Online gamers facing added expense as Microsoft announces cost increase for Xbox Live

Members of the Xbox Live gaming community will be faced with higher subscription charges as of November 1st.

Microsoft has unveiled plans to hike charges for the subscription-based service both in the US and here at home. A month-to-month subscription charge will rise from £4.99 to £5.99, although a full year one off fee will stay at the current £39.99. USA and Canada subscribers will see higher rises to both options.

Anyone can sign up to the basic Xbox Live service for free, but a subscription is essential for gamers who want to participate in online multiplayer action. To its credit, Microsoft hasn’t actually increased the price at all until now, with pricing being the same as it was when the Xbox Live service was launched back in 2002.

"Since launching Xbox Live in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same," wrote Major Nelson, an official Microsoft Xbox blogger, on the company's blog. "We're confident that when the new pricing takes effect, an Xbox Live Gold membership will continue to offer the best value in the industry."

Gamers can also enjoy similar online services from Sony, with their PlayStation 2, and Nintendo with their Wii. However, Sony also has an advanced version of its online service called PlayStation Plus and that costs £39.99 for a 12-month subscription.

The Microsoft increase comes just weeks away from the release of Halo: Reach, which has many online multiplayer facets that gamers will find hard to resist. No matter what the cost implications.