Xbox Live Gold subscription prices are set to increase in Canada and India. Canadian subscribers will pay an extra $10 while Indian subscribers have to pay almost double the price.
Canada. After February 28, the price of the Xbox Live Gold subscription will increase by $10. The original 12-month subscription of CAD$59.99 ($45.73) will increase to CAD$69.99 ($53.35). This is an increase of more than 15%.
Xbox subscribers in Canada should renew their plan immediately. However, gamers should also be aware that a lot of retailers give huge discounts on Xbox Gold subscription cards as well.
Canadian gamers are already unhappy about the price of video games in their country which is higher than games in the United States. Similarly, games, hardware, and software in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are also more expensive than the US.
India. More surprising than the increase in Canada is the increase in India. Xbox Live Gold subscriptions in India are expected to nearly double. The price of the yearly subscription is currently Rs. 2,249 ($33.16) but Xbox has already e-mailed several gamers which have reported the price increase to be set at Rs. 3,999 ($58.96) per year.
An email from Microsoft has stated that the reason for the changes is due to currency fluctuations. This is not the first price increase for the Indian market. In the past, the Ultimate Edition for PC of Gears of War reached a nearly 100 percent price hike as well. Subscribers whose yearly subscription is set to auto-renew before Feb. 28 will still be able to avail of the old rate of Rs. 2,249.
While the subscription increases may be troubling for most gamers, Xbox currently has a lot of ongoing promotions. There are still plenty of Xbox One S bundle deals available.
Elsewhere, it was earlier reported that Xbox One has been consistently outselling the PS4 in the United States. This was also thanks to the new Xbox One S which greatly helped Microsoft outsell Sony.
As for Sony, the company has been rather quiet about their PlayStation VR and PS4 Pro. The PSVR is currently sold out and is expected to restock next month.
While the price increase does only currently affect Canada and India, does Microsoft plan to increase the Xbox Live Gold subscription of the United States anytime soon? No word has been given yet officially and we can only hope that the price of $59.99 remains untouched and that Microsoft will offer more sales and promos soon!
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