Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Microsoft has announced via MajorNelson's blog that Xbox LIVE membership fees will see a price increase from 1 November 2010 for members in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States.

Here's a quick look at the price changes:

Overall, the above regions see a 20-25% rise on their 1 or 12 month subscriptions, while the US sees a similar increase across all its membership types. While I hate price increases as much as the next person, it does level out the cost of the service in the US versus the rest of the world - since the US gets access to more online services and features than everyone else. Then again, Microsoft could've just lowered the price of every other region.

Anyways, the price increase is mostly likely part of Microsoft's plans to ready Xbox LIVE's membership structure for the influx of new Xbox LIVE countries - which includes South Africa - in November. It's still unclear how much the service will cost locally, but it's unlikely we'll see anything lower than the current pricing in the UK, though a lower price isn't out of the question considering the service is launching without any of the bells and whistles seen on international accounts (but that's wishful thinking).

What this means now, though, is that if you have a US based account, then you'd better renew your Xbox LIVE membership before 1 November!