Xbox Tipped To Drop Gold Pre-Req For Streaming Services

Xbox users could find themselves with a bit more freedom in the near future, if Microsoft follows through with plans leaked by unnamed sources. Reportedly, the company plans to drop the Xbox Live Gold requirement for using streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

The information comes from Ars Technica, where it is said "multiple sources" in Microsoft with knowledge of the topic at hand made the claim. Streaming media apps will be unshackled from the Gold requirement, granting Xbox One and 360 users the much-requested change.

The change won't take place sans a fill for the void this move will create, however. According to the sources, Microsoft may elect to put something else behind the Gold requirement, but whether that means a presently-available offering or something that hasn't yet arrived isn't known.

This information is said to have surfaced because of "ongoing discussions" regarding Microsoft's planned announcements for E3 next month. Whether the change will ultimately be announced or not is unknown, and the claim remains unofficial.

SOURCE: ars technica