Xbox LIVE: What exactly are you paying for?

PC gamers generally get to play online for free, so what does the paid Xbox LIVE Gold service really get you by comparison?

Short of your average World of Warcraft player (or anyone else that forks out a monthly subscription cost for their preferred MMO), the notion of a paid online subscription service is a concept that comes with a multiplatform feeling of foreignness. That is, of course, except for Xbox 360 owners. The PC gaming community has enjoyed (and continues to enjoy) a long history of a ‘pay once, play lots' pricing model, which translates near-universally to this day.

PlayStation 3 owners can play with and against each other without paying for the pleasure, and the same is true of the online battlegrounds for Wii, DS and PSP. Microsoft, it seems, is the only big name saying that online gaming is a (paid) privilege and not a right. But when Xbox 360 users choose to upgrade their online package from Silver to Gold, what exactly are they getting in exchange for their hard-earned dollars?

Cost
Before delving into the nitty gritty of what a Gold LIVE subscription actually offers, it's worth taking a look at the price. For $88 you can purchase a 12-month subscription from EB Games (online), or go the cheaper route with a credit card purchase on Xbox LIVE for $79.95. Shrewd purchasers can find better deals online, but there is a reported problem with purchasing subscription codes across regions.

You can also purchase a monthly subscription for $10.95 via Xbox LIVE, but the not-so-fine print says that once that month ends your Gold subscription "will automatically continue and renew to an annual membership at the then current price (prices subject to change), unless you cancel before your membership period ends." While the convenience factor may be helpful to some, these types of subscription models reek more of earning ‘accidental dollars', more-so than making people's lives easier.

Perks
Silver LIVE members can interact with online friends, download patches and give up their money in exchange for DLC and Arcade titles. But when it comes down to it, someone with the base Xbox LIVE Silver service is limited to playing alone or in whatever local multiplayer capacity is on offer. Forking out the cash for a Gold subscription unlocks the ability for online multiplayer.

That's the main thing, but in an attempt to stop it from being uber-lame, Microsoft has also included access to other smaller features to help consumers make sense of why they pay for what is free for other platforms. Gold users can enjoy exclusive or early access to demos, trailers and other associated downloads, while the other big selling point is the ability to create and join Xbox LIVE parties: a VoIP feature that allows users to make conference calls and join games in progress.

The inclusion of Facebook and Twitter access from your TV screen may be of appeal to certain gamers but is certainly lost on us. Beyond this, you can also make use of the Foxtel video service; that is to say, if you're willing to fork out the extra subscription fee or pay for content in an ‘on demand' model. Finally, one of the only other perks your Gold subscription scores you is the ability to make video calls by way of Kinect, which can be made to other Xbox 360 users or even Windows Live Messenger users on a PC (after you log in to your Messenger account on the Xbox 360).

Bottom line
There are certainly some interesting features available with a Gold subscription that aren't readily available on other consoles (party chat springs to mind), but when the Xbox LIVE Gold offering is pitted against the long-standing might of what we expect on the PC, it falls short. Access to exclusive content aside (that isn't necessarily to everyone's taste), everything that can be done with an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription can be done for free on the PC; and it can be done better.