Microsoft Removing Entertainment Apps Paywall From Xbox Live

It was rumored by Ars Technica yesterday, and has been confirmed by Microsoft today. Xbox Live will no longer require a Gold subscription to access popular entertainment apps on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Such services that do not require a bonus subscription any longer include Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu and MLG, among others listed (complete image at the bottom of this article).

As someone who has a subscription to some of these popular services but didn’t have one for Xbox Live at times in the past; welcome to 2007. It’s mind-boggling how Microsoft was allowed to get away with this for so long. Why it took until 2014 to be able to access an internet browser from an Xbox console without having to pay Microsoft a monthly subscription for Xbox Live Gold is beyond comprehension. So congratulations to Microsoft for doing the right thing more than half a decade later.

Now that a Kinect-free Xbox One, Games With Gold on Xbox One and now the entertainment app paywall removal have all been announced at the same time with more than 3 weeks until E3 2014, the gloves are off now. With Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all jockeying for control of the 8th generation console market share, it seems like we might have a good ol’ fashioned games showdown during this year’s conferences. With Microsoft announcing their focus on games, Nintendo providing Smash Bros tournaments and Sony having a possible From Software PS4 exclusive be revealed, this year’s E3 might be as memorable as last year’s.

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