This may seem a bit ironic, given that Xbox Live spent much of last Saturday down, but this weekend Microsoft aims to make up for that little mishap with a free weekend of, well...possible service. Xbox Live Gold adds many of the features that the console has become known for, such as ESPN, YouTube, iHeartRadio and much more.
Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, announces "if you’ve always wanted to check out the latest entertainment experiences on Xbox 360, now is your chance". The service will go free beginning at 10am ET today (Friday April 19) and remain that way though 1pm ET on Monday April 22.
This is not only valid in the United States, but also Canada, Latin America and Japan. "All Xbox owners in these regions, regardless of their current Xbox LIVE subscription status, will have access to online multiplayer gaming, Video Kinect, and our entire catalog of entertainment apps" Hryb explains.
This coincides with the debut tonight of the new Netflix (a Live Gold service) original series Hemlock Grove. The weekend also brings a special preview of Borderlands 2, for which Hryb provided a key -- KTW3T-ZXXS5-JBSJF-5FJT3-6TB9X.
Both the U.K. and Europe had a free weekend back in March, so this timing is seemingly coincidental and unrelated to last weekend's crash of the service -- in other words, it does not appear to be a Microsoft apology.
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