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But this is an exception.

Console manufacturers and game makers have no interest in lining the pockets of ISPs. All they want to do is push the bar higher, deliver cool new features, better graphics, and powerful services that consumers both crave and use. More often than not, these things requires more bandwidth.

And it may not be the fashionable thing to say, but I don’t think the problem lies with our ISPs, either.

There are actually some relatively good deals on Internet plans out there for people who take the time to search them out. The problem is that even the cheapest plans with speeds and caps (or lack of caps) best suited for this new era of gaming can still be much more expensive than what we are accustomed to paying.

The cheapest plan I’ve found for my area (Toronto) with a 300 GB cap and a respectable maximum download speeds of 45 Mbps is more than $60 per month with tax. It’s a good deal for what it offers compared to the competition, but still more than what I’m used to.

What it comes down to is this: There’s a hard cost associated with bandwidth. More costs more. And the simple fact is that gamers are using more. A lot more.

And the numbers are just going to keep getting higher.

Unless you’re already among the minority who’ve already switched over to a pricier plan with higher limits, a bigger monthly bill from your ISP is simply the new cost of using home game consoles. We’re going to need to get used to it.

Now pardon me while I call up my ISP and haggle over a new plan. I’m not going to be downloading any 13 GB patches until I know they’re not going to cost me $1.50 per gigabyte in overage fees.