I’ve always said that we need to keep Xbox Live on the gold standard — just as our founding father (Bill Gates) intended. Microsoft agrees and is giving Xbox 360 owners around the world a taste of its Au-some online service this weekend.
The company announced today that Xbox Live Gold is free to use in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Japan from now until 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, according to company spokesperson Major Nelson. That means that the nonpaying Xbox Live Silver members can get all of the benefits of the subscription program for a few days.
Xbox Live is the Xbox 360’s online gaming infrastructure. It enables players to access their friends list and download games. The premium subscription-based Xbox Live Gold enables 360 gamers to play against one another in online multiplayer and use streaming-movie services like Netflix.
Xbox Live Gold costs $59.99 for 12 months of service, or $9.99 monthly.