Hulu Plus A Premium On Consoles: Playstation 3 And Xbox 360 Owners Need To Pony Up

[Maestro23]

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1102995p1.html

PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners looking to subscribe to Hulu's new video streaming service, Hulu Plus, must be premium members of their respective consoles to gain access.

Like Netflix before it, Hulu Plus on Xbox Live will also require users to have a Gold account to become a subscriber. Microsoft says, however, that it's offering a "custom" experience, allowing users to navigate menus with Kinect and join Xbox Live parties to watch with friends. The service will launch early next year on Xbox 360

"We are taking the time to ensure that the Hulu Plus experience for Xbox 360 is the best on TV and like our other entertainment experiences it will not be a port, but rather a custom experience that leverages the Xbox Live community features," said Larry Hryb, Microsoft's Director of Programming for Xbox Live.

While still unconfirmed, it appears Sony may be including Hulu Plus into its new PlayStation Plus service first unveiled at E3. Technologizer picked up on hidden lines of text in the code of Hulu's website that state a Plus account is required.

"The instructions below will help you install Hulu Plus on your PS3," it says. "Note: you must be a subscriber of the PlayStation Plus Network."

When asked for clarification, a Sony spokesperson told IGN that it won't comment and that it'll have more information in the near future. Hulu Plus is scheduled to drop next month on PS3, so we hope to know more by then.

Both Gold and Plus accounts cost $49.99 for a year's subscription. Adding that to Hulu Plus' $9.99 monthly rate, you're looking at spending upwards of $170 a year for the service on consoles.

[MarkB]

[Yankee4Life]

Translation: Hey Europeans? Screw you.