a hike from the current $49.99 price.
Microsoft also said a two-month free trial for the service will be 'widely available' this fall.
Xbox Live was launched in North America last November, allowing Xbox users to compete against each other with the console's built-in Ethernet port and the voice headset. The company boasts hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Microsoft also said it would begin to make the voice headset available as a stand-alone item for $29.99.
May 8, 2003
Microsoft Introduces New Pricing for Xbox Live
By REUTERS
Filed at 4:04 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Thursday introduced a more flexible pricing plan for its Xbox Live online video game service, including a planned free trial period, and raised the price on the basic starter kit.
Microsoft, which is expected to roll out a number of new audio and video services related to Xbox Live at next week's Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, said subscribers will have the option of a $5.99 monthly fee in North America as of this fall.
A one-year renewal or new subscription will be $49.99, while the Starter Kit, which includes a headset for voice communications and some bundled game products, will sell for $69.99, a hike from the current $49.99 price.
Microsoft also said a two-month free trial for the service will be 'widely available' this fall.
Xbox Live was launched in North America last November, allowing Xbox users to compete against each other with the console's built-in Ethernet port and the voice headset. The company boasts hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Microsoft also said it would begin to make the voice headset available as a stand-alone item for $29.99.