Microsoft officially announced that the 4Gb Xbox 360 console slim and the Kinect peripheral will be bundled and sold alongside a two year Xbox live Gold subscription for $99. This offer is currently only available in Microsoft Stores in 21 locations across the United States, and the monthly tariff for the subscription will cost $14.99 instead of $5. The bundle will end up costing the consumers more money at the end of the agreement, and there are no special perks added to the Gold subscription, giving the customers less value for money. This move by Microsoft is surely going to lure several potential consumers to their platform, forcing users to create Xbox Live accounts which in turn will encourage users to subscribe to the several other online services offered. Microsoft seem to be focusing heavily on online services, especially with the huge TV-App library recently licensed by the company, and we might just see them focusing even more on the Xbox live as the E3 conferences approach.
