Living Up to "360"

The whole idea behind calling it the "Xbox 360" was that the console did everything. Well, it's about to replace the crap out of your cable box. Hulu Plus is officially coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360. The $9.99/month plan will include up-to-date seasons of current ABC, NBC, and Fox television shows (and presumably their subsidiaries), and not that "Last 5 weeks" b.s. you get on the free website. You get entire seasons. So, what does this all mean?

By sometime early 2011, Xbox LIVE will be fully integrated with Netflix, ESPN, and Hulu. Neflix subscriptions start at $9.99/month, ESPN is free (for Gold members), and Hulu Plus is another $9.99/month. Throw in the $50/year fee for Xbox LIVE Gold, and you're paying about $290/year or about $24.17/month. With all the sports, serial dramas, and sitcoms you could want and the added bonus of the Netflix Instant Queue library, I think you can basically get rid of your cable or satellite. As a comparison, Dish Network starts at $24.99/month for 120 channels, DirectTV starts at $29.99/month for 150 channels, and cable has various prices, but you're not going lower than $24.99/month.

So, for people like me, you actually get more of what you want (and at your convenience) for less than the cost of satellite or cable (especially when Netflix and Xbox LIVE Gold are already sunk costs). The big drawback, however, is that you don't get NFL games (and more tragically, the Red Zone Channel). We've also yet to see just how awesome the ESPN integration is. But, it is entirely possible that your Xbox 360 will fully replace your cable box.

--Chilly P