It doesn’t seem like Microsoft is any closer to dropping the requirement that Xbox 360 users have an Xbox LIVE subscription in order to play multiplayer or use the service’s giant catalogue of entertainment apps, but that isn’t stopping the company from throwing users a bone every now and then. For this weekend only, all Xbox LIVE users will have access to the service’s features.
The Xbox LIVE Free Gold Weekend kicks off October 4th, and will last until October 6th. During that time all users will have access to the service’s chat functionality and multiplayer modes in their games without any restrictions.
They’ll also be able to use any entertainment application hidden behind Xbox LIVE Gold, though they’ll still need a subscription to a particular service if the app requires it. For example, Netflix will still require a Netflix subscription to function.
Only users in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam will be able to take advantage of the free weekend, according to MajorNelson.
Users in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia and Mexico will have unfettered access to Xbox LIVE beginning October 11th, with Japan’s begging November 7th.
