XBL Silver members face wait for content

The Xbox Live Fall Update has brought with it a variety of new things: a family timer that limits playing time, the ability to download selected Xbox original games, and now apparently a lock on Silver members downloading new content straightaway.

According to a post on Major Nelson, the blog of Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb, access to free content when it is first posted is now restricted to Gold members only.

Silver members will see a red circle with a slash through it when content--for instance, game demos or trailers--is available only for Gold members. Those with Silver accounts will need to wait one week from the item's release to get their mitts on it. The Silver Xbox Live accounts are free, whereas a Gold membership will set gamers back £39.99 a year in the UK, and $49.99 in the US.

Hryb commented, "This is not done to annoy our Silver members--limited time exclusive access to content is just one of the many benefits of having a Gold Xbox Live account."