14 DAY TRIAL // Great service that Xbox Live Arcade, isn't it? Users, each with an unique Gamertag are able to play online, keep track of their friends' status, send and receive messages, purchase Xbox Live Arcade games even for their cell-phones, gain and keep track of Achievements, and more. Some games even allow for cross-platform play (PC players competing against Xbox 360 players). Beat that, Sony!
However, Australian site Screen Play says that the service is becoming rather expensive, in terms that users have to pay for stuff that should normally be available for free: "Microsoft has realized that most PC owners certainly won't pay for features they have become accustomed to getting for free, even with the sweeteners of a single Gamertag, Gamerscore and common Friends list. But they are still asking PC owners to pay $80 a year just for cross-platform play and match-matching, surely the height of optimism." $80 Australian currency of course.
Now, Sony's PlayStation Home sounds pretty good compared to what XBLA offers, plus many features will be free and it's the good ones at that. Why is Microsoft still charging for something that gamers aren't that interested in anymore? Your guess is as good as mine but it is almost certain that the company will see a severe change when Nintendo's and Sony's online services launch. Sure, both Microsoft's rivals have a bug or two to fix but the most important thing is that they won't be charging their customers for the good stuff. I'm curious what XBLA subscribers will do if Microsoft keeps charging them for common things like Friends Lists.