Looks like the Microsoft team will be getting a pay raise this November. Announced by Major Nelson earlier today, the price of Xbox Live will be increasing on November 1, 2010. Residents of the United States, Canada, Mexico and the UK will all be affected by the change, as shown below:

However, Microsoft is offering a deal for their ‘loyal customers,’ allowing them to renew another year for $39.99. After that, we recommend you stay in tune to our deals section to save some buck.

(Major Nelson)

Many changes are on the horizon for the Xbox.  One rather seemingly small issue, the sound, will also be getting an overhaul. Expect to see this update sometime in the fall.

The codec we used when we first launched was a low bit rate codec and we stuck with that.  We launched and we said we required broadband. We required a 64k connection, which not many people think of as broadband any longer. But that was the minimum requirement to run the service at the time.  It’s time for us to move on. Especially if we want to think about broadening – a crackly headset on the top of your head – not what people think of when they talk about popular entertainment."

- Jerry Johnson, Xbox Live Studio Head

I’ve had a mixed experience with sound on Xbox Live.  There are times where it is very crisp and times when you hear nothing but static.  The headsets themselves should also take a fair amount of blame.  Using the default headset can be a complete crapshoot. One minute it works fine, the next it completely dies.  Regardless, this is a welcome change.

[via Eurogamer]

With the launch of Kinect this November, Microsoft is attempting to capture a broader market for it’s Xbox Live service. Announced today, the new Xbox Live Gold Gamily Pack will offer up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for $99.99 (the standard price of two memberships).

The new Family Pack also introduces the following:

Full PR after the break.

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Normally when a company restricts access for developers, it is seen as a negative.  While Microsoft is taking this approach for their mobile gaming platform on the new Windows Phone 7, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

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Yesterday a Milford, CT, man was arraigned for harrassing a criminal trial witness on Xbox Live. According to WTNH TV, 23-year-old Anthony Hayward was arrested and charged with intimidating a witness, tampering with a witness, and harassment.

Hayward was out on bail awaiting his criminal trial for drug and gun possession charges when he purportedly wrote a message on Xbox Live to a witness that said, “rats die slowly.” He then went on to call the witness a “dead man walking”.

Hayward is being held on $50,000 bail by the Milford Superior Court awaiting his April 30 hearing date.

[via GamePolitics]

Black Box, an Electronic Arts Studio, has announced that the Skate 3 Demo will be released on April 15th. The demo will give players a taste of the University District in the paradise of Port Carverton.

In the demo, players will have the ability to go through a series of multiplayer and single-player challenges including Domination, Own the Lot, and Hall of Meat. The modes available should hold player’s attention for a long time, but there in addition to those 3 modes, there will also be the new Object Dropper.

This mode will allow players to tweak the University District by dropping in 24 different objects to skate on and personalize the demo experience for each player.

Skate 3 promises to have a robust co-operative experience allowing players to build the ultimate skate team and compete in challenges, defeat rival crews, and just have fun skating in the streets.

So you pretty much know what all of your friends are playing, but if you’ve ever wondered what the rest of the Xbox LIVE community has been playing then we’ve got you covered.

Here’s this weeks most played online games. Go ahead  and take a look, it’s after the break.

P.s. There is probably some kind of correlation between our MW2 Community Playdate and Modern Warfare 2 being on top of the list. Is everyone practicing so they can prove that they are in fact better than our very own Ramon?

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New at retail 3/23/10:
* How to Train Your Dragon (Activision, $49.99)
* Just Cause 2 (Square Enix, $59.99)
* MotoGP 09/10 (Capcom, $49.99)

New on XBL 3/24/10:
* The long-anticipated Game Room (free, games purchased separately)

Deal of the Week on XBL:
* Fallout 3 Maps: Operation:Anchorage, Broken Steel, Mothership Zeta, Point Lookout, and The Pit for 400 MSP each

Indie releases:
* Avatar Bumper Cars (3.5 stars, 80 MSP)
* Avatar Cannon (3.5 stars, 240 MSP)
* Avatar Streetball (2 stars, 80 MSP)
* Catch Me If You Can (2.5 stars, 80 MSP)
* Classic FreeCell (3.5 stars, 80 MSP)
* ColorBox (2.5 stars, 240 MSP)
* Dark Seal (2 stars, 80 MSP)
* Dysnomia (3.5 stars, 240 MSP)
* Euphorium (3 stars, 80 MSP)
* Masters of Belial (3 stars, 80 MSP)
* Shake! (2 stars, 80
* Spiders (2.5 stars, 80 MSP)
* Star Chart (4 stars, 80 MSP)
* The Impossible Avatar Getaway (3 stars, 80 MSP)
* The Spirit Box (1.5 stars, 80 MSP)
* War of Words (3.5 stars, 400 MSP)

Demos and Trailers:
* Army of Two TFD:Chapters of Deceipt Dev Diary Trailer
* Blood Bowl Trailer
* Brink Trailer
* Kane & Lynch 2: Welcome to Shanghai Trailer
* How to Train Your Dragon Trailer
* Medal of Honor Announcement Trailer
* Metro 2033 Launch Trailer
* Might & Magic:Clash of Heroes Announcement Trailer
* MLB 2K10 Trailer
* Need for Speed:Shift Trailer
* Splinter Cell:Conviction Demo
* Transformers:War for Cybertron BtS Trailer

In conjunction with their upcoming Mapathy release, Infinity Ward is allowing Xbox Live silver users the opportunity to get 48 hours of Xbox Live Gold for free. All you need to do is visit this site and enter the code “MAPATHY” to receive a code valid for a 48 hour trial of Xbox Live.

For those silver users out there, this is a great way for you to join us for our Community Playdate on Wednesday, as well as experience Modern Warfare 2 if you haven’t already.

Robert Bowling, community manager for Infinity Ward, announced today that there is going to be a double XP weekend from April 2-5.  Timed to coincide with the Stimulus Package, this is the first of hopefully more double XP weekends to come.

[Via FourTwoZero]